San Gabriel Nursery & Florist

Great old school nursery, it's good to keep the little places going

After visiting Present Perfect in Pasadena, I drove from north to south through the middle of the San Gabriel Valley. There are several major north-south roads in this area, and Rosemead Boulevard is one of them. San Gabriel Boulevard is another. The road is wide and easy to drive. The nursery is right across the street from Com Tam Kieu Restaurant, one of the better Vietnamese broken rice restaurants in Southern California. On the way there, I passed a construction site, probably a new apartment building. It strongly gave me the impression of an EB-5 green card project, the kind of real estate development marketed less as a normal apartment building and more as an immigration investment package for Chinese buyers. In the middle of the SGV, that feeling was hard to miss. After that came the nursery. I drove from north to south, made a left turn onto a smaller street, and parked outside. The entrance is tiny. You walk through it and immediately reach the counter, where there was even a line. After that, you pass into an indoor room stocked with fertilizers, plant stakes, soil, mulch, and other gardening supplies. Beyond that is the back garden, which is much larger than expected and quite elegant. The plants are clearly well cared for, and the stone sculptures give the place a strong hint of Chinese culture. Along the edge of the main building, there are stacks of Buddha heads, seated Buddhas, and other stone figures, mostly in Chinese Buddhist or imagined Buddhist styles, though not necessarily following any strict traditional standard. There are Chinese signs everywhere, which makes sense for a nursery in the middle of the SGV. Many of the plants have bilingual names. The prices are not cheap, but they are fair. The orchids are much more expensive than what you would find at Trader Joe's or Costco, but they are also more beautiful and much stronger, so I would not call them overpriced. The plants use different colored tags, similar to what you see in many American discount stores. Some are very cost-effective. It is definitely worth stopping by, and even more worth it if you happen to find some good discounted plants. The cashier was a little rude, but as a Chinese person, I found it completely acceptable. I have seen much worse. Even though she was in a rush, the service was not bad. She even gave me an extra bag so the soil would not spill in my car. Overall, this is a good nursery and I would recommend it. It is even better if you understand Chinese culture, because many of the details will make more sense.

Already reviewed this place. Lots of choices.

A lot of bonsai, very interesting place

By far the best nursery in the area with special and unique plants plus everything you could desire for your garden. The entrance with the water fall and pond is the landscape of my dreams.