Stay updated with breaking news from Ofelia hurtado. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA She built South Los Angeles’ only enduring nursery 33 years ago on a dusty corner lot [Los Angeles Times] In the lush leafy labyrinth that is Avalon Nursery & Ceramics, it’s easy to forget where you are. As you walk the back lot, past fenced and watchful dogs, past massive ficus and cactus that have long overgrown their pots, past rows of neatly labeled mango and citrus trees, pots of roses blooming in profusion, fragrant sage and native shrubs and hundreds of other healthy plants with no tags at all, Avalon Nursery feels more like a botanic garden or your grandparents’ beautifully overgrown backyard than a thriving business on a busy corner in South Los Angeles. ....
In the lush leafy labyrinth that is Avalon Nursery & Ceramics, it’s easy to forget where you are. As you walk the back lot, past fenced and watchful dogs, past massive ficus and cactus that have long overgrown their pots, past rows of neatly labeled mango and citrus trees, pots of roses blooming in profusion, fragrant sage and native shrubs and hundreds of other healthy plants with no tags at all, Avalon Nursery feels more like a botanic garden or your grandparents’ beautifully overgrown backyard than a thriving business on a busy corner in South Los Angeles. “We call this ‘the jungle,’” says Ernesto Lopez, youngest son of the nursery’s founder and owner, Maria Luz Lopez. “I learned to walk here; I kind of grew up here.” He pointed to a quiet shady area near the center of the lot. “When things were slow, my mom gave me baths in a tub right over there.” ....