Plant Shopping in the San Fernando Valley

Last weekend, I visited a friend in the San Fernando Valley and we toured two local nurseries.  In the past, we'd have spent our time at Sperling Nursery, one of my long-time favorite plant shopping haunts but, sadly, it closed last year.  My friend introduced me to Desert Creations Nursery in Northridge, which opened last year.  (You can find a video on the nursery here.)  It's a small place, located behind a gym and nearly invisible from the street, operating out of what was clearly once a home.

The interior contains a wide range of gift and decorative items, as well as some very nice pottery designed especially to complement succulents.

Among other things, items for sale included an Opuntia-shaped lamp, tiny succulents in tiny pots, and botanical pens

The room in the back was dedicated to pottery

Small plants occupied benches in the space adjoining the pottery room but, behind the building, in what would once have been a backyard, there were larger plant specimens, including display tables with show-quality plants.

My favorite plant was this Cochemiea setispinsus, shown on the left photographed from behind highlighted by the morning sun and on the right photographed from the front

Astrophytum ornatum

Copiapoa kranziana

Coryphantha sp.

Ferocactus sp.

My second favorite: Gymnocalycium tudae

Mammillaria candida

Parodia sp.

The nursery has two sweet dogs, both rescues.

Elrey, on the left, came out to greet us wagging his tail when we arrived before settling back in his bed, and his female companion on the right followed us out to see us off

I left with two pots.

They're not yet planted but that situation won't last long

As usual, I left behind a couple of plants out of concern with the impact their purchase would have had on my pocketbook.

Boophane disticha on the left (I didn't even bother to check the price of that one) and Mammillaria pilcayensis on the right (which I was afraid to buy after having a similar specimen "melt" in last year's rain

Our second stop was Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park.  Part of a chain, the Canoga Park location, opened in 1946, was the first of Green Thumb's nurseries.  Although I grew up only miles away, I've probably only visited this garden center a handful of times.  (I don't come from a family of gardeners.)  On my last visit several years ago, I thought the place looked sad and tired, at least by comparison to the vibrancy of Sperling, but it's perked up since.  I understand they've hired several of Sperling's horticulturalists.

Displays near the entrance of the outside area, where driftwood (from the Pacific Northwest no less!) was heavily featured

Green Thumb carries a little bit of everything but I was particularly impressed by the quality of the succulents and the diverse selection of drought tolerant plants.

Clockwise from the upper left: a pristine selection of Agaves, Cordylines in a variety of colors, more varieties of Nandina than I've seen in one place anywhere else, a nice selection of Talavera pottery, bedding plants (also in perfect condition), and orchids tucked among statuary

I didn't leave there empty-handed either.

I found Echeveria agavoides 'Vashon', a plant I'd admired but left behind on my last plant shopping trip because it was available only in a large and very pricey pot.  Combined, the 3 plants shown at the top of the frame on the left cost me only a little more than one in the larger pot would have.  I also picked up 3 more Echeveria and 2 unidentified succulents, as well as the pretty pot shown on the right.

Although, yet again, I left behind a plant I wish I hadn't...

Rhodanthemum hosmariense 'Moondance'

All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party