University of California Berkeley Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California California Horticulture Oral History Series W. George Waters ENGLISH GARDEN HISTORY, WESTERN GARDENING, AND CREATING AND EDITING PACIFIC HORTICULTURE With an Introduction by Susan M. Smith Interviews Conducted by Suzanne B. Riess in 1998 Copyright c 2000 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the Nation. Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well- informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable . ************************************ All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreement between The Regents of the University of California and W. George Waters dated July 7, 1998. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, 486 Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. The legal agreement with W. George Waters require that he be notified of the request and allowed thirty days in which to respond. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: W. George Waters, "English Garden History, Western Gardening, and Creating and Editing Pacific Horticulture," an oral history conducted in 1998 by Suzanne B. Riess, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2000. Copy no. George Waters, Berkeley, 1982, Photograph by Sharon Leong Cataloguing information WATERS, W. George (b. 1925) Editor English Garden History, Western Gardening, and Creating and Editing Pacific Horticulture, 2000, viii, 229 pp. Boyhood in wartime London, conscientious objector status, alternative service jobs; research work at Kodak, Ltd., 1954-1972, bicycling; British Garden History Society activities, programs, horticultural groups, status; Waters s gardens in England; marriage, and move to Berkeley, CA; connecting with California Horticultural Society, founding of Pacific Horticultural Foundation, decision to revamp California Horticultural Journal: journal format committee, financing, supporters, advertisers, distribution; discussion of Waters s editorial stance, book reviews, photography, Mediterranean gardens, working with authors; distinctive Bay Area gardens, gardeners, and Lester Hawkins, Marge Hayakawa, others. Appendices include an autobiographical statement by Olive Rice Waters; and letters to authors. Introduction by Susan M. Smith, Retired co-owner, San Francisco Travel Service. Interviewed 1998 by Suzanne B. Riess for the California Horticulture Oral History Series, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Bancroft Library, on behalf of future researchers, wishes to thank the following persons and organizations whose contributions made possible this oral history of W. George Waters, Southern California Horticultural Society Strybing Arboretum Society of Golden Gate Park Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust Elizabeth and Stephen Bechtel, Jr. Foundation TABLE OF CONTENTS--W. George Waters INTRODUCTION by Susan Smith i INTERVIEW HISTORY by Suzanne B. Riess iv BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION viii I BACKGROUND AND EARLY EMPLOYMENT 1 Background and Family 1 Schooling, and Telegraph Messenger Job 5 Critical Awareness, Conscientious Objection 8 Surviving the War, in London 13 Strange Episodes, Wartime 14 Debating 16 In By A Back Door, Teaching 20 Senior Technician, Former Farmworker 21 Bedford, British Whiting, Motorbiking 24 A Garden on a Greensand Ridge 27 Work for Kodak, Ltd., 1954 to 1972 29 II ENTRY INTO THE WORLD OF GARDENS AND GARDEN HISTORY 34 Garden History Society, New Horizons 34 First Horticultural Society Involvement, Garden at Oxhey, 1961 37 Who Gardens in England, and Why 39 Publicizing the Garden History Society 42 Deeper Into the Oxhey Garden 48 Putting on Garden Programs 51 From Oxhey to Kings Langley, by Car! 54 The House of Flint 55 Iris Society Garden Party 57 III CALIFORNIA HORTICULTURAL BEGINNINGS 59 Finding Olive, Over the Irises 59 Becoming a Gardener in Berkeley 61 Connecting with the California Horticultural Society 63 Pacific Horticultural Foundation Founded 65 Plans to Revamp the Journal 67 Decisions on Editing, Designing, Printing, Distributing 68 IV LAUNCHING PACIFIC HORTICULTURE 72 An Ad Hoc Format Committee 72 And Other Editorial Committees 74 Limiting Factors for Pacific Horticulture 76 Thoughts on Some Other Garden Journals 78 Horticultural Stratifications, Fads 80 Assessing the Audience 82 Editorial Stance, and Letters to the Editor 85 Advertisements 87 Promotions, Subscriptions 91 Funding Through Loans and Grants 93 Friends of Pacific Horticulture 96 Marge Hayakawa s Place in the Picture 99 Objectives, and Who s In Charge? 101 Discussions in the Overheated Salon 104 V THE EDITOR AT WORK 108 Nora Barlow s Editorial Contributions 108 The Question of Succession 110 The Answer to the Question 112 On a Lighter Editorial Note 113 The Position and Intention of Book Reviews 114 Timber Press 117 Niche Magazines, and the Journal s Niche 118 Improvements: Prose, Pictures, Presses, Pleasure 119 Publishing Horticultural and Garden Books 122 Lester Hawkins and the Mediterranean Garden 125 George s Interviews with Garden Designers 128 Fair Treatment of Plant Groups, Payment to Authors 135 Marcia Donohue s Garden, and Other Berkeley Gardens 137 VI THE EDITOR ANSWERS VARIOUS QUESTIONS 139 Bicycling, After the War, and a Lost Film 139 Obstacles to Preserving Archives 142 Histories of Nurseries, and Passing Trends 143 More on Archives, Editors, and Bike Racing 145 The Royal Potential of Horticultural Societies 147 Speaking for the Greenhorns 149 Practical Writing Tips 151 Decisions in Making Up an Issue of the Journal 155 Personality, and Pat Talbert s Pieces 157 The Armchair Gardener 160 A Note on a Trend 163 George and Olive Waters Garden in Berkeley 164 The Difference a Good Photograph Makes 168 Filing Systems, and More on Photographing 170 Inside the Front Cover 173 A Medal the Size of a Dinner Plate, 1990 174 The Garden Writers Association 176 Unfinished Business 178 TAPE GUIDE 179 APPENDICES A. Biographical Statement 180 B. Report of the Journal Revision Committee to the President, Pacific Horticultural Foundation 182 C. Some Books Read Over the Past Twelve Months 186 D. Peering Through the Web, by Olive Rice Waters 187 E. Letters from the Editor 190 F. Horticulture, Botany, and Landscape Design Series List 222 INDEX 226 INTRODUCTION by Susan M. Smith I was surprised to see a tall angular fellow step into the Ratcliffs 1 car at Lake Shasta. I had a ride with Bob and Evelyn on a California Horticultural Society weekend field trip to see the wildflowers and conifers so well known in this Shasta-Trinity area of northern California. Now, on the return trip, the company included a stranger. As the Ratcliffs had taken a garden tour in 1970 that I had organized to Virginia s great houses and gardens, we all began talking of this. Soon I learned I was with the editor of Pacific Horticulture, a magazine I greatly admired. Learning that George Waters as a teenager had used his bicycle to reach nearby great gardens in England, I visualized before me a wonderful tour leader. Here was someone who could relate to and describe English gardens, their design and influences. After all, the English are the greatest of gardeners, artistic and knowledgeable. Almost all museums, botanical gardens, and other nonprofits sponsor tours now. Then it was unusual. There were decided benefits for sponsors, including contributions to the sponsoring organization as part of the tour cost. Of course, it would be impossible to obtain the expertise of someone like George Waters with the average "tour." The course our conversation was taking met with a bemused and slightly mocking reception. Still, the interest such a tour would have for readers of Pacific Horticulture was obvious. The Ratcliffs declared themselves fellow tour member candidates. The planning began on return to San Francisco where my travel agency was located. The Pacific Horticulture