Day 215: Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge, California

📌APIA Every Day (215) - Descanso Gardens, located in Southern California, originated from a 165-acre property purchased by newspaper owner Elias Manchester Boddy in the late 1930s. Boddy established a ranch and residence designed by architect James E. Dolena, focusing on developing a camellia collection. To expand this collection, he collaborated with Japanese immigrant growers, primarily F.M. Uyematsu of Star Nursery and Fred and Mitoko Yoshimura of Mission Nursery. Uyematsu, who arrived in California in 1904, had established successful nurseries across Los Angeles County, specializing in Japanese imported plants, including camellias.

When World War II began and Executive Order 9066 was enacted, it significantly impacted Uyematsu's involvement in the garden. Due to Uyematsu's impending incarceration, Boddy purchased 300,000 camellias from Uyematsu's Star Nursery before the Uyematsu family was sent to incarceration camps. He also acquired plants from the Yoshimuras' Mission Nursery. Despite his incarceration, Uyematsu contributed to his community by donating 1,000 cherry and wisteria trees to Manzanar concentration camp. Post-war, 16 of the 600 known camellia varieties at Descanso Gardens were traced back to Uyematsu's collection.

The Japanese influence on Descanso Gardens continued after the war. In 1966, the Japanese Garden opened, designed by Eijiro Nunokawa and created by Frank Kuwahara. This addition was constructed with volunteer labor and funding from the Japanese American community. In 1969, a Japanese country-style farmhouse (Minka) was added to the garden, donated by Bob and Mary Matsumoto. These elements expanded the cultural and horticultural diversity of the gardens.

Descanso Gardens became a public space in 1953 when Los Angeles County purchased the property. The Descanso Gardens Guild, formed in 1957 and later renamed the Descanso Gardens Foundation, took over management in 1993. Subsequent developments included the opening of a 5-acre International Rosarium in 1994, achieving museum accreditation in 2004, and the addition of an Oak Woodland in 2014. These additions have expanded the botanical offerings and educational value of the gardens, which now serve as both a public recreational space and a site of historical and horticultural significance.

LEARN MORE:

Descanso Gardens: Mission and History

PBS SoCal: Reconsidering the Camellia

Smithsonian Gardens: Descanso Gardens - A Peaceful Place

Rafu: Descanso Gardens to Receive Two ‘Hiroshima Survivor Trees’

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