By MARY UYEMATSU KAO
July 17 was the opening of the L.A. Garden Exhibit at Descanso Gardens. The exhibit is expansive in scope, covering defining points of Descanso history from Spanish colonization up to present.
From challenges of the ecosystem to the immense diversity of its plant life collections, from the indigenous caretakers to major innovators and contributors, the exhibit gives us a comprehensive understanding of what exists today.
The exhibit was curated by Rosten Woo, an educator, writer, and artist living in Los Angeles. One of his past projects was commissioned by Little Tokyo Service Center and Sustainable Little Tokyo, titled “Takachizu,” which some of you may remember. A full list of his projects can be found on his website: https://rostenwoo.biz/index
This opening statement sums up Woo’s intention for the exhibit: “Descanso Gardens is a place that is cultivated, wild, and feral. A place that reflects many deep truths about where we live. This exhibition explores those very intersections and the histories behind them. . .’
From geology to passing ownership, from the history and genetics of camellias, roses and lilacs, to the historical impacts of Executive Order 9066 and the building of the 210 Freeway, the exhibit highlights innovators and guardians that make Descanso a “living museum.”
An initial reference to the Japanese American experience is seen at the outset: “Descanso Garden’s signature landscape is camellias under oaks but this is a relationship that could never have existed without layers of human intervention, and has come to raise complicated questions. The oaks reflect the long history of indigenous people who tended this land for thousands of years before European colonists arrived. The camellias reflect traditions from Asia and the struggle of Japanese Americans in Southern California.”
And through a single camellia: “Consider the layers of history behind a flower like this camellia blossom. In 1947, Howard Asper, who worked at Rancho del Descanso, names this cultivar ‘Mrs. Howard Asper’ after his wife. It was later discovered that the cultivar had already been named ‘Hanafuki’ at Sakura-shi in Japan, where it had been bred in 1882 before being imported to the United States in 1930 by the great plantsman F.M. Uyematsu. Uyematsu sold his collection of camellias to this garden before he was imprisoned by the U.S. government at Manzanar.”
A portion of the exhibit resides in the Boddy House library, while the majority of the exhibit exists in the main room of the ground floor. The library is dedicated to detailing F.M. Uyematsu, Fred Waichi and Mitoko Yoshimura’s nurseries as part of the larger history of Japanese flower growers in the region and how Descanso’s primary collection of camellias resulted from Executive Order 9066’s removal of all West Coast Japanese/Japanese Americans into concentration camps.
The exhibit includes a small room where the film “Grandpa Cherry Blossom” is running on a continuous loop. The film by Maddox Chen tells the story of F.M. Uyematsu, who was forced to sell off his 120-acre estate nursery in Manhattan Beach as a result of Executive Order 9066.
Chen was a high school student when he made the 8-minute documentary. The exhibit shows a shortened 5-minute version of the film.
I asked Rosten to sum up his experience doing the exhibit. In his words: “Developing this exhibition was such an honor for me because Descanso Gardens is dear to my heart and a special place for my family. My own understanding of its history has changed so much over the years as new stories and voices have been brought to light. It was an honor to be entrusted with these stories and to help visitors appreciate the depth and complexity of the garden’s history. These stories actually create a deeper appreciation for the gardens and the meanings embedded in the landscapes here.”
The L.A. Garden Exhibit is slated to be a permanent fixture in the Boddy House except for temporary removal when another exhibit takes precedence. Free admission to the exhibit is included with the general admission fee to the gardens. Be ready for a serious uphill climb to the Boddy House, but it takes you through the camellia forest shaded by the indigenous oaks.
Mary Uyematsu Kao is the former publications coordinator of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center (1987-2018). She is author/photographer of “Rockin’ the Boat: Flashbacks of the ‘70s Asian Movement” (2nd edition, 2025). She welcomes your feedback at uyematsu72@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.