Buena Creek Gardens - Steve and Shari

San Diego's finest selection of new and uncommon flowering plants

Steve and Shari Matteson

Dear New Friends,

Buena Creek Gardens is truly a blessing and a gift from God for us, a dream come true! Our vision is for the Gardens to continue to be all that it can be for all who have enjoyed it over the past twenty years, and to those who are new to the Gardens. We believe it will continue for years and years to come.

We wish to extend our gratitude to Steve and Donna for creating such a magnificent and extraordinary garden, your hearts illuminate throughout this beautiful place. Also, thank you both for being so obliging throughout the purchasing process, as well as the transition into the operations, it has been a pleasurable experience, and has been so much fun to get to know you both, Thank You!

We also want to give a big Thank You to Jacob. Jacob, you work so hard at keeping the Gardens looking its best, and always planting plants that need planting without us even realizing. You know the Garden so well, and this is a tremendous help to us, Thank You Jacob!

And…Thank You New Friends!, we look forward to a beautiful future together in the Gardens!

Steve and Shari Matteson met through friends, fell instantly for each other, both having the same desires in life. They got married at the “Old Cardiff Church” in Cardiff in 1982, were married by Pastor Larry Matteson, Steve’s oldest brother, who now pastors a church in Long Beach. Shari continued in her passion for gardening, animals, enjoyed training and teaching beginner horseback riding. Soon Steve and Shari started a family, having two children, Shaun Matteson and Stacy Matteson. In1989 they moved from Encinitas to Valley Center to Avocado property, where they enjoyed raising their family. With no shortage of ranch-like life, of horses, pigs, chickens, dairy goats, from which the family enjoyed fresh milk, and homemade cheese and of course a garden of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Steve and Shari had a passion for beautiful birds, large hookbills, and put together an exotic bird breeding collection, in which they were successful in raising some endangered species from Brazil, and non endangered species as well. Today their furry and feathery part of the family consists of two horses & soon to be three, “Rocket”, “Piper”, who’s in foal, and due any day now, two birds, Alexandrine Parakeets, “Johnny & June”, one black cat, “Murdi”, two Great Danes, “Ace’s”, & “Pistol”, three Doxi’s “Ginger”, “Reba” & “Bullet” --and happy to say are graced with the presence of many wild bunnies, opossum, lots & lots of wild birds, thanks to plants from Buena Creek Gardens! and gorgeous Roadrunners, too!

Steve Matteson was born in Riverside in 1956, his parents Wayne and Gloria and his brothers and sister moved to the beautiful coastal town of Leucadia in 1959. Wayne and Gloria bought land in Leucadia and started a growing business of cut flowers, house plants, then later again cut flowers, they shipped product world wide. Their main location was on the corner of N. Vulcan Ave. and La Costa Ave. in Leucadia.

Growing up, Steve and his siblings worked hard at the greenhouse doing painful chores, well, it was painful in their kid memories. Later Steve enjoyed growing Giant Pothos, Staghorn Ferns, and Fuchsias. He was handy with building things, he built the redwood hanging fuchsia baskets for the Fuchsias, maybe that was the beginning of Steve’s construction talents! Steve played football in high school and began working in construction along with his brother. When Steve and Shari met he was still in construction, and later returned to working at Matteson’s Greenhouses, and Florist, with his parents, brother, and sister, where he worked in all aspects of the business.

Steve enjoys the propagation of plants, and has great talent in building, and repairing anything, which is really nice for when something is needed for the garden or greenhouse. You can just tell Steve what you want and he can do it, and does great work!

Shari Matteson was born Shari Burgess in 1964, and grew up in the Rancho Santa Fe and the Encinitas area. Shari recall’s vividly growing up in the old rugged back country of RSF, “Spook’s Canyon”, it was her back yard, she fondly remembers, like it was yesterday, her favorite wild flowers, -- Shooting Stars, growing on their property, gardening with her Mom, and riding horses at the near by stable. Shari enjoyed horticulture and biology in high school, through which developed the interest to become a veterinary technician, Shari then worked for a small and large animal practice during and after high school. Shari has had a constant passion for plants, they are a part of life that is truly amazing, she enjoys collecting and propagating many varieties of plants, including succulents and cacti, which do extremely well in Valley Center.