Remember the name Kate Sessions. This place marks the former Site of the Kate Olivia Sessions Nursery. Who was she? Kate Sessions was no ordinary horticulturalist. She left an indelible mark on San Diego. Born in 1857, she became known as the “Mother of Balboa Park”.
Sessions’ story is one of passion and dedication. She moved to San Diego in 1883. Here she taught eighth grade. Later she turned her attention to plants. By 1885, she owned a nursery. Soon she had flower shops and growing fields. These spanned Coronado, Pacific Beach, and Mission Hills.
In 1892, Sessions struck a deal with the city. She leased 30 acres in Balboa Park. It was then called City Park. In return, she planted 100 trees annually in the park. She also provided 300 trees a year for other parts of San Diego. Because of this arrangement, the park gained cypress, pine, oak, and eucalyptus trees. She grew them from seeds imported worldwide. Virtually all older trees in the park were planted by her. She introduced the jacaranda to San Diego. Now it is a familiar sight.
Sessions co-founded the San Diego Floral Association in 1907. It is now the oldest garden club in Southern California. The club taught San Diegans how to grow plants. This was at a time when landscaping was mostly dirt and sagebrush.
Kate Sessions never married. She died in San Diego in 1940, at age 82. She rests in Mount Hope Cemetery. Her family followed her to San Diego. They became partners in her business. Her father, Josiah, helped her until his death in 1903. Her brother, Frank, started the first poinsettia nursery in Mission Hills.
Her work won her international recognition. In 1935, she was named the “Mother of Balboa Park”. In 1939, she received the Frank N. Meyer medal. She was the first woman to achieve this.
The Kate Sessions Elementary School and Kate Sessions Memorial Park bear her name. A bronze statue stands in Balboa Park. It commemorates her legacy. Even today, plant hybridizers name cultivars after her.
The Site of the Kate Olivia Sessions Nursery serves as a reminder. It honors a woman who transformed San Diego. She brought beauty and greenery to a once barren landscape. As you explore San Diego, remember Kate Sessions. Her vision shaped the city we see today.