Roger's Gardens with my Son

A couple of weeks ago my son called and asked me if I wanted to hang out and spend the day with him.

You betcha!

So Zach, being the Plant Scientist in the family, suggested we go to Roger's Gardens, one of my all time favorite places.

Our first stop were the Orchids.  

Roger's has an extensive collection that always seem to be in bloom, no matter when we visit. 

Here are a couple of shots of the ones that really caught my attention.

Next stop, the Bromeliad family.

I love their display ideas using old worn shutters.

And alongside were the anthuriums from Hawaii.

A soft & lovely pink variety.

The blooms were spectacular!

I adore this waterfall feature that I saw at Roger's last year.  

The birds were using it for a birdbath.

See the little bird at the end of the fall?

There was also a lot of people watching going on.

I found it fascinating to watch the wealthy trophy wive's shopping for the perfect plants for their yards with their personal gardeners.

Wow, to have that kind of money, and to be able to afford anything in the place!

The raised bed lettuce garden was ginormous, the selection of vegetables impressive (I bought for the first time asparagus plants) and the rose selection went on forever.

Several of the succulents were in bloom, and we saw many plants whose flowers were very exotic looking like the bush below.

Fuchsias hold a special place in my heart.  

My mother had a knack for growing them in our warm So. Cal. inland climate.  

They prefer the moisture from the ocean and thrive at Roger's which is located in Newport Beach, about a 1/2 mile from the Pacific.

The Japanese Maples were so delicate as their leaves were unfolding from their buds.

And the pink blossoms on this weeping willow were magnificent.

The cannas were in their full Easter glory...

and here is Zach checking out the flowers on this willow. 

We were especially impressed with how they were training this plant to wind up the pole.

And of course I couldn't leave the place without a picture of this beautiful arrangement of tulips.

I hope you enjoyed a peek at this magical place.