Oda Nursery started in Westminster, California by Issei Harunori (Harry) Oda and his Nisei wife Mitsuko (Mitsy) in 1958. Their first crop was field grown pansies on 2.5 acres of land at Bolsa Avenue and Bushard Street. Soon they added a flower stand, grew Junipers in containers and added more varieties of landscape plants to meet the demand of the Orange County home construction boom. The wholesale nursery concentrated on growing shrubs, trees, vines and groundcover for retail nurseries, landscapers and Kmarts.
The motto “Watch Us Grow” reflected the business. Harry Oda was a good planner and bought more land adjacent to his original site. He also sought out growing grounds and in 1962 was one of the first to lease land from Southern California Edison. By the late 1960’s there were 7 growing grounds in Anaheim and Huntington Beach under the power lines and 17 acres at the original Westminster location. After the nursery maxed out of space, Harry looked to lease 250 acres from Rancho Mission Viejo in San Juan Capistrano. In 1978 the entire operation consolidated down south along with all the homebuilders. The 1970’s and 1980’s were robust years and the demand for plants increased across the country. The mild weather allowed Oda Nursery to grow a broad assortment of plants for different regions of the country and sales to chain and warehouse stores kept Oda Nursery’s shipping docks full and busy.
After a heart attack in 1979, Harry passed the nursery to his son, Ken who had been working there most of his life. This transfer gladdened Harry since he felt his broken English hindered his ability to do business. Harry continued to pursue his real estate, horse racing and golf interests until he passed away in 2016 at the age of 91. Ken continued running the business until 1997 when Oda Nursery was sold to Color Spot Industries from San Diego. Oda Nursery employed 125 full time workers, produced 2,000 product combinations, shipped nationwide, had 20 acres of shade houses, 100,000 square feet of greenhouses on over 200 acres of land. Much of Oda Nursery’s success is attributed to the amazing timing Harry and Mitsy experienced during the entire 40 year span, having employees and customers who supported the business, and hard work to pursue their dreams.
Harunori (Harry) & Mitsuko (Mitsy) Oda
Oda Nursery on Bolsa Avenue in Westminster
Harry and Ken Oda
Harry Oda in San Juan Capistrano