Hubby and I have been lucky enough to visit several gardens this spring and summer. Visiting a public garden is a great way to get gardening ideas and inspiration for you to add to your garden. Here is a recap of our recent visit to the beautiful Sherman Library and Gardens.
The Sherman Library and Gardens sits on a 2.2 acre lot in Corona del Mar, in Newport Beach. The famous Pacific Coast Highway cuts inland here, and the library and gardens is right off of PCH. This garden is smaller than others we have been to, but there is an impressive display of many different types of plants here.
This gorgeous public garden costs only 5 bucks to enter. If you can make it the first Monday of the month, admission is free!
A Well Thought Out Garden
The owners decorated every spot in this place well with many plants and flowers. There is a koi pond, tropical stream with turtles, and even stairs decorated with succulents!
If you only have a short amount of time or want to spend just part of your day exploring an outdoor garden, this is the place for you. Vince and I were able to walk around the gardens, library, and shop in a little over an hour.
There is even a restaurant on the grounds where you can enjoy brunch or lunch while admiring all the flora around you.
Haskell and Sherman Gardens
Moses H. Sherman is the man behind the name of the gardens. He moved to Los Angeles in 1890, and helped develop many parts of Hollywood and the southern part of the San Fernando Valley.
Arnold D. Haskell is the founder of Sherman Library and Gardens. He named this little garden paradise after M. H. Sherman, his mentor. Haskell moved to Corona del Mar from Los Angeles in the 1950s.
The adobe house that is attached to the library was Haskell’s office. In 1956, he began landscaping the land around him. By 1967, he owned the whole block where the public can now enjoy the gardens and library. One part of the gardens was opened to the public in 1966.
This businessman wanted to share his love of plants and gardens with the public, which is why he donated his land to The Sherman Foundation. From 1966 to 1974, Haskell supervised the construction of the central garden, library, gift shop, conservatory, and cafe.
Corona del Mar Gardens
The Sherman Library and Gardens has about 13 separate sections of gardens on the land. There is the Sun Garden, Rose Garden, Bromeliade, Garden, Orchid Collection, Tropical Conservatory, Central Garden, Fern Grotto, Perennial Garden, Palm Collection, Succulent Garden, Tea Garden, Specimen Shade Garden, Mediterranean Climate Garden, and more!
As you can see from the pictures my husband and I took, the designers did an impressive job of using all the space to beautifully display the many plants grown here. Every inch of this place was covered in beautiful flowers and plants! Below is more information about some parts of the gardens.
Rose Garden
The rose garden had a beautiful display of different types of roses. A few statues stood around the roses to add to the beauty of the area. Every garden should have a rose garden!
Tropical Conservatory
We didn’t spend too much time in the tropical conservatory, since it was warm in there. Green, leafy, tropical plants grew here. Several turtles basked on rocks in the stream that ran through the conservatory.
Shade Garden
The shade garden was much cooler than the tropical conservatory. It also had an oversized swing attached to the roof which was fun to sit on! There were several oversized pieces of outdoor furniture throughout the gardens. These were great places to take pictures and enjoy the view from.
Central Garden
The central garden was my favorite place in the Sherman Gardens. Beautiful multi-colored dahlias grew in the center along with other flowers and plants. The central fountain was here near the back of the property, as well as the perennial garden.
The bright colors of the flowers here reminded me of summertime. There was also a huge, pink adirondack that you could view this part of the gardens from as well. It was also another great photo opp place too!
Tea Garden
The tea garden had an endless display of beautiful hanging plants and flowers. Fuchsias in just about every color hung from baskets in the shade, as well as other plants and flowers. In the center of the tea garden was a picturesque pool. Tables and chairs surrounded the pool underneath the plants, where you could enjoy some tea and the views around you.
Succulent Garden
An intricately designed succulent garden was right next to the tea garden. Each part of the succulent garden was meticulously designed. Even the stairs grew succulents between each part!
There were a few garden fountains spilling out with all kinds of different colored succulents. Some parts were decorated with giant shells to give you the feeling of an underwater scene. I got some great ideas on how to decorate with succulents from this part of the gardens.
Sherman Library and Gardens
This living plant museum was a great way to spend just an hour or so of the day. I hope you enjoyed my quick tour of the Sherman Library and Gardens. I highly recommend stopping by if you are ever in the Newport Beach area.
So what do you think of this beautiful oasis? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Sarah says
Wow, these gardens are absolutely beautiful. It’s funny, as a kid I hated being dragged out to gardens like this by my mom because I was bored and after seeing a few flowers I was ready to go home. But now, I have such a great appreciation for the effort, planning and overall work involved in creating and maintaining gardens like this. I hope I can visit this place, and other gardens, one day.
Ann says
I know what you mean! I’ve always enjoyed flowers but never appreciated the art and enjoyment of growing them until a few years ago. Its a shame that I didn’t take full advantage of the huge property me and two other friends lived on several years ago. I would have started gardening then if I knew what I was missing! I’m on the lookout for the next garden to visit….