The Mystery of the Landers House and Family at the California Nursery in Niles 2

This house at the California Nursery is referred to as the "Maybeck Cottage", the "Yellow House", the "Landers House", "Mrs. George Roeding, Sr. House, and the "President's Residence".

What we do know is that members of the Roeding family lived in this house at various times after they bought the nursery in 1917/1918. George C. Roeding and family were photographed outside of the house. George's widow, Elizabeth (Thorne) Roeding, lived there alternately with her brother and actor William Thorne, who turns up in photos at the nursery. Gretchen Roeding and her family lived here later. Gretchen's dad was George Roeding III (Sandy).

Spoiler alert: I do not believe the "official" history that has been written about this building over the years. And here are 25 reasons. And the first reason is why it should not matter at all who built it.

The Whole World Lies Before us Here

Semi-tropic California and Southern California Horticulturist,
Volumes 3-5, p.168

That quote is from 1881 and refers to the Eden, that was California.

In our state, we can grow so many plants. With some bit of water they will be happy. And that is the problem. Always has been. Always will be.

Looking for the immense fig tree in Warm Springs

From George Christian Roeding 1868-1928, A Tribute

This tidbit about fig trees from George Christian Roeding's biography caught my eye. "...there are individual specimen trees that have historic value by reasons of their immense size and heavy cropping. One of these, said to be over one hundred years old, is situated at Warm Springs, in Alameda county, with the trunk girth of seventeen feet, a glorious example of the longevity of the fig tree and a noble testimony to the vision and achievement of the Mission era of California in the founding of what has become the greatest fig producing section of the western world."


Seventeen feet! That's about three adults encircling the trunk with their arms.

Where is this tree today? Does it still exist? It would be about 200 years old now.

I asked our local tree expert, Nelson, and he suggested the fig tree at Rancho Higuera in Warm Springs.

And now I find out that Rancho Higuera literally means "Fig Ranch"! 

The "Belts and Suspenders" strategy of my least favorite weed

At the California Nursery Historical Park, our rose beds are awash with the "Devil Bulb". This crafty weed confounds us at every corner. Nothing seems to stop it. I call its strategy "Belts and Suspenders", because it profusely propagates by bulb and by seed. And it seems to grow year-round and to flower year-round and to make bulblets year-round.

This "Devil Bulb" has been in our garden for a very long time as you can see from the 1997 Mercury News article below. I asked 93+ year-old nurseryman, Bruce, if it was in the garden in his time and the answer was yes.

Is there any hope?