Putting Some Orange Back in the County : Kumquats Are One Answer to Giving Subdivisions a Taste of Local History

It is regrettable that the loss in the county of thousands of acres of orange groves to development has been so extensive that it seems noteworthy when a developer tries to incorporate some of the agrarian past into the landscaping of new construction. It’s sad, but true. However, the sameness of so much of the housing development that has sprung up makes even a modest gesture worthy of attention.

Local historians estimate that more than 60,000 acres of county orange groves have been paved over since the end of World War II. But there are efforts to show newcomers what they missed, providing a welcome link with the past.

In Tustin, landscape architect Rick Fennell is saying it with kumquats rather than the county’s fabled orange trees. The developers and some Tustin planning officials objected to having orange trees at the Orchards housing development. The opponents warned that the trees were too difficult to maintain, as shown by failed attempts elsewhere. And it is true that an orange tree that fails to bloom is a frustrating sight. Fennell’s answer was kumquats, which have nearly the color and texture of oranges but require less maintenance and water.

The Tustin Ranch development is not alone in trying to conjure agrarian life. The proposed 159-acre Sportstown Anaheim is to include an orchard. Public spaces such as W.O. Hart Park in Orange and George Key Ranch Historic Park in Placentia were designed to keep enough citrus trees to remind us of what once was.

That’s important because while California may be the place where many of us came to reinvent ourselves, we should know what was here before us. Even younger natives of the state are unlikely to have a true picture of the former Orange County. There may be other ideas than planting kumquats to beautify a landscape of endless subdivisions. They should be encouraged.