Stewart Orchids/Armacost & Royston
Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 11:10 am
last week I had an interesting conversation about these two great orchid nurseries and with a little free time on this holiday weekend, I decided to write a little story about them.
Armacost & Royston predated Stewart Orchids, they were the company that employed Knudsen to teach them aseptic orchid propagation (flasking). The first effort was a dismal failure but that is another story.
Fred Stewart was a wealthy and successful home builder operating in the boom years after World War Two. His wife was Lillian Stewart. They had no children but adopted a son, Bill Stewart. Fred Stewart was a smart businessman, he hired Ernest Hetherington, fresh from the military and the rest is orchid history. Fred Stewart Orchids prospered in the Golden Age of Orchids, both at the home nursery in San Gabriel and the offshoot commercial nursery in Santa Barbara. Ernest made the famous Cym hybrid, Lillian Stewart and also pioneered American Cym color lines as well as a new compact Cym line known as "decorator types". Ably aided by his late wife Elsie, Ernest produced fabulous catalogs too, a literal mine of information for hobbyists and enthusiastic hybridizers alike.
Across town, Armacost & Royston was also forging a great reputation for their Cattleyas and Cyms. Initially Ben Bracey was the Manager but when he left to start his own business, Leo Holguin was chosen to lead the company forward. They made a very wise choice. Like Ernest, Leo loved Cattleyas but he followed more traditional commercial cut flower lines in the main. If Ernest will always be remembered for strokes of genius like Lc Puppy Love 'True Beauty', Leo is remembered for his Spring mossiae-derived lines like Califlora, Irene Holguin and superb semi-albas like Lc Persepolis.
Time passed and in the late 1960's A & R was bought by my first employer, Clarence Chase of Chase Gardens in Eugene, Oregon. The property in West Los Angeles was too valuable for greenhouses so it was sold and new greenhouses were erected in Carpinteria, just south of Santa Barbara and close by Gallup and Stribliing. The orchids thrived there away from the smog and heat of LA.
Chase Gardens decided to compress their huge rose and orchid operation in 1977 so A & R was put on the market. Gallup and Stribling were interested in buying but wisely, Ernest and Bill Stewart who had taken over as Chairman of Stewarts upon the death of his father, decided to buy A & R and keep Leo Holguin on as manager. I had met Bill Stewart but only socially so did not really know him in 1977. But I kept seeing Cyms at the Lab of A & R (very ably run by Irene Holguin) with tags on them saying 'Clone". Most were God-awful and I asked Leo why anyone would select such plants. Leo would smile in his quiet way and say: 'the big boss", meaning of course Bill Stewart.
As I got to know Bill Stewart I realized he was in a different intelligence league to mere mortals. He was your typical Mensa Society type and had worked for the Rand Corporation, doing military contracts. I was at the time learning to fly and had some degree of difficulty learning power on stall correction. I met him for lunch one day, fresh from a frustrating flight lesson and mentioned my problem. He remarked that one of the projects he had headed was to develop a system of teaching the technique to prospective Air Force pilots. A few minutes later I knew exactly how to handle my problem and next flying lesson I had mastered the issue. Needless to say I saw Bill in a very different light from then on. But we agreed to disagree on what constituted a viable commercial Cym!
The combined company prospered and Ned Nash became Leo's right hand man. Bill Stewart's only son Ian also worked in management in the company. Bill had two daughters, one, Arabella Stewart whom I never met. The other, Michael Stewart, was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. A model figure, classic English complexion (from her mother) and a bright personality. She ended up marrying Robert Mitchum's son and he became Governor of Alaska while Michael was the Alaskan first lady. Much more polished than that other crass and well-known Alaskan woman! However they divorced and sadly Michael died of an awful stomach cancer at quite a young age. Without knowing all the details, I suspect the Stewart children were haunted by that familiar problem of growing up with excessive wealth.
Eventually both the San Gabriel property was sold for development and then as Leo retired, Ernest retired, Ned Nash departed for greener pastures and Stewart Orchids moved from Carpinteria to Mississippi, this wonderful orchid legacy business wound down and ceased operation. I still miss these two companies, both of which were all that a real orchid nursery should be. Now Ernest is fortunately still alive at 99 not out. He wrote copiously and it is a tragedy that loss of sight meant that he could not write his much-awaited treatise on the Cattleya Alliance. We will not see his like again I fear.
Armacost & Royston predated Stewart Orchids, they were the company that employed Knudsen to teach them aseptic orchid propagation (flasking). The first effort was a dismal failure but that is another story.
Fred Stewart was a wealthy and successful home builder operating in the boom years after World War Two. His wife was Lillian Stewart. They had no children but adopted a son, Bill Stewart. Fred Stewart was a smart businessman, he hired Ernest Hetherington, fresh from the military and the rest is orchid history. Fred Stewart Orchids prospered in the Golden Age of Orchids, both at the home nursery in San Gabriel and the offshoot commercial nursery in Santa Barbara. Ernest made the famous Cym hybrid, Lillian Stewart and also pioneered American Cym color lines as well as a new compact Cym line known as "decorator types". Ably aided by his late wife Elsie, Ernest produced fabulous catalogs too, a literal mine of information for hobbyists and enthusiastic hybridizers alike.
Across town, Armacost & Royston was also forging a great reputation for their Cattleyas and Cyms. Initially Ben Bracey was the Manager but when he left to start his own business, Leo Holguin was chosen to lead the company forward. They made a very wise choice. Like Ernest, Leo loved Cattleyas but he followed more traditional commercial cut flower lines in the main. If Ernest will always be remembered for strokes of genius like Lc Puppy Love 'True Beauty', Leo is remembered for his Spring mossiae-derived lines like Califlora, Irene Holguin and superb semi-albas like Lc Persepolis.
Time passed and in the late 1960's A & R was bought by my first employer, Clarence Chase of Chase Gardens in Eugene, Oregon. The property in West Los Angeles was too valuable for greenhouses so it was sold and new greenhouses were erected in Carpinteria, just south of Santa Barbara and close by Gallup and Stribliing. The orchids thrived there away from the smog and heat of LA.
Chase Gardens decided to compress their huge rose and orchid operation in 1977 so A & R was put on the market. Gallup and Stribling were interested in buying but wisely, Ernest and Bill Stewart who had taken over as Chairman of Stewarts upon the death of his father, decided to buy A & R and keep Leo Holguin on as manager. I had met Bill Stewart but only socially so did not really know him in 1977. But I kept seeing Cyms at the Lab of A & R (very ably run by Irene Holguin) with tags on them saying 'Clone". Most were God-awful and I asked Leo why anyone would select such plants. Leo would smile in his quiet way and say: 'the big boss", meaning of course Bill Stewart.
As I got to know Bill Stewart I realized he was in a different intelligence league to mere mortals. He was your typical Mensa Society type and had worked for the Rand Corporation, doing military contracts. I was at the time learning to fly and had some degree of difficulty learning power on stall correction. I met him for lunch one day, fresh from a frustrating flight lesson and mentioned my problem. He remarked that one of the projects he had headed was to develop a system of teaching the technique to prospective Air Force pilots. A few minutes later I knew exactly how to handle my problem and next flying lesson I had mastered the issue. Needless to say I saw Bill in a very different light from then on. But we agreed to disagree on what constituted a viable commercial Cym!
The combined company prospered and Ned Nash became Leo's right hand man. Bill Stewart's only son Ian also worked in management in the company. Bill had two daughters, one, Arabella Stewart whom I never met. The other, Michael Stewart, was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. A model figure, classic English complexion (from her mother) and a bright personality. She ended up marrying Robert Mitchum's son and he became Governor of Alaska while Michael was the Alaskan first lady. Much more polished than that other crass and well-known Alaskan woman! However they divorced and sadly Michael died of an awful stomach cancer at quite a young age. Without knowing all the details, I suspect the Stewart children were haunted by that familiar problem of growing up with excessive wealth.
Eventually both the San Gabriel property was sold for development and then as Leo retired, Ernest retired, Ned Nash departed for greener pastures and Stewart Orchids moved from Carpinteria to Mississippi, this wonderful orchid legacy business wound down and ceased operation. I still miss these two companies, both of which were all that a real orchid nursery should be. Now Ernest is fortunately still alive at 99 not out. He wrote copiously and it is a tragedy that loss of sight meant that he could not write his much-awaited treatise on the Cattleya Alliance. We will not see his like again I fear.