By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

One of the things the Big Red Sun is famous for is its distinctive succulent plantings.  The plants are paired with sea shells, seed pods, and other natural objects and assembled like a collage in shallow welded steel containers the garden boutique calls "metros."   (Those of you from Texas are no doubt already familiar with Big Red Sun's flagship store in Austin; I'm happy to say Venice, California now has a branch, too.

Here's a metro I saw at the Venice store last week. The piece was designed by Patrick Marston. The little "pots" he's tucked the plants into are cylinders of birch bark. 

Several different varieties of dried moss tie the assemblage together visually, says Marston.  The moss also absorbs water like a sponge and helps keep the plants healthy.  "A gentle spritz once a week and these `paintings' should last forever," he says.