Best nursery/garden center: Deep Roots
If you’re looking for inspiration of the botanical kind, you’ll find lots of ideas here: from ground covers to fruit trees, beautiful pots, lush house plants, water features, garden decorations and more. Deep Roots can also design and install your landscaping. Owner Jon Bell strives to offer more than your run of the mill gardening store, and makes a point of carrying California natives, drought tolerant and Mediterranean climate plants that will grow in the area. He is especially proud of his staff. They have many years’ experience growing plants in our climate and soil types and won’t steer you wrong. “We really try and have a personality. We have the best, most helpful staff and we’re priced competitively,” he says.
You can order weekly CSA-certified organic produce boxes ready for pick up every Wednesday afternoon. And Deep Roots’ floral design studio is ready to help create a beautiful wedding or other special occasion. -BB
207 N Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (310) 376-0567. Deep-roots.net
Runner-up: Armstrong Garden Center, 25225 Crenshaw Blvd, Torrance. (310) 326-1892.