Rebecca Sweet

Rebecca's Virtual and In-Person presentations include an engaging powerpoint slideshow with over 100 inspirational photos, typically lasting 45-60 minutes (followed by Q&A.)  Here are some of her most popular topics:

Don't Snub the Shrub (new!!)

It’s time to embrace the ‘shrub phase of your life’!  Often called the ‘Cinderellas of the landscape,’ shrubs are some of the hardest working, yet often overlooked superstars in the garden.  

Let landscape designer Rebecca Sweet inspire you with innovative ways to use evergreen and deciduous shrubs to transform a ho-hum garden into an eye-popping, year-round masterpiece.  Discover amazing new varieties that will provide long-lasting color, texture, flowers, and form all while being low-maintenance!

Savvy Side Yard Solutions

Often called the 'Cinderellas of the Landscape' side yards are some of the most challenging areas of the garden.  Let landscape designer Rebecca Sweet inspire you with six stunning side yards, each with a distinctive style and purpose using before and after photos as well as detailed information as to what makes the particular side yard such a success.  No matter your garden's style, you're sure to leave excited to transform this final frontier of your garden.

(New!!)  The 7 Sins of Garden Design (and how to easily fix them!)

After decades of meeting with frustrated gardeners, landscape designer Rebecca Sweet has broken down the primary causes of headaches into seven main categories.

Mistakes such as Tiny Gardens-Tiny Plants, Clashing Color Combos, and One-of-Everything (to name just a few) can often derail the best of intentions. Using photos and solutions that are inspiring, informative, and easy to put into practice, you’ll soon be on your way to a glorious garden.

Discover which of the 7 Sins you might have committed, and how to remedy them.

 (New!!) When & How to Break the Rules (to achieve a glorious garden!)

Rebels wanted! A well-designed garden is so much more than following a prescribed set of garden ‘rules.’ Instead, a truly memorable garden contains counterintuitive concepts resulting in “Wow - I’ve never thought of that!” moments. To achieve this, sometimes you just need to be a rebel and break a few rules. Let landscape designer Rebecca Sweet walk you through when and how to break the rules to achieve true garden glory for a one-of-a-kind garden that fits your unique style.

Refresh Your Garden Design - Simple Strategies to Wake a Weary Garden

With all of the buzzwords and trends in gardening these days, how do you know where to begin?  Based off her book, Refresh Your Garden Design, Rebecca takes a fresh approach to explain and simplify traditional design concepts for home gardeners of all levels. 

Both practical and inspirational, you’ll learn how to break down traditional garden design principles into easy-to-understand and, more importantly, easy-to-implement solutions.  Inspirational photographs highlight and reinforce real-life situations, helping you not only to identify what has gone wrong with your garden, but how to fix the problem.  

Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces

More than just living walls, vertical garden techniques can be used to turn ordinary fences into focal points, disguise eyesores - even grow vegetables!  Rebecca presents highlights and images from her best-selling book Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces.  She'll also produce an overview of for some of the systems available for adding a touch of living art to any garden plan.

Incorporating Succulents into Everyday Gardens

Have you been bitten by the 'succulent bug' but aren’t quite sure how to incorporate them into your existing garden?  More than just a passing phase, succulents are here to stay – and for good reason.  In addition to their inherent beauty, learn how to use succulents as problem solvers in the garden, helping to control weeds, define garden beds, reduce water bills, and provide year-round interest.  By the end of this presentation you’ll see succulents in a whole new light!

Quick Fixes with Color  

Learn how one of the most powerful elements in your garden – color – is often the answer to many common garden problems. So much more than 'a pretty shade of pink', color is one of the most powerful tools in your garden design toolbox.  

 Does your garden feel small and cramped?  Is it uninviting?  Is it proof that you suffer from a serious case of 'one-of-each-itis'? With the ability to fix a wide range of common garden headaches, discover just how easy it is to wake your weary garden through the clever use of color.

Audience Testimonials:

" Rebecca Sweet was a GREAT speaker. Her slide presentation included before and after slides of gardens that had been transformed using her method of analyzing what was wrong and why - color, form, shape of leaf, etc. She is a lovely person who has been passionate about gardening since childhood and has a wealth of knowledge about plants, design and people. She is modest, engaging and poised and confident. She was universally loved by our group of 60 members and guests, ranging in age from 40 to 90 and skill level from little to master gardener."

 -- Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club

"Rebecca presented at the Master Gardener Spring Seminar in San Diego and received top marks.  As chair of this event, I received many compliments for getting such an informative and charming speaker.  Her class evaluations were over the top.  Her slides and presentation were fabulous, and I highly recommend Rebecca as a speaker! -- Master Gardener Spring Seminar Chair, San Diego

" Rebecca is an excellent speaker, knowledgeable and informative.  Our garden club loved her and her book.  She has great energy and really deserves six stars!  She is wonderful to work with in all aspects."

-- La Jolla Village Garden Club 

"I just attended Rebecca's presentation on Creating Harmony in the Garden at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Rebecca is engaging, funny, charming and gives her audience real take-away advice for them to transform their own gardens. This is one of the best presentations I've ever attended!"

-- Northwest Flower and Garden Show

"I just sat in on Rebecca's presentation, 'Harmony in the Garden' at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. What a wonderful presentation... Rebecca is relaxed and engaging at the same time. She spoke to home gardeners about elements of design and how to work with them...A wonderful teacher... She was a joy, and those who have the opportunity to hear her are fortunate indeed."

--San Francisco Flower and Garden Show

"Maybe the best speaker we've enjoyed through our garden club.  Personality, presentation and topic were exemplary"

-- Los Altos Garden Club