Sherman Gardens Photo Tour:

This beautiful public garden and the Sherman Library for California history is in Newport Beach, Corona del Mar California, right on the Pacific Coast Highway.

To reach the gardens, go south on PCH till just south of MacArthur Blvd, pull over to the right on the next block, park and go in. The museum has a nominal admission charge, I think about $4 as of this writing, and has a free day each month (call for info). They are open just about every day 9-4pm. Visit CDM beach when you are done. Just keep going south on PCH and turn R at Jasmine.

There is a small outdoor eatery to pick up a snack or lunch after your tour, staffed by volunteers. The gardens offers a conservatory, herb garden, lath covered areas with begonias, fuschias, a cactus garden, water garden and more. A large covered dining and special events patio is next to the water fountain in back. The library has historical info and pix, including a model of a mission.

You can support them by joining, volunteering or donating something. You can have your important formal event here such as getting married. Please contact Sherman Gardens for more info.

(click below to see the photos then click the 'back' key; each is 80 to 200k 256 color .gifs, could take a minute or two)

The conservatory:

• anthuriums, #2 (those pink or red heart shaped flowers in florist arrangements) and giant goldfish (woops, KOI)
• bromeliads, a colorful tropical profusion; display of tillandsias (air plants); tricolor bromeliad
• calathea;
• fishtail palm in conservatory
• gesneriad (African Violet family)
• ginger torch type, hedychium
• orchids in bloom1, 2, 3, orchid display bench
• palm, fan palm seedling
• philodendron 'slotted spoon'
• trevisia 'snowflake' plant, larger trevisia showing mature snowflake leaf shapes
• tropical scene by indoor koi pond
• xanthosoma, white veined tropical foliage plant, also called 'African Mask' plant

Outdoors:

• fountain in the formal gardens
• herb garden behind conservatory
• pretty palm with silver leaves; cluster of palms with coleus; top of palm cluster
• water pond with lilies and pelican;

Cactus Garden: crammed full of exotic specimens in a small space -

• cryptocereus, unusual epiphytic cactus with stems like the zig zag fig cookies I had when young
• epiphylum, a popular flowering epiphytic cactus of South America
• medusa species of euphorbia, so called because of snakelike stems from central apex
• view #1 cactus garden middle bed, showing dasylirion on left, columnar cacti..
• view #2 rear bed in cactus garden, showing small aloe tree with yellow flowers by larger tree
• view #3 bed on left in cactus garden, showing golden barrel cacti and many more
• view #4 bed on left further back, with nice Agave victoria reginae, other specimens among rocks

under the Lathe House:

• begonias - they have quite a few beautiful specimens
• rhododendron
• rabbit foot fern
• camellia bush

Don't forget, next to the outdoor snack bar and the cactus garden is the Sherman Library of California History.

• View reconstructed models of adobes.
• Scholars can check into detailed history of the area.

click here to return to index of DDC photo tours of parks and museums

About this page:

• 3/97 added many more photos: bromeliads,.., created new section on cactus garden
• 11/96 spiffed up page.
• 10/96 created page to show non-visitors this darling garden with important historical links.