Find a place to sit, anywhere around the main lawn. Let's ponder our historic landscape. You can see elements of the history from 1885, 1907, and 1934 in this photo. The footprint of the garden is very much the same as in 1934. Some trees are here to stay. Other trees and shrubs have come and gone. And of course, apartments and condos surround the park now.

This 1937 Aerial shows that our garden's foot print is little changed from 1937. The apartments have eaten away at the top and Niles Boulevard is wider. Otherwise it is the garden that we know.

From left to right on the bottom:

• Retail Center and its lath house, bottom left (gone now).

• The entry road where you came into the park...with the pole gate. This was known as Palm Avenue on some maps.

• The grid of the Show Gardens or Display Gardens and the organically shaped Show Gardens next to the lawn.

• The lawn that entertained many with barbecues and games.

• The specimen tree area. 

• The Ladies Changing Room, to the right of the office was built in 1907

• The nursery office was built in 1907.

• The shade garden to the left of the office was where specimen trees and shrubs and bulbs were planted. 

• You can see the house where John Rock once lived to the left of the greenhouses.

Coral Drift Rose

There is so much to love about this rose. Continuous bloom and disease resistance.

No one really chose this rose, because three were donated by a generous plant deliveryman who knew about our park. Matching roses were donated by equally generous Niles Rotarian, Richard Godfrey. And look how well they go with the museum entrance! A happy coincidence.

Bred by Alain Meilland (France, 2006).

Two beds over is a tree. This tree was a mystery for many years.  

The lotus tree or date-plum tree (Diospyrios lotus) in Bed 2F is related to the more familiar Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki). It can be used for rootstock for persimmons.

Wikipedia says "This species is one candidate for the "lotus tree" mentioned in The Odyssey: it was so delicious that those who ate it forgot about returning home and wanted to stay and eat lotus with the lotus-eaters." Well, our tree is the male tree, so we won't be eating lotus right here. But now you can admire his pretty reddish brown flowers in Spring. The female lotus is next to the lawn. The fruit are interesting and about the size of a small marble. Once dried, they are an enjoyable treat. But you will probably remember to go home after eating them.

In Bed 2E next to the Lotus tree, you will find these two roses named after film stars. Once you see Betty you will never forget her. She is much like her cartoon character. Pretty eye lashes and red lips of her petals. Cary Grant is a more refined salmon colored rose.

Was it a coincidence that the gardeners planted Betty with Cary next to each other in Bed 2E?

After the park was created, the old retail center was rented as the Mission Adobe Garden Center. This is the only nursery retail center that many of us Fremont-newcomers know. The picture below hung in the Naka Nursery office that was the wholesale nursery behind Mission Adobe Garden Center.

Prior to the Mission Adobe Garden Center, this was the retail center for the California Nursery Company, announced in 1934.  The retail center was possibly designed Frederick Reimers who was the architect who converted the old Vallejo Adobe into a guest house in the 1930's.  The old retail center was one of the earliest nursery retail centers in the U.S. Bill Cull built it and the windmill as well.

For the 1939-1940 Treasure Island world's fair, Fred Reimers created an adobe building for the California Nursery Company display on Treasure Island.