Waltzing Matilija, Troy McGregor's nursery, now open to the public

I’ve known Australian-born plantsman extraordinaire Troy McGregor ever since he managed the nursery at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in the mid-2010s. He was instrumental in transforming what used to be a small plant sale area into a specialty nursery known all over Northern California for its excellent selection of succulents and water-wise plants, including a large variety from the southern hemisphere.

After his stint at the RBG, Troy started Gondwana Flora, a design-build landscaping company specializing in frontyard lawn to garden transformations. Waltzing Matilija Nursery began in 2018 as an extension of Gondwana Flora. “I was unable to find many of the plants I love to landscape (and garden) with,” Troy says, “so I started to grow my own. One thing leads to another and now here we are.”

Display garden at Waltzing Matilija Nursery

In 2021, Troy moved Waltzing Matilija to its current location, a ½ acre lot in Pittsburg, about 15 miles from Walnut Creek. Nursery visits were by appointment only, but that is about to change. Beginning on May 12, 2023, Waltzing Matilija will be open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm in the spring and fall, and by appointment in the summer and winter.

Troy is an expert grower of southern hemisphere plants, including Australian natives like banksias, hakeas, proteas, grevilleas, acacias, and eucalyptus as well as South African shrubs like leucadendrons and leucospermums. In fact, he’s the only source in California for many rare proteaceae. In addition, he carries a large variety of succulents, including landscape-size specimens of aloes and agaves, all at great prices. All plants are grown out in the open so they’re acclimatized to the growing conditions of the East Bay.

Check out the Waltzing Matilija website to get an idea of what kinds of plants you can expect to find. To see what’s in stock, take a look at the current availability list.

Troy has been the (not so) secret source of many plants in my garden, and I’m excited that all of you will now be able to shop at Waltzing Matilija.

Waltzing Matilija Nursery is located at 375 Central Avenue in Pittsburg, CA. Here’s a handy Google map.

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I’ve blogged about Troy’s personal garden several times: April 2018 | September 2018 | October 2018 | September 2020. In fact, it’s time for another visit soon to see how his garden has evolved!

© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.