Your area's best nurseries

In the Sacramento area:

Lemuria Nursery (wholesale but open to the public) in Dixon is worth the trip! I have to pick up 4 5gal mock oranges for a project and paid half of what Capitol nursery wanted to charge me.

3 Palms in Davis... if you go on a Tue or Weds, I think the 5gal are $4 each. The guy who owns it is great and he stocks lots of xeriscape plants.

Talini's Nursery near east Sac has a great selection of harder to find things but is a bit more expensive.

Morning Sun which was mentioned above is herb heaven... great place.

Some which have not yet been mentioned:

San Francisco Farmers Market Sundays has a special plant vendor section

Long's Drug Store Garden Center, Rockridge location in Oakland, 51st & Broadway -- run by a manager who is a real gardener, and it shows. Beautiful healthy plants, ever-changing selection (as word gets around, pros are jumping in and snatching up the rarer stock before it disappears), at prices well below East Bay Nursery and Berkeley Horticultural. I picked up a melianthus recently, one of only three, at a price of $23.99 -- well below the $39.99 for a smaller specimen at BerkHort. One of my most prized garden plants is a variegated rhamnus, which only Long's carried.

Regan's Nursery in Fremont (huge selection of roses)

Golden Nursery, San Mateo (SF Peninsula) -- an old nursery right off Hwy 101, the land it sits on must be worth several million $$$. It's huge, and you can find some rare plants no one else has. I had been looking for the vertical euonymus but wasn't willing to pay a huge price mailorder for a tiny plant. No one else local carried it, but I wandered through Golden one day, and there it was, for $8.99!

Evergreen Nursery in San Leandro (Bay Area, East Bay) -- nothing unusual or outrageous, just a good working nursery with knowledgable sales reps, large grounds with a wide selection of shrubs and trees. Lovely koi pond, easy parking too.

I want to make special mention of the Sloat Garden Center local chain in regards to their nursery in Kentfield (Marin County). It's really exceptional, in a beautiful location with an extensive variety of shrubs and very knowledgable sales reps.

I am interested in Golden Nursery, never been there. Where exactly is it located. Several others are quite new to me. Especially Sloat's Kentfield Nursery.

There is a giant Melianthus major on the side of the road by the San Luis Obispo airport. It must be 30 feet across. And it freezes out there too. I haven't tried any of the other melianthi.

Golden Nursery - 1122 2nd Ave, San Mateo, 94401 - (650) 348-5525

Thanks, I am headed up that weekend after next, to see the grandkids, but also Strybing and Berkeley and Annies and now Golden.

Haven't been there in a long time!

Golden Nursery
(650) 348-5525
1122 2nd Ave
San Mateo, CA 94401

http://www.goldennursery.com/contact.htm

The pictures from their site would indicate they have a lot of stuff. Oh,oh, more plants, just what I need. More plants, more seeds, total overload. Are we having fun yet?

Hey Angelinos! I just discovered a wonderful nursery in San Gabriel, it's called The San Gabriel Nursery at 625 S. San Gabriel Blvd. It's absolutely huge and has EVERYTHING. A huge bonsai selection, palms, ferns, fruit trees, shrubs, flowers, bamboo, groundcovers, you name it. And all the plants are in beautiful condition and reasonably priced. I felt like I was in an arboretum where everything was for sale! Go with plenty of time and money. I noticed a sign saying your Huntington Library and Arboretum card gives you a discount.

Last weekend I was in Monterey and came home by way of Sierra Azul Nursery in Watsonville, thanks to your tip, srkrause. I spent more than an hour wandering around the spectacular planted areas. It is indeed a very relaxed atmosphere.

I finally selected a penstemon as my plant of choice for the day. There was a man (owner?) who was watering plants. Since I live in the mountains at about 2700 feet and the nursery is not far above sea level, I told him of the care I had to use to select appropriate plants for my elevation which has quite a different climate even though it is only about an hour away. He knew immediately what zone I was in. He had good advice on what would work based on knowledge of what worked for his parents who live in a similar situation.

How nice to find a business that is so user friendly and low key.

I just went to a beautiful nursery today. It is in Yuba City on Shasta Street near Center Street in downtown Yuba City. I wanted to give them a little plug because as much as I shop at Walmart, I still believe in supporting local business. It is a big old Victorian with a huge yards which are jam-packed with gorgeous plants. While strolling the trails that wound around the gardens, under arbors and past antiques that held more plants, I found myself relaxing and sinking into the atmosphere. There is music coming from somewhere, mingled with the sounds of the fountains and a chicken coop (!). I was so inspired there. The way it is layed out, it just flows. And fun, too. There's a chandelier in the potting shed! There's a jammed-packed gift shop inside that I couldnt spend too much time in since I was with my kids. And the prices... well, they aren't cheap. But I might go back and splurge on a special plant this week.

Here are a couple of nurseries I have visited and purchased plants from that are in my area Placer County and some from Sacramento County:

Bushnell Garden & Nursery
5255 Douglas Blvd
Granite Bay, CA
(916)791-4199
www.bushnellgardens.com

Capital Nursery
5410 Sunrise Blvd
Citrus Heights, CA 95610
(916)684-2100
www.capitalnursery.com

Windmill Nursery
5750 Windmill Way
Carmichael, CA
(916)972-0794



This message was edited May 6, 2005 4:18 PM

San Fernando Valley:

World Wide Exotics, Inc.
11157 Orcas Avenue
Sylmar, CA 91342
1-818-890-1915
Drought Tolerant perrenials, tropicals and sub-tropicals.
Walk-in business only. NO CREDIT CARDS!!!
WED-SAT 9:30-4:00PM

You can walk down a long road, with stuff in huge sections all along either side. They'll take you in a golf cart if you have physical issues. Had a huge section of pools w/water lilies. Prices were very reasonably for what I bought. A little tricky to find, but I can give directions if anyone is interested.

Fresno/Clovis Area Faves:

H & E Nursery
160 W. Nees, Fresno
7749 E. Shaw, Clovis

Willow Gardens Nursery & Garden Center
10428 N. Willow Ave. Clovis

Evergreen Nursery & Gift Center
210 W. Alluvial, Clovis

Riverside Landscape & Nursery Supplies
5215 N. Golden State Blvd. Fresno

There are several nearby in the foothills, will post later.

Lisa - went to Windmill yesterday and did frivolous shopping for my mother day present! I LOVE it there! The prices and the guys are great!
~Rachael

jcangemi-thanks for the World Wide Exotics address, I grew up in Sylmar, but don't remember that nursery. I'm going to check it out next time I'm out there.

After a recent trip to Berkeley Hort., I posted some photos of the nursery on my garden blog. Enjoy!

Angela

http://sacgardening.blogspot.com/

LOL Bluenikko...far from home! I know I love the little shop they have. I wanted to ask you what the name was of that nursery you visited in your post on April 30th? I would love to check it out sometime....sunday mornings I usually stop at nurseries after an early morning of garage saling LOL

Lisa, just yesterday I told Angela about it in the "Hello, Fellow Cal's..." thread:

posted a little write-up on May 30 on the "favorite nurseries" thread in this forum. I've been back there since, and although it is beautiful and has a cool gift shop, the plants are small and expensive. I think worth a trip, though. It is Vintagehouse Nursery Co. 661 Shasta St., Yuba City CA 95991 530-755-4242.

Let me know if you go. I'd like to know what you think about it.
~Rachael
p.s. have you been to Bushnell Gardens in Granite Bay? I am going to try to fit in a trip there this weekend.

Lisa, I just saw your thread mentioning Bushnells. Duh!

Hi again, Rachael,

Bushnell's is a great nursery. I think you'll appreciate it best if you visit on a day when they're having a speaker or workshop.

Pluses include: size (big if you count the fabulous daylily and Japanese iris area up the hill), colorfully landscaped entry, decent supply of interesting and/or drought-tolerant perennials, decent display of all plant types (trees, groundcovers, annuals, perennials, water plants, alpine plants, conifers, roses, grasses, etc.), they carry Annie's Annuals, attractive covered outdoor area for workshops and garden accessories, the setting is peaceful and attractive, they have a vending machine if you get hungry or thirsty (plenty of eateries nearby too), parking's easy, children's play area (unsupervised), good sale prices.

Minuses include: porta potty (no restroom), prices can be high (they seemed lower before the fancy remodel), the indoor building for seeds/supplies/decoration, etc. is heavy on fake flowers and vases when it could use more garden items (tools, gloves, apparel, etc.). imho, of course. ;-)

http://www.bushnellgardens.com/ (website's pretty bad, but contact info is on there)

This message was edited May 13, 2005 12:19 PM

This message was edited May 13, 2005 12:20 PM

Thanks so much for the info, Angela! It's good to know I can bring the kids and they will be entertained. I'll let you know what goodies I aquire from there!
I have a question for you about zones, but I'll send it in a separate "Dave-mail." ~Rachael

With the several mentions of Yamagami's, I went there last weekend. I thought the prices were too high, so I didn't buy anything. Even their 1/2 off bulbs seemed to be over regular price elsewhere. As I left I noticed Summer Winds Nursery about 1/2 block away. http://www.summerwindsca.com I found it to be a very nice nursery. Still a little pricier than what I am used to, but I definitely left with a load of plants.

My local nursery in Fremont is Regan Nursery http://www.regannursery.com/ It is 2 blocks off of 880 on Hwy 84 (Decoto Rd) heading East. Very large selection of roses and nice variety of plants. They host several club events during the year (Iris, Bonsai, etc.) and have free "events" regularly.

Also in Fremont is the Mission Adobe Nursery. It is in the Niles District on Niles Blvd, at Nursery. Not a really impressive nursery, but it is located on the last remnants of The California Nursery http://www.fremontica.com/roadside/cnco.htm I probably have one of the Canary Island Palms that was left over from the Nurseries stock to plant in San Francisco in 1915 for the Pan Am Exposition. About 4 foot of aged root shows, where the box used to be, before the palm rooted into the ground.

New to Northern California is Armstrong Garden Centers http://www.armstronggarden.com/aboutus.html I have been to the one in Dublin several times and enjoy it because it stocks plants for warmer climates. I had never seen Plumeria at a local nursery, until I saw them at Armstrong's.

Berkeley Hort and Lafayette's Orchard are my local favorites, although I also like the Rockridge (Oakland) Long's, of all things. Glad to know I'm not the only one on that!

I grew up on Yamagami's, but I did buy a camelia a couple of years ago that was labelled as Jordan's Pride but turned out to be something else -- a common dark pink blossom. Come to think of it, that's also where I bought my lilies that were supposed to be red but are bright yellow. My sense is that they aren't quite as top-notch as they once were.

This message was edited Jul 7, 2005 9:31 AM

Those were my thoughts on Yamagami's, that it used to be an outstanding nursery but now had gone to seed. Interesting four-inch plants of great variety, mostly from Annies, but that was about it as far as interesting plants. I was there in the fall, so perhaps that was the reason.

i like Far West Nursery in Santa Cruz; nice variety, more unusuals.

Soquel Nursery growers is great b/c it's huge--you have to drive around on a special plant cart! Though primarily for landscapers (it's a wholesale nursery), they told me they do sell to non-businesses. Great tree and 1gal selections + many natives.

One I'm still meaning to check out (got a gift cert. for my b-day) is Hidden Gardens Nursery in Aptos...yep, must be hidden since I've lived here 16 years and never heard of it! Will report back...

I agree with Gourd in So Cal that Parkview Nursery in Riverside is very, very good although I have only been at the Magnolia Blvd-Jackson Street location. The personnel are never too busy to answer questions and they have an excellent selection.

How about wandering about in the gold country. Specializing in daylilies Amador Flower Farm http://www.amadorflowerfarm.com/ has a nicely planted area with water features, picnic area and most important - clean restrooms. Oh, and lots of nice plants.
Amador Flower Farm
22001 Shenandoah School Road
Plymouth, CA. 95669
(209) 245.6660
and if you don't want to drive all the way up there, some of the 800 daylily varieties are available at https://amadorflowerfarm.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=AFF and they have 100% on Garden Watchdog.

Thank you for that suggestion! My hubby and I were just talking about taking a drive to Amador county. It's beautiful there!

In San Francisco, try Floorcraft Garden Center on Bayshore Blvd.

They have an excellent selection (always something new) and good prices. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly - I learn something every time I go. Their "Bargain Basement' section has stuff that's only slightly the worse for wear, and priced up to 75% off.

If a Home Depot comes in across the street, Floorcraft will probably be history. So PATRONIZE THEM!!! FIGHT THE MACHINE!!!

Check out Tyler's Carlmont Nursery in Belmont. It's a little tough to find since it's buried in a shopping center right on the corner of Ralston and Alameda de las Pulgas.

They specialize in Japanese Maples and have a pretty impressive collection including a 24" Box Golden Full Moon that's about 9' tall. It's gorgeous.

Lot's of bamboo, too as well as all the regular stuff.

Nursery is nestled between a restaurant and shops and has a park-like feel with a small stream and waterfall. I hear they have had a few weddings there also. Just look for the Bank of America and they are right behind it.

Worth a trip just to look around!

I just came back from a brief trip to Fort Bragg - Mendocino. I think I found my new favorite. Hortus Botanicus http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/3379/ is not your usual nursery, but a real adventure. Ranging from carniverous plants to succulents. Reasonable prices and a real varied selection of plants you are likely to not find anywhere else. The photo shows how serious they are about their plants.
I also visited Fuchsiarama - a great source of Fuchsia, with a smattering of tuberous begonia and brugsmania.

They both sound great, PotEmEp. I love Hortus Botanicus' Website. I'll have to get up there one of these days.

San Diego - By far the best is Walter Anderson Nursery. I also like Mission Hills Nursery. For general plants that you can buy just about anywhere, I have great luck with Lowe's and believe it or not, Target on Balboa Ave. The Target is in the same center as Home Depot and their plants outshine H.D.'s half dead stuff any day.

House of Cactus in Stanton is no longer there, was one of my favorites!!!
He sold it to someone and I hear it is being torn down for new development! Sigh....
Annie

In the Upland area, there's Mt. Fuji Nursery, a little expensive but well maintained and they are very helpful, anything you want, they either have it or can get it. I love strolling through there, so soothing.

Weegy, if you live in that area, there is also another Nursery on Benson, just north of Foothill Blvd. I can't remember the name, but I used to go there with my Grandmother every Christmas to buy Poinsettias.

Lori

Well, thank you Lori, I do live in the Upland area, I'm not sure that nursery is still there but I'll check it out, thanks again.

*bump*

I live in Lodi... I just got back from Weigum's Nursery. I have lived here a long time, I've always passed up this nursery thinking it was way too small and overpriced. Wow! I was wrong! A family run nursery with a lot of exotic stuff.. Bonsai, etc. Some very strange/beautiful Maples, weeping juniper, contorted filbert tree, ferns galore, etc. etc. I walked around with a grin for more than an hour, trying to take it all in.
Super friendly people. A customer spotted a huge fuchsia hanging amongst the ferns and asked the price. It was marked $32. I heard Vern, the owner say "I can sell it for $20." It was an AWESOME plant, still blooming and had to be in an 16 to18" hanging basket. To me, that was a good deal... and I'm a tight wad.. I have to be!
Bedding plants were $3. which is actually not as high as I expected.
They have a gift shop with a gazillion things.. I wouldn't bring the kids, but it was a magical trip for me alone. Gosh.. I sure hope Santa knows about this place!


Weigum's Lodi Nursery
401 N Ham Lane
Lodi, CA 95242
(209)369-6288

what does *bump* mean?

My favorite nurseries are Berkeley Horticultural Nursery and Annie's Annuals, both of which were mentioned in previous posts, but here are two others worth mentioning that I didn't see above:

Grand Lake Ace Garden Center in Oakland--they have a great selection of bedding plants but also have a surprisingly good selection of Australian/South African plants--lots of stuff I haven't seen anywhere else except maybe Sierra Azul (but this is a much shorter drive!). They're the only nursery I've seen in the Bay Area that carries plants from Australian Native Plants Nursery, in addition to some of the more common growers. It's pretty small compared to some other nurseries, but they have a ton of great plants--I stop by there regularly and don't think I've ever left empty handed!

Mostly Natives Nursery in Tomales--I've only been here once, but they had a nice selection of CA native plants and I'm sure I'll make the trip out there again sometime next year.
http://www.mostlynatives.com/