Plants of old Mission San Jose

From Library of Congress

What plants were present when E.L. Beard first gardened at Mission San José?

From David Streatfield's article "'Paradise' on the Frontier", he says "Knowledge of the plants that Spanish missionaries and the Mexican civilians introduced into California is still scanty. Little archaeological exploration has been carried out on any of the sites and the principal source of information is, therefore, documentary. Unfortunately, little documentation remains in the Mission records and heavy reliance has to be placed on what visitors such as Captain George Vancouver, F. W. Beechey, Sir George Simpson, and Edwin Bryant recorded in their diaries.

From these sources, it is evident that they grew date palms, olives, pepper trees, the native willow and wild cherry, hollyhocks, oleanders, carnations, nasturtiums, fouro'clocks, sweet peas, portulaca, French marigolds, calla and madonna lillies, Matilja poppies, Nicotiana glauca, jonquils, wallflowers, violets, Arundo donax, date, Mexican fan palms and the native palm, Washingtonia filifera."

The Gardens of Manzanar

My photos?

The gardens were built under the worst conditions for the worst reasons. 

But they were beautiful gardens with rocks, natives and non-native plants: Joshua trees, dead branches, cacti, roses, cherry trees, wisteria. 

Today only the rocks and streams and ponds and wood exists, but you can still see the beauty.

Low Chill Lilacs

The lilacs are blooming in the local park where this nursery was once located. No labels exist on the bushes. How do we know what they are?

Checking in some old catalogs, I found this:

"Our efforts in behalf of Lilacs may be attributed to the splendid work of Mr. W.B. Clarke of San Jose, noted hybridizer of spring flowering shrubs and trees. It was he who developed the three excellent varieties pictured above."

I had thought that Descanso Garden was the place where low chill lilacs originated, but apparently it was in San Jose! And Descanso carried on.

Looking for Palms and Finding Chaplin

'TIS A FUNNY WORLD!

January 9, 1916, Oakland Tribune

"An Early Winter Garden in California" November 7, 1889

A garden that sounds like Shinn Ranch

American Garden, January 1890

Women's Floral Colony in San Mateo County?

American Gardening, June 1890

Unshiu citrus? Won Shu? Oonshiu? Satsuma?

In February 1986, at the Kato Memorial Garden, Don Dillon,  Four Winds Citrus nurseryman and Fremont city councilman, gave a dedication. His prepared notes said that "James Shinn, a prominent nurseryman, lived here and began a relationship with Japan by importing Japanese plums, persimmons and Unshiu oranges, some of which can still be found behind the Ozumia [azumaya]. He also brought in the beautiful Japanese maple located in the front of the garden. This happened in the period 1860 and 1890."

The maple died in 1994, but there are there are still two trees in the garden behind the azumaya, of unknown age. Are they Unshiu?