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Joanna’s work featured in Florida Horticulture For Health Network‘s Summer issue of Cultivate!

Joanna has the opportunity to co-author an article from The Journal Of Therapeutic Horticulture. PDF below.

Horticultural Therapy Health Interventions with Female Survivors of Human Trafficking: Program Models

American Horticultural Therapy Association Issue 33.1 2023

Learn More about SPF 2023

SPF was the perfect place to share and inform the general public of therapeutic horticulture and its benefits through Plant & Zine Combo packs! Complete with a mini seaweed fertilizer and pocket care guide.

SPF Small Press Fair is an event for local and regional artists, printers, booksellers, publishers, authors, poets, bookmakers, designers, zinesters and cultural workers to share ideas and showcase new work related to print making, book making and zine creation.

Register here to receive E ticket!

DATE: Saturday 11/4/23   TIME: 10:30am – 11:45am

Become inspired to create your sacred space! Plant Care is Self Care offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in therapeutic horticulture. This will be a safe space to gain insight into how regular practice with horticulture can bring joy and balance to life. Participate in a plant repotting exercise and adopt a beautiful new plant and pot to take home.

This session will present you with the opportunity to receive wellness benefits such as:
Practicing being in the present moment
Reducing stress
Improving physical health
Boosting mood
Promoting social connections

Soil, pots, plants, stress relief, and smiles all included in the session! 


Instructor Bio: Joanna Brown holds a certificate in horticultural therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute in Denver Colorado and an interdisciplinary BA in humanities, social sciences, and environmental studies from the University of Central Florida.

She is the owner of Restorative Horticultural Therapy contracting and consulting and the founder of Horticulture For Healing, a non-profit which advocates for horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture in less privileged communities. Joanna has partnered with non-profit residential centers for behavioral health and addiction, an anti-human trafficking organization, and the University of California, Irvine.

Currently, she is designing her second therapeutic horticulture program for Pace for Girls located in Immokalee FL. She lives in Miami, Florida and self publishes a quarterly zine titled: People & Plant Care: A zine for anyone in recovery, healing, displacement, and transition.

Learn more about Joanna and her work here: 
○ https://restorativehorticulturaltherapy.com/
○ https://horticultureforhealing.org/
○ https://www.instagram.com/restorativehorttherapy/
○ https://www.instagram.com/horticultureforhealing

The incredible practice of horticultural therapy combines my love for South Florida’s unique flora with the power of healing, so if you’re ready to explore some of my favorite native plants, read on!

South Florida’s Native Plants to Consider for therapeutic garden spaces and sessions:

1. Coontie (Zamia integrifolia): This low-maintenance plant is perfect for container gardens and requires little water. The Florida Coontie is also the host plant for the Atala butterfly, making it an essential addition to any native garden. First peoples in South Florida made an edible starch (known as Florida arrowroot) can be made from the Coontie root with proper preparation. Colonizers exploited this food source and over harvested the plant for this starch. The Atala butterfly disappeared along with Coontie and was thought to be extinct from 1937 until 1959 when scattered specimens were found. In 1979, the butterflies were discovered on a barrier island off the coast of Miami. The species is believed to have rebounded from this population. Oddly the Atala is not federally listed under the Endangered Species Act. Florida lists it as a “species of greatest conservation need.” Although rare, the Atala has rebounded considerably and has even moved beyond its historic range along the southeastern coast of Florida to localized areas near Florida’s west coast.
2. Firebush (Hamelia patens): The firebush is a favorite among pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. Its vibrant red-orange flowers bloom year-round, providing a pop of color to your garden.
3. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias perennis): This native shrub produces clusters of stunning small pink and white flowers attracting various butterflies for pollination. The Monarch butterfly uses it as a host plant for eggs and a food source for larva. It’s a great choice for supporting local ecosystems as it needs little water and minimal care, thriving in wet or dry sandy areas.
4. Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens): This slow-growing, hardy palm is perfect for South Florida gardens. Its fan-shaped leaves provide a beautiful, tropical touch, and it’s an essential host plant for the native palmetto skipper butterfly.
5. Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) is an herbaceous wildflower whose brightly colored flowers attract a variety of pollinators. The plant typically blooms from spring into fall, but may bloom year-round. A great ground cover or can be grown in a container.
6. Wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa): This shade-tolerant plant is an excellent option for filling in those darker corners of your garden. With glossy leaves and small, fragrant flowers, wild coffee is a low-maintenance choice that supports pollinators, especially the Atala and Schaus’ swallowtail butterflies.