KATE SESSIONS—HORTICULTURIST, LANDSCAPER, FLORIST, AND MORE
June 20, WATER’S EDGE FAITH COMMUNITY, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B. San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities in the U. S., due in large part to its abundance of exotic trees and plants— jacarandas, queen palms, Brazilian pepper trees, bougainvillea, Italian cypress, the bird of paradise, and the poinsettia. Yet, surprisingly, none of these trees and plants—so identified with our image—are native to San Diego!
All of them—and many more—were introduced to our region by Kate Sessions, the pioneering women horticulturalist who came to San Diego in 1883, and who, over a period of several decades, transformed a semi-arid landscape into a lush paradise.
Historian Nancy Carol Carter is a retired professor of law at USD. She is a frequent lecturer in San Diego and has been published in Pacific Horticulture and The Journal of San Diego History, with articles on Kate Sessions, the San Diego olive industry, and renowned local botanists Katharine and T. S. Brandegee.
Ocean Beach Historical Society 