Living in the Garden combines plants and art

Carpets of silky primroses and pansies, with their brilliant reds and velvety blues, line the counters of the spacious conservatory. They have an herb garden growing on the roof of the gift shop. Solar panels power the energy needs of the business.

Welcome to Living in the Garden, a seasonal garden supplier located just outside Pullman. Owned by Scottie and Suzanne St. Pierre, the “green” business sells yard plants and has a hand in many community-oriented events on the Palouse.

A gift shop, conservatory, display gardens and a private greenhouse sit on the couple’s land, surrounded by fields. Community events like “Sweet on Spring” and “Art in the Garden” are annually held at the site. “Art in the Garden” opens just days after the business closes for the year.

A growing relationship with charities and arts culture of the Palouse and beyond has developed over their eight years in business, the couple said.

Last year they added garden artwork from Haiti – of which 20 percent of the sales are given back to the non-profit that made them.

“It’s so happy. I feel so good about this stuff,” said Scottie.

Palouse singer Tianna Gregg was featured in “Music in the Garden.”

Scottie said he built a make-shift stage of pallets for the performers and the audience had a rip-roaring time watching the show.

“If a business is good, they become an entity of their own,” said Suzanne, pointing out Living in the Garden is involved in much more than the sale of products.

In the back of their greenhouse, they have donated a portion of their soil to Backyard Harvest. Vegetables grown from their soil will be donated to this Moscow non-profit which processes the vegetables and gives them to food banks around the Palouse.

The gift shop is crammed with colorful items from around the Western U.S. Candles, soaps, wind chimes, olive oil and a jumble of other specialty items line the shelves.

The business is open only four months out of the year, March through June. They spend parts of the rest of the year traveling around the Western U.S. searching for merchandise for their store.