Owen Dell, ASLA, Principal

Owen is an award-winning, internationally admired landscape architect, author and educator. He is the principal of Owen Dell & Associates in Santa Barbara, specializing in sustainable landscape architectural services. Owen has been part of the landscaping profession since 1971, and he has pioneered many of the practices of sustainable landscaping presently in use worldwide. Owen lectures around the country and internationally on sustainable landscaping and related topics. He is the author of "How to Start a Home-Based Landscaping Business" and "Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies." Owen is also a regular contributor to many national and regional horticultural publications. He is the co-host and co-creator of the popular Santa Barbara television series, "Garden Wise Guys." Contact Owen at owen@owendell.com.

Owen is the co-host of the popular Southern California television series "Garden Wise Guys." The only sustainable landscaping sitcom on the planet, Garden Wise Guys will teach you about responsible landscaping practices while entertaining you with fun stories, wacky stunts, and cliffhanger plots. Click the logo below to learn more.

Bonnie Barabas,
Design Services Administrator

Bonnie is the heart of operations at Owen Dell & Associates. In addition to handling daily management tasks with style and friendly grace, Bonnie tracks all projects, takes charge of numerous special projects, and collaborates on major policy and management decisions. She is also the chief auditor for our landscape audit division. Bonnie brings to the firm over 25 years of business and design experience. She has co-owned both a high end clothing business, Barabas & Covey, as well as the publishing company Tools With Heart, a designer and manufacturer of guided journals for clients such as Oprah Winfrey, Charles Schwab, Canyon Ranch, Four Seasons Resorts, and many others. Following up on her lifelong love affair with garden design, Bonnie returned to school in 2007 to pursue landscape design and sustainable environmental horticulture.

Over the years, she has designed and maintained many gardens of her own and for friends and family. In 2008, she joined Owen Dell & Associates, as Design Services Administrator, and has dedicated herself to sharing the magic and healing powers that one's personal garden can bring. Contact Bonnie at bonnie@owendell.com.

Stacey Isaac, ASLA,
Associate Landscape Architect

Landscape architect Stacey Isaac, ASLA graduated from the University of Oregon 2001 cum laude with a Bachelor Landscape Architecture degree. Stacey considers herself a landscape artist as well as a landscape architect. After working in landscape architecture in the Pacific Northwest for many years, Stacey relocated to Santa Barbara in 2003. The broad scope of her experience includes everything from large scale resorts such as "The One and Only Palmilla" in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and the Biltmore Four Seasons in Montecito to Heritage Housing in Pasadena to save Arts+Crafts period houses and transfer them into a higher-density multi-family housing projects. Other projects include a LEED platinum industrial commercial project in Wildomar, California and many large-scale residential projects in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Southern California. Stacey's immense talent and strong commitment to sustainability are a tremendous asset to the firm. Contact Stacey at stacey@owendell.com.

We're very honored to have Oscar Carmona working with us as a Gardener Liaison and Trainer. Oscar is the owner and operator of Healing Grounds Nursery. Has spent the last 25 years helping connect people, plants, and the planet. After graduating from UCSB in 1983 he learned organic farming from some of Santa Barbara's best growers. In 1986 he started a horticultural therapy program at the Alpha Resource Center, working with developmentally challenged adults. From 1991 to 2004 Oscar was the Director of Garden Programs for the Community Environmental Council (CEC) in Santa Barbara, CA where he managed the City of Santa Barbara's community gardens and CEC's Urban Farm. He started CEC's Green Schools Gardening Program, Farming Fun Summer Camp, the Santa Barbara Youth Gardening Coalition, and served as the President of the Santa Barbara Horticultural Consortium.

In 2004 Oscar started the Healing Grounds Horticultural Therapy Program as part of the Transitions Mental Health Program. Healing Grounds Nursery was started as a way to provide work training and income to adult clients with mental illness. Today Healing Grounds has grown into a wholesale nursery but it's commitment to the planet and community remains as strong as ever.

In addition to owning and operating Healing Grounds Nursery, Oscar has taught the Green Gardener Sustainable Landscape Courses in English and Spanish through Santa Barbara City College and Alan Hancock College in Santa Maria since 2000. These courses have trained 1000 (and counting) landscapers to use environmentally sustainable methods and have been exported to Santa Cruz County and elsewhere. Oscar also offers gardening and composting consultations for home gardeners and organic gardening and composting workshops.

We use the services of other professionals as required by projects.