Visit Pat Pizzo’s Garden of California Native Trees and Shrubs in San Jose

Oak Canyon Neighbor, Friend, and Leader, Who Always Fostered Community.

Inscription on the memorial stone for Pat in his garden of native plants.

The Garden

Few people establish a botanical garden on their street let alone do so almost singlehandedly. But the late Patrick “Pat” Pizzo, San Jose State professor of engineering materials, lifelong gardener, activist, and volunteer truly was a remarkable man.

Gardening on Capitancillos Drive was nothing new for Pat. As a boy growing up in San Jose’s Willow Glen, he negotiated with his nextdoor neighbor for a 12′ X 12′ plot in the neighbor’s yard and created a productive vegetable garden.

While serving in the Air Force, he received a Green Thumb Award for planting pumpkins on the base.

In 1994, with the help of neighbors and the urban forestry non-profit Our City Forest, Pat designed, organized, and planted 128 oak trees, mostly California Live Oaks, on his street in Almaden.

In 2002 he began planting native shrubs and plants compatible with the trees. Each is labelled with its scientific and popular names. Some “plants pre-existed, and these were included in the project.”

By 2012 the garden had 320 plants and shrubs.

The trees and shrubs can be seen today in their maturity and splendor along the undeveloped side of Capitancillos Drive. The garden runs for six-tenths of a mile next to a meadow by Guadalupe Creek.

Caring for the Garden

Creating a botanical garden is a huge job in itself, but Pat went the extra mile. He pruned, fertilized, and watered the trees.

Watering in particular was time-consuming considering the number of new trees and the 15 gallons of water each required every two weeks.

To make the work easier, Pat’s daughter purchased a large wagon at Orchard Supply Hardware to transport water. “I crammed the wagon with jugs of water and pulled it down the street.”

A few years later Pat and his neighbors began attaching long hoses to homeowners’ faucets along the watering route. Being drought-resistant California natives, the oaks were not watered during the 2014 drought. “It was time for them to be on their own.”

Pat’s showcase of drought-resistant plants has been useful to homeowners seeking their own water-wise gardens. It provides them with planting and design ideas.

Local Activism and Volunteering

Pat’s impact on San Jose extends well beyond his native garden. He fought to save trees in San Jose and opposed what he felt was dubious commercial development,

In 2010, when PG&E earmarked trees for removal beneath power lines at Jeffrey Fontana and TJ Martin Parks–simply because it was tired of pruning them–outraged residents formed a neighborhood action group.

Pat was chair of its vital Restoration and Improvement Committee. Under his direction dozens of native shrubs were planted, and PG&E was coaxed into raising the height of its powerlines to accommodate new trees.

He also successfully fought commercial development of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. He feared it would result in “an economically challenged Santana Row,” a reference to the upscale commercial and residential development near the Winchester Mystery House.

I became acquainted with Pat when I was a member of the Tree Care team at Our City Forest charged with watering the trees we planted at Branham.

Every two weeks I drove a truck that hauled the 500 gallon “Buffalo” from OCF’s East San Jose yard to the football field. There I would meet up with Pat and his crew of eight or 10 students.

As we worked our way up the line of oaks behind the stands, Pat directed the kids who carried five gallon buckets of water to each tree. He had a commanding presence, but no one could miss the kindness behind it.

In the last years of his life, Pat volunteered as a tutor at Branham High School.

On the side, he cared for newly planted Blue Oaks behind Branham’s football field.

I remarked to Pat how impressed I was with the students, who earnestly carried out their duties. He replied, “Yes! They make me feel good about our future.”

In October of 2017, I helped plant two Manzanitas and an Ironwood tree with Pat and another member of OCF.

Neighborhood Memorial

Pat died on January 2, 2020 at the age of 75.