Plant lovers and holiday shoppers, rejoice! Northwest Garden & Stone is a just-opened small business that offers novel indoor and outdoor plants, hardscape materials, home decor and more (think luxury chocolates, candles and Stonewall Kitchen’s many tasty delights). 

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for many years,” owner Gary Muskett said. “I’ve always wanted to open a garden center/gift shop to carry unique indoor and outdoor merchandise.” The store lives at the intersection of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline at 24200 76th Ave. W. in the Lake Ballinger neighborhood and is open daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with extended holiday hours until 7 p.m.

Muskett is a reputable mainstay of the local landscape supply scene. “I was born and raised in the dirt business,” he said. “I ran my family’s sand and gravel company in Bothell for 24 years.” In 2014, he opened Northwest Landscape Supply in Edmonds, focusing on supplying organic materials to local gardeners.

General manager Matt Porter, formerly of Molbak’s, was Muskett’s first hire at the new store. “We’re filling a niche for our community,” Porter said. “We’re looking to be different by having what we think is the best – or things that you don’t necessarily find anywhere else.” Offerings will include species not often seen in Puget Sound landscapes, like agaves, grevilleas, olive trees and eucalyptus. “And of course we’ll have trees, shrubs, a whole bunch of perennials, and some annuals so that everybody can change out their color,” he said.

In addition to gardening must-haves like trowels, fertilizer and planters, the store features covetable high-end items like McCrea’s caramels, John Kelly chocolates, LAFCO home fragrances and body care, and Thymes Frasier Fir candles. Muskett is also committed to featuring merchandise from nearby growers, artists and business owners as much as possible, including garden-ready glass art from locals Sandy Dahlberg and Jesse Kelly.

Garden Coordinator Brynn Booth handles sales and social media. “I’m really excited about having the unique, high quality plants that people can’t find at most other nurseries. And I’m personally really into wild foraging, food forest gardening and permaculture – and we can definitely special order native and edible plants for customers who are into those things.” 

“We’re interested in doing what people want us to do,” Porter said. “We look forward to hearing what people are working on, what their wants and needs are so that we can help them with those things. We want to make it as easy as possible, that’s for sure.”

— Story and photos by Clare McLean