San Gabriel Nursery and Rosemead Gardens

Today we're flashing back to December 23rd and my visit to San Gabriel Nursery in San Gabriel, California. I'd started the day at California Cactus Center, then spent a few hours at the Los Angeles County Arboretum (post coming up, soon-ish - I hope) the day finished-up here.

I knew about San Gabriel Nursery thanks to Hoov answering a question from Alison about nurseries near The Huntington (we visited there too, and yes there will be a post). I'd looked them up online but wasn't sure what to expect, plus Christmas is an interesting time to visit nurseries, it's high season for all sorts of tchotchkes (and they seemed to have more than their fair share), but of course what I really wanted to see were plants. I wasn't disappointed...

Pretty much love this sign...

The 80 degree day (in December!) was good for my soul, as was seeing plants for sale that are only high summer rarities in my climate. Echium 'Star of Madeira'...

Salvia apiana

My Portland nurseries don't have crazy alien communication towers! Oh wait, I think it's a heater, well we don't have those either...

Tropicalisimo!

Crinum A. Baby Burgundy

Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers' is so much more impressive en masse!

Somehow this sign makes the danger so much more real than the cartoon one. It looks positively radioactive.

Don't you just love a nursery with paths under established trees?

And can't you just see people returning a cactus to the nursery..."it died"..."did you water it?"..."no, it's a cactus!"...

Lots of goodies...

Abromeitiella brevifolia, display only...

I had this one in my hand...

The first one I saw looked like it was $7.98, then I realized it was actually $17.98. I put it back.

Front and center is Agave 'Snow Glow', it taunted me throughout this trip.

I know this one as Agave 'Royal Spine'

Agave gypsophila $45.98

Finally a shot of one of the "it" plants of 2014, Alstroemeria 'Rock 'n' Roll'...

But wait, there's more! Next door was Rosemead Gardens. They were closed but that didn't stop me from casing the joint...(so to speak).

Just a few different styles of statuary to chose from.

This one I liked.

A little too Siegfried and Roy for me.

The column (?) is cool...

The "star walk" at the academy awards?...

And let's not forget, it was right before Christmas...so Rudolph and friends were huddled, making plans for their big night out...

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.