\nTHIS BLACK SUNFLOWER WAS GROWING IN THE PARKING LOT! NEARLY BLACK, IT WAS EYE CATCHING. IN THE GRASS ISLE, I COUNTED 35 VARIETIES IN ONE ISLE.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\nAll of this is happening in a time when the American garden center is still trying to define itself. Some are struggling to compete with big box stores, others are becoming behemoths of Proven Winners and Blue Hydrangeas – nice, but with little original thought or inspiration. just a nice cliche that sits somewhere between big-red-barn-that-sells-blue-hydrangeas, Osmocote and pink-rubber-boots. The third option for gardeners is the mom and pop store, the poly hoop house type of place that focuses on annuals or starts brought -in from other commercial growers. Terrain certainly exists somewhere in between all of these, yet the plant material is thoughtfully selected, they are well cared for, watered and fertilized, the staff is very knowledgeable and can answer any question you have, and the accessories are un paralleled – seriously. This is a company that has sourcing and buying great objects mastered ( Hello, Anthropologie!). Together, it is horticultural kismet. <\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nSOME PLANTS WERE EVEN NEW TO ME, A MUSSAENDA FRONDOSA ILEFT) WITH ORANGE FLOWERS AND WHITE BRACTS, BECAME A MUST-HAVE FOR ME.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\nMost garden centers rely on the same wholesalers, it’s a business where most ( if not all) of your local garden centers must rely on only a handful of distributors. Trade shows and wholesale plant sellers funnel everything in, and therefor, there is little room for variation or customization Terrain is changing this model, significantly tweaking it up. For example,
\nmost nurseries make a phone call to their wholesale distributor for everything from their annuals or Proven Winners\u00ae plugs (young plants), to their Easter lilies and Holiday plants. <\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAt the dinner that ended our day at Terrain, I was speaking with the head plant buyer, Steve. he was shared a story about how two weeks ago, while on a sourcing trip for Christmas trees in Oregon, he found a field of perfectly imperfect \u2018un-clipped\u2019 Christmas trees in Oregon\u2026(yeah, 99 percent of farm-raised Xmas trees are trimmed to a perfect, dense, cone shape). His grower was apologizing about a certain field not being trained at all, but all Steve could see was a field of perfectly natural trees. The perfect un-clipped specimens (to the surprise and
\nconfusion to the grower). Trees
\nlike these are more natural with bare trunks and lichens, and look not unlike vintage
\nGerman Feather Trees. Designers and people who know about them, crave them. ( like me).<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nTerrain is not cheep, be prepared to pay a premium price for true vintage, but the plant material is competitive and the quality makes up for any price difference. I can’t put a value on total experience, but I have no problem paying .50 more for a Weck canning jar that I can take home right now. If you are cost conscious, just visit for the ideas. Terrain is worth the trip if only to wander the buildings. The displays along are inspiring. They are never fussy, just thoughtfully assembled in unique ways that make you want to replicate it in your own home. Take the time to look at everything, every detail is thought out.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nTo sum it up, Terrain is a blend of
\nvintage and new, furniture and kitchen goods, rare plants and beautiful performers, hand made pots and letterpress stationary, Curated books for the connoisseur and just about anything that a real
\ngardener would be thrilled to receive as a gift. <\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nTerrain is living example of how many modern businesses can successfully grow and create a new niche simply by hiring the most talented people to work together – a true collective intelligence all working toward the same goal, that of living a quality life. All of this, created by an assemblage of the finest of plantsman, antique hunters, artists, craftsman, chefs, stylists and stylemakers. It is a more than mere store, it is a living toolkit for enhancing your life and style.<\/p>\n
This just in….There are rumors about a second location in Westport, CT according to of all places, an automobile dealer site PSFK<\/a>, but there is much work ahead. Regardless, it is promising.<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I just returned from a private blog event hosted by Terrain, the gorgeous gardening lifestyle store located just outside of Philadelphia, PA owned by URBN…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
I HEART TERRAIN (part 1) - Growing With Plants<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n