Part of my continuing series on our October trip to California…

While in Santa Barbara I was able to visit
San Marcos Growers. Since they are a wholesale operation I didn’t think I would be permitted, but I emailed them in advance, explained my agave passion and promised not to try to buy anything. I just wanted to drool, or I mean look. So either they saw a kindred spirit, or wanted to see what kind of freak used so many exclamation points (!!!) while explaining their love of agaves!! And their desire to visit the nursery!!
This is charming little building is the office, where I was asked to check-in.

Walking in I was a little intimidated, like Dorothy walking up to the great and powerful Oz. Please your Excellency, grant me my request to walk through your fields of Aloes, Agaves and Cordylines, (oh my!)
I really did feel like I was walking into The Land of Oz. All of these huge amazing plants were for sale!!!! Living near this nursery would be very very dangerous.
They had just put together this enticing agave display right near the office.

Agave 'Joe Hoak' is pretty much my latest obsession.

Agave ghiesbreghtii, you’ve got a love a plant this determined to grow. Look at the little pup peaking out the bottom!

And this one is no slacker… although it must have bloomed recently as the mother plant is dead.

Furcraea macdougalii, in the middle

This is one of those plants that I should be able to identify by now, is it related to Sonchus acaulis?

Can you imagine filling up one of these and having it pull up in front of your house?

Or even one of these little vans?

All of these gems were in an ‘off-limits’ area marked sold. Some lucky person…

Agave 'Blue Glow'…handy that I actually got to see it glowing

Look at this Agave attenuatta mess. My made-up explanation is that somebody called and asked if they wanted to rescue a field of agaves that was going to be dug up for a construction project.

Agave cupreata, in mass...

Agave franzosinii

And a group of little Agave franzosinii

Sharkskin Agave

Aloe barberae, Tree Aloe

Aloe 'Hercules' (who named this plant?)

Aloe plicatilis, Fan Aloe

Aloe speciosa, Tilt-head Aloe

Boophone disticha Oxbane (I think)

Flower of the Erythrina crista-galli, Cockspur Coral Tree

Kalanchoe luciae Paddle Plant

Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta Sport' - don't these leaves look like they would be soft, like a Hosta? Nope! They are more "agave-like"...wishin' I had one...

Aloe or Agave? I am not sure.

Cordys and Flax

Not sure what this beauty is, amazing though...

Looking towards their planted gardens


Agave franzosinii

Agave franzosinii with a 6’2” husband for scale

Another huge specimen

And another of my new fav’s….which since I do not know their real name I am calling Agave 'marmoleum'


And I’m not proud to admit I pushed the limits of their kindness and asked to buy something. Remember the little aloe that got away from me at
Flora Grubb? Well it was an Aloe marlothii…

How cute are they? My heart was heavy with the idea of walking away from them again. I asked and they were kind enough to sell me one. I’m sure I was testing their patience, and dealing with me was taking away from what they should have been doing, after all they are a wholesale nursery and do not sell to the public.

Of course the bad person in me was thinking….”uhm, well, why stop there! Maybe I should run back out and grab a few more things….”

But that would have been wrong.
So I didn’t.
But I wish I would have…