Rebecca Sweet

The Tanners’ Eye-Candy Containers succulents in containers

The Tanners’ Eye-Candy Containers

Hands-down, the most incredible containers I’ve ever seen are those created by Freeland and Sabrina Tanner. I’m honored to call this landscape design dream team good friends of mine and try to visit their Napa Valley garden as often as possible. I’ve written about their glorious garden here and here, but today I want to highlight their breathtaking containers. Artfully […]

Praying mantis nests for the tough-to-please teenager

  Engaging older kids in the garden is definitely not as easy as it was when they were young.   It takes a little more craftiness than having their own ‘big kid shovel’ to lure some of these kids back into the garden, so I’m always willing to try  something new. One foolproof method is […]

From ‘Ewww’ to ‘Cool’ – growing mushrooms in a box

From ‘Ewww’ to ‘Cool’ – growing mushrooms in a box

I walked into Peets Coffee the other day (sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it?) Anyway, I walked in and saw these interesting looking mushroom kits for sale.  And since I’m an avid gardener who will grow just about anything, I was immediately intrigued.  So, I snatched one up for $15.00.   Having […]

Succulent Container Gardens – Book Review

Succulent Container Gardens – Book Review

Since there’s already so many glowing reviews of Debra Lee Baldwin’s Succulent Container Gardens on the internet, I thought I might do something a little different – review the author first, and then review  the book.   I mean, really – who doesn’t want to know all about the person who wrote the book?  I know […]

Freaky Looking Lemons

Freaky Looking Lemons

‘Eureka’ lemon trees are notorious for producing freaky looking lemons (especially in cooler coastal climates like ours in the Bay Area.)   Personally, I like the occasional oddball that my tree kicks out – and so do my kids.  But if more and more of your lemons are turning out like this, you may want to […]

Meet Frankenstein, my wind-damaged orange tree washington naval orange tree

Meet Frankenstein, my wind-damaged orange tree

Meet Frankenstein, my wind-damaged ‘Washington Naval’ orange tree! It’s January here in Northern California and today I ate the first  orange off my beloved orange tree. I love that first, sweet-with-a-hint-of-sour-taste from the season’s first fruit.   I look forward to it all year, beginning in late spring when my garden is blanketed with the […]