Welcome to the 17th Annual Mission Hills Garden Club Garden Walk
By Maureen Tess-Fieberg and Antoinette Embry, Co-Chairs, 2015 Mission Hills Garden Walk
“Inspiration and Influence 1915-2015….Celebrating the Horticultural Heritage of Mission Hills” is this year’s Garden Walk theme. All year long, America’s Finest City is celebrating the centennial anniversary of San Diego’s Panama-California Exposition and honoring the event that helped to shape San Diego in its early developmental years.
Originally known as City Park, Balboa Park was comprised of 1400 acres of scrub and canyons until Kate Sessions, a pioneering nursery owner who eventually became known as The Mother of Balboa Park, agreed to plant 100 trees annually in exchange for the ability to lease some of the land for her commercial nursery. As Sessions completed her ten-year lease and relocated her nursery to Mission Hills in 1910, landscape architect Samuel Parsons, Jr. undertook further park development. Kate Sessions’ Mission Hills Nursery is deeply rooted in the community and remains a treasured local landmark.
The 1915 Exposition attracted millions of visitors from around the world to Balboa Park. The style, grandeur and romance of its buildings and gardens, which took their inspiration from Spain, Mexico, Italy, Persia, and Latin America, had never been seen in the United States. More than 100 years later, Balboa Park’s gardens have inspired countless enthusiasts to plant, cultivate, and tend their own plots of land—both large and small.
The walk this year is 2.2 miles round trip with 12 gardens to visit. We will provide restrooms, water, music, art, and food throughout the event. Docents at each home will be able to answer any questions you may have, or you may bring your questions back to the Mission Hills Nursery where we have garden experts on hand to assist you. To make the most of your tour, please take photos and write notes in the spaces provided in this book. You will see many ideas that you will want to remember and implement at your own home. Your notes and photos will be helpful when you visit your favorite nursery with questions on plant material or spacing. Be sure to take note of the sunlight requirements of the plants to assure they will thrive in your yard.
So that we may continue this annual tradition with the support and good will of the Mission Hills residents, please treat our neighborhood with care and respect as you traverse its streets and sidewalks. Please use the trash cans provided at each home, and do not take clippings or cuttings. When walking through the gardens, please stay on the indicated path to protect the surrounding landscapes, and please respect the privacy of the homeowners while passing through their gardens.
If you enjoyed the walk and would like more information about the Garden Club, please visit www.MissionHillsGardenClub.org. We have monthly meetings that cover a wide variety of gardening topics, and the club participates with beautification projects and community events throughout the year. Please consider joining The Club—we would love your help with next year’s Garden Walk.
Category: Events, Local News
