The full-service Garden-to-Table Restaurant at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA will be relocated to Pacific Coast Highway. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
The newly relocated restaurant at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA will include a Garden View Patio and Terrace. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
The Crown of the Sea Recognition Wall at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA is adjacent to the Bell Tower Entrance and will list major donors to the Grow The Gardens capital campaign. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
The Tea Garden at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA is one of the oldest gathering places in The Gardens. The reimagined space will be a beautiful oasis of water, awnings and seating areas. It will be visible from inside the restaurant. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
The Visitor Center and Bell Tower Entrance at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA will create a welcoming entry from Pacific Coast Highway. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
The Central Garden Walkway, lined with an aloe allée, will guide guests to the heart of Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
The Reflection Garden at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA will be a place of quiet contemplation and a place for commemorative Reflection Bricks to line the path toward the center fountain. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
During renovation, visitors walk through the gardens in an open section of Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Demolition has begun for the renovation of Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The old site for the restaurant is readied for paint at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
During renovation, a train circles a pepper tree in an open section of Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues along PCH, right, at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
People walk the grounds as demolition has begun, behind fence, for the renovation of Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues along PCH, top, at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues along PCH, top, at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Demolition has begun for the renovation of Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A mural is finished along Dahlia Ave. as construction continues at Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The full-service Garden-to-Table Restaurant at Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA will be relocated to Pacific Coast Highway. (Rendering courtesy Sherman Library and Gardens)
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As spring is blooming at the Sherman Library & Gardens, so is a rejuvenation of the 60-year-old botanical destination in Corona del Mar.
The gardens recently launched a $17 million renovation project following a fundraising campaign that is creating a new entrance and more community space, as well as a new Reflection Garden and Central Garden Walkway. It is also updating the environmental system that helps sustain the plants in the Tropical Conservancy and making other improvements to help preserve the health of its collection.
“We are under what we call a renaissance at the gardens,” said Executive Director Scott LaFleur. “We are kind of really polishing that diamond in the crown of Corona del Mar and Newport Beach.
“About 50% of the garden is getting a little bit of a remake and kind of updated for today’s uses and guest experience,” he said.
While a new entrance with a bell tower and wrought iron fencing is being built along Pacific Coast Highway, visitors are entering on Dahalia Street.
Though several portions of the gardens are being worked on, an orchid alley that was created while the conservancy is under construction awaits visitors, as well as part of the garden’s begonia collection. A train display around the garden’s massive pepper tree is being updated with each season, one of the “micro engagements” LaFleur said the staff is creating for visitors during the “once-in-a-generation revitalization” project.
“We are trying to create little moments in the garden that will increase people’s linger time and give them more things to do,” he said, adding the succulent garden is still available and “gorgeous to see.”
“The Central Garden is stunning right now,” LaFleur said. “Fern Alley is open for people to check out. We’ve got a lot of things going on.”
By moving the restaurant at the gardens to a new, future location on PCH, with an entrance from the street, its existing space can be used for more community and educational programs, LaFleur said.
“We have just steadily been increasing our attendance as we are doing a better job of getting the word out about ourselves, and as we’re also doing a better job with all of our programs and events,” said LaFleur, who came on 11 years ago as executive director and watched the growth during that time. “We have very good attendance and participation in our classes and our programs.”
The renovations are expected to be completed late in the summer of 2027.
“We have a brand new, first-ever garden,” LaFleur said of the plans for the Reflection Garden, where some of the Sherman’s iconic dragon trees will go. “This garden is really designed for people to reflect on important moments in their lives.
“People have always done that,” he said of the birthdays and weddings, baby showers and such that people have marked in gardens over the years. “So we kind of created a garden that really specifically calls that out, and you can purchase bricks to write memories or reflect on moments in your lives, and they can be installed in the garden, too. We are really excited about that space.”
By closing some doorways to some buildings, the gardens have also been able to create even more space for plantings, he said.
“I’m a garden guy, so I really think about all those gardens,” he said, “and I think about the way that we can use those gardens and our place here in Corona del Mar as a hub of community and activity for Newport Beach and really all of Orange County as well.”
***About the Sherman Library & Garden
Hours: Opening daily 10:30 to 4 p.m.
Where: 2647 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar
Cost: $5
Upcoming special events: Wildlife Wonders, with animal encounters, raptor displays and family activities, will be April 19, and advanced tickets are required; the annual Garden Par-Tea will be May 2, and also requires advanced tickets
Information: thesherman.org
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