The company was founded in the early 1890s in Ontario, California, and became known for its mail-order business, rose breeding program, and contributions to the horticultural industry.
Armstrong chose to leave and establish his own nursery at the corner of Euclid Avenue and A Street (now Holt Boulevard).
[1] Shortly after, Horsley and Eaton offered Armstrong $15 to rename the business, as they also objected to the name Ontario Nursery.
His catalogs not only served as a way to distribute plants but also helped promote the boosterism of Southern California as a lush paradise, encouraging people across North America to envision the region as an ideal place to live.
In 2014, the company’s legacy was explored with an exhibit called Paradise of Fruit and Flower at the Ontario Museum of History and Art, which documented the nursery’s contributions to Southern California’s horticultural industry.