perennials

Flowers and memories – the good and the bad

by Rebecca Sweet

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The other day I sat down with my father and we were laughing about the time when I decapitated my parents’ very first little garden. I was only two years old, and my dad was anxiously waiting for the day when the new ‘seed mat’ they had carefully tended over the past few weeks would [...]

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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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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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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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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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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 – 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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Oxalis in my garden

by Rebecca Sweet

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I love Oxalis in my garden. No, not the horribly invasive oxalis that has taken over my lawn, but the colorful and well-behaved hybrids available in nurseries everywhere. Come and take a look….

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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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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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How to avoid winter’s ‘hole in the garden’

by Rebecca Sweet

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I was having a conversation with a new client the other day, and she was asking me how I go about designing a garden. As we walked through her existing garden, she was afraid it was too early in the year for me to really get an idea of what it looked like, since so [...]

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Heavenly Hellebores

by Rebecca Sweet

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Hellebores are typically pretty easy to grow here in Northern California, requiring partial shade, well-draining soil and moderate irrigation. They come in a staggering range of colors, from the deepest maroon to the palest ivory. They’re usually categorized as either having upright blooms on tall stems (aka: caulescent) or no stems, typically with downward facing [...]

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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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Garden Designers Roundtable – Designing with Deer

by Rebecca Sweet

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Sure, it’s tempting to title this post Deer-Proof Plants or something of that nature but truth be told, deer will eat just about anything when they’re hungry. And not only that, but they’re some of the craftiest animals around when it comes to sneaking into your garden. The second you leave your gate open, they [...]

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Top 10 Favorite Black Plants for Halloween

by Rebecca Sweet

It’s no secret that one of my favorite colors in the garden is black. It’s pretty hard to find plants that have true black foliage (most are more like maroon), but here are some that come pretty close. And just in time for Halloween!

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Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – October 2011

by Rebecca Sweet

I’m so excited to be participating again in another fabulous Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! For those of you not familiar with what ‘Bloom Day’ is, it’s a blogging tradition started by May Dreams Gardens where, on the 15th of each month, garden bloggers everywhere have the opportunity to show you what’s going on in their own gardens. [...]

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Window boxes help add vertical interest to your garden

by Rebecca Sweet

I guess I just can’t stop thinking about gardening up (can you blame me?) When writing our book, Garden Up, Susan Morrison and I had to draw the line somewhere, and unfortunately a few topics didn’t quite made the cut. Window boxes were one of them, and it’s too bad because I really feel that [...]

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Gorgeous grasses in the garden

by Rebecca Sweet

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If you’re familiar with my blog, then you know I love grasses. And luckily they’re becoming more and more common in most every nursery, with many selections to choose from. Yes, grasses are all the rage and for good reason. Why? Generally speaking, grasses will grow in just about any type of soil, most [...]

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50 Beautiful Deer Resistant Plants – Book Review

by Rebecca Sweet

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50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat Written by Ruth Rogers Clausen Photography by Alan L. Detrick (Timberpress) I usually don’t review many books, but when a title comes up that I deal with on a daily basis I’ll make an exception! Deer are one of the [...]

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