Driving Miss Viola

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!

We rent a small SUV. 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.

May 12, 2023
Garden Company nursery entrance sign and potted flowers.
Published by Sheri Burke on May 12, 2023

81 The Garden Company

First of all, this place has a freaking tight small parking lot for a van like mine. (I need room people!) The Garden Company is located on a busy Santa Cruz street and you’d better know how to turn in or you’ll wind up doing a U-turn. Which is nothing new for me and AP. In our travels we’re always making U-turns or pulling other driving stunts in traffic. We’re known (by drivers everywhere) to be very creative on the road. Good thing the van is highly visible and has secure shelving in the back for bad-driving-vulnerable plants!
Do you like it?
Read more
April 28, 2023
Griggs nursery sign, entrance.
Published by Sheri Burke on April 28, 2023

80 Griggs Nursery

I could have sworn I already blogged about this fabulous nursery, but per my list (and I have several) NOPE. Over the years, AP and I have been to Griggs Nursery so many times. And thanks to AP doing her job, we have quite a collection of photos from there. (Plants too, hee-hee.)
Do you like it?
Read more
April 14, 2023
Exterior building front of Home Depot, parking lot and clouds
Published by Sheri Burke on April 14, 2023

79 Home Depot

Yes, Readers, Home Depot. I know, I know. It's NOT Garden Depot. When I need to buy plants for me or my clients it's the farthest place from my mind. Believe me, it's not even on my radar as a "nursery." I only check out Home Depot plants when I'm forced to go into that huge maze of a building in search of something that I have to play "Guess Where It's Hiding" for at least an hour before finally finding it. But that's another story. With no benches to sit on and recover from the effort, I need to walk through some plants to calm me down before getting in the car and driving home.
Do you like it?
Read more
March 10, 2023
Front exterior, entrance, of Johnson Garden Center
Published by Sheri Burke on March 10, 2023

77 Johnson Garden Center

enerally AP and I do not waste our time visiting garden centers. They tend to stock the same ol’ plants, same ol’ garden-y knick-knack crap, same from entrance to exit. We include them in our nursery tour itineraries though, in case we find ourselves with any spare time. Like we did one day after visiting a place called Nursery Beautiful Plants which frankly was NOT beautiful so we left there in a hurry. Our PLAN B, Johnson Garden Center, couldn’t possibly be THAT boring—we hoped.
Do you like it?
Read more
February 8, 2023
Street view of gated house surrounded by trees.
Published by Sheri Burke on February 8, 2023

75 Trees Outlet

Trees Outlet doesn’t have a nice “storefront” street entrance. It’s located at a man named Richard’s house. Richard says that growing trees and selling them has been his hobby for 15 years. At first I thought I might ask, “Hobby? What’s your actual job?” because his house is literally surrounded by rows and rows of potted trees and shrubs. Then I thought of the "hobby" that surrounds my own house and I decided I didn't need to ask what his actual job was. I think I know.
Do you like it?
Read more
January 20, 2023
Exterior front of Cricklewood nursery overgrown with green and flowering vines.
Published by Sheri Burke on January 20, 2023

74 Cricklewood Secret Garden

It was 115 degrees in Bakersfield the day AP and I visited this gem of a place. As I write this in the middle of January, does a hot day sound nice? NOT! I’ll take 45 degrees any day because “it’s easy to warm up,” they say and—especially for me—”hard to cool down.” Even in 115-degree weather, visiting Cricklewood was definitely worth it!
Do you like it?
Read more
December 2, 2022
View of large conifer garden with various shapes sizes and colors.
Published by Sheri Burke on December 2, 2022

71 Conifer Crazy Again

I hope after reading my blog post #25 you went "Conifer Crazy" and ran out and bought some conifers for your yard. This happened to me a few weeks ago when I texted AP to say I needed a day away at some nurseries. She was up for it of course because she and I are like that. So we took off and headed to Berkeley, then to San Raphael, Petaluma, Cotati, and then Sonoma. We did all this in one day of course because...she and I are like that!
Do you like it?
Read more
November 18, 2022
Exterior building from the street.
Published by Sheri Burke on November 18, 2022

70 Dig Gardens

I have visited nurseries in Santa Cruz with AP several times and lord knows how we passed over this little gem of a boutique nursery. It’s a concrete building on a corner with windows along the front that look in on the gift shop. But we like to get an idea of what the actual nursery is like to decide if it’s worth our time. So we explored along the wall facing a side street and found a locked gate that gave us a peak into the plant area. We could only see a little bit of it—but that was enough to get us all excited for The Unknown!
Do you like it?
Read more
Load more
Sheri Lynn Burke

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!

 
May 12, 2023
Garden Company nursery entrance sign and potted flowers.
Published by Sheri Burke on May 12, 2023

81 The Garden Company

First of all, this place has a freaking tight small parking lot for a van like mine. (I need room people!) The Garden Company is located on a busy Santa Cruz street and you’d better know how to turn in or you’ll wind up doing a U-turn. Which is nothing new for me and AP. In our travels we’re always making U-turns or pulling other driving stunts in traffic. We’re known (by drivers everywhere) to be very creative on the road. Good thing the van is highly visible and has secure shelving in the back for bad-driving-vulnerable plants!
Do you like it?
Read more
April 28, 2023
Griggs nursery sign, entrance.
Published by Sheri Burke on April 28, 2023

80 Griggs Nursery

I could have sworn I already blogged about this fabulous nursery, but per my list (and I have several) NOPE. Over the years, AP and I have been to Griggs Nursery so many times. And thanks to AP doing her job, we have quite a collection of photos from there. (Plants too, hee-hee.)
Do you like it?
Read more
April 14, 2023
Exterior building front of Home Depot, parking lot and clouds
Published by Sheri Burke on April 14, 2023

79 Home Depot

Yes, Readers, Home Depot. I know, I know. It's NOT Garden Depot. When I need to buy plants for me or my clients it's the farthest place from my mind. Believe me, it's not even on my radar as a "nursery." I only check out Home Depot plants when I'm forced to go into that huge maze of a building in search of something that I have to play "Guess Where It's Hiding" for at least an hour before finally finding it. But that's another story. With no benches to sit on and recover from the effort, I need to walk through some plants to calm me down before getting in the car and driving home.
Do you like it?
Read more
March 10, 2023
Front exterior, entrance, of Johnson Garden Center
Published by Sheri Burke on March 10, 2023

77 Johnson Garden Center

enerally AP and I do not waste our time visiting garden centers. They tend to stock the same ol’ plants, same ol’ garden-y knick-knack crap, same from entrance to exit. We include them in our nursery tour itineraries though, in case we find ourselves with any spare time. Like we did one day after visiting a place called Nursery Beautiful Plants which frankly was NOT beautiful so we left there in a hurry. Our PLAN B, Johnson Garden Center, couldn’t possibly be THAT boring—we hoped.
Do you like it?
Read more
February 8, 2023
Street view of gated house surrounded by trees.
Published by Sheri Burke on February 8, 2023

75 Trees Outlet

Trees Outlet doesn’t have a nice “storefront” street entrance. It’s located at a man named Richard’s house. Richard says that growing trees and selling them has been his hobby for 15 years. At first I thought I might ask, “Hobby? What’s your actual job?” because his house is literally surrounded by rows and rows of potted trees and shrubs. Then I thought of the "hobby" that surrounds my own house and I decided I didn't need to ask what his actual job was. I think I know.
Do you like it?
Read more
January 20, 2023
Exterior front of Cricklewood nursery overgrown with green and flowering vines.
Published by Sheri Burke on January 20, 2023

74 Cricklewood Secret Garden

It was 115 degrees in Bakersfield the day AP and I visited this gem of a place. As I write this in the middle of January, does a hot day sound nice? NOT! I’ll take 45 degrees any day because “it’s easy to warm up,” they say and—especially for me—”hard to cool down.” Even in 115-degree weather, visiting Cricklewood was definitely worth it!
Do you like it?
Read more
December 2, 2022
View of large conifer garden with various shapes sizes and colors.
Published by Sheri Burke on December 2, 2022

71 Conifer Crazy Again

I hope after reading my blog post #25 you went "Conifer Crazy" and ran out and bought some conifers for your yard. This happened to me a few weeks ago when I texted AP to say I needed a day away at some nurseries. She was up for it of course because she and I are like that. So we took off and headed to Berkeley, then to San Raphael, Petaluma, Cotati, and then Sonoma. We did all this in one day of course because...she and I are like that!
Do you like it?
Read more
November 18, 2022
Exterior building from the street.
Published by Sheri Burke on November 18, 2022

70 Dig Gardens

I have visited nurseries in Santa Cruz with AP several times and lord knows how we passed over this little gem of a boutique nursery. It’s a concrete building on a corner with windows along the front that look in on the gift shop. But we like to get an idea of what the actual nursery is like to decide if it’s worth our time. So we explored along the wall facing a side street and found a locked gate that gave us a peak into the plant area. We could only see a little bit of it—but that was enough to get us all excited for The Unknown!
Do you like it?
Read more
Load more