By Aenne Carver
Special to SDUN

Independent nurseries rarely stay open long, but Mission Hills Nursery reached its centennial this year. Set on the corner of Fort Stockton and Randolph streets, the nursery’s simple fence covered with perennial morning glory holds up a banner proudly proclaiming their 100 years in operation. Otherwise, the nursery blends unobtrusively into the eclectic neighborhood.

The large corner lot has a charming Craftsman-style house, and the property dips in the back, offering unexpected hideaways for exploration. As you enter the gate, stacks of glazed colorful pots vie for attention with lively annuals. A quick inspection of the plants shows unusual specimens. Wax flowers (Chamelaucium) of all colors, and French lace (Pelargonium crispum variegatum) – a dainty, variegated, scented geranium – are just a couple of the nursery’s gems.

Owners Toni and Fausto Palafox coined an appropriate saying for their nursery: “Where the unusual is the usual.” Indeed, at Mission Hills Nursery even well known plants are available with a twist. For instance, this nursery has several types of passionflower vines, but they also carry the hard-to-find variety that produces an intriguing edible fruit, Frederick (Passiflora edulis).

Mindful of the public’s increased interest in all types of edibles, the nursery brims with tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. Newly popular heirloom tomatoes are abundant, as are vegetables from artichokes to zucchini.

The Palafoxes strive to keep on top of current gardening trends and interests. Fausto teaches greenhouse plant production at Cuyamaca College. He also is the nursery’s landscape expert, designing and installing gardens and hardscape for customers.

Fausto said he had dreamed of owning a nursery since high school, and he was in the corporate sector of the nursery industry for many years. When the opportunity arose in 1989, he and Toni took a risk and bought Mission Hills.

They are only the third owners. Initially, Kate Sessions started the nursery and sold it in 1922 to Giuseppe Antonicello, a loyal employee she encouraged to move to San Diego from Italy. Antonicello’s son Frank then sold it to the Palafoxes.

High school sweethearts, the Palafoxes are masters at keeping a good thing going, and their nursery is no exception. The adventure of ownership has inspired the next generation of Palafoxes. Their son, Tiger (Fausto III), brings fresh technical expertise and savvy business instincts to the nursery.

The nursery’s set-up is much the same as when it last changed hands in 1989. A path still leads from the annuals and perennials to the lower section of the lot. The sunken area is filled with vines, shrubs, fountains, ornamental grasses, succulents and fruit trees. A large assortment of California Natives fills several tables.

The abundant cacti and succulents, located on the far south edge of the property, are housed under a shade cloth and displayed on chartreuse-aqua tables. The sculptural shapes of Sunburst aeonium (Aeonium arboreum) and Blue Chalksticks (Senecio serpens) mingle with intensely orange crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) and the shade loving and angular staghorn ferns.

Roses and fruit trees in bloom are massed on a gentle slope leading up to the street level. This selection changes seasonally. Toni points out, “Plants are not something you need, like groceries – they are something you want. So the experience must be fresh and rewarding for our customers.”

The heart of the nursery is the house, still charming and practical after decades of use. It continues to gather customers who sort through dry goods, like favorite fertilizers, soil amendments and tools. The Palafoxes know most customers by name, and often know several generations of a family.

Fausto was pivotal in launching the Mission Hills Garden Club by collecting names of those who expressed interest in such a club.

“Finally, around 1997, there were enough names on the list Fausto saved to start a garden club,” said Marien Kissling, a founding member.

The club’s initial meetings were held at the nursery. Fausto was the group’s second president in 2000 and the family continues to be passionate supporters of the garden club.

The Palafoxes tune in to customers’ concerns. The nursery is loaded with drought resistant California natives in response to water usage concerns. It is one of largest collections of natives in San Diego County.

The popularity of natives is fairly recent, but drought in San Diego is not a new issue. The region’s lack of rain has always been an issue for gardeners and farmers – even 100 years ago. Back then, Kate Sessions suggested planting her water-wise discoveries from Mediterranean climates, such as bougainvillea.

Sessions was familiar to San Diegans before Mission Hills Nursery opened in 1910 because of her affiliation with Balboa Park. This enduring connection began in 1892, when Sessions leased land to propagate plants in the park. In exchange for the space, Sessions planted 100 trees a year in the park and 300 trees throughout the city.

Today, Sessions’ imprint remains at her nursery as well. One wall holds photos of Sessions as a young woman, and the plant ledger she meticulously kept is available for perusing.

Sessions’ determined personality may have kept the nursery in business in the beginning, but the Palafoxes continue to keep it vital and up to date. They say they feel the nursery’s lasting strength has always come from community support.

“Entire families come – in fact, several generations may come in at one time. We are rooted in this community,” Toni says.