Monterey Nurseries?

Heading that way next week, any 'don't miss' nurseries I should know about?

Would love to hit the kind with obscure plants, succulents, tropicals etc.
thanks in advance for any info!

Caught you......... you are going without me, you traitor. How soon you forget your sweet Louise.

Listen Thelma, you are more than welcome to hit the road in the super beetle with me! Bring your man too! We're doing Thanksgiving down there so c'mon! Crab season opened last week!
I've got six words for you, FRESH CRAB, SOUR DOUGH, PINOT GRIGIO!

You're going without me too! And I have THE list of nurseries! HEHEHEHEHEHE

Grrrrr. help a girl out! must find nurseries !

OK, OK! I give up! Here's my list. They're all cactus and succulent nurseries (of course!) and you'll need to call to make an appointment to see them. I think Succulent Gardens has regular hours, but you'll need to call to find out. Wish I knew any of the regular nurseries to which to refer you. Have a great Thanksgiving down there!

Frank & Naomi Bloss
California Succulents
134 Trabing Road
Watsonville, CA 95076
831/722-1446

Evelyn, Eddie & Larry Livermont
373 Block Avenue
Salinas, CA 93906
831/449-2002

Anne Shein
Shein’s Cactus
3360 Drew Street
Marina, CA 93933
831/384-7765

Robin Stockwell
Succulent Gardens
2133 Elkhorn Road
Castroville, CA 95012
831/632-0482

You should also go to the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum. They have a marvelous display of Australian plants, especially Protea and Banksia: http://www2.ucsc.edu/arboretum/

Thanks so much, we're going to SC too so hopefully we can hit the arboretum!!!

You're welcome!

The Elkhorn address that you gave for Robin is his wholesale business and office/ growing grounds.
Unless things have changed in the last few months, he normally does not allow those who are not in the trade to purchase from him without the required prerequisites.

He does however have a wonderful retail nursery in The Barnyard Shopping Center at the mouth of Carmel Valley , it stocks almost every thing he grows at his growing grounds and much much more.

Other good retail nurseries that carry succulents are Sierra Azule in Watsonville.
The have an excellent demonstration garden and have a very good selection of plants in the protea family.

If Norries Plant shop located just within the gates of the U.C. Santa Cruz Botanical garden is open you may find a modest assortment there.
I would call ahead to make sure of their holiday hours of operation.

That's the address I've had for Robin for the last few years (I double-checked it through Google), it's also the address he uses for his website (with no mention of wholesale there), and that's why I said she should call first. Also, re UCSC Arboretum, that's why I gave her the website. Lali is a very intelligent person - she knows how to negotiate the Web.

Monterey Bay Nursery
1184 Hilby Ave, Seaside, CA
(831) 899-2060

It's north of the airport. Try to get this on in if you can, they have incredible things to see there!

K

P.S. Ive been to Sierra Azule.....WOW!

thanks everyone! We're off on our adventure! I appreciate everyone's input.
Happy Thanksgiving All!

I was unaware of a nursery called Monterey Bay on Hilby in Seaside.
Thanks for the info.

I suppose this could get a little confusing with another nursery called Monterey Bay out on San Miguel Canyon Road.
http://montereybaynsy.com/

The San Miguel Canyon Road Monterey Bay is an outstanding nursery ( the website is incredibly helpful as well ) .
Last year Leun , one of the owners, came up to Cal Hort and did a wonderfully informative slide show and lecture.

That's also the Monterey Bay Nursery that I had heard of (the one that D-D mentions)...but isn't it wholesale only? Or do they allow retail customers as well? They're one of the growers whose websites I use to create shopping lists of plants that I want but I had always assumed if I wanted something of theirs I had to have a nursery special order it for me. But if they have retail as well then I'll definitely have to make a trip down there!

As far as I have always known, Monterey Bay Nursery on San Miguel Canyon Road has always been wholesale. .. and a strict one at that .
Note the first sentence on their webpage.
Leun and Miguel have ocassionally opened the nursery to garden clubs and horticultural groups for educational purposes but in order to keep prices down and quality up, their operation is wholesale.

I usually hit Monterey Bay after coming from Robin Stockwell's growing grounds and then head on to Suncrest then if time permitting Rosendales.
It's a long day but productive.

You know, we all had an invite to Monterey Bay by their rep who is a member here. Sue was supposed to set it up. I wonder what happened. We were going to get to buy at wholesale prices. Maybe we all can go in spring!

I have bought clivia from Miguel. He is great. I arrived with $1,000 and I left with zero and 5 clivia. LOL And I can't wait to go buy more. LOL

Well, you all are making me sick I am not going with Lali on her fun trip. I want to go to all these nurseries. Hey girl, we have to go again in the spring. I already miss you. You must have left for I am not getting any return emails. Poor me, abandoned and nurseryless. I would happily give up my turkey day to go. Do not tell Tom I said that. LOL

Yep, that's the Monterey Bay Nursery I meant. I got the address off the web, OOPS I just double-checked the page I went to........I skipped a line and copied Monterey Bay Christian School's addy! Thanks for catching that! I didn't know MB went totally wholesale now, they used to have the greenhouses open to the public. Good to know!

K

Fear Not Kell! I am here now, (wireless in the hotel room!!) and have not had time yet to hit nurseries. BUT there's a HD and an Orchard supply just a block away! My traveling companion is already moaning about having to stop. But we have duck tape for that (kidding folks!!)

Given the time frame of this trip, I only will have time for one or maybe two stops. So that means another road trip for us Kell! And this time it's much closer than San Diego!

Happy Turkey Day everyone! We're off to the Aquarium!!

Re: Succulent Gardens growing grounds, they will allow visitors and retail sales, but arrangements have to be made in advance. I've been a customer of the Carmel Valley shop for years, and finally made it to the growing grounds last spring. Lots of larger plants; note no discounts from their prices in the shop. It's a true working greenhouse, not fancy, and all the hanging plants had hummingbirds galore zipping back and forth inside the building. It was worth doing.

For the past 2 years Robin's also had a booth at the Sunset Celebration Weekend in May at Sunset Magaine's headquarters in Palo Alto. Last year he also spoke on one of the stages and did a demo, which was very informative. Both years their booth had a great variety of their smaller plants (2" thru 6" pots).

So what is Sunset Celebration Weekend in May? Something we need to go to and celebrate too?

I have two words - Siera Azul!

The Sunset Celebration is like a grand 'open house' at Sunset's Menlo Park headquarters.
During this open house celebration they have educational talks , designer seminars, products, plants and entertainment booths set up around the grounds.

Designers and product manufacturers/ suppliers that have been featured in the magazine are contacted at the beginning of the year and asked if they would like to participate in the event.

It is a win win situation for everyone. Vendors and Designers get exposure, Sunset furthers their mission of entertaining while educating and the public is treated to a wonderful fun filled day .

The time of year that the celebration is offered poses a bit of a problem with some vendors and designers due to it being one of the busiest times in the gardening season but they always seem to be able to fill the booth spaces.

If you can't make it to the Sunset Celebration in May then the next best thing is the San Francisco garden show at the Cow Palace in March.
Some of the same vendors and designers are at the SF show , but the S.F. show is much more expensive to attend. I believe it will be $ 20 a ticket for a full day and 10 or 12 dollars to park your car.

This year the S.F. garden show has eliminated one entire building.
Supposedly they have cut out alot of the non garden related vendors (like the baby clothing booths ect.. ) as well as cut out the dining court , though there will still be food booths but they will be scattered throughout the venue.

My friend Bernie and I have hit Sunset Celebration for the past 8 years, I think. First stop is the discount books, then on to the Safeway booth for a snack. Then a nice wander around the grounds, garden tools, plant booths, etc., and on to the stage area to see Steve Lorton's lecture (and we added Robin Stockwell's last year). Then back to the Safeway booth, over through the demo kitchen, through the demo garden, around to the front lawn to look at the art and talk to the artists and and seed vendors, then perhaps a lemonade and over to the other side to go through the travel, olive oil, craft, etc. booths over there. Then back to the bookstore to pick up our stuff, and home. It's a FANTASTIC event. Plus it's a fundraiser. They have a cooking stage, garden stage, rock-climbing wall, activities for kids, a demonstration house of some kind......I mean there's too much to describe. We've enjoyed it each time, and look forward to it every year. You should do it!!!! Sunset just has the dates on their website right now (May 19th and 20th), but as it gets closer they'll have more details. They have remote parking and shuttles. I know I sound like I work there, but I've just always been such a huge fan of Sunset Mag and their books that I can't help myself.~~