Estrada’s Palms & Cycads

Absolutely stunning specimen plants and incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about one of the most amazing collections I’ve ever seen.

An incredible hidden gem for anybody serious about plants — succulents, rare African trees, cacti, ocotillo, and a ton of palms and cycads. (This is the first time I’ve ever added anything to Google Maps… I almost didn’t go because I couldn’t find it on here, but it’s amazing and Rudy, the owner, is wonderful, so hopefully this helps them.) Long story short: * This place has a massive selection of plants, including HUGE ones (like 20 foot tall) and super rare ones (like, one of a few in the world with a rare mutation, worth $30K), but also including a lot of more reasonable but still awesome things you might keep in a pot or plant in your garden. * It’s run by the world's kindest and most helpful father-son team, Rudy Sr. and Rudy Jr. Rudy spent an hour showing me around and was incredibly helpful. * Prices are surprisingly reasonable. I think mostly you’d come here for big special stuff, and it was hundreds or thousands of dollars less than I’ve seen elsewhere. * It’s not the most professional business in the world, and there’s no sign. The address here is a house, which has a half-acre of plants and greenhouses behind it. They also have an acre of bigger stuff maybe six blocks away (Rudy Sr. drove me there). I was hesitant to walk in initially but I'm so, so glad I did.