design

New Garden App – Sunset Western Garden Book

by Rebecca Sweet

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I’m a huge fan of the latest edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book (read my review here), and to say I’m over the moon with excitement at the big news of their new garden app is an understatement. A few weeks ago I was honored to be invited to Sunset’s Headquarters where I was [...]

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Color in the Garden – without the plants

by Rebecca Sweet

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You can always tell when people are sick and tired of winter when flashy accessories start popping up throughout the garden! This past week, while visiting Sunset Magazine’s test gardens and those of the San Francisco Garden Show, I was struck by the amount of vibrant colors everywhere. And also, interestingly enough, how the color [...]

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Lawn Gone! Book Party, Review and Giveaways

by Rebecca Sweet

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To celebrate the release of Pam Penick’s new book, Lawn Gone! Low-Maintenance, Sustainable, Attractive Alternatives for Your Yard, you’re all invited to attend her Lawn Gone Book Party – with some very cool party prizes! Six garden blogging friends and I are hosting 7 great giveaways this week, all related to the theme of – [...]

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Wake your Winter Garden – Inspiration from the Washington Park Arboretum

by Rebecca Sweet

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There’s something magical about a winter garden, and I never pass up an opportunity to visit one – especially one that’s known for looking it’s best during the bleakest months of the year. While attending a family wedding in Seattle this past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the J. Witt Winter Garden in [...]

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The heartbeat of my garden – my transformed shed

by Rebecca Sweet

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This month my office is being featured in Sunset Magazine (my copy just came in the mail yesterday and I’m so excited I can hardly breathe!!) I’ve literally grown up with Sunset in the house, whether it was magazines, how-to or garden books lying around my mother’s and grandmother’s house. So imagine the pride that [...]

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Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?

by Rebecca Sweet

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I’m thrilled to introduce one of the best books to hit the stands this year – Why Grow That, When You Can Grow This, by my good friend Andrew Keys (Timberpress, 2012). Now you may be thinking “Oh – she’s clearly biased, no doubt, since she just said they’re good friends.” Fair enough. But if [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable – Memory and Plants

by Rebecca Sweet

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We all tend to collect our memories somewhere – scrapbooks, journals, photo albums, memory quilts, recipes or family movies (just to name a few). But for many of us, our gardens are what carry us through the years, bringing back fond memories through sight, scent, touch and taste. Personally, I can’t help but think of [...]

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The Layered Garden – Book Giveaway

by Rebecca Sweet

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You know when you see a book and you just know it’s gonna be good? Well, that’s how I felt about The Layered Garden, by David L. Culp, and photographed by the talented Rob Cardillo. And I knew I held a gem in my hands when I read the glowing forward, written by Lauren Springer [...]

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A Colorful Garden in Tucson

by Rebecca Sweet

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While visiting Arizona last month I couldn’t wait to tour a few private gardens to see first-hand how these determined and creative gardeners deal with All. That. Heat. Driving through Tucson’s wide suburban streets, where the homes and landscaping tend to blend together, my heart skipped a beat when I noticed this garden’s ‘fence’. Not your [...]

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Top 10 Favorite Orange Plants

by Rebecca Sweet

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It’s that time of year again when our homes and gardens are decked out in orange and black, and mine is no exception. And what better occasion than Halloween to talk about one of my favorite colors in the garden – orange! Last year I wrote about my favorite black plants, so it’s only fitting [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable- Danger is my middle name

by Rebecca Sweet

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There’s something alluring about beautiful plants that have a bite to them. In fact, I just attended a fascinating talk by desert-designer-extraordinaire Scott Calhoun, who believes our fascination with plants that make us bleed is akin to the Stockholm Syndrome – ha! While I don’t go out of my way to design gardens that will intentionally impale [...]

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A White Cloud on Wordless Wednesday

by Rebecca Sweet

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Earlier this week I wrote about my visit to Cornerstone Gardens and showed you the Red Lantern garden created by the amazing duo Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot. Today I wanted to introduce you to their other installation titled ‘White Cloud’. You would be correct in saying I’ve found my new favorite contemporary artists.

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Garden Designers Roundtable: Focus on the Details

by Rebecca Sweet

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I’ve been wanting to write about this garden for a long time, and have finally found the perfect opportunity with today’s Garden Designers Roundtable topic ‘Focusing on the Details’. (Warning: lots of photos for this one!) While touring gardens last year with Debra Lee Baldwin, she insisted I meet her good friend, Jim Bishop. And, [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable: Sculpture in the Garden

by Rebecca Sweet

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As a landscape designer and garden writer I see lots and lots of gardens. And while I’m a huge fan of personalizing your garden with whatever art captures your heart, lately I seem to be drawn to selectively placed, oversized sculptures. I think this is because my own life is so hectic right now, and [...]

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Pasadena’s Arlington Garden

by Rebecca Sweet

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While driving around Pasadena early the other morning, I had a few hours to spare before the Huntington Gardens opened. Imagine my surprise when, while looking for a coffee shop, I accidentally stumbled upon this treasure! Tucked away in the middle of a residential neighborhood is one of the most exciting public gardens I think [...]

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Landscaping for Privacy – Book Review

by Rebecca Sweet

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When meeting with new clients for the first time, the issue of privacy almost always tops their list of ‘must-haves’. Whether gardening in sprawling estates or in tight residential quarters, gardeners everywhere crave a sense of tranquility, privacy and seclusion from their neighbors. Which is why I was thrilled to receive a copy of Landscaping for [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable – Using Texture in the Garden

by Rebecca Sweet

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Welcome to the Garden Designers Roundtable, where designers from around the world participate in monthly discussions about all things gardening. The topic for this month is Texture. As many gardeners already know, gardening appeals to all the senses. Not only do our eyes visually benefit from our creative efforts, but equally important are a garden’s [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable: Our Home Gardens

by Rebecca Sweet

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In this month’s Garden Designers Roundtable, we have the honor of writing about our own personal gardens. While this may seem like an easy post to write, it’s actually been quite difficult for me. How can I possibly share my garden with you in a way that conveys all that it means to me? While [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable – Favorite Gardens

by Rebecca Sweet

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The topic for this month’s Garden Designers Roundtable is Garden Travel/Best Gardens. While I immediately thought of the many beautiful gardens I’ve seen on my travels, there’s one that I’ve recently had the pleasure of visiting, and one that I can’t get out of my mind. It’s a private garden here in Northern California, created [...]

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