Gazebo Gardens has century-old roots in Fresno. Nursery is powered by beer, coffee and roses
For more than a century, a beloved plant nursery in Fresno that’s also known for its beer garden and food trucks has brought a sense of community to its customers and fans.
Gazebo Gardens opened in 1922 at the edge of a growing Fresno, which has expanded beyond and now encircles the roughly 2-acre nursery whose footprint has not changed.
Owner Scott Miller said he likes to call it the center of town, not only because it draws crowds for revelry every weekend but also because there’s an argument it sits at the city’s geographic center.
“If you look at a map of Fresno, this is the direct center of Fresno,” the 53-year-old said. “You’d have a hard time finding a spot on the map that was more of a center of Fresno than this.”
Gazebo Gardens is known for its roses. Miller’s mentor, Bill Welzenbach, who died last year, was a well-known rose expert. The nursery sells a rose fertilizer that’s named after him.
But the nursery’s green offerings go beyond that.
Miller said landscaping and maintenance make up a large part of the business that employs 66 people, but his employees are knowledgeable and offer design tips free of charge for developing a garden for anyone who shows up with a picture of their yard.
Beer garden, food trucks and coffee
Miller said a hot summer day in Fresno in 2014 sparked the idea to make the nursery into a hangout.
“It was August, and the nursery business is just tough at that time of year. It was 110 degrees. There was nobody in here,” he said. “What would make you want to be here on a day like this? And we just turned to each other and said, ‘It’d be cool if there was beer.’ “
He was also inspired by Cart Hop, a nonprofit that supported food trucks and events most commonly seen in Mariposa Plaza in downtown.
What was a one-time event for the nursery expanded to thrice weekly on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The craft beer on tap is accompanied by a half-dozen or so food trucks and local bands.
“Our business model became community center,” he said. “We do a lot of community events here. Unless it’s a fundraiser for a nonprofit, we never charge admission no matter what’s going on in here.”
People come, enjoy themselves in a place that welcomes children and dogs and pick up a plant as they leave. At least that’s the hope, Miller said.
One regular at Gazebo Gardens, Eric Schmitt, said for about a decade he has spent many mornings getting coffee and evenings with a beer at Gazebo. The cafe is one of the nursery’s newer additions.
He said he was grateful Miller took over the nursery, maintaining the “texture of the neighborhood” rather than it being purchased by something corporate.
“They saved it from becoming a CVS, which would not have been a neighborhood asset,” he said. “They did a solid for the area by keeping it the nursery.”
He said the nursery-goers have the camaraderie of something like friends meeting at church. Though, he joked, he was afraid of too many people learning about his gem.
“It’s like when you tell everybody about your nice spot, you kind of don’t want everyone to be there,” he said, with a laugh. “But there’s enough space for everyone.”
The community center aspect of the nursery hasn’t gone unnoticed by Fresno academics. Gazebo Gardens is one of several local businesses highlighted by the Humanics Program at Fresno State.
Sociology professor Matthew Jendian said he tries to expose his students to businesses and nonprofits that also make a positive difference in the community, and Gazebo Gardens is an example of that.
“It serves as a public space in the heart of Fresno — with a real train running along the back of the property — where members of our community can gather over good food and beverages and live music, fostering a sense of social cohesion within our city,” he said in an email.
Sense of community
Miller was running a plant nursery on Olive and Vagedes avenues until he bought Gazebo in 2001, but he started landscaping at 16, he said. Gazebo is a family business, and his 20-year-old son, Quincy, is now heavily involved.
The elder Miller has also been the president of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce for four years.
Quincy Miller said many people tell him he sounds like his father when he’s talking about the nursery, and that may be because they both so often use the word “community.”
“The best parts about working at the family business, at least for me, is more from the business sense and from the community aspect of it,” he said. “Having the funerals, the birthday parties, the weddings, they’re all beautiful in their own way.”
Scott Miller said the nursery does well with shoppers from throughout the city as well as the San Joaquin Valley. The location helps but he’s also cultivated a feel of community right alongside the roses.
“I love it about the tower district. I love it about Fig Garden, and this business is built around it,” he said. “If you are a regular here and you just walk through, you will have five or six people address you by name and say hello.”
Gazebo Gardens, 3204 N. Van Ness Blvd., is open on the nursery side 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The beer garden is open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The list of food trucks and bands on the schedule, as well as all the rest the nursery offers, are available at www.gazebogardens1922.com.
This story was originally published March 23, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
