California Nursery Company
A historic California nursery that supplied fruit, nut, ornamental, and rose plants and helped introduce notable West Coast hybrids.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
California Nursery Company was a historic horticultural enterprise established in 1884 at Niles, now part of Fremont, California. It was formed by John Rock, R. D. Fox, James Hutchison, Thomas Meherin, William J. Landers, and other associates on a roughly 500-acre property acquired from Jonas Gilman Clark. The business grew out of John Rock’s earlier nursery operations in San Jose, commonly known as Rock’s Nurseries, but the two enterprises were distinct for a period. The frequently repeated date of 1865 refers to the beginning of Rock’s San Jose operations rather than the incorporation of California Nursery Company in Niles. The company initially operated primarily as a wholesale supplier to California’s expanding agricultural and horticultural economy. Its catalog business covered grapevines, fruit trees, nut trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, roses, and other garden plants. It supplied planting material to prominent estates, including the Palo Alto estate associated with Leland Stanford, and later developed a retail-facing role serving household gardens and landscape projects. The company’s catalogs became important commercial and horticultural references: an 1888 catalog listed approximately 500 fruit-tree varieties, 700 ornamental shrubs, and 270 roses. John Rock was particularly influential in introducing and promoting new plant varieties. California Nursery Company worked with breeders including Luther Burbank and, later, Albert Etter. In 1940, the company entered a partnership with Etter to patent and market selected apple varieties. The 1945 catalog introduced six Etter apples, including Pink Pearl, with another variety appearing later. Through this activity, the nursery helped connect regional plant breeders with a wider commercial market. The nursery participated in major expositions and public horticultural displays, including the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, and the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939–1940. It also supplied palms and other plants for exhibition landscapes, including the Avenue of Palms at the 1915 Panama-Pacific exposition. After Rock’s death in 1904, management passed to W. V. Eberly. In 1917 the business was acquired by George C. Roeding, whose horticultural interests included Fancher Creek Nurseries in Fresno. His son, George C. Roeding Jr., assumed management in 1926. During the Roeding era the company expanded its production, distribution, and public profile. A 1929 account reported a workforce of approximately 100 to 150 people, annual stock turnover exceeding $200,000, and international orders extending across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the British Empire. The nursery was eventually described as the largest firm of its kind west of the Rocky Mountains. California Nursery Company also became a public destination. From 1932 into the mid-1960s it hosted annual spring bulb shows that could attract thousands of visitors over a weekend, as well as summer rose shows. The grounds included gardens around the historic Vallejo adobe, an adobe structure predating the nursery that was later used as a guest lodge. The company used a grizzly-bear trademark from 1918 and subsequently adopted an Old Adobe identity associated with the historic site. After 1972, portions of the former nursery property were converted into California Nursery Historic Park by the City of Fremont, while some land continued to be leased for nursery purposes. The site’s gardens, buildings, catalogs, and business records remain significant sources for the horticultural history of California. The California Nursery Garden Club, the City of Fremont, and local educational and cultural organizations have supported preservation and garden stewardship. The available record does not establish the precise date or legal circumstances under which the original company ceased operating as a unified commercial nursery.
History
California Nursery Company emerged from the commercial nursery work of German-born horticulturalist John Rock. Rock immigrated to the United States in 1852, served on the Union side during the Civil War, and settled in California in 1863. By about 1865 he was operating nurseries in San Jose along Coyote Creek. Those businesses continued under the Rock’s Nurseries name after the Niles company was formed, which explains why catalogs and later anniversary materials sometimes gave 1865 as the company’s founding date. The Niles enterprise was organized in 1884 by Rock, R. D. Fox, James Hutchison, Thomas Meherin, William J. Landers, and associates. The partners acquired and leased a large tract near Niles, with plans to develop a major commercial nursery and begin deliveries of trees in 1886. The property included an adobe building dating from approximately the 1830s or 1840s. The nursery’s early business concentrated on wholesale distribution of fruit trees, nut trees, grapevines, roses, and ornamentals. Its proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area supported both agricultural customers and wealthy private estates. Rock’s interest in plant improvement made the company more than a conventional grower and distributor. California Nursery Company introduced and sold varieties developed by prominent West Coast breeders, including Luther Burbank. Its late nineteenth-century catalogs demonstrate a broad and increasingly sophisticated range of plant material. Following Rock’s death in 1904, W. V. Eberly managed the company. William J. Landers, who had been connected with the enterprise since its beginning, served as president until his death in 1908. The company changed ownership in 1917 when George C. Roeding acquired it. Roeding brought experience from Fancher Creek Nurseries and other horticultural operations. His son, George C. Roeding Jr., took over management in 1926. Under the Roedings, the nursery expanded its distribution and maintained a substantial export business. By 1929 it reportedly employed between 100 and 150 people, handled more than $200,000 in annual stock turnover, and shipped to customers in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Public exhibitions were a recurring part of the company’s identity. Plants associated with the business appeared at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and the 1939–1940 Golden Gate International Exposition. In 1918 the company introduced a grizzly-bear trademark, later replacing or supplementing it with branding centered on the historic adobe. The Old Adobe became a recognizable symbol after the building was adapted as a guest lodge and incorporated into the display gardens. The company continued its role in plant introduction during the twentieth century. In 1940 it partnered with apple breeder Albert Etter to patent and commercialize selected cultivars. Six Etter apples, including Pink Pearl, appeared in the 1945 catalog, and another was introduced later. The nursery also cultivated a strong public-garden role. Annual bulb shows held from 1932 through the mid-1960s drew as many as 5,000 visitors during a weekend, while summer rose shows promoted the company’s ornamental stock. After 1972, former nursery land was progressively incorporated into California Nursery Historic Park in Fremont. The original commercial operation’s later legal and operating status is not fully established in the available material. Preservation efforts have maintained the historic gardens, office, packing and nursery structures, the adobe, and extensive archives. The California Nursery Garden Club, the City of Fremont, and local partners have contributed to stewardship and interpretation, ensuring that the site remains a record of California’s nursery trade, plant introduction, exhibition culture, and suburban gardening history.
- 1972
Former grounds begin transition to public park use
[1]Parts of the former nursery property were converted into California Nursery Historic Park in Fremont.
- 1945
Etter apples introduced commercially
[1]The catalog introduced six Etter varieties, including Pink Pearl.
- 1940
Partnership with Albert Etter
[1]The company partnered with apple breeder Albert Etter to patent and market selected apple varieties.
- 1932
Annual bulb shows begin
[1]The nursery began a long-running program of spring bulb exhibitions that became a major public attraction.
- 1926
George C. Roeding Jr. takes management
[1]The younger Roeding assumed management of the nursery.
- 1918
Grizzly-bear trademark announced
[1]The company introduced a grizzly-bear logo, which was later discontinued because of a reported conflict with the Stark Brothers mark.
- 1917
Roeding ownership begins
[1]George C. Roeding acquired the nursery and connected it with his broader horticultural interests.
- 1915
Plants supplied for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
[1]The company supplied palms and other plants for the San Francisco exposition, including the Avenue of Palms.
- 1893
Participation in the World’s Columbian Exposition
[1]The nursery participated in the Chicago world’s fair as part of its long association with major public exhibitions.
- 1888
Broad catalog range documented
[1]The company’s catalog listed hundreds of fruit, ornamental, and rose varieties, illustrating the breadth of its commercial stock.
Products and positioning
A large, innovation-oriented California nursery combining wholesale agricultural supply, retail gardening, plant-breeding distribution, and horticultural display.
Fruit nursery stock · 1884
Fruit trees
Fruit trees were central to the company’s early wholesale business. The nursery propagated and distributed a very broad range of varieties for California growers and private gardens, with the 1888 catalog recording approximately 500 fruit-tree varieties. The company also served as a channel for newly introduced cultivars developed by West Coast breeders.
Ornamental horticulture · 1884
Ornamental trees and shrubs
The nursery supplied ornamental trees, shrubs, and landscape plants for estates, homes, gardens, exhibitions, and public landscapes. Its 1888 catalog listed roughly 700 ornamental shrubs, reflecting the scale and diversity of its non-agricultural offering.
Flowering plants · 1884
Roses
Roses were a prominent commercial and display line. The company’s catalogs listed hundreds of rose varieties, and its production later included large quantities for Bay Area gardens. Summer rose shows helped turn the nursery into a public horticultural destination.
Introduced fruit cultivars · 1940
Etter apple varieties
Through its 1940 partnership with breeder Albert Etter, California Nursery Company selected, patented, and marketed new apple varieties. Six appeared in the 1945 catalog, including Pink Pearl, followed by at least one additional Etter introduction.
Bulbs and seasonal plants · 1932
Flower bulbs
Bulbs, including narcissus, daffodils, jonquils, and related spring-flowering plants, were sold and exhibited by the nursery. The annual bulb shows, held from 1932 into the mid-1960s, supported both retail demand and the company’s public identity.
Marketing campaigns
- 1932Annual Spring Bulb Shows
United States
The nursery hosted annual spring bulb exhibitions that showcased seasonal plantings and attracted as many as 5,000 visitors over a weekend. The events helped position the company as both a retailer and a regional horticultural attraction.
Outcome. The shows continued into the mid-1960s and became one of the site’s best-known public programs.
- 1932Summer Rose Shows
United States
Seasonal rose exhibitions promoted the nursery’s extensive rose stock and encouraged public visits to the Niles grounds.
Outcome. The shows reinforced the company’s reputation as a destination for gardeners and horticultural enthusiasts.
- 1915Panama-Pacific International Exposition plant supply
United States
California Nursery Company supplied palms and other plant material for the San Francisco exposition, including the Avenue of Palms.
Outcome. The project demonstrated the nursery’s ability to supply large-scale public horticultural installations.
Brand decisions
1972
Transition of former grounds toward historic-park useStrategyBackground
The historic nursery property was no longer functioning solely as a unified commercial nursery site.
Action taken
Portions of the grounds were converted into California Nursery Historic Park, while some land continued to be leased for nursery activities.
Aftermath
The site became a public historic and horticultural resource, although the original company’s final operating status is not fully documented in the available sources.
1940
Commercialize Albert Etter apple breedingStrategyBackground
The nursery sought to expand its role from plant distribution into the commercial introduction of improved cultivars.
Action taken
It formed a partnership with Albert Etter to patent and market selected apple varieties.
Aftermath
Six Etter apples, including Pink Pearl, appeared in the 1945 catalog, with another variety introduced later.
1918
Introduce a grizzly-bear trademarkStrategyBackground
The company sought a distinctive visual identity for its nursery business.
Action taken
It announced a logo featuring a grizzly bear.
Aftermath
According to family history, the mark was later discontinued because of a conflict with the Stark Brothers logo; the company subsequently used an Old Adobe identity.
- Stark Brothers — The available account describes a logo conflict but does not provide details of the competitor’s formal response.
Sources2 sources
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