Like so many other areas of commerce, the nursery business has seen a tremendous amount of consolidation and attrition. The big players have become bigger, and many smaller nurseries have fallen by the wayside. That’s why it’s so important to celebrate the independent nurseries that are still making a go of it.
One such nursery is Peacock Horticultural Nursery on Gravenstein Highway (Highway 116) in Sebastopol — no, that’s not in Russia, it’s between Petaluma and Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. It’s been my favorite nursery since the first time I visited about 15 years ago. In fact, the very plant I bought from them, an Agave ‘Baccarat’, is still very much alive in the backyard.
Sebastopol isn’t around the corner from where I live so unfortunately I don’t get to visit Peacock very often. In fact, I was a bit shocked when I realized that my last visit had been in September 2021, so four years ago. (You can read about my other visits here: October 2013, June 2014, March 2018.) When I received an email from Peacock announcing their 20th anniversary sale, it was exactly the nudge I needed. My frequent partner-in-crime Kyle didn’t need much convincing to come along; he’d heard a lot about Peacock over the years but had never been there himself.
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| Kyle in front the Peacock Horticultural Nursery sign |
Peacock Horticultural Nursery opened its doors on September 15, 2005 on a 2-acre property adjacent to the Laguna de Santa Rosa wetland complex east of Sebastopol. It’s owned and operated by Robert Peacock (hence the name) and his husband Marty Waldron. The nursery is next to the 19th century farmhouse where Robert and Marty live and encompasses about half of the property. Sun-loving plants are in the exposed area at the front of the nursery, shade-loving plants are tucked away under the canopy of mature trees. In fact, it doesn’t feel like a commercial establishment at all — more like a private garden with meandering paths where the plants you come across just happen to be for sale.
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| Sun-loving plants in front of the office shed |
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Robert and Marty are the nicest people, and visiting with them is a treat in itself — Robert’s plant knowledge is encyclopedic! But what makes it even better is the selection of plants. If you’ve followed Succulents and More for any length of time, you have a pretty good idea of what kinds of plants I like. Peacock Horticultural Nursery has all of those, plus a huge variety of other cool plants I’d grow in a heartbeat if I lived in the right climate. According to the online availability list, they carry everything from Acacia aphylla to Zingiber mioga, with lots of agaves, aloes, cacti, echeverias, and yuccas in between. Beyond succulents, there are conifers (a particular focus), ferns, palms, perennials, shrubs, trees, vines, and even houseplants. Their selection of Australian and South African shrubs is probably the largest in Northern California. Robert is a consummate plantsman and a collector, and he knows what other collectors, plant geeks, and gardeners want.
Walking around a nursery this size shouldn’t take all that long, but this is no ordinary nursery. Exploring Peacock Horticultural Nursery is like a treasure hunt. You don’t know what you’re going to find on the next bench, so you need to pay attention and check out everything. Before we knew it, three hours had gone by!
On that note, let’s go for a little wander:
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| In front of Robert’s and Marty’s house. The driveway is hidden on the right. |
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| Cordyline ‘Electric Flash’ next to the house |
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Lots of succulents to explore...
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| ...amidst the trees |
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| Great selection of gymnocalyciums, one of Kyle’s favorite cactus genera |
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| If this looks like a relaxed and peaceful way to shop, it’s because it is |
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| Cannomois grandis, arguably the most beautiful restio |
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| Look at how beautiful the culms are! |
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| This table is a microcosm of what you can expect to find at Peacock: Delosperma, Echeveria colorata ‘Mexican Giant’, Aloe capitata var. quartziticola, Mangave ‘Spotty Dotty’, variegated Aechmea caudata, and a selection of Leucadendron, with agaves and conifers on the table behind |
See the gate at the end of the path in photo above? That’s one of the entrances to Robert and Marty’s personal garden. This post is long enough as it is, so I’ll save my photos of their private sanctuary for my next post. Check back in a few days.
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| Marty (left) and Robert (right) |
So what did I buy? My haul is actually quite conservative:
- Agave mitis var. albidior ‘UCB’ (the famous clone from the UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley)
- Agave palmeri ‘Kutsugen No Mai Ogi’ (a cool Japanese clone with large red craggy teeth)
- Agave potatorum ‘Desert Diamond’
- Agave victoriae-reginae (because you can never have enough)
- Farfugium japonicum ‘Argenteum’
- Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’
Kyle didn’t hold back:
- Agave ‘Cream Spike’
- Aloe broomi var. tarkaensis
- Aloe capitata var. quartziticola
- Alstroemeria ‘Summer Heat’
- Athyrium niponicum var. pictum
- Cussonia paniculata
- Dasylirion longissimum
- Drimia maritima
- Dyckia platyphylla
- Eryngium maritimum
- Euphorbia groenewaldii
- Fatsia japonica ‘Spider’s Web’
- Gymnocalycium anisitsii var. tucavocense
- Gymnocalycium bruchii
- Gymnocalycium horstii
- Gymnocalycium pflanzii
- Gymnocalycium reductum
- Lobelia tupa
- Parodia mammulosa
- Piptanthocereus aethiops
- Sophora prostrata ‘Little Baby’
- Agave ‘Blue Wave’
- Brahea decumbens (it’s grown a few inches, maybe)
- Cheilanthes lanosa
- Echeveria minima
- Lepidozamia peroffskyana (that one has really grown)
- Ruschia lineolata (I’ve shared many cuttings)
Peacock’s 20th anniversary sale continues until September 28. Everything in the nursery is 25% off, with an additional 10% off succulents and cacti. That’s a massive savings. With plant prices expected to increase in the coming year, now’s the perfect time to shop!
Peacock Horticultural Nursery is open by appointment only. Making an appointment is super easy — simply
go to this page. Each appointment is for a 30-minute time slot, but you can stay as long as you want.
Their website has all the information you need, including their
current availability list.
© Gerhard Bock, 2025. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.
A absolutely lovely space. Looking forward to the next installment!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous nursery! It does look a lot like a serious plant addict's personal garden and I can understand how you ended up spending 3 hours exploring. How you managed to get your purchases and Kyle's in one vehicle is the mystery! That red-splotched Mangave is a stunner.
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