the Coates 1418 Prune which was highly valued for its larger size and suitability as a dried fruit product . In Coates ’ day , prunes brought fame and economic gains to Morgan Hill and Santa Clara Valley . Postcards and real estate flyers boasted of bountiful prune orchards with fragrant blossoms , a picturesque scene just down the road from San Jose .
Leonard traveled abroad , met with respected horticulturalists , and studied their nursery methods . He introduced California growers to both imported and new varieties of prunes , peaches , apples , pears and cherries — more than 200 in total . Along with fruit trees , Leonard cultivated evergreen and deciduous trees , ornamental plants , rose stocks and other products . However , his long-held desire was to promote California native plants and trees . He recruited an ex-forest ranger from the Santa Cruz Mountains to help collect seeds , and in a few years ’ time they were growing many varieties to support the adoption of native species in all types of residential and commercial planting projects .
Leonard hired Robert ( Bob ) Hartman , William Marken and Marion Gregory , all of whom contributed their skills to help the wholesale nursery business flourish . He also employed “ Yoshi ” Yoshikawa , who appears frequently with favorable mentions in Leonard ’ s journals . They continued grafting and cultivating improved fruits , ornamental and native plants , and trees . The priority was to adapt to change without sacrificing quality . This included collaboration with researchers from the University of California ’ s Agricultural Extensions .
As their reputation for quality grew , they received letters and fruit samples from growers from across the country eager to be represented in the Coates Nurseries catalog .
Leonard ’ s later journal entries reflect his growing awareness of the evolutionary changes impacting California agriculture ,
from urban growth and stricter agricultural import / export laws to mechanization and mass production .
“ What an oversight it has been that small , interior towns , in their craze to be able to boast of a paved street , have failed to see the vastly greater benefit to be derived from judicious planting of shade trees . Which would be more likely to induce the traveler to bide a while , a scorching paved street or the cool shade of trees on a summer ’ s day ?”
Leonard passed away in 1931 . His second wife , Annie Ellis Coates taught for many years at Live Oak High School . Leonard and Annie ’ s daughter , Phyllis Coates Farris , was active in the Morgan Hill community and with the Morgan Hill Historical Society , as is true of her daughter , Susan Farris .
Author ’ s Note : In May , Morgan Hill Architect , Lesley Miles , invited Susan Farris and me to walk with her around the perimeter of the original Coates property . According to Lesley , during her college years studying horticulture at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo , she noticed Ceanothus ( California ’ s wild lilac ) plantings with geneticist ’ s tags bearing the name of Leonard Coates , and she wondered who he was . She was delighted to discover that much of his work had taken place in Morgan Hill . Recently , she submitted development plans for a park that is slated to be part of the Hale Avenue Extension project currently underway in Morgan Hill . As it happens , the proposed park is to be located along a section of the original Coates property . Lesley pointed to a newly-planted Ceanothus there , explaining that it ’ s a “ Bob Hartman Ceanothus ,” named for the same man who helped Leonard build his nursery business , bought the business upon Leonard ’ s retirement , and ran it successfully for many years hence .
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