Interviewee: Tom Yutani

Relationship to Nikkei gardeners: Tom is considered one of the foremost experts on the subject of weeds. He wrote the book, Garden Weeds of Southern California, now in its 9th printing.

Date: July 17, 2007

Location: Japanese American National Museum

Brief Description: Tom explains how he came to grow roses in San Francisco.

Transcription
When I came back from camp, that’s the first job I had to do. But, in Japan I was at agriculture school and I had an elementary school teaching certificate. Then I came to the United States. Then, I became a commercial rose grower. I used to raise the best roses in San Francisco area. My rose was number one in United States.

See part 1, part 3 and part 4 of this interview.
____________________________________________

This interview was conducted as part of the Opening Day activities for the exhibition Landscaping America: Beyond the Japanese Garden.