Plant Selection

Whether you're planting a new garden or refreshing an existing landscape, there is a world of horticultural beauty at your fingertips. Shrubs, perennials, groundcovers, and grasses form the backbone of many gardens.

Redwood trees need moisture from rain and fog. Photo: Public Domain Coast redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens) only grow on the Pacific coast from Big Sur to southern Oregon, where their need for mass quantities of water is met from winter rain and summer fog.

Spring Garden Fair Herbs. Listed are the herb seedlings that we will be offering. Many of these, especially the basils, are very popular and may sell out early.

Marin's beauty is vast and varied. Where else can you visit a coastal bluff, redwood forest, and oak woodland all in one day? In our gardens, the varied topography, microclimates, and proximity to open space can be a challenge especially when it involves clay soil or a steep hillside.

Coast live oak trees (Quercus agrifolia) like wet winters and dry summers. L. Stiles There are 20 oak trees native to California. These stately trees create iconic landscapes, live up to 400 years, and provide tremendous benefits. Oaks are good investments -- for homeowners and the environment.

Spring Garden Fair ornamentals decriptions. The flowers and other ornamental plants we offer at the Spring Garden Fair have been trialed in our research gardens to select varieties that perform particularly well in our climate, with an eye toward those that are beautiful and long-lasting in flower…

Bush anemone (Carpenteria californica) is a deer-resistant shrub that grows in sun or shade and has fragrant flowers. Photo: PlantMaster You can bring the natural beauty and ecology -- of your surroundings into your garden by growing some of the plants that were here before settlers arrived.

Pittosporum tobira, mock orange. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Shrubs are extremely versatile and hard-working, often forming the framework of a landscape. Some are low-growing and others are as tall and large as trees. They make excellent privacy hedges, foundations, and evergreen backdrops.

Events Calendar Succulents thrive both in containers and in the ground. For information on caring for succulents, see our succulents help page.This is a list of  succulents we are currently offering or have offered in the past. Please understand that our inventory varies. This list shows succulents we…

It's easy to invite bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other welcomed winged visitors into the garden. Just provide the food, water, and shelter they need to feel at home. This is called habitat gardening, and it's a satisfying way to choose plants.