vertical gardening

Grand Boca Grande

by Rebecca Sweet
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I just returned from a quick trip to Boca Grande, a tiny little island off of Florida, where I spoke about vertical gardening to the island’s local garden club.  Without a doubt, one of the perks of my job is the chance to see new things and meet new people – something I wouldn’t trade [...]

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My Hollywood Home Away from Home

by Rebecca Sweet
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For the next few weeks I’d like to invite you to join me on my adventure in Los Angeles.  West Hollywood, to be exact.  Why am I here?  My daughter and I are touring colleges and getting to know the town she’ll call home in a year. What’s that have to do with gardening, you [...]

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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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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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Think vertically when designing side yards

by Rebecca Sweet

In one of the chapters of our book Garden Up! Susan and I write about maximizing your garden’s side yard.  These spaces are often neglected, and turn into dumping grounds for junky items collected over the years.  While it’s true we all need a place to store that broken BBQ that we can’t quite throw away [...]

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Dutchman’s Pipevine

by Rebecca Sweet
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While visiting my friends in Connecticut last week I couldn’t help but fall in love with the massive Dutchman’s Pipevine that seductively draped over their arbor. It’s giant heart-shaped leaves seemed to glow from within when backlit by the setting sun. The tendrils gently coiled downwards, adding an almost ethereal appearance to this cozy space.

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A Fireplace Mantle gets a new home

by Rebecca Sweet

While driving around in the rain a few months ago, I spotted this old fireplace mantle leaning behind a dumpster with a bunch of junk piled on top of it.  The dumpster was behind a furniture staging company – you know, the kind that stages homes when they go on the market?  But this had [...]

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Living Walls in a San Francisco Community Garden

by Rebecca Sweet

While in San Francisco recently, I stumbled upon this community garden sandwiched in between a really busy road and an apartment building. It’s a community garden built and maintained by a homeless shelter and surrounding neighbors (which is cool enough!) but I loved all the creative (and free) living wall elements in it.  All the [...]

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The Latest from the Garden Up! Promotion Trail

by Rebecca Sweet

I’m so excited to be giving my very first radio interview this Saturday morning (April 2nd) at 8:15 am (that’s A.M. folks)! And not just any ol’ radio interview, but with one of my favorite programs – Garden Life!   It’ll be broadcast throughout the country, so check here for stations near you!    (And [...]

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Garden Designers Roundtable – Garden Up! Director’s Cut

by Rebecca Sweet

Our new book, Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces, made its debut this past week and Susan Morrison and I are thrilled that our fellow Roundtablers will be writing their own thoughts about vertical gardening today. Since I’ve already written about many different aspects of vertical gardening in Garden Up!, I [...]

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Vertical Gardening & Garden Up! Cyber Book Party

by Rebecca Sweet

Ta Da!  Today is the official launch of our book Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces. To celebrate, Susan and I are hosting a cyber book party, complete with door prizes and party favors – and you’re all invited! Of course, two blogs isn’t much of a party, and if you’ve [...]

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Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening is here!

by Rebecca Sweet

Drumroll please! I’m thrilled to announce that Susan Morrison and I have launched our new website, featuring our book Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces!!!! Check out our site if you want to: Take a peek inside the book (we love this feature!) ….. See where we’ll be speaking next (adding [...]

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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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