No visit to Orange County in Southern California is complete for me without a visit the iconic Roger’s Gardens in Corona Del Mar.  Their marketing tagline is ‘Bringing Beauty into your Home and Garden’ and that truly says it all.  Roger’s history spans over 50 years and it is a destination for plant people all over the country.

In the late 1990s when my gardening partner in crime, Mary, took me to Roger’s I was captivated.  It is like a little island of beauty and creativity surrounded many equally lovely homes in some of the country’s most high priced real estate.  Over the 11 years I lived in Orange Country I visited Roger’s hundreds of times and always found a bit of this or a piece of that needing to be added to my own efforts at creating an island of beauty of my own.  As if being a veritable visual feast of annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, roses and just about anything else with roots isn’t enough; Roger’s has several exquisite home and gift sections to moon over and is a ‘must see’ destination when its holiday spirit is on display from late fall til January. Today fellow gardening gal who always believes there’s hope for next year, Judi, and I are here to take it all in. And shop, of course.

So, come with us on a photographic tour of this OC destination:

A peek at the current events  welcomes you as you approach.  The entrance changes with the season and is always an inspiration–loved these metal containers used both as planters and great accents displaying vintage gardening tools.  The living wall is planted using Wooly Planters and a variety of plant material including ivies, heuchera, campanula, ferns and more!

The front area where you line up to check out is always beautifully done and it is hard not to find more to buy (or photograph) as you move toward the cash register clutching your precious cargo.  The largest of the home gift areas is visible to all who thought they were done and ready to check out.  The themes and palette of this area changes frequently and it is  a seasonal treat even if you are not REALLY shopping.

This island bed, anchored by mature conifers, beckons you into the open air of the nursery area and is planted seasonally.  It is also a cool oasis for those non-gardening companions to hang out while you shop.

Planted containers surrounded by featured plant material lure you forward to see more!

Wander through areas for sun and shade plants, all well marked, and with helpful staff at the ready to answer your questions.

Today there is a vegetable seminar in progress and close by are tables to pick up those new varieties you may have learned about from the speaker.  A full schedule of seminars and classes is available at http://www.rogersgardens.com

Some of the best stuff is the farthest away from the entrance but wagons are easily maneuvered along the winding paths.  Every turn finds a new delight.

Drought is on all our minds here in California.  Roger’s offers lots of printed material to educate gardeners in their quest to create a beautiful landscape while conserving this most precious resource.

Although my personal haul today was restrained by my standards, I was tickled pink (or lavender?) to find one more the my sought after salvias from the Western Dancer series called Dancing Dolls.

Roger’s Gardens is a delight for the soul regardless of the level of your desire to get down on your hands and knees and dig in the dirt.  It is more a life experience than a retail one!

We passed this poster as we made our way to the car with our finds.  Now who wouldn’t want to learn to make a hummingbird swing?  Is June 25 too soon for me to head south again?