Goodbye to gardening legacy and great man
Steve Kawaratani
“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the garden.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
“Do not go gentle into the good night.”
-- Dylan Thomas
“You won’t be able to join us this time,” Uncle Sam told me
gently, “but we’ll go together next time.” My uncle had driven down
from Costa Mesa to comfort me -- the planned trip to the opening of
Disneyland with my cousins had been postponed, at least for me, due
to an upset stomach. I was inconsolable, so my parents turned to my
favorite uncle to salvage their weekend.
I admired Isamu “Sam” Tanaka from the first day I met him. Laconic
and more laid back than my father, he was his fun-loving counterpart.
Not that he didn’t work hard; he just knew how and when to party.
Last year alone, he drove to Las Vegas almost monthly, to test his
luck.
Sam Tanaka grew up in Huntington Beach and served in the army
during WWII.
He married my father’s sister, Yoshiko, six months after my father
and mother wed in 1949. He established a landscape gardening business
that prospered for over 40 years, until his retirement in 1990. Many
of Laguna’s finest gardens were under his care for decades. He truly
was the master gardener.
My uncle kept me busy -- from dividing Bird of Paradise in his
garden to planting the countless red, zonal geranium and nemesia he
loved to grow.
His affinity to plant culture was second to no one, including my
fabled father, Pete. After my father passed away, Uncle Sam kept my
mom’s kitchen filled with fresh vegetables and fruit.
The man loved to fish. I have to believe that he filled our dinner
plates at least two meals a week. I guess that’s the reason I am so
fond of yellowtail and barracuda. A novice fisherman myself, he
constantly supplied me with tips that still elude me to this day.
I was thinking about my Uncle Sam as I was driving up through Baja
-- how I wanted to share some fish stories and show him our recently
remodeled home.
It was not to be, as his great heart finally gave out last week. I
celebrate his life as he truly burned and raged until the very last
day.
See you next time.
* STEVE KAWARATANi is the owner of Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,
1278 Glenneyre Street. He is married to local artist, Catharine
Cooper, and has three cats. He can be reached at (949) 497-2438, or
e-mail to plantm@lagunanursery.com.
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