Marika Brown
Designer

Marika found her way to landscape architecture through her love of plants and art.

Growing up on the peninsula, she originally wanted to be an artist. After several years looking for direction through art school, she discovered horticulture. It was a combination of her favorite things – being outside, playing in the mud and growing tomatoes – so she entered the Environmental Horticulture & Design program at Foothill College.

She worked in the field as a horticulturist for the last 15 years, focusing on fine garden maintenance and holistic land stewardship. Her enthusiasm led to a variety of opportunities working in organic vegetable and flower production, sustainable orchard management, nursery production, and resilient landscaping all while continuing to design garden spaces for public and residential projects. Her speciality is planting design with an emphasis on Mediterranean and California palettes, habitat enhancement and long-term tree health. A life-long learner, Marika went back to school and received her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from UC Davis in 2024.

She uses her on-the-ground horticulture experience and whole-process design skills to develop functional gardens for people and ecosystems. Her sweet spot is using planting design to create joyful and aesthetically pleasing spaces.

Outside of work, her happy place is still being out in the garden: digging, planting, and snacking, punctuated by lots of bike rides and camping adventures with her partner.