Deep Roots – under different names and owners – has been at the corner of Sepulveda and 2nd Street in Manhattan Beach for nearly a half century. Current owner Jon Bell started working there as a 13-year-old Mira Costa student in 1997. The business had deteriorated by the time Bell and his family bought it in 2010. Bell renamed it Deep Roots and quickly went to work earning that name – restoring the nursery to its beloved status within the local gardening community and sinking even deeper roots. Deep Roots offers an entire green universe packed within a sprawling acre. Fruit trees, flowers, heirloom vegetables, herbs, shovels, natural fertilizers, succulents, cacti and California native drought-resistant plants are just a few of the gardener’s delights on offer. A sign on the wall behind the registers reads “Knowledge is always free” and this is the key to Deep Roots’ success: its sincerely helpful staff.
“That is the thing, we like to not just sell them an individual plant, but we like to get to know our customers and their gardens,” Bell said. “If they’ve got a project that they are working on we can help them through the whole process – what plants, soil, and if they have any issues with pests or disease, we’ve got organic solutions for all that. We actually have a full landscape department. We do design and installation and we guarantee everything we do. We try to cover all the bases. We don’t want you to have to shop around all that much.”
Deep Roots: 201-207 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Manhattan Beach. 310-376-0567.
Runner Up: Armstrong Garden Center, 25225 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance. 310-326-1892.
