Not Your Ordinary Garden Nursery

This is the last post in my “things to do” in Newport Beach while I am currently researching and traveling abroad. Roger’s Gardens would appear to be a very large home and garden store from the outside, but that would be an understatement. This up-scale garden has been a fixture in Newport Beach for more than 30 years and offers the most comprehensive plant selection in Southern California.

Of course, you can visit anytime of the year, but they really go all-out during Halloween and Christmas. Right now, you can visit the Hocus Pocus Halloween Boutique – five areas filled with fun and spooky items to put your home into the holiday spirit! It’s really fun browsing through here as the sections are designed around a cute Harry Potter-like theme.

Now back to the “garden” -- Rogers Garden is heaven if you love to garden and even if you don’t like to garden yourself but appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and up-scale gardens, this is the place for you. The grounds beautifully showcase every outdoor plant imaginable from succulents to tropical plants. True, it is a home and garden store offering the usual but also the very unique.

My favorite thing to do is stroll through the many aisles that sometime seem like trails which offer you not only ideas for your home and garden but also things you can take with you to make your ideas come alive!

Fountains and statues are scattered throughout the garden that are nice to look at but of course are there for purchase if you want to kick up your own garden a notch.

And of course, there are benches located all over in case you need to sit a spell and relax and just soak in all of the beauty.

Did I mention that one of Newport’s most popular restaurants is also located on the grounds? Of course, you will need to dine al fresco for lunch or dinner in a garden setting like this and the Farmhouse Restaurant fits the bill! The Farmhouse Restaurant prides itself on farm-to-fork dining – tables book fast so get your reservation in early or expect a wait if you just show up looking for food.

After you are finished browsing and getting inspiration, you may consider attending one of the many workshops they offer on home and gardening. For instance, Succulent Pumpkin Workshops are being offered during the months of September and October. And, remember to come back during the holidays for the annual Christmas Boutique where beautifully decorated trees and ornaments are strung throughout the gardens.