High-Hand Nursery
3750 Taylor Rd, Loomis, CA 95650 • (916) 660-0117
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H igh-Hand Nursery is a "destination" nursery if ever there was one. It's not full-service—doesn't carry every annual or every perennial you might want for every season. But it's a very Zen-like nursery where the instant I walk in, the outside world disappears. I go immediately into a "zone" where my creative instincts and plant-love take over and I can't be held responsible for my actions. It's absolutely beautiful!!!
I met Scott Paris, owner, 18 years ago before he opened High-Hand. He was a landscape contractor (still is) and had a booth at the Sacramento Home and Garden Show.
It was a Friday-Sunday event and, as I always do, I went on the first day not intending to buy but to scope it out. I came home with a list of what I found that I wanted—mostly from Scott.
Mike and I went back on Sunday right before closing with truck and trailer hoping to negotiate with him because we know vendors do not like hauling unsold items back to their shop. (Shhhh...keep this tip a secret! :)
It worked. Mike and I brought home this pergola, metal container and 25 assorted perennial plants for under $1500.
BTW, that pergola came in a million little numbered pieces. Mike decided to put it together in the dark. Sigh.
We positioned it facing the entrance to our old house. We have since torn that house down, but we've kept the pergola as is because "WHY on earth would we spend the time to move it?" Even though eighteen years later it still isn’t nailed down. "Just don’t lean on it," is how my husband rolls. The pergola now serves as an entry into the gardens.
To properly highlight High-Hand and my purchases there, I must first recommend lunch at its cafe.
My only gripe is the cafe has no cupcakes. But let me tell you it has fantastic food and drinks (alcoholic!), the perfect combo.
Remember Mike loves to shop, and after lunch with cocktails, he and I can do some serious damage (to our bank account) meandering through nurseries and art galleries.
Now let's get into the HHN garden zone with this perfect example of designing around a container instead of just plopping it on the ground and walking away.
I cannot say this enough: Never just stick a plant or container someplace without thinking beyond its placement. You need to create a vision of beauty at its base or in the foreground or invite some neighbor plants to help complete the scene. I’m always thinking of ways I can best showcase each and every plant.
If this sounds mentally exhausting...it is. But the doing is easier when you've got a plan and can visualize how it will turn out. Here's an example of my own.
I put three containers in this small area. I had ivy growing nearby, so I simply extended it around the container bases to soften the look and add another design element.
Back when I first started visiting HHN, it carried a lot of garden art sculptures I obsessed over. In particular, these gorgeous granite sculptures which I had to have.
I placed them far enough apart to create an entrance into one of my seating areas. The spacing also allows Papa (Mike) to periodically make a backhoe delivery of DG (decomposed granite) to our grandson’s "construction site" which has been expanding into the seating area. My standards have lowered over the years...lol.
For Christmas about 17 years ago my mom gave me this granite Buddha from HHN. Supposedly if you rub its tummy, good luck will come. So I do. And it does.
If you go into the far back of HHN to the area with the "Employees Only" sign where Mike and I pretend we can’t read, you will find some good stuff.
Like stainless steel palm trees.
When we saw them a few years back, Scott agreed to give us an excellent price if we took 2 of them off of his hands. I did not know where I would put them other than by our pool, but I'm not sure there is room. So still thinking on this while hoping Scott doesn't up his price by the time I find them a home.
Scott has excellent iron workers that produce items to buy off the shelf or that you can have custom made.
Like him, I must have pretty gates in my gardens too!
About 5 years ago, I saw this metal art display on HHN's fence line. It can be seen from inside the nursery or from the road outside.
I fell in love and sent a picture of it to Mike in hopes he’d get the idea.
Well, he did. But it took him 3 years!
Got it for my birthday 2 years ago, but Mike took a year to get it installed. That's partly my fault because I couldn’t make up my mind where I wanted it.
The other part is that it arrived in a bazillion pieces. And—since my husband is Mr. Jack-of-all-trades, has every tool known to mankind and wants to use all of them—the pieces had to be welded together. And tweaked. This way. And that way. He also saw the need to add metal plates to the 4x4 posts to allow the metal leaf pieces to flow down and about in just the right way.
Sometimes Mike thinks of everything.
I chose to install it on a slope near my nursery and greenhouse area where I can see it daily.
So...you are beginning to understand what effect High-Hand Nursery has had on my quest for Garden Zen.
HHN has an excellent succulent selection and they offer soil and pots to pot up your own.
So I did.
When I bought these succulents in 2019, each one cost $12. I never said HHN plants were cheap. In fact, prices tend to be a tad higher there than other nurseries. But what makes it worth it are: 1) The absolute zone-inducing beauty. 2) My 20% professional discount. 3) The cocktails.
Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ (Blue Atlas Cedar)
Isn’t this beautiful! And very expensive!! You only live once.
You need to pop in on a regular basis to check out the conifer section at HHN because it is ever-changing with new species.
Here's one that's so cool the way it hugs the ground and has that thick trunk with knarly knuckles...
Pinus banksiana 'Uncle Foggy' (Uncle Foggy Jack Pine)
I did not buy Uncle Foggy at first sight. But I live constantly with the feeling that I’m going back—any day now—to grab him.
High Hand's historic Fruit Shed (former fruit-packing plant built in 1926 by Loomis Fruit Growers Association) houses little specialty shops with lovely items such as these glass orbs I found.
I had to buy one! (Well actually two but who's counting and why?)
Want fast color in your landscape? Hang some outdoor paintings!
Garden flamingos. I try not to think about them. But when do, I usually think of them how I think of garden gnomes. But a few years back I came across this one at HHN...
I saw something sweet in her face and after I left, I could not stop thinking about her.
A week later Mike and I were on an afternoon date and decided to go to HHN for lunch. Luckily she was still there for me to grab and bring home.
She stands 4-feet high and can obviously hold a plant. Someday when I'm in the HHN zone, the right plant will make itself known to me.
Holidays are coming and if you all need to get me a gift, please go to HHN's art gallery. I’d be happy for anything there, but to be specific, here are a few items I must have.
Mike knows how badly I want these but I don’t think he likes them. Too eclectic! Why have I kept asking for them all these years when I could just buy them for myself? You understand. Sometimes I want to pester Mike.
I think this is just beautiful...
Recently I went to Aunt Patti's for my yearly cleanup of her backyard. This consisted of moving containers, transplanting plants and throwing out the "what were you thinking?" items.
After finishing one part of the yard, we went to the far side and started moving things around over there. It was so jam-packed with plants and pots and garden goodies it made me laugh. I jokingly said to her, "You know what this spot needs is some very large containers!"
Honestly, the last thing AP needs is another container...or even another plant!!!
But my joke was the only excuse we needed. We immediately dropped what we were doing, headed straight for High-Hand Nursery and got into the zone.
The result? AP got a makeover.
Readers, the holidays are approaching fast and I think a trip to HHN should be in your future. Not only for the beauty—there's more of it there than I could even hint at here—but to find out what sort of Zen Zone YOU fall into when you walk through that entrance. Go once though and you'll want to zone out at High-Hand Nursery again and again and again.
Photos: Sheri Lynn Burke
