Maurice Levin  

Welcome to the Jurassic Garden

We are a family-owned rare plant nursery in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1998 by Maurice Levin. We specialize in rare living-fossil plants called Cycads, and other drought-resistant rare succulent plants like Aloes, Agaves , Dyckias, Echeverias and Strelitzias. The plant you get from us is likely seed-grown by us.

Maurice Levin, our founder, and Juan Martinez, our Nursery Manager, combine 60+ years of growing experience.

Who We Are

Maurice Levin began growing plants in the 1960s, gardening with his dad. Maurice has been a cycad enthusiast and grower since 1989, having been introduced to these living fossils on a trip to St. John in the US Virgin Islands. Maurice began to propagate and grow cycad plants as soon as he returned home to Southern California.

Juan Martinez grew up on a family farm near Lake Chapala in Mexico, learned farming from his father and grandfather, and has been growing things ever since he could walk. We like to say that when Juan gets cut, he bleeds green!

Our 2 acre patch of green in Los Angeles is home to cats, rabbits, chickens, possums and a few humans who try to grow your plants with love and care. While we are a Licensed and Certified State of California Nursery, just like the big operations, we like to think that every plant you get from us comes with a small bit of the love we put into it.

While Southern California temperatures are generally mild, your plant will be tougher than you may think. Here in the San Fernando Valley, winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing, and summer temps reach over 100, so your outdoor-raised hardy plant has been grown to withstand tough times.

We guarantee our plants, so you can buy with confidence. All plants have been inspected and certified by a State of California Agriculture Official to be healthy and free of any infestation or disease. We hope you will consider this important distinction if you are looking at different options for purchasing a cycad or succulent.

Thank you for considering us, and we appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you.

We operate by appointment, so please call us at 818-655-0230, or email info@cycads.com to schedule your visit.