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I finally made it to DIG Gardens in Santa Cruz! Back in June, I made my maiden voyage to San Francisco’s Flora Grubb, another amazing, amazing nursery. DIG was next on my list of nurseries I wanted to visit in person after getting to know them online.

Because it’s a two- to three-hour drive from Sacramento (when you get lost like I do), I combined this trip with a self-guided UC Santa Cruz tour for my son, who’s looking to transfer there as a junior. He got to see UCSC again… I got to see Dig Gardens… and we had a very nice lunch at Cafe Limelight. Gorgeous weather greeted us and it was a wonderful day in all.

Elliot and I got a little “GPS lost” on our way to lunch, which I don’t mind because it’s usually a chance to explore the unexplored. Our getting lost reward was Santa Cruz City Hall, with its mini Santa Barbara style courtyard.

Santa Cruz City Hall

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Elliot standing next to a semi-uprooted palm tree

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City Hall courtyard

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Succulents, natives and drought-tolerant perennials

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I think this is spiral aloe, Aloe polyphylla

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Black Aeonium

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A spotted aloe

DIG Gardens

DIG Gardens is at 420 Water Street. It’s a bit unassuming from the front, but once you enter the building, you are in garden heaven. The owners, according to Sunset Magazine, are Cara Meyers and her husband Will. Cara also owns Hidden Gardens Nursery and writes “Get Growing” for the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The property has a pleasant balance of indoor and outdoor shopping areas.

Inside the shop…

Dig Gardens entry sign

Dig Gardens entry sign

Dig Gardens storefront

Dig Gardens storefront

Front counter at Dig

Front counter at Dig

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Purple vignette

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Treelike mini lights

Ergonomic tools

Ergonomic tools

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Metal house numbers and other cool silver/grey items

Colorful vignette of pots, plants and furniture

Colorful vignette of pots, plants and furniture

Houseplants at DIG Gardens include Bromeliads, Tillandsias (aka “air plants”), orchids, and more. Orchids and air plants are about the only houseplants I have the patience for these days. Epiphytes like these tend to make easy-care houseplants because they don’t need daily attention.

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Blue chairs

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Window terrariums

Books

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Canning books

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More books

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DIG bookstore

Seeds

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Seed racks

Wooly Pockets

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Wooly Pockets

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Gift items

And now we’re going outside…

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Shade sails and outdoor plants

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Burbling fountain

Wall hanging

Wall hanging

2" succulents for sale

2″ succulents for sale

Silver and purple succulents

Silver and purple succulents

Love the robin's egg blue/green wall

Love the robin’s egg blue/green wall

succulent/driftwood wall arrangement

succulent/driftwood wall arrangement

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Succulent Wooly Pocket

More pots and cool plants

More pots and cool plants

Center arrangement outside

Center arrangement outside

Elliot in front of the vertical garden

Elliot in front of the vertical garden

Greenhouse

Greenhouse

Blue pots and succulents

Blue pots and succulents

Rusted metal fountains

Rusted metal fountains

Heading back toward the shop

Heading back toward the shop

Succulent topiary balls

Succulent topiary balls

Vertical garden at Dig

Vertical garden at Dig

In the greenhouse

In the greenhouse

Monterey Bay display

Monterey Bay display

Iochroma cyanea

Iochroma cyanea

Dig Gardens outdoors

Dig Gardens outdoors

Buddha head

Buddha head

Wall art and plants

Wall art and plants

Succulent birdbaths

Succulent birdbaths

I would love to go back to attend one of their workshops. While we were there, we spotted a whole room full of succulent cuttings, just waiting for a fun workshop. DIG also sells by mail order and does wedding work. This place is a Santa Cruz gem.

What I bought… A pretty ceramic tealight holder and an air plant.

My new ceramic votive/air plant holder from Dig!

My new ceramic votive/air plant holder from Dig!

West Cliff Lookout

West Cliff, Santa Cruz, CA

West Cliff, Santa Cruz, CA