Favorite Shops & Nurseries

Glassybaby Goodness

by Rebecca Sweet

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Having three good friends and two of my favorite clients going through various stages of cancer right now, I’m particularly aware of kindhearted people and companies who are making an effort to help others. Which is why I’ve become a huge fan of Glassybaby. While very well-known throughout Seattle (seen on the tables of at least [...]

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Hooray for Heucheras! An interview with Terra Nova Nurseries

by Rebecca Sweet

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Heucheras (aka: Coral Bells or Allum Root) are one of my favorite perennials in the garden, whether adding spots of color in the front of the border, massed together in drifts or nestled into a container. I’d be lost if I couldn’t use these little treasures in my designs, as their foliage comes in [...]

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Gift ideas for your mama

by Rebecca Sweet

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With Mother’s Day fast approaching, I’ve been giving a lot of thought about what to give my own mother. My mom is an incredible gardener but can be pretty picky, so finding the perfect gift is always a bit challenging. Which means I’m always on the look out for something a little out of the [...]

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Knock-out Kniphofias

by Rebecca Sweet

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Kniphopfias (aka: Red Hot Poker or Torch Lily) are one of my very favorite flowers to add vertical interest to the garden. Seeing their snake-like stalks rise from a clump of lush leaf blades is always a joy to behold as they stretch their long necks what seems like several inches a day. I don’t [...]

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Easter & Annuals go hand in hand

by Rebecca Sweet

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I’ll admit it – I haven’t included annuals in a design in a long, long time. Maybe even never. I’m not talking about the drool-inducing annuals over at Annie’s Annuals. I’m talking about the tried and true (some might say ‘boring’) ones that have been used over and over and over again. Now, it’s not [...]

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The Art of Plants at the Spring Trials

by Rebecca Sweet

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Last week I spent a few days with Jeanette Sinclair (of Woodside Images) in Southern California’s charming little town of Santa Paula, visiting Ball Horticulture’s Spring Trials to see what new treasures they had to offer the plant world. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Spring Trials, Jeanette compares it to New York’s Fashion [...]

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Flowers in February? Absolutely!

by Rebecca Sweet

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While visiting the garden of one of my favorite clients yesterday I was really pleased with how it looked in the middle of February. When designing, one of my priorities is to create a garden that looks good throughout the year. Luckily, living in Northern California’s zone 9, this is a very attainable goal. However, [...]

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Succulent heaven at Sherman Gardens

by Rebecca Sweet

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I can look at succulents all day long. I never grow tired of their colors, shapes and forms and the infinite number of ways that creative gardeners use them in their gardens. A few months ago, while rushing to get to the airport, my friend insisted we stop at Corona del Mar’s Sherman Library and Gardens, [...]

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A Sweet French Birdhouse

by Rebecca Sweet

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One of my favorite Christmas gifts was given to me by my husband Tom – this handmade birdhouse from L’Atelier Vert. My garden wouldn’t be complete without all the birds that visit and raise their babies here (see here, and here, and here!) so I’m hopeful one will find a new home this spring. [...]

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The Allied Box Factory in San Francisco

by Rebecca Sweet

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A few weeks ago I paid a visit to Baylor Chapman, at her gorgeous floral studio Lila B. Design. While I’ve written about her shop before (you can read it here), this time I’m writing about the building across the street. Yep, it’s the giant green one which you can see out of her storefront [...]

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Flora’s colorful containers

by Rebecca Sweet

A few weeks ago I spent an afternoon at Flora Grubb Gardens as I needed a little inspiration for some upcoming container projects. Flora never lets me down! It was a beautiful fall day when the sun’s gentle rays allow everything to glow just a little bit brighter. For those of you not familiar with this [...]

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Cottage Gardens in Petaluma – Garden Up’s next stop!

by Rebecca Sweet

If you love clematis, edibles, succulents and everything in between then Cottage Gardens of Petaluma is nursery you MUST visit! Many already know this nursery as one of the best sources around for unusual varieties of clematis. But Bruce Shanks, the owner, has clearly been bitten by Succulent Fever. Everywhere I look there’s unbelievable specimens [...]

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DIG Garden Nursery – A new Santa Cruz treasure!

by Rebecca Sweet

If you’re a gardener who loves succulents, contemporary design, chickens, canning, birds, living walls and books, then this Northern California garden shop is the place for YOU. Just over a year old, DIG a much needed refuge from the more ordinary and commonplace garden shops which dot the coast. Cara and Will Meyers (who also [...]

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A Day with Lila B. Design

by Rebecca Sweet

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending a Saturday afternoon in San Francisco with Debra Prinzing, Susan Morrison and Baylor Chapman of Lila B. Design. The purpose? To not only have fun, but to get a behind the scenes tour of Baylor’s unbelievably cool floral design studio. Join me to see what [...]

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Green Design – Indoor & Outdoor Plantscape

by Rebecca Sweet

. Do you ever walk down a busy street and you see a hint of something cool peeking out from the doorway of a building, and you just KNOW something good is about to happen? Well that’s what happened to me the other day when I was in San Jose and stumbled upon Green Design [...]

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Tomatomania

by Rebecca Sweet

. . WOW. I was up in Sonoma last weekend and attended the ‘World’s largest traveling heirloom seedling sale’, called Tomatomania. , We happened to stumble upon this event, and the timing couldn’t have been better as not only am I ready to plant my annual 2 tomato plants, but we were heading over to [...]

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At Annie’s Annuals with Growing a Greener World

by Rebecca Sweet

By now, many of you know what an amazing nursery Annie’s Annuals is. The sheer amount of unusual and super-cool plants for sale is staggering, and the stuffed-to-the-brim planting beds provide enough eye candy to let you feast there for hours. I was fortunate enough to attend a little soiree there last spring, in celebration [...]

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How will you celebrate Earth Day?

by Rebecca Sweet

Earth Day is April 22, and I’ve been invited to participate in a blogging event hosted by Jan Huston Doble’s blog Thanks For 2 Day, where garden bloggers are writing about ways in which we’re making ‘greener gardens’. I’ve decided to write about two of my very favorite organic garden products: Haven’s Authentic Brand Soil [...]

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Sonoma’s Artefact Design and Salvage

by Rebecca Sweet

Warning: This is not your grandmother’s typical garden shop. Welcome to Artefact Design and Salvage, located at the Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma, California, and it’s just the thing to clear out the cobwebs of winter and kick-start your imagination!

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