The Evening News. November 1, 1916

28. El Flor De San Jose

The hollyhock is the flower of San Jose, and it should be cultivated in masses. The hollyhock's other name is la barra de San Jose, or St. Joseph's staff. The hollyhock used to be in all the old gardens, and the reason why is a pretty story. One of the old padres told it.

When the husband was chosen for the Blessed Virgin the young men of her kindred were summoned. They came at the appointed time, each with a staff in hand, as was the way of travelers. It was prophesied that the husband of the Virgin Mary should be he whose staff should break into bloom. St. Joseph, was the honored man. His staff budded. Beautiful flowers like roses bloomed up and down the stem. Thus came the hollyhock, one of the oldest flowers known, the flower of San Jose.

In the old Spanish Californian gardens, according to our modern sophisticated taste, there was not a great variety of flowers. Besides the hollyhock, one of the most popular was flowers la rosa de Castilla, the Castilian rose. You may know it, the old-fashioned, fragrant, pink rose. Sometimes it bloomed white, and as often as twice a year. The Spanish, like all Latins, are a practical race, and they used the Castilian rose as a wash for bad eyes and a salve for the hands.

Besides the Castilian rose was the malva, or geranium, which grows so luxuriantly in California. The malva rosa was often planted by the fathers as a wind break. In reality it is the pink mallow. It is seen much in San Francisco, but it grows in Spain. There is some doubt about whether it was brought to California by the fathers from Spain or whether it came from the islands near Santa Barbara, where it grows wild.

Transcribed by Kitty LaFavor, for the Santa Clara Co. CAGenWeb Project. 2008