Seaside Gardens

When Schoolteacher said ‘Hey, let’s go camping in Carpinteria’ I looked up stuff to do in Carpinteria. This place seemed interesting, and worth a visit. Plus I’m trying to find a plant. I’ve run into it on my travels all over the state, but can’t seem to find anywhere to actually buy it. I’ve even attempted to uh… borrow clippings from places, but never apparently got the right bit of the plant to get it to grow. So, after seeing a bit about ‘huge succulent selection’, Seaside Gardens was placed on the list of places to go.
Just off Santa Claus lane, you will drive right by this place if your not looking out. I had to turn around at another place down the street a bit because I wasn’t looking out and drove right past the place. So keep an eye or two out. Even though there’s not much here, it sure does go by quick. We turned into their driveway, and parked in the fairly empty lot. There was only one or two additional cars in addition to mine. Seems not many people go here. Odd, it looks kinda neat in the pictures on their website.
We climbed out of the car, and headed towards the store area. Before we left the parking lot, we were instantly greeted by an eager employee, who rushed to get us a map of the place. The map was well done, and depicted the various sections of gardens they had in the place. There was a ‘cottage’ section, as well as a section devoted to grasslands, succulents, California natives, and still more sections stocked with plants from other locations all over the globe. Now equipped with a paper representation of the whole place, we entered the gardens, comforted that we wouldn’t get lost.
The gardens are free to visit, and are actually quite magnificent, with local birds and bugs and lizards all flitting about. I particularly enjoyed the succulent section, as I was fairly sure I’d quickly murder any other of the plants if I attempted to bring them home. But here in the gardens they are alive and well, cared for by people who remember to water their plants more than… uh…never. The gardens are actually quite large, and I even lost schoolteacher once or twice whilst taking a copious amount of photos. Employees were super helpful in pointing out where they thought she went. So, remember your phones in here.
After visiting the gardens, I visited the garden store, where they had tables and tables of potted succulents. They ranged from downright cheap, up to somewhat expensive. I picked up a few and put them in a basket. I then asked somebody about the plant I was looking for. I remembered the common name, and she asked me for the science-​name. Which I couldn’t think of. She hadn’t heard of it with the common name, but went inside to use a computer to look it up. She came back out and informed me where I could get the plant I was looking for. Apparently it’s a common ground cover plant. She then led me over clear over to the other side of the place, to the section of the outside shop where they kept those. The grounds (in addition to the gardens) are quite large, with a vast spectrum of plant types all over the place. I spent about forty dollars, and got a flat of ground cover plants, and three small starter plants. The little old lady behind the register helped me immensely, giving me advice on planting, and watering, and care for the plants I was purchasing. She also told me how some full on horticulturists have been known to be plant killers. That made me feel way better about my murderous history of flora. She also pulled the plant-​wagon over to my car, laid down a sheet of plastic and finally put my plants in my car.
This place is a hidden gem. If you need or want plants, go here. If you want to wander through a garden, also go here.

Well, lookie here… another ice cream cone in my hand. Damn, you Rori’s. I was in Santa Barbara, and how often do I REALLY get to go to Rori’s since I live in LA? So, in effort of burning a few calories, I turned to my Unilocal app to help me find a place to walk… preferably with scenery.
Seaside Gardens? Let’s roll.
Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! What a great idea combining a botanical garden with a nursery/​store! Though the botanical garden was actually smaller in size, it felt HUGE! Several landscapers maximized the space and created different themed gardens resembling the various climates and regions around the world: wetlands, grasslands, the Mediterranean, rainforests, etc. As you walk throughout the gardens (with provided map in hand), you can pick out a theme that catches your eye and then go to the nursery to buy the necessary items to recreate it! Turns out that your wonderful garden experience just so happens to be one big advertisement for the nursery as well! Hey… I was cool with it. I love Win/​Win situations.
The grounds are very well kept. So impressive how each created «region» was spot on. And how awesome is it that the nursery had wonderful and whimsical stuff to make anyone’s gardening dream come true?
Lovely. Plus I walked off all that ice cream. 5 stars.

Janet and Sam at Seaside Gardens are awesome!!! It isn’t often that I need live plants, though my sister and brother-​in-​law love this place and have plants for their yard here.
When I called needing a several plants delivered as a gift, Janet asked good questions about the climate where they live in Santa Barbara and the color scheme of their house and yard.
After a few phone calls (very good communication here, which is great because I live far away in SF), I am SO impressed with this place and their staff.
Live plants can make such a better gift for plant-​lovers with a yard than a bouquet of cut flowers than will wilt. I know the plants will lend beauty and good cheer to the yard and continue to be well cared for.
FYI, they deliver! Normally on Tuesdays. Makes for a great gift for the plant-​lover.
Thanks, guys!

Very friendly staff. Beautiful gardens you can walk around for free. koi pond with lotus and water Lillie’s. Everything beautifully landscaped. They have a huge variety of plants of all sizes and prices. Prices are vey reasonably.

This is a botanical garden and nursery all in one. You can stroll through their extensive water and water wise gardens set up in different groupings (Australian, African, Mediterranean, etc) and see what the plants will look like when fully grown. Then head over to the nurseryarea to buy the plants. I was amazed by how extensive their offerings were and even found a tansy plant that I hadn’t been able to find anywhere.
Many time when I talk to folks about water wise gardens they are skeptical about how it will look. So instead of trying to have them imagine what the little plant in the pot might look like I just send them all out to this nursery to see their options and buy what they need. They have a nice little gift store as well.

Definitely check out the demonstration gardens. Great plants and interesting garden items. Highly recommend! Also, terrific for group tours.

Had to stop here on my way to Santa Barbara for Los Angeles. I am glad I did. I came in search of succulents and cacti and at first had a hard time spotting them but an employee was nice enough to help and walk me to their section. Prices were very reasonable, at $ 2.50 for small succulents and $ 4.99 for medium sized ones. They also had a nice selection of small cacti from $ 5-​$ 10. I had to purchase a few because I have not seen them at the nurseries back home. I love this place and would definitely stop by again if I’m ever in the area.

Love this place!!! It’s a hidden little find in a fairly otherwise empty part of carpinteria. Beautiful flowers of all varieties, plants and grasses, and succulents galore. I was impressed by the beautiful area you first walk in to, but was then handed a map! This place is huge! But so worth the time to explore. The staff was extremely kind and helpful, I want to go back to help keep this wonderful garden up and running!

Seaside Gardens is a true gem. I intend to come here on every journey I take up PCH. The nursery is well stocked and the prices are reasonable. The gardens are beautiful and the people are nice. Bonus: I found my new favorite lotion and chocolate in the gift shop (:

Wow, what a find. Visiting Seaside Gardens is like going to a small but impeccably-​maintained botanical garden focused on plants appropriate for Southern California — with the added bonus that you can then buy the plants you liked. It’s great to see what things look like all grown up (I can never afford the large plants.) If you’re into California natives, succulents, mediterranean plants, this is the place to come for inspiration and high quality goods. Definitely worth a stop if you’re going up or down the coast. Plant prices were very reasonable.

This place is a little piece of heaven in Carpinteria! Along with Island View, this is a must visit for any succulent and/​or drought tolerant plan lover!
Staff: Awesome! Selection: Magnificent!

Best nursery I have ever been in. This place captivates you, so plan on giving yourself an hour or two to wander aimlessly through the endless gardens from all over the globe. They organize their gardens by places in the world, largely to help you decide what type of theme you want to go with. They have flowers, plants, trees and gardening accessories for every climate and ever size space. Their succulents are the healthiest and the best selection I have seen locally within Santa Barbara County. The flowers are fresh and you truly are surrounded by employees who are passionate about their products. They also have a lovely selection of pots and garden décor, fountains and statues. This place is a must see especially if you are cleaning up your garden or re-​landscaping. The beauty that lies here is a hidden secret of Carpinteria. I love the Seaside Gardens!

a truly one-​of-​a-​kind nursery and botanical garden that is a must-​see for plant nerds like myself. the garden itself is massive and varied, and always seems to change every time i visit. they have a very large selection of common and uncommon plants. they can be a bit pricey, but i think their quality makes up for it. very well-​trained and helpful staff as well. on occasion they serve snacks and coffee which is really cool. bring your camera!

i walked in here, thinking it was small. the place blew my mind. If you are at all interested in plants, or are a hard core horticulturalist this is the place to be. Even if your just passing through its worth the stop. The botanical garden is so well put together everything now is in bloom. Amazing Australia section. if this was lifted up and put in the bay area, they would be making Loads of money! its a perfect place. the botanical garden adds that dimension that you don’t normally find at a retail nursery. Its simply awesome!

This place is a must when I’m travelling up the coast. I either stop in on my way to Santa Barbara or when I’m coming back from all parts north. I love the botanical garden area, it’s very inspiring and perhaps that inspiration makes my wallet a little lighter.
The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. The plant selection is great. I’m not that into succulents but they have some really eye catching ones, so the last time I was there I picked up a few, OK maybe more than just a few!
The prices are a little higher than average, but the plant quality is great.
I look forward to my next trip north so that I can stop in for a visit.

I’ve been here twice already and can’t wait to go back next season. Walking through the nursery you’ll find so many colorful plants and flowers and a lot of variety at very reasonable prices. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable. There’s a path that takes you into the botanical gardens. From the front of the nursery it’s hard to tell how big this place really is. It’s easy to forget where you are and the whole place smells so amazing. Best part is you can enjoy walking around this amazing place for free. My family and I loved every minute of it and everything it has to offer.

A beautiful establishment to shop, or just visit and walk the gardens. Seaside Gardens is well maintained and has a gorgeous thematic botanical garden. Each individual themes’ landscaping is labeled, so you can take notes and purchase most of the plants and flowers on site. Be prepared to spend some serious money, but you do get what you pay for. They usually have 20% off sales one weekend each month. Neat classes offered and a very gracious staff. Love this place!

Wow! What an unbelievable nursery! The plant selection here is to die for! If you want unusual, hard to find plants in your garden instead of the boring, typical Home Depot stuff everyone else has, this the place for you. The staff is unbelievably knowledgeable, especially Jose Manzo, who has a true passion for the plants he sells. I’m addicted!!!