Densho Digital Archive - Henry Nishi Interview I (denshovh-nhenry

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RP: There were a couple of growers that you mentioned, particularly the gentleman who, who grew the gardenias?

HN: Yeah, there was a gardenia grower in Culver City that, he was famous for growing beautiful gardenias. His name was Mr. Kitagawa. I don't know if the name of the business was, what the name of the business was, but the trade name for his gardenias were kitty gardenias. And there were that variety of mystery gardenia which was, was a famous variety... he was famous for growing beautiful flowers. Like one of the number one growers at the time.

RP: You also received, purchased flowers from San Fernando valley and other local areas?

HN: Yeah. The, the roses of course, the flower, cut roses were mostly grown in hothouses. And that was a, that was a different, different kind of a farming altogether. And there were, we bought like Armacost, Armacost and Royston. They were all grown under glass. I think then, of course, the orchids came from Hawaii.

RP: You purchased...

HN: No I think, yeah, no they, there were some orchid growers at the time, yeah. Armacost and Royston grew orchids I think here actually here in west L.A. Had a greenhouse, had orchid, orchid plants, the cattleya orchids.

RP: How about Easter lilies? Did they...

HN: Easter lilies came from, mostly from the Bay Area. Well, yeah, there was a, a big grower in Gardena, Gardena, I think there was several growers. I can't think of the name. I can't think of the name of the, the grower. They had... and then there was poinsettias, which was a big item for Christmas. That was, but I think cyclamens and azaleas mostly were grown up in the Bay Area around, what is that, around Palo Alto, was a lot of growers back there. San Leandro I think is what... and things like bulb flowers like ranunculus and tulips, I think mostly came from the Bay Area, not much grown down here.

RP: At the time your father had the nursery at Beverly and Western, was he also getting involved in landscaping?

HN: No, not at that time, no.

RP: That came a little later on?

HN: Later when we moved out to the west side.

RP: So you kind of -- pardon the pun -- you cultivated an interest in plants and horticulture from some of your dealings with the nursery?

HN: Yeah.

RP: Started to get interested in plants and...

HN: I grew up, grew up in the nursery business, nursery and flower business. Only because we lived right on the premises. [Laughs]

RP: You couldn't get away from it.

HN: Yeah, yeah.

RP: Did you have any other interests or ambitions other than...

HN: I don't think so.