I 'm Sheri Burke, plant lover, and let me say that if there is a plant nursery on my daily path of errands, I stop. If there is a nursery on my path to my BFF’s house, I stop. If there is a nursery on my path to visit family, I stop.

This stop-for-every-nursery path of mine led me to the idea of making yearly trips with my Aunt Patti (just as crazy about all things plants as I am) with no objective except to visit nurseries and public gardens. We pick a general destination, let’s say Oregon. We make a list of all the nurseries on our path, depending upon which freeway we decide to travel. And we head out!

I drive, Aunt Patti navigates. And we have a rule: she has her side of the vehicle, I have mine, and the two cannot encroach on the other without paying rent or a free plant. We take food and drink with us because stopping somewhere to eat means less time at a nursery!

Only after we have been thrown out of the last nursery for the day do we start looking for a hotel. Luckily, we have not had to sleep in the car. We love living on the edge. So come along and enjoy with us our journey of plant nursery joy!

First Visit?

JUST A SUGGESTION! Begin with post 01 Dragonfly Farm. Find my archives here.

August 30, 2024

101 Pots Make a Makeover

My readers know how much I "dig" container gardening. Can't say it enough: I L.O.V.E. POTS! And, omigosh, did I get "pot-lucky" recently when a lovely couple who bought a 30-year-old house wanted me to give the backyard landscape a makeover, saying, "We want pots everywhere."
July 17, 2024

100 Northwest Garden Nursery

Can you believe my 100th blog post is here! Many kudos to all of you readers who have tolerated me for so long on this adventure. We’ve shared plenty of laughs and eye-rolls, but I hope my posts have helped fertilize your plant passion. For this milestone post, I share a garden visit that brought me to tears.
April 12, 2024

99 Nursery Hop, Skip & Jump

Spring has sprung and AP and I are just itching to get to a nursery—any nursery, does not matter if it’s near or far! To scratch our nursery itch, AP and I decided recently to visit some nurseries in the Santa Rosa and Sebastopol area where there are so many nurseries it really is just a “hop, skip and a jump” from one to the other.
January 19, 2024

97 Things I’ve Learned By Gardening

I used to think that once I put all my plants in the ground, my garden would be done. Nope. I've come to realize it ain’t done and won't be done until I myself am in the ground—like, six feet under. My garden evolves and won't stop evolving because plant offerings in nurseries won't stop evolving. I'm hooked because of my passion (obsession, some would call it) for All Things Plants. AKA, "I've got to have that plant!"
January 5, 2024

96 Alladin Nursery

Alladin was the last nursery visit of the day for me and AP, and thank gawd. It had been a damn hot day—like, OMG, 105° degrees or more. Which may sound lovely to you now in early January, but this was not January and it was NOT lovely! Alladin’s tagline though—”For Those Who Love Plants”—called out to us and required a visit no matter how hot. I know I complain about the heat, Friends, but I am willing to sweat for plants I love!
December 15, 2023

95 Bright Star Babies

In my Aunt Patti's front yard are some Bright Star Yuccas that have been growing babies over the past year. Not long ago AP texted me to say the babies were ready to cut from their mothers and did I want them. Of course I wanted them! In this blog I often mention Bright Stars—lovely things—and if you don’t have any yet at your place, well...Reader, I can’t understand why not. Don't you like beauty in your garden?
November 17, 2023

93 Plant Depot

I was rather surprised Plant Depot looked so unexciting from the outside the first time we visited it. But it has undergone a facelift it deserved. Because on the inside, it is truly a Destination Nursery on a large scale with demo gardens, a fantastic lay out and a huge selection. I may be just an insignificant nursery hopper, but in my opinion Plant Depot is a plant-lover's dream.

Sheri Lynn Burke

My journey began as a small child watching and helping my mom in the garden. Years later, I bought a home, had those kids, had an ugly landscape and thought, "I can do better." So for the next 10 years, thousands (and thousands) of dollars went to plants. But I became a serial killer as 80% of them died. "Screw this!" I said. I had an eye for design but didn't know how to keep the damn plants alive! I procrastinated for 5 years ('cuz I wanted more death) and then became a certified Master Gardener. Four years and three pieces of paper later, I got a Horticulture degree. No longer a serial killer, I'm now a landscape designer and contractor with my own business. I had to train this green thumb that I got from my mother. But, Mom, I owe it all to you!