If you're a fossil like me and still subscribe to a newspaper maybe you've seen the massive advertisements for Moon Valley Nurseries that have been in the LA Times and probably other newspapers since they have multiple locations. Their ads are more like an auto dealer's than a nursery's with big package deals and lots of exclamation points. Generally I shy away from any business that advertises like that but since I'm trying to buy some basic landscaping plants and since their new North Hollywood location is not too far from my work I decided to go by and see what they had.

Most of their stock is 15 gallon and bigger trees, nothing too exotic but they did have some very nice boxed arbutus marinas. All 24" boxes are $399, except the marinas which are $499, although these prices do include delivery and planting, I'm not sure if there is a minimum to get that. Most 15 gallon shrubs are $99 while 15 gallon trees looked to be $199. A salesman greets you and walks you around. Mine didn't know much about plants and again, he reminded me more of a car salesman than a nursery employee.

In the front they have a pretty good sized area of 5 gallon plants and, if they have what you need, these can be a good deal. I was going to go to Lincoln Ave nursery in Pasadena tomorrow (it's turned into a really nice nursery) and buy a 5 gallon pittosporum tenuifolium Marjorie Channon for $30. Moon Valley had them for $20. I was also going to a nearby power line nursery tomorrow and buy 6 or 7 pittosporum tenuifolium species 5 gallons for $25 to plant for a screen, they were also $20 at Moon Valley. Both of them were large and healthy looking, not 1 gallon plants in 5 gallon containers with 5 gallon prices that I've seen in so many of the cheap nurseries found under the power lines. They also had some agave blue flames in 3 gallon containers, nice sized and healthy. They were also $20, I've seen them for as much as $50 in some nurseries when you can find them.

I bought 1 Marjorie Channon, 6 pitt ten species and 3 blue flames. They had an unlimited $5 off coupon for any plant $19.99 or more in the paper as well, so each one cost me $15 for a total of $163.

So, if you know what you want in a basic landscaping plant and they have it you can get a good price but you have to know what you're looking for. Strangely, they had 5 gallon birds of paradise for $40, way more than you would pay at Home Depot or Lowes. And, like I said, the 15 gallon shrubs, even something as common as dirt, like wax leaf privet, were all $99, way more than almost any nursery I've been at.

But after spending some time there I realized that, also like a car dealer, these prices are just msrp. My salesman went to help someone else when I said I was going to walk around for a while. He was still busy when I was ready to check out so I went to the register, which was a room with several desks and computers instead of a retail check out station and another guy started to write it up. My salesman came in and made it clear that he had been helping me (commission?) and then when I was walking to my car he asked to see my receipt, saying that he always tried to get his customers the best price he could. After that I checked the receipt and saw the interesting accounting on the bill. I scanned it so you could see it too.