The Sunrise Nursery is a commercial nursery specializing in the cultivation of cut flowers most of…read morewhich are sold at farmers markets throughout California. Our small tour group stopped here for a private tour of the farm and the hot houses. This was also the setting for our catered lunch prepared by two chefs from the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association. The family-run nursery specializes in hundreds of varieties of flowers mostly used for decoration. Steve Fernandes' family operates the nursery, and he gave us several hours of his time to share his knowledge and show us around the maze of outdoor gardens and humid hot (really hot), hot houses. As our mini bus pulled up onto the driveway we were greeted by Nita Gizdich who co-founded the Gizdich Ranch located across the street from the Sunrise Nursery and Steve. Our path to the main flower gardens took us past some hydrangeas in several shades of pink. As Steve took our group towards a field of sunflowers I decided to lag behind in order to take some photos. As I passed one of the hot houses a single flower caught my attention, and I just had to wedge myself into an angular opening on the side of the structure to take a shot of this vividly orange-colored rose. I missed most of the talk about the different varieties of sunflowers, how seeds are developed into full plants and why some plants were so much taller than others. I did get the scoop however that the yellow sunflowers remaining in the garden were considered rejects because they did not meet specifications for cut flowers. Because of that fact Steve said it was okay for our group to cut down some of the sunflowers for personal use since they would be mulched and turned into compost soon. Once inside the hot houses I found myself doing the exact same thing again in lagging behind to take photos while missing all the facts about the different varieties of flowers grown. Because of that I ended up taking photos of a few flowers that I still have no clue of what they are. I signed up for this trip in order to learn more about organic produce so the fact that I was missing all these fun facts about flowers really didn't bother me. As our tour ended we were greeted by Chef Greg and Chef Sim of the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association. A vegetarian lunch had been cooked up for us using fresh organic produce from the farms we visited and were to visit. Our lunch consisted of vegetarian tacos and a summer salad. A refreshingly thick strawberry lemonade was made up for us using strawberry puree made from fruit harvested at the Rodriguez Brothers Ranch, lemon juice, water and a simple syrup. The "meat" for the tacos consisted of a variety of roasted potatoes and beets seasoned with herbs and garlic from the Nunez Farm where we were scheduled to tour after lunch. A fire-roasted chile salsa made to be served with the tacos used flavorful chiles not grown from the region. This was simply exceptional in taste. The summer salad consisted of sweet white corn, zucchini, yellow squash, purple bell peppers, cucumbers, red onions and heirloom tomatoes all from the Nunez Farm. I loved the salad so much I got up and went for seconds. Nita Gizdich surprised us with still warm slices of her seasonal olallieberry pie to cap off a truly delicious lunch. It wasn't scheduled on our itinerary, but the pie was so good we asked our tour leader if we could do a side trip to the Gizdich Ranch in order to take some delicious pies home with us. Sarah N, our tour leader, agreed much to the delight of our group. As a thank you for spending time at their nursery the Sunrise Nursery gave everybody a freshly cut bouquet of flowers to take home with them. The link to my photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26-2milesandmore/sets/72157621731769884/

I always buy from them when they are at the Oakland farmer's market on Fridays and the flowers are…read morea major hit in the office

Lets get one thing straight. This isn't a big box store. This isn't some giant company. This is one…read moreguy with his family running a pretty large operation. The bottom line for me is this: if you want it, they probably have it. If they don't, they can probably get it for you! I have been buying some italian cypress from Sanchez Nursery for about a year now for a privacy screen in my back yard. I previously bought trees from Costco. They died. The ones I bought here are alive and thriving!! They are so much better! My wife wanted a particular rose bush... circus roses, they had it! We're looking at putting in a cocktail tree (one trunk with 5 different stone fruit grafted to it). THEY HAVE IT!! It seems everything i need they have!! Star Jasmine? Yup! I cant wait to buy more from this family! I'll be buying all my plants from here from now on!prices vary, but the quality is spot on!

Family run. Great service with a smile, huge selection of plants acclimatized to Hollister…read moreweather. Reasonable prices too!

So many plants to choose from, they don't use any chemicals. The people were super friendly and…read morekind. Definitely will be back! :)

10/10 experience! the most selection in the area, chemical free and the staff have biggest heartsread more

I have been shopping here as a wholesale* customer for over 3 years…read more **Wholesale means you are buying to resell, like a store. (I am a buyer for a retail nursery) ** With that said, everyone I have dealt with has been knowledgeable and kind. The plants are plentiful. Not much labeled for succulents- some- not all. They also grow seasonal bedding plants, geraniums, cyclamen, depending on season. They grow succulents from 2" all the way up to 7 gallon plants. I love this place as a wholesale customer, here are a few reasons - drive around carts to transport your plants -consistently clean plants. (By clean I mean no bugs.) For any nursery this is a feat. I have been in the industry for over 20 years. -clean legitimate restroom. -you can pull plants and they will deliver (for a nominal fee) -general nursery cleanliness. I have seen few nurseries in this part of the state that I would recommend. Unfortunately they are not open to the public but you will see their plants at many retailers throughout then SF/ San Jose/ Bay Area!

Such a great whole sale nursery, clean plants , big free, super professional,great prices And…read morereally friendly, And they have the cutest dog!

Highest quality ever seen, with very mature growth in all sizes. Used them for our new home…read moreoriginal plantings

Lakeside helped me when I took out my lawn and replaced it with a beautiful garden of drought…read moretolerant, easy maintenance, butterfly and bee happy flowers and shrubs. I had lots of choices of healthy plants as well as suggestions and experience to back up their advice. All business was handled professionally with my landscape crew. Within minutes of being off loaded from the truck, my new plants had attracted a butterfly and shortly after planting, my yard was claimed as a happy, new territory for a pair of amazing, turbo-powered hummingbirds. I am very happy with the thriving environment and I'm grateful to Lakeside for helping bring it to life.

Acres of plants, Spanish speaking only. Not easy to get help but you'll get used to it!read more

I bought 3 different plantas and in a week all was dry and dead ,like never seen something similar…read morebefore and isn't because I didn't watered. They recommend 3 times a week and it's what a I did. Just be careful with what you buy in this place.

This was the last stop of the trip and it was in cell service purgatory! Not a signal to be had all…read morearound... so I could not Check in. They always do a good job here! Delightful displays, innovative plants, great color, other suppliers, and good ideas! My standouts are: the Ghostly Princess lavender... fantastic silver foliage with pink flowers and of course the lavender scent. Then comes Echibeckia... a truly stunning plant with big body, huge flowers and great fall colors! Lastly I just love echinacea... the Laughing Meadow MaMa just caught me and almost kept me... what great variation in bloom color! I always enjoy coming here... nice people, cool displays, and great plants!

I can't emphasize enough how horrible this company is, and its parent company, Smith Gardens. Do…read moreyourself a favor and never work for them. They treat their employees like slaves, working them to death, lying and making false promises, threatening them with getting fired. Dozens of employees quit and are fired each year, and their health, marriages, and sanity are destroyed. My husband worked for them for more than two years, completely rebuilt the facility and saved the company more than half a million dollars, and they treated him like dirt and never came through with all the promises they made for him.

The most beautiful nursery in the South Bay! owner Jose Aguilar Cruz is patient and creative. It…read morehelps that he can grow anything as demonstrated by the selection. I now buy all my plants here, for landscaping and farming.

What a great nursery. Cash only! But fair prices and a great looking succulent section with healthy…read moresucculents! Great native plants and fair prices I recommend. The men are very helpful.