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| Amir's Garden in Griffith Park | Photo: @dain_c0n, Instagram |
Los Angeles is a paradise for plant parents. Whether you’re shopping for plants, accessories and tools, books, or just looking for sheer inspiration and expert advice, it’s all here. From nurseries to botanical gardens, plant design studios to restaurants and bookstores, discover horticulture havens in the City of Angels.
1) AMIR’S GARDEN
A five-acre ornamental garden and rest stop for Griffith Park hikers and equestrians,
Amir’s Garden was begun in 1971 by the late Amir Dialameh. Driven by a fervor for nature born in the Alborz Mountains of his native Iran, he toiled for more than three decades with a pick and shovel, six or seven days a week, to transform a barren and fire-ravaged landscape into today’s lush, shaded grove. Over those many years, Amir planted pine and jacaranda trees, rose bushes, geraniums, oleander, and yucca. He terraced slopes, built stairs, and erected brightly colored benches. Since Amir’s 2003 passing, his verdant gift to Los Angeles has been maintained by hardy volunteers. (Sign up to volunteer
here.)
2) AVALON NURSERY & CERAMICS
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Avalon Nursery & Ceramics
Photo: @cualtzin_03, Instagram |
On what was once a dusty corner lot in South L.A., owner Maria Luz Lopez has gradually built
Avalon Nursery & Ceramics (5334 S Avalon Blvd, Los Angeles 90011) into a literal urban jungle over the past three decades. The bustle of Avalon Boulevard fades as you delve deeper into its rows of citrus and mango trees, aromatic sage and native shrubs, roses, ceramic pots and more, all accompanied by birdsong incongruous to the city surrounds. Started by Maria from the back of her car, Avalon is about as far from a corporate big-box nursery as it gets - chaotic and in many ways casual, yet with sufficient inventory to keep even the most prolific of plants people happy for hours.
3) CALIFORNIA CACTUS CENTER
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| California Cactus Center Photo: YouTube |
A family-run business for more than 35 years,
California Cactus Center (216 S Rosemead Blvd, Pasadena 91107) is SoCal’s preeminent specialized nursery for cacti and succulents. Known for its vast variety of common and hard-to-find specimens from all over the world, it also supplies local municipalities, universities, and the nearby Google campus. The five Thongthiraj sisters who operate the business are both incredibly friendly and uniquely knowledgeable, having worked in the nursery founded by their parents since childhood. California Cactus Center is just 10 minutes from incredible cactus and succulent collections at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and at Huntington Library Botanical Gardens, completing the ultimate trifecta for lovers of desert landscaping.
4) FOLIA COLLECTIVE
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| Photo: Folia Collective |
Located in Eagle Rock,
Folia Collective (5052 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles 90041) has been the friendly go-to boutique for local plant parents since 2016. Founder Danae Horst runs the place like a passion project, bringing with her the rare knowledge that only a lifelong fascination can fuel. Her bright and sleek storefront offsets its greenery with stark white walls and plain wood shelves that really emphasize the colors and varied forms of the flora within. Folia sells not only curated plants, but also planters, tools, hardware, and watering equipment. But it’s perhaps the genial advice from Danae and her staff that sets the place apart – and can make the difference between truly home-enhancing foliage and a few withered stems in sad pots.
Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park | Photo: Green Thumb Nursery
5) GREEN THUMB NURSERY
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Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park Photo: Green Thumb Nursery |
The family-owned
Green Thumb Nursery dates back to 1946, and it shows in truly specialist staff and old-school customer service which contrast sharply with those of big-box home improvement stores. Nothing is too much trouble at Green Thumb, and there always seems to be someone on duty who is knowledgeable on your plants or project of choice. If they don’t have a particular plant in stock, they’ll swiftly order it, and they only accept specimens from wholesalers that meet their unusually high standards. While their yard décor items may be a little cheesy, it’s Green Thumb’s nurseries and their staff that make this a place a gardeners’ go-to for life. Two locations: 21812 Sherman Way, Canoga Park 91303 and 23734 Newhall Ave, Santa Clarita 91321
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