Originally published on Yahoo! Voices (now defunct), here's the review:
A recent visit to Guerrero Rose Farm Nursery in Ontario, California proved to be well worth my time. As an Ontario resident, I have driven past this location many times over, but it wasn't until my recent interest in roses that made me want to stop by. Before I went, I looked on Yelp for reviews about Guerrero Rose Farm. There were a handful of glowing reviews, and not a single rating went below five stars. The reviews further convinced me that I had to see this place myself!
Guerrero Rose Farm is located just north of the 60 Freeway at the Euclid Avenue exit in Ontario. Guerrero Rose Farm is situated right on the very busy Euclid Avenue. Unfortunately, there is only street parking, so I suggest going there as early as possible on a weekend to beat the traffic and potential parking issues.
Once there, a large white and red sign at the entrance greets customers into what looks to be a residential home with a small rose garden. However, a few more steps in will uncover the rows of roses on a huge lot. In the center of the rose farm, there is a quaint cashier's building surrounded by rose bushes and garden cement statues, benches, and fountains that are also available for purchase. Perhaps the most interesting sight, aside from the roses, are the animals at the rose farm. A large lazy cat lounged near the cashier's building, and behind a chain-link fence were geese honking away! The Yelp reviews did say that the owner of the farm used these animals as a sort of pest and rodent control at night.
When I first entered Guerrero Rose Farm, I was first attracted to the "George Burn" roses next to an old orange tree. Its unusual coloring was beautiful, and each bush had a abundance of flowers. A few seconds later, an elderly couple walked by with one of the workers who was helping them haul a yellow rose tree in a wagon out to their car. The worker gave me a friendly smile, and as soon as he returned he came by to ask me if I needed help. I just wanted to look around, so he kindly left me to stroll around by myself.
The weather was beautiful, although a little warm from the sun beaming down. Visitors should bring a cold bottle of water in case they feel parched during their visit. Despite the heat, the roses were a lovely sight to behold. Colors varied in shades of red, pink, yellow, creams and whites, and there were even some lime green roses. I especially liked their miniature roses. They did not have a large variety of them, but they had beautiful "Rainbow's End" and the classic pink "Cupcake." Beyond the miniature bushes were the rose bushes trained into little trees. There was also a wide variety, and they had many of each type in stock. I noticed that Guerrero Rose Farm was mostly stocked by Weeks Roses, a California grower in the central region. This brand is not hard find around here, but Guerrero did have varieties from Weeks that were unique.
In the end, I did not make a purchase. I was looking for roses with an old garden look, and Guerrero doesn't have those in their line-up of bushes. t also thought that their pricing was fair. Miniature roses were $16.99, and many of their rose bushes were averaged $20. Rose trees were about double that amount. Many bright orange signs posted the prices of rose bushes, and some prices were simply written on the side of their containers. Their employees are friendly, and from what I can tell, they are also knowledgeable, which are two things customers may not be able to fins at big box garden centers. I spent about an hour browsing around and smelling the roses up close, and it felt like a nice little country-style field trip. With all of those positives, as I walked out of Guerrero Rose Farm Nursery, I knew that visit was well worth my time, and on my next visit, when I will most likely make a purchase, it will also be worth my money.
You can visit Guerrero Rose Nursery at 2110 S Euclid Avenue Ontario, CA 91762 or call (909) 988-0015.
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