We’re thrilled to announce that Los Nogales Nursery—where we’ve been collaborating with the incredible team at the Audubon Center at Debs Park—will soon be open to the public! Nestled in the hills of northeast Los Angeles, this small but mighty nursery has supported community plantings and local habitat restoration projects for years. Now—thanks to our joint efforts—we will open the gates to all and welcome gardeners and habitat stewards looking to support wildlife where they live.

More than just a place to buy plants, we aspire for the nursery to be a resource grounded in both ecology and community. Named for the endemic but threatened Juglans californica (Southern California black walnut), which grows naturally on the site, the Los Nogales Nursery will serve as a foundational space to feature native plants that support local bird habitats, right in the heart of Los Angeles. We plan to offer a curated selection of the Theodore Payne Foundation’s most beloved native plants, including many grown from local seed gathered in local watersheds. In collaboration with our Audubon partners, we’ll also host workshops, gardening and propagation classes, bird and native plant ID events, and volunteer days. We hope Los Nogales becomes a neighborhood hub for habitat restoration, connection, and care.
Come visit us in August! We will be open most Fridays-Sundays beginning August 1st.

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When you arrive, you’ll find Los Nogales Nursery tucked behind the fence at the bottom of the hill on Griffin Avenue in Montecito Heights, just across from the soccer fields. Or, you can access the nursery via a 2 minute walk down from the Audubon Center on its mulched paths. If you’ve been by recently, you may have already seen some signs of life: an expanded growing space, new irrigation lines, and a much-needed shade structure. Most importantly, it’s already full of thriving plants!

To me, this nursery represents a way to grow deeper roots in the city we love, to meet more ecology-minded neighbors, and to share Theodore Payne’s vision more widely. Our Sun Valley headquarters will always be home, but we know native plants need to be more accessible, both physically and culturally. The Los Nogales Nursery is a leap of faith, but one we believe in. We’ve found a strong partner in the Audubon Center, and we’re grateful to them for the invitation to build something meaningful together.

To celebrate the collaboration, we’ve created a new logo for the nursery that features the walnut’s distinctive leaves and fruit, alongside the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus), a feathered friend we hope you may catch sight of when you visit the Center. We figured both plant and bird elements belonged in the logo together, just as they do in nature.

Right now, we’re training our new team and putting the final touches in place. We want the Los Nogales crew to feel fully part of the Theodore Payne family, with strong connections to the Audubon staff, and empowered to shape something distinctly rooted in Northeast Los Angeles.

We can’t wait to welcome you in August, so mark your calendars, follow us on social media, and keep an eye out for updates!