The Table at Season to Taste
Become a regular here, and at some point you'll probably spot chef Carl Dooley leaning over the pass from his open kitchen to high-five his sous or a friend who just walked in. We'd plant a palm on his any day to praise the Table's seasonal, globe-trotting four-course prix-fixe menus, with a choice of two options—how about beef tartare amped up with Vietnamese flavors, or glazed hake emboldened with spiced almonds and chutney?—for each course. 2447 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140, cambridgetable.com.
Russo's
Every summer, Russo’s front yard looks like a veritable grotto—lined with row after row of blooming petunias, peonies, and poms. The colorful freshness continues inside, where rustic wooden bins overflow with edible plants of every sort: multiple types of chard, kale, cabbage, and herbs, not to mention fruits both common (juicy peaches and plums) and less so (dragonfruit, anyone?). 560 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 2472, russos.com.
Table & Tulip
Succulent-filled terrarium centerpieces. Hanging flower chandeliers. Green walls of plants cascading from Woolly Pocket planters. If you can dream it, Andrea Halliday and her petal-obsessed cohorts at Table & Tulip can create it for your event in vibrant, living color. Halliday is fastidious and hands on, often adjusting and readjusting each bloom in an arrangement or bouquet until it's just right. 461 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA tableandtulip.com.
A. Russo & Sons
When you're ready to put some sizzle in your pan, there's no better place to start than at Russo's. Its esoteric selection of produce—Thai okra, dandelion, Asian pear, lychee nut—provides endless inspiration, while the cheese counter brims with imports from the likes of Italy (Robiola), France (at least three Bries), and Spain (Garrotxa). Plus: fresh pasta, salumi and charcuterie, a full array of baked goods, vibrant cut flowers and plants...better break out the reusable grocery bags now. 560 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 2472, russos.com.
Kate Schnabel and Susan McEachern, Clean Sweep
Who has time to clean these days? Or do the laundry? Clean Sweep does, and for $6.50 to $7.50 an hour (for-hour minimum), it seems like a bargain. Owners Schnabel and McEachern began in 1978, and are so successful they've got a rookie camp, where cleaning neophytes are drilled in the fine points of floor-washing and plant-watering. Brookline, MA
Winston Flowers & Garden
Yard work becomes a whole lot more like play time after a visit to Winston's sprawling garden center, where three greenhouses shelter rows of ferns, ficus, and other hard-to-kill plants. Seeds, fertilizers, potted flora, and walls and walls of reference books make for a retail experience sure to satisfy wizened landscaping pros, as well as novice green thumbs seeking advice on how to nurture their seedlings into window boxes that will be the envy of the neighborhood. 11 Florence St., Newton, MA winstonflowers.com.
Dear Annie
Intimate and informal, Dear Annie is a wine bar for people who enjoy chatting with strangers at a communal table over glasses of intriguing natural wine and plates of pescatarian, locally sourced snacks. Find a seat and order at the counter, where the knowledgeable staff will help you choose a vino that’s just right as you cozy up among the plants for a delightful evening. 1741 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140, dearanniebar.com.
<em>Look to Your Elders,</em> by Victor "MARKA27" Quinonez
Street art in Boston got a thrilling new addition this past May with Quiñonez’s Look to Your Elders, a vibrant painting on the side of Grove Hall pot shop Pure Oasis depicting a woman and young man surrounded by Caribbean plants and Indigenous patterns. A heartfelt nod to Boston’s generations of Caribbean and Afro-Latino residents, the piece is more than just a mural: It’s a stop-you-in-your-tracks work of art that has turned the spot into a must-visit. 430 Blue Hill Ave., Dorchester, MA 02121, marka27.com.
Le Labo
With signature fragrances hand-blended and packaged right before your eyes, it's clear why this parfumerie's name translates to "the lab." The simply appointed Back Bay store's distressed apothecary cabinets and metal lamps make it easy to focus exclusively on the olfactory, and focus you should: The Audrey Hepburn-inspired "Iris 39" will transport you to a forest footpath dotted with violets, the "Bergamote 22" to a citrus grove planted in musky soil. 129 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, lelabofragrances.com.
Mahoney's Garden Center
Here's a new title for perennial champ Mahoney's: "Garden store most likely to sell a Christmas tree to Ben Affleck." The trove of plants, supplies, and tools is not only loved by in-the-know gardeners; it's where the Cambridge homey and his then-fiancée, J.Lo, picked out a fir back in December. Employees kept their cool, but rumor has it Ben had been here before—with Gwyneth. Now that'sa garden store. 889 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA .
Charles Street Flowers
If only all of life were as impeccable and seamless as it is inside these doors. We're talking nearly across-the-board perfection—blooms meticulously cared for and healthy enough to live more than a week; a selection that includes everything from puffy pastel hydrangeas to curly bamboo and pillowy peonies; and arrangements that veer from streamlined to intricate but never stray from tasteful. The attitude-free, personable staff offers arrangements, customized bouquets, and useful advice on plant care. 115 Charles St., Boston, MA .
Ilex Designs
Unlike those florists who oversalt otherwise decent bouquets with fillers and flourishes, Ilex co-owners Andrew Anderson and Carol Sharp are as restrained with their creations as gourmet chefs. Working with the freshest specimens of ingredients both familiar (peonies, roses) and less expected (pitcher plants, kale), they and their gifted design team put together naturalistic compositions that let each flower's individual flavor shine through. Delicate orchids are done especially well here, but rest assured anything from Ilex will be an absolute feast for the eyes. 73 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 2116, .
Beacon True Value Home Center
Squished into a Beacon Hill storefront is this incredible urban resource center. Need to rent a power drill? It's five bucks a day. Run out of paint in the middle of a job? Head right over. Want to plant a window box full of tulips? Seeds of every sort are out front on the sidewalk (in season). Plus, the store sells the entire Leatherman line of cool-dude tools, and the service is terrific; these guys make Bob Villa look like he needs a little renovating. 216 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA .
The Garden in the Woods
Don't dig up that lady's slipper! Come to the annual June plant sale at Garden in the Woods for wildflowers you can take home without fear of eradicating an endangered species. While the June sale is the largest, wildflowers are always available for purchase at the Garden, as well as books and other items in the charming gift store. But don't leave without a tour of the Garden itself, one of New England's unique treasures. Hemenway Road, North Framingham, MA .
Brown and Coconut
No unnecessary (or unpronounceable) ingredients here: Created by Medford-based sisters Letisha Izuchi and Zeena Brown, Brown and Coconut’s much- loved line of plant-based beauty products (think: cleansers, toners, body butters, and more) focuses on delivering results through gentle, non-irritating elements such as aloe vera and juniper berry oil. Take, for instance, the duo’s clarifying kale mask: Packed with French green clay, lemon verbena, and honeysuckle, it promises to fight blemishes in the healthiest way possible. brownandcoconut.com.