6 Gorgeous Local Shops for Tricking Out Your Garden and Outdoor Spaces

Inside Old City’s Petit Jardin. | Photography by Jauhien Sasnou for Philadelphia Magazine.

Although winter’s chill has well overstayed its welcome, we want to happily remind you that it’s May, people! Summer is just around the corner, which means it’s almost time for backyard barbecues, happy hours on the patio, and little ones running through the front yard sprinklers. It’s time to get your outdoor spaces in tip-top shape, and we’ve found the best local garden shops to get the job done—plus, they’re absolutely beautiful. 

For Window Boxes: Enliven Planters, Morrisville.
If you’re short on square footage, turn to Dan Nichols and Paul Kawoczka, a green-thumbed duo who craft overflowing window boxes for a roster of notables, including Vedge and Russet. They’ll survey your space, make recommendations based on your style and budget, and then, if you opt for a subscription service, return seasonally to refill and spruce up your planters. (Starting at $95.)

For Outdoor Furniture: Hill Co., Chestnut Hill.
Hill Co. is the anti-Lowe’s: an independent emporium that stocks outdoor chairs, tables, hammocks, umbrellas and other goods that satisfy tastes from the nautical to the Mediterranean. The longtime staff will school you on weather-appropriate materials (aluminum or steel?), and if you can’t find, say, the perfect teak dining set to complement your Shore house’s patio, they’ll custom-order it and have it delivered.

For Landscaping: Roots Landscape, Wayne.
For Terrain-vetted landscape design (they’re an offshoot of the garden shop), look to these outdoor specialists, who turn sorry green spaces into magical sanctuaries. The process involves a consultation, topographical analysis, detailed plant specifications and hand-drawn design plans. The crew of landscape architects, designers and plantsmen tackles projects both large (manor estates) and small (your rowhome’s tiny backyard). (Starting at $5,000.)

For Entertaining Extras: Horne, Lancaster.
To transform your backyard into a party-ready oasis, head to this Lancaster-based e-shop for functional European-designed goods. Our picks: an ultra-modern, clean-burning outdoor fireplace, Danish kerosene lamps, and a candy-hued, rust-resistant bar cart perfect for after-hours cocktail mixing.

For Haut Gardening: Petit Jardin en Ville, Old City.
Get a slice of Luxembourg Garden at this floral outpost, where you’ll find husband-and-wife owners Claudia and Vincent Roux touting the importance of simple blooms (think: hyacinths and garden roses) in lieu of overly manicured varieties. They’ll plant a properly Parisian garden—complete with vintage vessels they source during frequent trips to France—and maintain it for you, too. (Starting at $200.)

For the Trepidatious Gardener: Field Plant & Supply.
Erin Doherty corners the market on cool, no-fuss succulents and cacti, which she plants in earthy ceramic vessels. The former vintage buyer sells her wares over Instagram, but you can catch her pop-up shop at 1325 Frankford Avenue through the end of May. (Starting at $25.)