The driveway at SHN. Huge tender reds, azaleas, clambering clematis, magnificent old Quercus agrifolia (probably), huge R. augustiniis, etc.

Pretty sure this was 'Rubicon', a Californian X English hybrid.

Another view of the pond...did I post this twice. Worth it! Look at those Gunneras, they have no problem with summer days in the low 80s when nights are in the low 50s.

Many big R. augustinii or related cultivars to enjoy.

A few of his big leafs were planted on these mounds like this, perhaps to help avoid root rot. Very clever. Not sure which species this is...only now to do I spot the label!

One of the several Araucaria angustifolia on the property. There are bunya bunyas in the town but he doesn't have any that I saw.

Flower of 'Glory of Penjerrick', one of the tender English hybrids he carries. Hard to tell from this picture but they are huge.

Another view of the absolutely superb combination of 'Double Eagle' and 'Leo X Jutland'. That one is so deeply red you almost can't pull your eyes away from it. I think humans have some kind of 'spilled blood' visceral response to that color.

Lastly a closeup of his 'Medusa', my picture of the overall plant didn't turn out but it's about 8' tall. Breathtaking and very tropical looking.

BTW my 'Leo' will be blooming in about a week, so as expected they are a month to a month and a half ahead of us; depending of course on plant variety. Plain R. arboreum wouldn't survive here, so it's kind of academic that it would try to bloom in February or March!

Thanks for posting those photos You visited some great places out there. Those trunks look massive and very architectural. I too like the deep red blooms. Keep the photos coming

I've been to both places. The large Maddenias at the Garden slid past me or I forgot about them. SHN has a bunch of interesting trees you didn't show, including Davidia involucrata 'Sonoma'* (they listed it themselves as 'SHN' but it has become prevalent in commerce as 'Sonoma'), a full range of evergreen Asian magnolias of some size, Glyptotrobous pensilis (growing in the water, as per the habitat), and so on - I have probably been over every square yard of the grounds there.

*Clones bloom in a 5 gallon pot - or less - instead of after the 10-20 years seedlings of the typical plant are said to require, plus the bracts can be twice normal size

Embothrium, I posted the original 'SHN' to my other thread of pictures:

Norcal field trip report - pt 1 (maybe)

Agree with you though, that the nursery is a veritable cornucopia of rare plants. There are surely great gardens in the PNW like the U Washington Arboretum but few where you can see so much variety in so little space, relatively speaking. And not where a lot of it is for sale: if I lived in Norcal on acid soil I could spend a lot of money there. "I'll have one of everything" LOL. Definitely the most amazing nursery I've ever visited. (but that might not be saying much as I never saw Heronswood in its prime, or Eisenhut, or Hillier's)

Yes, I saw and took pictures of some of the rare Magnoliaceae...nothing was worth posting a picture of yet...it was too late for the interesting spring bloomers and too early for the summer bloomers. I might have seen something like a M. figo blooming and not even taken time to get a snap. When I discovered the labyrinthine complexity of the display gardens, I suddenly felt rushed. I did get to see a purported 'Atlas', last couple flowers on that, and at least as a smallish sized plant it had flowers no bigger than the Gresham-type plants I already have, had as smallish plants. So I'll stop pining for that one.

"Peacock Horticultural Nursery...he is far from an upstart"

mea culpa!

He needs a more professional nursery sign...it looked a bit, cursory though I can't remember the details. Not sure if it was black spray paint on a weathered piece of plywood...but it might have been. I was just driving around and saw that sign and thought, hhhmmmm. Really, another "horticultural" nursery? So close to the one I'm trying to reach? I'm glad the word's meaning isn't being diluted...and I'm glad you were able to set the record straight!

I wonder if the origin of the term 'Horticultural' lies in the fact that there was so much agriculture in that region, that many nurseries 100 to 50 or so years ago would have been focused on supplying food and crop plants? I'm not aware of anywhere else in the world where the term is used that way.

Understood about acid soil and Sonoma County. The same problem keeping a lot of people in the UK from growing rhodies. And also, yes, it's worrisome to think what will someday happen to Polo's nursery. Like most nursery owners, he isn't a spring chicken anymore haha. Hopefully someone or something will be able to take it on...non-profit, or local government, or really rich person who can hire a couple gardeners! You really should visit in early April, that seems like the peak.

Polo just sold his nursery, they are closing escrow on November 14, 2017. The new owners will focus on fruit trees and vegetables....

Wow...terrible news. I wonder if there was some urgent reason he had to sell like a long-term health problem. SO glad I made the trip out there to see the place in its prime.

One wonders if they are keeping the display garden? Hypothetically, the plants could be dug up and sold...but who'd buy them for a price that would cover the removal? When Hank died and Rarefind had to raise cash for employee salaries, they sold a truckload of plants to a public garden on Long Island, and a couple others to private landscapers. Seems doubtful there is a similar demand for large Ericaceaous plants in Northern California. But who knows. Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden certainly has room for more plants, but they looked slightly understaffed to deal with what they had, as it was.

"The new owners will focus on fruit trees and vegetables...."

Good luck distinguishing themselves, even in a place like Sonoma County, from the big box stores.