Five Generations

York Design Group’s green thumb started more than 80 years ago, in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. Jesse York, owner of YDG, is a fifth generation landscape professional.

Five generations ago, Don Elbert (Bert) and Harriet (Hattie) Pack, parents of seven children, moved from Saint George, Utah to Southern California. After a long illness, Bert died when the three youngest boys were 13, 17, and 19 years old. Hattie was then left with the challenge of getting the boys fed, housed and sent off to college. She was determined that her sons would have an education.

In the spring of 1928, shortly after the death of Bert, Hattie had a dream one night while pondering her circumstances. In her dream, she saw the San Fernando Valley of North-West Los Angeles, filled with new home construction. She awoke the next morning knowing that all these new homes would need landscaping and said to her oldest son Paul, "Let's go out today and look for a business site to start a nursery." Before lunch that day, they had purchased a corner lot on Kester and Greenleaf in Sherman Oaks. Pack Brothers Nursery was born and remained a strong presence in the valley for more than 40 years.

The oldest son Paul, would eventually serve as a church missionary and landscape the Polynesian Culture Center in Hawaii starting in 1960. After 25 years, in Hawaii, he returned to California and settled in Oceanside where he died in 1992.

Jesse's great-grandmother, Claire Pack Parke, was a gardener in her own right and taught Jesse's mother, Pam, many things about gardening. She passed on her love of the earth and growing plants.

In the third generation, Jesse's Grandfather, John Wesley (Jack) Parke, was a fireman in Los Angeles for about 25 years. In his spare time, he received an associate degree in Landscape Horticulture and grew bonsai plants. He also designed gardens for his friends and neighbors until he died in 1989.

Jesse's mother, Pam York, after raising seven children, finished her college degree in landscape horticulture. Shortly thereafter, she got her CA state contractor’s license and started Heritage Garden Design. She operated her business in San Diego County between the years of 2000 and 2004.

While growing up, Jesse also had a love for the outdoors and gardening. From gardening with his mother at an early age, to getting landscape construction certified in high school, he knew that landscaping was his passion. After high school, Jesse attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he earned his Bachelors of Landscape Architecture. Prior to starting YDG, he gained valuable work experience at MW Architecture & Centex Homes. Since founding York Design Group, he has enjoyed the design/build process of creating outdoor environments that meet the lifestyle needs of each of his clients.