1. Roger's Gardens
City: Corona Del Mar, CA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (949) 640-5800
Address: 2301 San Joaquin Hills Rd.
Description: Calling Roger’s Gardens a garden shop is like calling the food halls at Harrod’s in London a grocery store. It’s so much more that the title doesn’t do it justice. Situated on nearly eight acres filled with flowers, shrubs, and plants plus rooms of art, antiques, gourmet food, and linens, a trip to Roger’s Gardens will ignite your creative and horticultural side. It’s especially enjoyable at Christmas when the staff really deck the halls and then some. Throughout the year the shop hosts seminars and workshops, too.
2. Sherman Library And Gardens
City: Corona Del Mar, CA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (949) 673-2261
Address: 2647 East Pacific Coast Hwy.
Description: When it comes to settings, Sherman Library and Gardens wins hands down. Located in the enchanting village of Corona del Mar, part of Newport Beach proper, the museum is a hybrid of botanical beauty and historical preservation. The gardens feature plants and fauna that span the globe and are punctuated with fountains and sculptures and an exchange of seasonal flowers. There are cactus, a tropical conservatory blooming with orchids, a koi pond filled with carp, a rose garden, a fern grotto, a Japanese Garden, and an herb garden. The library is housed in a charming adobe home and contains various facets of Pacific Southwest heritage. There are some 25,000 books, pamphlets, and other printed items, including maps and photographs. The venue is a research library used by a cross-section of researchers, from young students to historians. And, because it is a research library and not a circulating library, all materials remain on-site. Sherman Library and Gardens also hosts a number of hands-on classes, such as wreath making and tropical floral design. There is also a charming cafe on the premises, Café Jardin, which is located near the central flower garden.