The gardens are open during the week at no charge. I will be redoing my back yard and this was a great place to see plants and select the ones to include in my design. And love the serenity of the environment.
You know the magazine so go see what they write about in person. The displays are not only beautiful but a learning experience also. Ask the staff the questions you have been saving up about gardening.
Lots of vendors showing garden and home and travel ideas and destinations. Beautiful gardens. Park far away and walk!
My husband, 5 kids and I were lucky enough to be able to visit the Sunset Magazine display gardens and it was simply amazing. Huge diversity of plants and the garden design is inspiring!!! Definitely worth a visit. Check the website to make sure it is open for visits.
Fun to visit and see all the plants. Very peaceful and quiet. There really isn't much more to see here other than the plants and be able to be in peace.
Having been long time subscribers to Sunset Magazine, we've always talked about going to the gardens and finally made it down there. We had almost the exact experience as the folks from Australia. The parking lot was empty, we walked through the great wooden doors and were greeted by....wait, no, we weren't greeted at all. The receptionist just sat there and looked at us like we had ten heads when we asked if this was the right place to see the gardens. No "Hello, welcome to Sunset," or "May I help you?" or anything. She pointed to the brochures, told us to go through the glass doors and close them behind us. Upon stepping through the doors the very strong stink of manure fertilizer hit us (no wonder she wanted to make sure we closed the doors behind us) We did enjoy our brief stroll through the gardens (once we got used to the manure smell) but were very underwhelmed with the entire experience. The place was a ghost town. And to read a nearly identical experience from almost two years ago, it's very sad that Sunset lacks any semblance of graciousness and hospitality to guests that came to see their gardens. We felt as if we were intruding. No worries, we will certainly not intrude again, nor will we recommend that our friends intrude as well.
I was hired right out of college and ended up being LW Lane Jr, corporate travel agent and was invited over to their head quarters for lunch the time to taste all the new recipes for their new cook books!
This is the Sunset Magazine ourdoor farr that is held once a year. It is worth going to because it features all the best restaurant around the areas as well as places to go in California. You not only get good food, but you see how the magazine really works. It's a fun day for the whole family.
My cousin took me on an unguided & unreserved tour of the gardens surrounding this beautiful facility, the model for western suburban living and gardening. The walk is divided by regions and plants are mostly well-marked. The kitchens were not available for tour that day; I believe this part must be arranged in advance. Worth a look.
If you've ever picked up Sunset Magazine, you will enjoy visiting their garden. It is a small loop, easy walk to see the various trees and shrubs of different zones in California. The trees are gorgeous! You can also visit the test gardens they photograph for the magazine. Staff was minimal when I was there. I would have done some shopping had they had a gift shop or book shop. No merchandise for sale there however.