Here stands a tribute to a woman who transformed San Diego. This is the Kate Sessions Statue. It honors the “Mother of Balboa Park”.
Kate Sessions was born Katherine Olivia Sessions in San Francisco in 1857. She died in San Diego in 1940 at the age of 82. She is interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in San Diego. Kate had a strong interest in plants even as a child.
Sessions moved to San Diego in 1883. She quickly developed an interest in cultivating plants. By 1885, she owned a nursery. Within a few years, she had flower shops. Her growing fields and nurseries were in Coronado, Pacific Beach, and Mission Hills. In 1910, she founded the Mission Hills Nursery.
In 1892, Sessions leased 30 acres in Balboa Park. The park was then called City Park. She agreed to plant 100 trees a year in the park. She also planted 300 trees a year elsewhere in San Diego. The park gained cypress, pine, oak, pepper trees, and eucalyptus. These grew from seeds imported worldwide. Virtually all older trees in the park were planted by her. She introduced the jacaranda to the city. She also introduced many California native plants to gardens.
In 1907, Sessions co-founded the San Diego Floral Association. It is now the oldest garden club in Southern California. The club taught San Diegans how to grow plants. This was important when the landscaping was mostly dirt and sagebrush.
Sessions never married. However, she maintained a close friendship with Alice Eastwood. Sessions’ family followed her to San Diego. Her father, Josiah, helped her until his death in 1903. Her mother, Harriett, passed away in 1895. Her brother Frank helped start the first poinsettia nursery in Mission Hills. All three are buried next to her in Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Sessions’ work with plant introduction won her recognition. In 1935, the California Pacific International Exposition dedicated a day to Sessions. She was named the “Mother of Balboa Park”. In 1939, she received the Frank N. Meyer medal. She was the first woman to receive this award.
The Kate Sessions Elementary School and Kate Sessions Memorial Park bear her name. The statue before you was dedicated in 1998. It is in Balboa Park near the Sixth Avenue entrance. In 2006, the Women’s Museum of California inducted Sessions into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame.
A children’s book tells the story of Kate’s life. It is titled “The Tree Lady”. It tells of her contribution to San Diego civic life.
Sessions operated a nursery in City Park. She planted 100 trees annually in the park. She provided 300 trees to the city for planting elsewhere. Kate was a world traveler. She brought over 140 plant species back to San Diego.
Some older San Diego neighborhoods have legacy trees. Kate Sessions sold or planted them.
This Kate Sessions Statue stands as a reminder. It reminds us of her lasting impact on San Diego’s landscape. Take a moment to appreciate her vision. Consider the beauty she brought to this city.