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Svea V. Lindquist and Helga Olson Papers
MS 331
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Title: Svea V. Lindquist and Helga O. Olson papers
Dates: 1875-1991
Collection number: MS 331
Creator:
Lindquist, Svea V.
Creator:
Olson, Helga O.
Collection Size:
2 boxes
Repository:
University of California, Santa Cruz. University Library.
Special Collections and Archives
Santa Cruz, California 95064
Abstract: This collection contains biographical material, correspondence, photographs and information about "The Rock Garden Nursery"
in San Mateo, CA.
Physical location: Stored in Special Collections & Archives: Advance notice is required for access to the papers.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Collection open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permission to publish or to reproduce the material, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Svea V. Lindquist and Helga O. Olson papers. MS 331. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of
California, Santa Cruz.
Gift of Roy and Francis Rydell
Svea Victoria Lindquist was born in Gotenburg, Sweden in 1881. She was from an affluent family and attended private school
where she met Helga Ottila Olson. Svea studied landscape gardening and apprenticed in gardens in Gotenburg, Helsinki, and
England from 1894-1912. In 1916 she came to the United States for a visit and stayed to take a position as governess. By 1921
she was in Maine working as governess for the Robert Law family.
Helga's family manufactured shoes in Gotenburg. She also studied landscape gardening in Europe. In the early 1900s, Helga
came to the United States, to visit a brother who raised strawberries on Bainbridge Island near Seattle and decided to stay.
By 1925 the ladies had reunited and were living in California, in the San Francisco peninsula. They had became gardening consultants
for wealthy clients who owned estates in the San Mateo area. In the 1930's they established "The Rock Garden Nursery" in San
Mateo. They exhibited at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939-1940 where they earned a Certificate
of Merit.
In 1943 Svea and Helga moved to Santa Cruz County, where their friends, the Laws, were living at Lawridge Farm and breeding
polo ponies. They settled into the Landreth Errington house on the Lawridge Farm with life tenancy granted by Robert Law.
In 1948, they met Roy and Francis Rydell who were in the area looking for a caretaker's job. The ladies asked the Laws if
they could use another set of hands. The Laws agreed and the Rydells settled into the guest house "Cowslip" where they stayed
for a year and a half until 1952-53. Svea and Helga introduced Roy to their gardening clientele on the peninsula where they
were still engaged as gardening consultants. Roy, then a stuggling young artist, became a landscape architect through the
efforts and training of these two ladies.
Svea and Helga lived and gardened at the "Little Farm House" until 1973 when Svea died. Helga had died in 1971.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection contains biographical material, correspondence, photographs and information about "The Rock Garden Nursery"
in San Mateo, CA.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Lindquist, Svea V. (Victoria)--Archives
Olson, Helga O. (Ottilia)--Archives
Landscape gardening
California--Scotts Valley--Santa's Village