An unique nursery - Flora Grubb Gardens ~ 一個很獨特的苗圃

I’ve been curious about this place ever since I saw this post that Maggie over at 22 Butterfly did on this one of the kind nursery in the city then again it was featured in the March issue in Domino magazine. I told myself that I have to pay a visit soon. I am glad I finally did or I would have missed out a gem!

The gift shop~


Love this! Hanging vases displayed in a cage~


They have their own line of tees too!


Gimme!


I invited a friend to come with me because I was worry that I may get lost while driving there since I found that this urban garden/oasis nestles in the industrial part of the city, which I’m not familiar with at all. We made it there uneventfully and found that it was indeed easy to get to.

table display


The Flora Grubb Gardens is filled with beautiful things. You can easily be lost in the beauty of this garden. I was fascinated by the great selection of flowering plants, pots and planters from Japan and local artists, nature-inspired housewares and jewelry, the gardening book collection, stylish gardening hats/gloves, colorful soil buckets, lovely French country inspired outdoor furniture, antiques and interior accessories – this place is not your regular nursery!

Decorating & interior accessories


Beautiful outdoor furniture


A junky old car in the corner with bountiful gardens emerging from under the hood, the front seat, and the trunk.



They have a small café inside the gift shop. I heard from others that they served some fantastic coffee but unfortunately, I had coffee on my way there so I had to wait to order myself some on my next visit. I was told by the staff at the garden that customers can sit in at the bar or take their coffee or tea out to the garden. Meaning that you can wander through the shady green leaves of Flora Grubb with coffee/tea in hand and if you get tire from wandering, they have seating and tables scattered throughout the garden where you can just sit and rest.




Don’t say I didn’t warn you, this nursery is such a beautiful, unique place that it will loop you back again and again! I am already planning my next visit =)






Shop data:
Flora Grubb Gardens
1634 Jerrold Ave San Francisco, CA
Tel: 415.626.7256
Monday - Saturday 8:00 - 6:00
Sunday 10- 6
The press loves this place too!

My friend and I also visited the Alamo Square after we departed the nursery. Too bad I didn't have good pictures of the Victorian homes but I did manage to capture some nice blooms^^



Meet my friend and photography buddy – David =]

Meet Yumi ~ 我的狗女兒由美ちゃん

Name: Yumi Wei
Age: 6 months (3 ½ yrs old – dog year)
Breed: mixed
Love: socks chewing, belly rub, taking bath, and grass hopping
Favorite food: sugar cane, strawberries, grapes, and yogurt

Yumi is the newest member of my family. We adopted her from a friend of my brother who has a very busy life style. I had pets before but all gotten send away by my mother because she doesn’t like any fury friends. However, Yumi became an exception. I guess it has to do with how she behaved and kissed up to mom. It is funny to hear my mom talks to Yumi, like she is a baby. Well, I admit that not just my mom but everyone in the family. The 1st thing everyone said when we got home is “where is Yumi?”! Everyone is gaga over her so to speak^^ However, her habit of sock chewing is driving us banana. If anyone knows of ways to help kick this habit, would you mind sharing? Thanks in advance~


姓名: 衛由美~Yumi Wei
狗齡: 3歲半
品種: 可愛的混血兒
喜好: 咬襪子﹐按摩肚子﹐洗泡泡浴﹐和喜歡在草地跑跳
最愛吃: 甘蔗﹐草莓﹐葡萄﹐和 yogurt

這位美女叫Yumi﹐是我家的新成員。她本來是住在我弟朋友的家﹐因為沒時間照顧她所以才來我們家的。她和我們很投緣﹐就連媽媽也喜歡她。我媽很討厭毛毛的東西。以前朋友送我的貓咪和狗baby都給媽媽送走﹐Yumi卻是例外﹗可能是Yumi很討喜吧。全家都給灌了迷湯似的回家後都是問Yumi在哪裡﹐然後就抱著她親個不停。長的很cute ﹐一點都不像是壞小孩對不對? 可她有一個壞習慣﹐就是愛咬襪子>~< 現在家裡的襪子都沒完整的﹗快瘋了~ 有人知道法子可以改掉這個習慣嗎?! 我會很感謝你的﹗

Something to Hold & to Pamper

A girl always has a list of shops she returns to frequently and Mints is definitely up on the top of my list! It nestles at the heart of Alameda’s busiest street, right next to the popular Tomatina restaurant. The entrance; painted of the color green & white, already is a sneak preview to what lays inside; refreshing and charming! Greeted by pots of foliage as you make your way into the shop, follow by the sights of sophisticated displays of orchids in pot, freshly-cut; sustainably -grown bouquets in glass jars, an array of handmade wreaths and decorations, ceramics and other accessories for the home. One must agree that it is a lovely little flower shop!

This shop is owned by 3 sisters and one of them, Mei, happens to be a good friend of mine. I was there from the day Mints opens its door and the success of Mints has given me inspirations and an itch to open a shop of my own. No doubts that they have won over many hearts for that their works are exquisite and often with a Euro-Asian flare to them. Mints do more than selling living plants and bouquets; their expertise in wedding floral arrangement/planning is exceptional, if not the best that I have seen. So many are swayed including me^^ Drop in when you are in the area or go see more of their work here.



Oh, I have found myself a gem during my latest visit; apparently Mints has added more selections to their tastefully edited product/gift collections. Mi-Spa or mi™, which is “rice” in Chinese, is a line of pure hand-crafted, rice-based skincare made by a local Artisan based out from Alameda. Talk about things girl can cook up in their kitchen (or maybe it was other part of the house)! The attraction was instant with its simple, organic packaging that evokes a zen-like quality. Mei raved about it and gave me samples of the product line in a cute see-thru take out box. After much sampling, I adore and highly recommend the soaps for their heavenly scents; the Sugar Mochi body polish (ohmigosh~) that made my skin glow and appeared well rested; and the dry perfume roll-on in Green Tea. Treat yourself to something mi™-licious today!

To see their full line of products, click here or buy it at Mints.

New Man In My Life ~ 生命裡多了一個重要的人

Meet Christopher Daniel Xiao, born September, 26 2007, 7 pounds 2 ounces. Today, we celebrated his 30 days mark on earth. It seem like it was just yesterday when we hosted the baby shower . I met him the second day he was born and I couldn’t help myself from falling for this cutest bundle of joy (must got the good genes from his proud parents). I can't wait to take him to the park, show him how to hold a paint brush, teach him how to bake cupcakes and have him model my baby clothes (Dan & Ran: I promise to be a good baby-sitter.). However, I think I might have to fend off others since he already got a fan club under construction ^0^.

一路走過童年至大學的好朋友都做媽咪了﹐驚覺時間真的不等人。這個可愛的小東西叫Christopher Daniel Xiao﹐在九月二十六來到我們的生命裡。 Baby shower 好像沒多久前才發生的。Time flies! 今天是他正識和大家見面打招呼的日子。他在出生的第二天就給我抱過親過了…呵呵… 我對帥哥沒招架能力…呵呵…

希望他快快長大﹗那我就可以教他繪畫﹐陪他玩﹐還有做衣服給他穿。因為他是朋友堆中的第一個baby﹐我想以後我可能要和他其它的fans搶耶。該想一想要如何讓baby愛我多一些….