After a pleasant drive through orchards and landscaping businesses, we made the turnoff to this hidden, charming nursery filled with native plants. Prices are reasonable, and it is a pleasant and peaceful stroll around this large scenic property admiring various blooming natives, even in December. We found the bush poppy we were looking for as well as a few other blooming natives that caught our eye. The owner is very helpful and gives good planting tips. read more

Matilija Nursery - Entrance - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Moorpark, California

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The owner is a joy to talk to, however I would caution going here first if you're a planting natives newbie specially if you go in the summer when everything looks barely alive and is a few inches tall, the plants don't look retail ready like at the local nursery, freshly blooming, watered and fertilized. Nothing is labeled, the price list is online, and good luck trying to use your cell phone. One will have a hard time navigating rows of plants that could resemble weeds unless you know what you're looking at, but that's extremely exciting to me seeing a tiny plant that later would turn in a beautiful specimen. If you did your homework on Calscape,, have a plan and a list, the owner is an excellent resource on growing natives, and he will help you pick out the best plants. I have bought here one gallon plants that have grown in 20' shrubs and many that have died because of my ignorance of caring for CA native plants like the plants you buy from Armstrong Nurseries, I overwatered, planted in the late spring-summer and used very little mulch. Sixteen years ago I bought here a couple of Matillija poppies plants in one gallon pot, that did horribly in the beginning thrusted in my nasty compacted clay soil but later that fall were transplanted in fallen rock hillside and now they cover a entire hillside. The plants here are wonderful but like most gardeners I'm really impatient and want to hurry nature up to look like Santa Barbara botanic garden. Bob has his own variety of local Ceanothus that I can't wait to see bloom in my garden. FYI, I have planted about 500 natives, likely many, many more plants purchased from all over LA/ Ventura/ Santa Barbara nurseries. I killed a lot of natives, to the sorrow of my wallet as these plants cost $12-45 depending on the species. I continue to try my best to introduce native CA locally sourced plants with the scope of helping local ecology, save money on irrigation and possibly avert the fire reaching my house. Also, Bob's plants are really inexpensive compared to other nurseries, unless you get smart and buy most plants in 4" pots, but you won't find these here. I don't get carried away buying a plant unless I think it will thrive in my garden, experimentation leads to a lot of disappointments, unless you are blessed with great draining soil and have full sun and available water. The plants here are $8 for one gallon, a great price specifically if you get something a bit more established. Ask Bob if your desired plant been recently transplanted. And Bob is right, visit the Santa Barbara botanical garden; it is the best inspiration because looking at newly sowed plants you'll never guess how big or invasive they will get. This place is a treasure and consider yourself lucky if you're close by, as you could do your plant purchasing in stages since most CA nurseries won't have a complete planting list. read more

We are starting to take out some of our backyard lawn to put in native plants. We drove out and met Bob. He was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. He helped us make choices for summer planting. We will surely go back to choose fall plants. Be sure to check the hours and give yourself time to look at all the varieties there! read more

what a helpful and informative guy. I called him, left msg, he got back to me about 10 minutes later. I was inquiring about a specific tree and after me fumbling around trying to describe what I wanted (I didn't know the name), still he stuck with me and after a few minutes gave the names of 2 possible trees. He said he didn't carry them, but to try a local nursery that had many types of plants-not just native. We talked a bit longer (all in all possibly 15 min). He was jewel in a the complicated world of trying to design a garden. read more

This guy ruined my holiday weekend. I called to inquire about their hours before I drove an hour to Moorpark. If I wanted to take the scenic route and stop somewhere along the way, more like two hours. It was noon, and he assured me I could make it by closing at 2pm. I asked if he still gave a discount for recycled pots, and he said yes. He also said calling ahead is always a good idea, because sometimes he's too busy with customers and works alone. So, he can spend more time with you. None of the plants are labeled or show prices. They usually aren't in bloom, either, and the reception is spotty, so you can't identify plants with an app. You can call ahead and ask him to put an order together for you if he isn't too busy. Back to that, you know what he didn't tell me on the phone when I called and he encouraged me to come over before they closed? That he was swamped and working alone on a gorgeous afternoon. So, I get there and pull the pots out of my trunk. He shows me where to leave them then walks away with another customer. I wander around for awhile, and he's helping everyone but me. I ask him where to find certain plants, and he sends me off in the general direction. After about the third time, he just gives me a dirty look and runs off in a hurry to help another customer. This is about 15 minutes before closing, which he seemed pretty firm about. Mind you, I'm a repeat customer, though it had been awhile since I visited last. Everyone left at 2pm sharp, and I'm alone with this man who had treated me rudely for the past hour. I had put my plants aside by the pots, which he says he'll give me $10 for. "That should cover your gas." He offers me water, soda, junk food and I'm getting pretty annoyed. You know what would have been nice is an apology. But this guy is such a jerk, going over the Latin names for the plants, which I know, but it's still irritating that he seems like he's correcting me. He said one of the Mexican tulip poppies was not such good quality. "I'll find you a better one." So, we walk all the way over to the poppies where he could have helped me an hour ago. And he picks a poppy that looks just like the one he said wasn't that impressive. "Ignore the yellowing leaves. It has a nice bud." Fine, but then he charges me for the other poppy, too. So, he just walked me over to buy stuff that I didn't ask for while questioning my judgment. He goes back to his trailer to ring me up, brings the receipt and helps me load the last plant into my trunk. Noticing a bumper from an accident that my insurance company agrees was not my fault, he makes some wisecracks about my driving. Then when I look at the receipt, he didn't deduct the $10 for pots! Seriously, he isn't the only native plant nursery, and I'm also side eying his iris hybrids he loves to brag about. I bought the Chatter Liaison, and it's much shorter than my others and hardly blooms. Some of the sedge that he recommended took over my yard, too. He just pushes stuff on you, even when he has nothing better to do than assist you. read more

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Beautiful nursery, reasonable prices, great selection of California native plants. The gentlemen helping us was very knowledgeable and provided me with a little itemized sheet so that I can remember what I have when I get home to plant. Great! read more

Matilija Nursery - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Moorpark, California

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This place isn't for regular people looking to add plants to their garden. Selection is very limited - only native plants available. The plants seemed to be in ok condition. The employee (owner?) wasn't particularly helpful. He recommended we tour the Santa Barbara botanical garden for "ideas" even though we had a plant list. The 1 gallons plants averaged around $8 - which is a decent price. read more

I've been here twice to purchase Native Plants, and this is the place to get them; even those that are normally difficult to find. The nice thing is, Matilija Nursery, propagates & grows their own plants, many from seed; so they know what they are doing and you're not going to pay more from a nursery that buys from another source. The 1st time I went for Matilija Poppies: they had just begun to germinate, so they were not ready, but Bob gave me the information I needed to germinate the seeds I have. I was able to purchase lovely White Mountain Sage & Native Milkweed and Bob gave me very clear directions on how to transplant it & what to expect, as the Milkweed dies back, but regrows in spring. I did have to wait a bit, as there were a few other customers who arrived before I did, but I was shown where the plants I was wanting to buy were. The 2nd time I went Bob had the Matilija Poppies & told me to wait a few weeks, as the roots were not completely developed enough to plant; he also showed me the Pacific Coast Iris... We did have to go to the office to look at the photos, as not all of the Iris were labeled yet, so now I have a better idea of which ones I want. Of course I'll be going back in a week or two. I also like that Bob will respond to my FB queries as to what is actually available & what more, if anything, that I need to do for my plants. Do know that Matilija Nursery is a bit off the beaten track, but it's not too difficult to find... Do not go if you're in a hurry; if there are other customers, you're going to have to wait your turn, but if the plant is blooming, you'll have at least lovely specimens to look at while you wait! read more

They have natives I've been trying to get a hold of for a while! Great selection and multiple sizes of the same species.

This nursery is an unpolished gem. I've been redoing my front and side-yard with native plants and have been to Matilija three times now, each time buying a few dozen plants. Each visit has been great. They have a good and changing selection and they sell at wholesale prices, 20-40% less than a typical native plant nursery (many of which buy their plants from Matilija.) Bob is incredibly knowledgable, patient and friendly. He can tell you what everything is, how big it will grow and how to plant/care for it. I love his gentle and helpful presence. The only downside is that the plants aren't labelled so you will probably have to ask Bob where/what some of the plants are--I am becoming better at identifying with each visit. And use the printout of the plants you bought to identify which is which later. (if you only buy a few it wouldn't be hard, but I buy dozens) It helpful to know in advance some of the plants you are looking for, but to also be flexible and take Bob's expert recommendations, as he will help figure out what will work well for your location (and what won't). And then you get cool native plants you wouldn't have otherwise considered. read more

I was looking for a specific Heuchera. I email an inquiry and received a response the next day. No, they don't have it period. I found a nursery in Thousand Oaks that was willing to order it for me. Thank goodness! That's all I really wanted was someone to help me out. This nursery clearly didn't want to be bothered. read more

Very nice serene place with good energy in Moorpark.. The bees are audibly humming being very happy with their fare. Outstanding service with Bob. He was very patient with explaining which plants would work with my location plans. The printout receipt gave the Latin names which I was able to look up and identify by the appearance of the plants. The prices are fair and the plants are healthy. I have used most of the native nurseries around here in Los Angeles. Do check open hours and days before traveling. This is not a showy commercial place, it is very well organized and authentic. read more

Very poor customer experience. Drove over an hour (it's in the middle of nowhere). 1 person, assume it was the owner, was working. Most of the plants are not labeled nor priced. After waiting patiently to speak with him to ask how things work around there, was rudely dismissed and told others were waiting ahead of me, which they weren't as I had been the only person waiting on him for about 5 minutes before others showed up. Left without buying anything. Total waste of time. read more

If you're looking for CA native plants this is the place to go. Were not talking home depot succulents, these are true natives you can find in wild places throughout the state. The nursery itself is modestly sized, but is filled with natives which makes it a huge selection. The owner is very kind and extremely knowledgeable. The only downside i found (reason for 4 stars) is that there are no labels on the pots. If you know your plants then it is no problem, but if you don't then its a big deal. In the entire nursery only a handful of the planter pots had labels. Which meant no scientific name, common name, care instructions or price. This is a big issue, for me at least, considering how many plants you will be looking at and also not wanting to have to bug the owner every other minute. Other wise this is a nice little nursery. But if you're from L.A be prepared for a drive. read more

Matilija Nursery - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Moorpark, California

If you want an expert on Bearded Irises, Bob is your guy. This nursery is tucked into the hills of Moorpark and has a huge number of bearded iris varieties. Bob was able to tell me which were the best rebloomers in the colors I specified. You won't get this information at Home Depot! Also, the prices for the 1 gallons I bought were very reasonable. Highly recommend. read more

I should have gotten around to this earlier! Bob helped me establish a butterfly garden for my preschool last year that has allowed the children to witness the whole butterfly life cycle. The garden is established now and a new year of students will be able to witness the life cycle for themselves read more

Came here looking for a robust native plant selection and was not disappointed! They have so many great plants. Nothing was labeled, at all, and I wanted plants specific to our desert/dune habitat, so Bob the owner was nice enough to give me a tour and help select appropriate plants. He spent a long time answering my questions and discussing environmental conditions. I ended up with dune & island buckwheats, apricot mallow, Mexican blue sage, and seaside daisy. The plants were affordable, a couple were even on sale. Pricing was by the size of the container which made it easy. I wouldn't have found these awesome plants without Bob's expert help. Thanks, Bob! I do recommend calling ahead to see if they are open, the hours posted can fluctuate. It is also worth mentioning that the plants I bought were healthy & all are doing beautifully in my garden. read more

Matilija Nursery - San Miguel Island Buckwheat, Dune Buckwheat. - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Moorpark, California

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Experience and friendly staff. Great selection of plants and reasonably priced. Definitely a routine go to place.

Checked out this beautiful nursery during a weekday, drive from LA took no more than 40 min each way which was amazing. There's lots of native plants and irises. These are plants you will likely not find in city nurseries and for sure big-box stores. If you are looking for specific plants, probably best to call ahead and check with Bob, the inventory is available on the nursery website. Late fall is coming, so I would definitely visit this nursery again to get more native plants in my yard. You probably should do some homework first prior to visiting, I did not do my homework, just went and grabbed the plants that I liked. Gladly, Bob was there on site, so I get to ask questions, consulted him on his recommendations and tips on caring for the plants. read more

it can be a little tricky to find but they have a fantastic selection of native plants. tons of sage/salvia and irises too. i suggest verifying they are open since it's not a traditional garden store. read more

If you are into native plants especially native iris this the place to go. Bob is an incredible resource of iris knowledge. Ask Bob about iris and be prepared for a fountain of knowledge. If you are lucky you can even pick up an iris or two that have not been named and nobody else has. That alone is worth the trip. Be prepared, the prices here are outrageously low, almost wholesale prices. They don't have a wide selection of natives, but what they do have is good quality. You won't find the latest and greatest in cultivars. What you will find is good quality foundation stock for landscaping your water-wise native garden. Yes, the nursery is rustic, the ground a little muddy but when you want "that" iris, the one you have to have then you don't really pay attention to the grounds. read more

For California & Ventura local native plants plus planting know-how find your way on country roads to Bob's Matilija Nursery in Moorpark. If you are looking to begin transitioning from lawn to lower water native plants, including BEAUTY, COLOR, SHADE, STRIKING lines, maybe even attracting NATIVE BIRDS to your yard - then don't miss out on this secret of the "trade" - Bob sells to us civilians and not just on contract for restoration projects. Almost all my front & backyard natives have come from Matilija Nursery over about 20 years now. Recently my yard achieved Certified Advanced Bird Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. I have this nursery to thank for plants that don't harm the bug-bird or bug-butterfly ecosystem. Be sure to check days of week open to regular folks, and the hours because they are not open for retail after stated hours. Also, if you're on FB you can friend & learn about special sales, plant lore and even contests (!) from time to time. (Also - Bob loves reblooming irises, even creating his own crosses... For color, aroma, frequency of rebloom: just check with him or the FB page for characteristics along with fab photos.) read more

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My boyfriend and I randomly found this place on Google. We were looking for Roger's Red Grapes, and we had called so many places and they didn't carry them. We're in process of creating a full CA native garden, and we were in heaven. It's in Moorpark, but not any part of Moorpark that I've seen before. It's near a ton of farmland, with cute windy roads. These people are living the life! The owner was really nice and helpful, he suggested what plants should go where/how much light/water they need, etc. The place was huge, and the prices were awesome. We had actually gone to Armstrong the day before and everything was so expensive there, and it was mostly the Monrovia brand that they carried. Picked up some Yarrow, and buckwheat. After we're done planting this set, we plan on coming back here for more! read more

Bought a Groupon for this nursery and did not read the fine print. They only have California native plants. If you want roses or tulips or anything traditional, this is not the place for you. The drive out to the nursery was a pleasure. Felt like I had gone to the countryside, and kept driving further and further back into horse properties and fields. Low hills all around and nice trees. Really lovely. Met the owner, Bob, at the nursery and soon the penny dropped for me that I was not going to find what I had hoped to pick up. However, that said, it was a fascinating place and Bob knows his stuff. If you want to plant up your garden with drought resistant native plants, he can tell you what is best for shade or for full sun, and the Irises are really beautiful. For my personal taste the Irises were the only really attractive flowering plant I saw. I came home buying a few pots of Columbine, but now I regret this as even Bob said they look like weeds and have to be cut back hard every so often. An iris would have been a better choice. I recommend going here just for the drive and experience, and if I were starting from scratch with my garden, I would definitely do it to have lower water needs and this would the best place to start. I'm giving it a 4 because it is a specialty place and Bob is terrific. But if you want a variety of flowering plants to choose from, this is not your place. Prices are very good. read more

Spoke to Bob on the phone. Sent him and email with the plants that I needed and he was able to respond quickly. He was able to get the plants ready by the time I requested. Unfortunately there was a change of plans and I did not buy anything. Even though I didn't, he was nice about it. Not a lot of nurseries like this one. read more

I've been buying native plants from Bob for over 15 years. His knowledge of native California plants is great. His selection is outstanding. When you need plants go to Matilija Nursery read more

We recently completed Xeriscaping at our Ventura property with the Ventura Waterwise program and we visited Matilija on several occasions to get common as well as unusual native plants for the project. Bob was really helpful and has great native plant knowledge as well as butterfly and hummingbird garden tips and his prices are very reasonable. We bought about 30 plants from him and all are growing well in our yard. We bought several kinds of Eriogonum flowering buckwheats including some from the Channel Islands as well as Narrow Leaf and Balloon Milkweed which are host plants for Monarch butterflies. He also had some hard to find varieties such as Amorpha Fruticosa or desert false indigo which is one of the host plants for the California Dogface state butterfly and many nectar plants such as blue sage and California Fuschia, Sundrops, California Aster, and California Buckeyes among others. Our garden xeriscaping project was a huge success. We had countless generations of Monarchs and other butterflies in our garden this year and received the maximum refund from the Waterwise program and are saving on the water bill. Our garden also received a certification as an official Monarch butterfly waypoint. I highly recommend Matilija for native plant purchases and they are worth the drive out to the countryside. I understand they also have a large iris farm as well. read more

Matilija Nursery - Salvia Chamaedryoides. Blue Sage. - Nurseries & Gardening Near Me - Moorpark, California

Agree with reviews posted by James H. and Krista M. Such an unusual nursery experience to enjoy at Matilija Nursery, from the "Grand Tour" to the "growing grounds to car door service"! Grounds are a bit bumpy (expected) and the office isn't "accessible", but no need to go into the office if you can call ahead. Getting there is a bit of an adventure: Watch for left turn onto Broadway. It is at a bend in the road where CA-23 (Walnut Canyon Road) is steeply banked to right. Sign for Broadway on the left is tilted/not readible. Also, Waters Road is just that... never mind Google map reference to "Long Canyon." You won't see that on the sign. If like me you are "old school", don't have GPS, and miss the turn at Broadway, you just might have a nice drive out to Fillmore, a cute little throwback town in Ventura County! read more

Picked up some plants for a friend back in Santa Barbara.. This place was really nice.. friendly guy greeted me at the front and asked me If i wanted help loading the plants onto my truck. It's a little far off the beaten path but great little trip through many different orchids. read more

Love that this places carries wonderful native plants. I looked high and low for my sage brush. This place had it. They were very very helpful and super polite! A true pleasure to do business with! read more

This is the best plant nursery in the whole world. The owner is a very sweet man who takes great care of his employees and has the most beautiful plants. It is family run and very easy to do business with. They are very friendly and asked if I needed help loading the plants onto my car! read more

Healthy plants, great information. Sounds simple, but when it comes to natives, it's not so easy to find. If you are transitioning to natives, save yourself some grief, and come to Matilija. If you have had lots of loss from other "native" nurseries, go see Bob. Hah, sounds like a car commercial. Love this place. read more

Super nice over the phone. Sounds like a hard core plant enthusiasts , very knowledgeable and helpful. I just called to inquire about the beautiful balloon plants that someone posted a photo on their yelp and the guy have me the background on the plant and how they grow. Very cool read more

If you are looking for Calif native plants this is the place to go! Only short 20 min drive from Ventura taking Lewis Rd through Somis. It is scenic drive past farming areas. Great variety of plants with knowledge assistance provided. Found all the plants that I was looking for to attract hummingbird,bees,and butterflies. Glad to find Matilija Nursery since Nopalitos closed in Ventura. read more

Good nursery for native SoCal plants, especially if you're having trouble finding milkweed that isn't just the tropical kind. Lots of plants with scientific names in pot tags, and a large selection of each plant that lets you pick which one you think looks the best. Pick up can be slow depending on who is in front of you in line, but other than that a pretty good nursery. Bring a hat, sunscreen, and some shades!!! read more

I decided to come here due to the cheaper price compared to other native plant sellers. Bit of a trek from Los Angeles, however, I own 1/2 acre and have planted hundreds of plants. Saving a couple of dollars per gallon plant starts to add up. The selection consisted of your mainstays: sages, ceanothus, etc., and some interested surprises. The nursery gives credit for used containers, which is a plus. I usually recycle my containers at another nursery, but saving a few bucks on the containers is an added touch. I'll be back this fall to start planting when the cooler weather starts. read more

Robust, good looking natives and drought tolerant specimens. Saw a few really beautiful giant buckwheats but they were covered in aphids. Owner nice and responded immediately, saying he'd have to work on them before putting them out for sale. Darn- a long way to go to miss out on these - but he has the integrity to not sell when plants aren't in season to be planted or aren't ready. Lots of pretty mallows. read more

Great plants that are tough and flower all the time. Robert gives all the help you will need, taking time to walk through the garden with you. read more