Visiting Cistus Nursery over the summer, I was struck how walking its paths was so reminiscent of visiting Western Hills, a Northern California garden and nursery founded by Lester Hawkins and Marshall Olbrich in 1959, and which I visited regularly in the ’80s and ’90s. After the inevitable ownership changes began in the 2000s, Western Hills fortunately weathered the evolution from a beloved private garden and nursery to now a non-profit educational institution of inestimable horticultural value.
And that strong connection I feel between Cistus and Western Hills is not all in my nostalgic imagination. Sean Hogan knew the original Western Hills through his work in Bay Area botanical gardens in the ’80s and ’90s and is currently on Western Hills’ Horticultural Advisory Committee. If you can go, I wouldn’t miss the chance to hear him speak at this garden he knows so well.
There are still some great gardens with nursery operations, and the PNW has a fair share of them, including Cistus. If you have such a destination available to visit, you know what a treasure these places are. Walking the garden, dashing to the plant tables to check availability, chatting with staff about horticultural minutiae and new plant acquisitions. There is no other garden retail experience that can match it.
Perhaps more important than the benefits to personal gardens, these horticultural hubs educate and inspire future gardeners and nursery people. Visiting Western Hills last July it was clear the current owners and board members are making the most of the legacy opportunities the garden offers for building a thriving horticultural community. You can sign up for their monthly newsletter here and apply to their horticulture intern position here.
Western Hills currently offers a few plants for sale, but nothing like the offerings in the heyday of Hawkins and Olbrich. And I’m not clear if that will eventually be part of the vision of the nonprofit foundation. If you go to the talk, ask Sean!
So much more fun when a nursery actually has a garden and you can see the plants in situ. A rare place these days as independents get gobbled up. Would love to some day visit Cistus and so glad Western HIlls is alive and well.
@Elaine, so maybe you do have access to a garden/nursery. Western Hills was the first I’d ever visited — nothing like it Los Angeles at the time. Land use issues, costs, zoning, etc.
I’ve never had the opportunity to visit (yet) so thanks for sharing yours.
I’ve always meant to visit Western Hills and haven’t made the journey, it’s only 2 hours from here. I zoomed in on the receipt & letter. Beth Chatto is NOT Marshall’s favorite person, hahaha! Scandalous.
@Kris, Occidental is maybe a scenic hour and half drive north of SF depending on traffic out of the city. Because of the mature canopy it’s mostly a woodland garden now.
@Tracy, I didn’t want to highlight the Chatto comment but glad you noticed it. Intriguing!
I would love to visit Western Hills, but it’s one of those places just out of the way enough that I doubt it will happen. So many wonderful places to visit!