Garden of Earthly Delights

Moneta's Nursery
Location: 13633 S Vermont Avenue, Gardena, CA 90247

Entertainment Cost: $14 (3 peppers at $1.25 + random exotic tomato and pepper seeds)

Food Cost: Negative (-) since growing your own veggie garden is an investment.

Whether you are there as a gardening fanatic or as a curious onlooker, hands down this is one of the most lush gardens to buy your flowers, fruit trees, vegetables, bonsai trees, and agricultural accessories. Expansive in their 20 acre lot, Moneta's Nursery seduces the casual observer to tilt ever closer--if not for the beauty of the ripe color blooms, then for the organic perfume wafting through the cool summer's breeze.

The scents of four five dozen rose species spread across a wide bed for our olfactory's whim and fancy. It was like kids walking through Candyland. We (Gus, Lisa  , and myself) ran around the nursery in which wherever direction, allowing our eyes to navigate our next destination. It was definitely a sensory overload, but I had to keep my mission in mind: Which flower among all the flowers shall I choose for my front yard? It reminded me of a book I read in elementary school, Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag, where there were just millions of pretty cats to choose from, the ole man decided to take all of them home. Well, I don't want to give any spoilers (a big SoCo No No), but here I was confronted with so many beautiful life energies waiting to grow its roots on a warm (well in this case PH friendly, nutrient rich, temperature ready) bed of soil, so what did I do?

Well like any other self-respecting, rational and responsible Californian girl, I walked into the nursery with the mindset of getting flowers for my front yard, and walked out with three exotic peppers and an idea: one Caribbean Red Hot, one  Chili Piquin, and one Floral Gem. Then, I got to thinking about creating my own mini paradise of different spices~ since I am a SpiceAddict..I'm seriously thinking about starting my own website on spices...I would create a web page titled http://www.spiceaddict.com/ , but apparently if you click on this link, it's already been taken, the web page preoccupied with some fragmented message in a faded gray font that darkens when the cursor is over it, sends a message that is simple but doesn't quite make sense-- a little on the creepy side for all the complicated and ADHD Californians like me. It's got me thinking about cults and hidden messages of life behind the spice when I rather would just go back to talking about all the potential florals I can grab from this paradise.

Like our Good ole Govna would say: Iy'll be Bach!