Merrihew's Sunset Gardens

If you’re in west LA, you’ve got to check out Merrihews! This place feels like a cozy little oasis. They’ve got an amazing and well-priced selection of plants, pots, and last but not least — a beautiful gift shop with a little bit of everything, from lovely candles and incense to hand-thrown mugs and dried flowers! They are a staple of the Santa Monica community and were so lucky to have them!

A uniquely situated garden shop in South Santa Monica. It is neither too small nor too big. Which makes for an ideal 15 minute visit. Yes, there is Armstrongs and Rogers Garden with their onsite restaurant. Both have their strengths. Customer service and selection being both. Sometimes you want something on a smaller scale, not another large nursery or massive garden shop. MS Gardens is just that. Getting our hands in the soil, we can all agree is good therapy, so why not visit and support a local business who's entire platform is about being a guide to good spiritual and mental health and growth. Whether you want to put lavender into the earth or increase the air quality in your modest refuge with their carefully selected plants in their well maintained and cared for humid room, this is the place to go. It is so well thought out, how the have maximized their small space to your benefit. They convert their outdoor stage for concerts and have a long outdoor table for art classes and all else in the presences of plants. Their retail shop inside has the tools to help you garden as well as the scents, smells and artistic creations to expand your spiritual kaleidoscope. When you do visit, park directly outside or on Ocean parallel with the astro turf soccer fields. No meters, no permits in those two parking options. The employee to best guide you would be Angel. No pun intended. He has exceptional listening skills, has that innate ability to make you feel at ease and is knowledgeable and pragmatic in making suggestions to meet your indoor and outdoor garden objectives. Angel just has a genuine good energy about him and it is positively a big asset for the family run business. He has sound business sense, as in customer service sense. WE have visited this store several times since 2014 and he is by far the best experience we have had in customer service. He has that gift, where you approach and ask a question, or need some guidance and he immediately doesn't make you feel like you are being a bother, which unfortunately is an all too often occurrence in todays brick and mortar experience. Angel could do anything he believes in and he will extremely successful. This is a must to visit as we wrap up Winter 2025 soon and get into a much needed rebirth of sorts after the fires LA has experienced. To plant, to get our hands in the soil, to make our immediate habitat better for those we love and for the birds, bees and animals we care about in our community, Merrihew's is the first pick on the list and should be visited. Right by some great fast casual eateries, wrapped in fresh ocean air and covered in blue sky and beaming sunshine, you'd do yourself and those you love a great spiritual injection of goodness to pay them a visit. Thank you Angel for your spot on customer service skills and for the wonderful family that own and operate this green gem in South Santa Monica.

Amazing place! They had such a beautiful selection. Gift shop was adorable, people working there were very kind and knowledgeable. Great indoor plant selection

My favorite garden store in all of L.A. They have such a wonderful variety of unique plants. I love their little shop as well, I've bought so many wonderful gifts over the years here. Friendly and knowledgeable shop owners and staff too!

Cute little nursery with beautiful, well-kept plants. The employees were very friendly as well.

I love this place. I have bought multiple fuschia plants from here and my neighbors all ask where I bought them because they haven't had the same luck. Great people, thankful they have been able to stay open during the pandemic.

The BEST place for anything related to plants, flowers, or cacti! The owners are unbelievably knowledgeable and kind. Would recommend anyone go here- You will be leaving happy. Thank you again Ati!!

My favorite place!! All plant you buy grow very fast, quality good

Who knew a brown thumb like mine could finally grow something on purpose?! Merrihew's is basically plant magic central. I came in looking for starter plants for my veggie garden and somehow walked out feeling like an actual gardener (or at least like I might keep something alive this time). The staff are like plant whisperers. They loaded me up with healthy, thriving plants that almost make my garden look like it belongs on HGTV. They even gave me watering advice, aka how not to drown things, which my plants are probably thrilled about. Bonus: it's pumpkin season! Their heirloom pumpkins are so good that I can decorate my porch and then bake them into pies after Halloween. Two-for-one! If I can make something grow, anyone can. Highly recommend for plant-challenged people everywhere!

Stumbled upon this nursery and was very impressed. They had a great selection of native plants, pollinators, vegetables, and both indoor and outdoor plants and flowers of all sizes, colors and shapes! Staff was very knowledgeable and the prices are very reasonable.

This is my go-to neighborhood plant nursery. The people here are knowledgeable and helpful and I especially appreciate the after purchase care since I'm a gardening newbie.

Came here for a concert, which I loved. They have events every now and then. Had a great time. This is really a garden/nursery. I do NOT have a green thumb, so I will def keep checking their event schedule/Eventbrite. They had drinks and candies at the concert. It was also around Halloween time too.

Dude, I'm bummed to be writing this because this spot was my jam! I'd go for everything plant related, and the girls working there are the sweetest humans. But I noticed one of the plants I bought was sick, so I brought it in less than 48 hours later to exchange. Didn't even want a refund, just to swap for a healthy plant, had the receipt and everything. The guy there was dismissive and rude to me... over a $6 plant. It's no sweat off my back, it wasn't hundreds of dollars... so whatever, I'm not going to fight over it. But this place use to feel like a happy little neighborhood gem, and now i'm leaving feeling... degraded? ... over $6. Like I want to support small, local businesses, but not when they don't support their customers back, ya know? It's gotta be a mutual thing. So I guess this review is just to warn people to super thoroughly check your plants before buying, because they aren't going to give any leeway or guarantee... which would really suck if you spent a ton of money there. And stick with the girls... they are helpful, chill, and respectful.

Please secure the back beam in the aviary where the finches live inside Merrihew's. The finches have a hard time resting on the unsecured back beam as it rotates while they are standing on it. The finches are the best! There are so many babies! It's too cute!!

What a beautiful nursery. It's a small place with a lot of special plants and trees. My husband bought a small coffee plant , let's see how that grows. I really enjoy plants and have a good selection at home. Both indoors and outdoors. They also have a nice selection of succulents.

Their selection of plants/pots is fine, but they have animals treated very poorly. Chickens in a tiny enclosure that they never get to leave, way too many birds in tiny cage, etc. The employees are very defensive if you ask about it and absolutely unwilling to learn anything or even question the quality of life. They genuinely don't care about the animals at all, but have given themselves a narrative that they're animal lovers. The truth is visible. Can't give my money to that! Especially with so many great plant shops just down the street on Lincoln Boulevard. A new one is opening on Ocean Park and Lincoln shortly!

I love this nursery dearly. I used to live in the area and I love the new management that put such a cute little store in the back. Breaks my heart to down grade my review, as I bought some tomato and pepper starters that all died of septoria leaf spot within a month of purchase. They infected my other tomato plants, purchased in Pasadena where fungus/disease isn't much of a problem. I live on the coast and weather conditions haven't been great for fungal diseases, but I do know people closer to the water who planted their own tomatoes from seed and haven't had this problem. Lesson learned, I will start from seed next year and treat with neem or copper early. Hoping it hasn't infected my yard for the next however many years it takes for a fungus to run its course...

Healthy thriving plants for even the blackest thumbs. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Stunning succulents. Filled with hidden charms. Pull your car over and they load your soil for you. I've been shopping here for three years now and I don't bother to go anywhere else. But I was further heartened when they were quick to help us secure quality cacti for a large party with a deal and help us out of a bind at the last minute for pots. An organizer mistakenly ordered the wrong size pot and we only had an hour before the event to find 24. My fellow organizers ran wild calling this store and that with little help from other local garden stores or chains. So, I called my garden store and not only did they count out and set aside my order, but I was able to use my frequent shoppers punch card to get them for FREE! With Merrihew's Sunset Gardens, it was a snap of the fingers. I love this place and so will you!

I'm here to share more updates on how much I enjoy this nursery. I bought my rubber tree from Merrihews February of 2022. It was a good size and paid about $175. Pricey but I couldn't leave without it. You can see a photo of the plant in the nursery when I took it home today. It is April 29, 2023 and my rubber tree is still THRIVING! It is almost as tall as me (5'6") and so full an beautiful. Love my plants from Merrihew. I can't wait to go back!

Just tried to but dried bouquet of flowers at Merrihew's, which they have a MASSive amount on ceiling. I was told they were not for sale. No sign that addressed that. Their other collection on counters were Sad and undesirable. Pathetic. The ones on ceiling were old with large dust collection, but not for sale. Or at least it appeared not for sale to me. The man behind the counter had not patience with me but his voice and demeanor changed with the white ladies on the other side of counter. I felt humiliated and discriminated. I really do love that nursery but I'm still shaken up. I am sure there is a market for making new dried bouquets but they too cheap and enjoy the dust. Ricardo Ontiveros (nice man)

This place is a plant lovers dream. Great selection with many options. They also have a super cute gift shop with decor and home goods. Prices are a bit on the high side but worth it. Definitely recommend for all of your plant needs and desires!

Wonderful selection and some of the happiest looking plants I've seen compared to other nurseries. Fair prices. They are very helpful and friendly as well.

We found Merrihew's last year while visiting family in L.A. Now it's a regular stop whenever we're in town. We've bought at least a dozen plant gifts for ourselves and others, and almost as many colorful ceramic containers. We also love visiting their resident chickens! A dracaena marginata I bought last December has since pushed out an entirely new cane that is now almost a foot tall. Yes, I get some of the credit for keeping it alive, but the strong, healthy plants Merrihew's sells are obviously an important first step. Did I mention they have chickens? The street parking isn't the best but the spaces outside do turn over quickly. We've never had to wait long. Merrihew's is small but mighty. It's a great option if you don't have the energy or desire to brave a big-box nursery. Plus, chickens!

I recently purchased $350 of plants and pottery from this store and paid to get a few cacti repotted. After following care instructions, within two weeks of getting my plants repotted I noticed one of my cacti was dying. When I went into the nursery to ask if they had any sort of warranty (given I had very deliberately paid the nursery to re-pot my plants to avoid my own error), the owner immediately began to blame me and said I should have noticed within a day, and two weeks was entirely my fault as I should have noticed the death earlier (I trusted they would do a good job and it clearly took the plant some time to die from the shock). This business does not stand behind its service and is extremely hostile to any customer that has an issue. Horrible business that you should not support. The sad thing is I would have gladly been a lifetime customer after my initial experience buying and repotting the plants. Clearly this nursery does not stand behind their work or value their existing customers. I would have gladly even purchased a new cactus if the owner had been friendly or not immediately began to blame me for the cactus dying. The current owners of this nursery purchased the business recently, and I'm sure the founders of the business would be ashamed of the new people running the place.

I bought an orchid from Costco nearby and stopped here for some fertilizer. The orchid selection here is amazing! I kinda wish I went here for my orchid but oh well. The orchids here were $29.99 and giant and so many flowers! Gorgeous. I also spent some time browsing their other plant selection and ended up buying another plant. I have many plants at home (succulents, monstera, etc), so I'm happy to have added more members to my plant family! The plants here all seem very well-cared for and healthy! I had no trouble finding street parking, and I came on a Sunday afternoon.

I visited merrihew's to purchase some house plants for my new apartment and I was so impressed with their inventory and quality. The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly and they even potted my plant for me with beautiful decorative rocks. Ive recommended them to other friends and I know they've had a similar experience.

Came here to pick out some new houseplants, and was very impressed by the selection and prices here. All of the plants looked to be in great shape, were of various sizes and maturities, and potted simply so easy to take home. The employees gave us time and space to browse the plants on our own, and were very helpful with with maintenance advice when asked. Will definitely be coming back here for more plants soon!

Small and cute nursery in the quiet southern part of Santa Monica, where streets are usually not so crowded with tourists. They have some of everything but I wouldn't say they have large collections like Anawalt or Home Depot. Nevertheless enough if you just want to spruce up your garden or rooms. Friendly and fast curbside check out service. Parking may be a problem as the residential streets are all permit only. There are a couple of spaces right in front where you can park and load up.

ive been here maybe 50 times, always loved it, until today where the manager made me cry when i was just looking for my item that was on hold with her disgustingly crass attitude- directed at me for some reason. their new hire helped me and she was great.

What a lovely little corner of the world! This Mom & Pop shop has a great vibe, friendly & attentive/knowledgeable staff, beautiful quality plants, lovely pottery, gifts & greeting cards. Finding a garden related shop like this in L.A. County is rare these days. -Such a welcome contrast to the large chain nurseries which have generic plants & pottery. If you're looking for healthy & beautiful plants & a curated selection of planters + potting supplies a visit to Merrihew's is sure to make your day!

I love visiting Merrihews - the staff are always helpful when I'm looking for something specific or want to discover new plants. I also enjoy seeing the chickens and chameleon when I stop by. I wouldn't go anywhere else for my plant needs

Purchased an expensive supposedly drought tolerant plant that this nursery suggested. I babied and watered the plant and did everything I was told to do care wise for it - and after four months all that happened was I watched it slowly dry and die. Tried to return the plant and all I got was rude, argumentative and heavy handed customer service. Definitely NEVER coming back to this pretentious nursery.

Very helpful staff. Great variety of plants. My first and usually last stop for any project.

I had the best time in this nursery. The ambiance was awesome and I enjoyed looking at all the different plants and pots. They also have some nice chickens :)

I was about to buy an expensive tree from these people, but then I saw that they have caged birds, so not giving them my money. Birds are meant to fly, not be caged.

All plants were well maintained. Friendly staff. Small setting but all plants were healthy. Parking was minimal. I had to circle the block many times and wait for a spot on the street in front of the business. Can't park on the side streets. Would recommend.

Great spot with a nice selection and friendly staff! Everything inside and outside is happy and healthy!

After seeing all of the enthusiastically positive reviews for this plant nursery, I was excited to pick up some new plants for my apartment due to unsympathetic and brusque sales associates. Unfortunately, purchasing the plants was an unpleasant experience, the plants were quite expensive, and, worst of all, I discovered that both plants I bought were infested with mealybugs! I rented a car for a day of errands on a weekday a few months ago, arriving at Merrihew's 15 minutes before closing (hours have been limited due to covid). I knew I just wanted a pothos and some kind of small tree, so I figured that 15 minutes would be plenty of time. When I arrived, the personnel told me that I had 5 minutes to pick out what I wanted. They were closing 10 minutes early, apparently. After about 2 minutes of browsing, another associate came over to tell me I had to check out immediately. I understand that these workers don't want to stay past closing time, but this seemed excessive, and this was the one day that I had access to a car to transport these plants. I bought the pothos and a dracaena and went on my way. The plants looked beautiful; pricey, but worth it, it seemed. Sadly plants were not the only creature I brought home from the plant store. I put the two plants in my living room, which had no other plants. A few weeks later, I started noticing small white dots on my dracaena. I thought they were mold or dust and wiped them off. A few more weeks later, I saw webby material, which I removed. Soon after I realized that the dots were bugs, and the webby material was eggs. By the time I realized I had a mealybug infestation, some of the bugs had grown quite large, creating yellow splotches all over the dracaena leaves (see pictures). I bought an insecticide and sprayed, and I also used Q-tips dipped in isopropyl alcohol to remove the mealybugs. I repeated this once a week for a few weeks, but every time mealybugs had returned. I soon noticed that there were also mealybugs on the pothos, which I treated the same way, but the mealybugs were impossible to get rid of. I was too grossed out to take pictures of the many larger mealybugs before I exterminated them, so the pictures here are only of small ones. But I have killed hundreds of these bugs in the past weeks. I got tired of spending over an hour each week spraying and picking off the mealybugs on these two plants. I finally gave up and threw the two plants away. Since these plants were the only ones in the living room, and none of the other plants in my apartment have mealybugs, I can only assume that the pests came from Merrihew's. As much as I wanted to like this small business, I can't support an establishment that is so brusque with me when I stop by and that sells plants with parasites.

Go to HASHIMOTO GARDEN on Sawtelle.!Because, If you don't plan on spending a lot of money or if you don't like the selection or if you don't want to buy damaged good, the "owner" will literally "flip you off." There we 3 people working there Tuesday and each one was too busy receiving plants to actually sell plants. I kept having to look for someone to help me. After 1 1/2 hours I was so frustrated I left without purchasing anything. The "owner"chased me out to my car, screamed at me and proudly pointed his middle finger in my face. I was, honestly, concerned about my safety. I will go elsewhere and I highly suggest you do the same. The "owner" was so rude and disrespectful I was forced to look elsewhere. I found HASHIMITO GARDEN on Sawtelle. Much better selection! Much healthier selection! Much better customer service! Much better prices!! I asked to be helped and within half an hour I had purchased over 20 large beautiful plants. The gentleman walked with me and explained the difference in the plants (without having to read a stick). I left with a plethora of plants, a smile on my face and extra money in my pocket.

Merrihew's is a beautiful, peaceful oasis in Santa Monica with an incredible selection of special and lovely plants. My favorite plant nursery ever

Spend your money at this quaint, wonderful independently owned and operated corner store in Sunset park, you won't be disappointed. The owner works side by side with employees, and they are all full of knowledge and aim to please. The place is filled with awesomely curated plants, pots, seeds, soils and fertilizers, tools, pedestals and more. Walking around here is like walking through an exotic arboretum. They stock native plants (get lots of those!), indoor plants, landscaping plants, fruit trees, grasses, you name it, including a community garden out front.

Love this neighborhood nursery. Run by the kindest folks with great taste. Great vibes, great rotating stock, and a great location. Helpful and knowledgeable staff can assist with anything you might need- also a great collection of gifts- ceramics, bundles of dried flowers, orchids.

Neighborhood store which has a little of everything including Tillandsia Airplants. Browse and be left alone. Indoor plants in their little greenhouse helps.

It's easy to shop local in Santa Monica with all the neighborhood stores and markets. Merrihew's is one of those places tucked in between the cute Ocean Park row of shops. Here you can find both indoor and outdoor plants, pots, soil, gardening supplies, seeds and lots of knowledgeable staff that is happy to recommend and explain how to plant anything. Their prices are reasonable compared to OSH or Home Depot and they have a nice selection to choose from without the crowds. There's free street parking on 15th, as well as meters on one side of Ocean Park and free on the other. For a smaller neighborhood nursery it has everything you need without the fuss. They also have cute statues and garden decorations. From the service, prices and selection, An all-around great nursery.

Merrihews is amazing! Everyone who works there is genuinely kind and I always find what I am looking for. I don't buy plants anywhere else, and I also love the gecko (Sean) + disco ball in the greenhouse. They have also been throwing some amazing community events with live music in the garden. Definitely the best plant nursery and community space in LA!

My favorite nursery in the West LA area! I've gotten several plants and pots here in the past that I love. I came last week to look for a gift for a friend and found the perfect plant for her! I really love that they added slightly longer hours now. The prices are great and the customer service is always outstanding. You will find street parking or metered parking nearby and that's never been a problem for me.

Nurseries are all over Los Angeles, and just like you wouldn't go to just one restaurant for dinner every night you're not going to just go to one nursery for all of your needs. This is a unique nursery. They are small, they are very specialized, they provide a range of well cared for plants and hidden in the nooks and crannies of their very unique space they hold hidden treasures you can't find anywhere else. Think of going to this place like going into a secret garden filled with magic and people who deeply care about plants. The owners and staff are friendly, caring, and deeply ethical people. We go to this nursery, and bring out of town guests with us sometimes just because it is so unique and magical. Of course it's worth remembering that other nurseries meet different needs, and Hashimoto's on Sawtelle is another staple nursery you should frequent, as well as the unbelievably unique Sego nursery in the San Fernando Valley, but this nursery deserves a special place in every plant lovers heart and shouldn't be missed.

I absolutely love this garden store! They are open M-F I think 9 - 2 or 10 - 2 during COVID-19. They are always exceedingly helpful and kind. They have signs asking people to respect the 6 feet + distance and to please wear masks. They have a wonderful variety!

I bought a plant, turns out it was labelled incorrectly. After I discovered this I bought it back to the nursery. They said"yeah the grower uses old pots". I said a new correct label needs to be placed over the old one. The response was, "Yeah". I said is the price the same?......"Yeah". No sorry, would you like to return it. The guy did give me the name of what the actual plant it was.....then why wasn't it on the plant? Not a cheap plant either. Not good enough.

Incredible local garden store. The plants are healthy and well maintained. My go to store for high quality soil for my vegetable and herb garden. I've also purchased dwarf olive trees, lemon tree, flowers, herbs and phenomenal lavender. My only challenge is their reduced hours during quarantine. Also be careful if parking on the opposite side of the street to avoid a parking ticket.

Love this old school nursery! Lots of the plants I look for but never find at Lowe's or Home Depot. Trees, veggies, flowers, and I got a beautiful Buddha for my garden. All at great prices. Staff is super helpful.

Finally found the perfect plant for my living room! Thanks to the very nice and helpful staff. They even helped me quickly pot my plant so it's ready to enjoy! Thanks guys!

Just an amazing neighborhood nursery. This had to be the most wonderful find of the week, Congo rojo philodendron for 15$. Thank you Merrihew's.

On the southwest corner of Ocean Park Boulevard and 16th Street, Merrihew's Sunset Gardens is a go to for ALL gardening needs. Think containers, soil, fertilizer, vegetable or flower seeds and even a small selection of patio furniture. Indoor (gorgeous orchids) or outdoor plants flourish here but if you don't know much about keeping them alive, just ask any of the helpful, knowledgeable staff so you'll leave confident in providing the proper care and feeding for what you buy. Tired of spending a small fortune each week on cut flowers, I was looking for a low maintenance green plant replacement. A huge display of Tillandsia*, better known as Air Plants, caught my eye. Across the counter, staff told me they need no soil just a weekly water misting or better yet a dunking. Also, Air Plants will spawn "pups" and in time will bloom. I purchased six Air Plants, all thriving three weeks out and they've even grown a bit residing on my dining room table in place of those expensive cut flowers! Non-permit parking on the west side of 16TH Street or on Ocean Park Boulevard * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia

My thumb is not that green but my mom's is practically verdant; this is her nursery of choice and I've been fortunate enough to accompany her several times on her plant-buying missions. The staff have always been extraordinarily helpful, knowlegable and kind. The plant selection seems pretty varied considering that it's not a huge place: lots of nice succulents, flowering plants, some vegetables and lots of garden decor suitable for wannabe Buddhists (nary a St. Francis in sight but maybe I missed him.) There's also a room devoted to seeds and gardening accessories. Prices range from crazy high to very reasonable. Merrihew's would be a super place to stop by for a last minute present (housewarming, good-bye, condolences, birthday, you-name-it).

What a gem of a nursery/garden. I love the community feel and excellent selection of indoor and outdoor plants, pots, soils and care items! I picked up a beautiful new plant and pot, and was also really enamored by the selection of orchids on display! Thank you for being an integral part of the community and curating a beautiful garden for all to visit!

My favorite nursery in 2018. Good balance of indoor and outdoor selection and pricing. I bought a large beautiful pothos for $12 and a monstera for $50. Their air plants are giant and only cost $8. Staff spontaneously offer suggestions for plant care. Parking is street but I actually never ran into issues whether weekday or weekend.