Ruth Borun Lecture Series

Longtime Southern California Horticultural Society member Ruth Borun cultivated a highly regarded garden while immersing herself in the people, places and plants of the world of horticulture. In her memory, the Borun family has funded the Ruth Borun Lecture Series to present significant horticulture speakers to fellow and future members of So Cal Hort.

Ruth inherited the gardening gene from her mother and passed it on to Nancy, one of her daughters. They would spend weekends plant hunting: Del Mar for proteas, Carpinteria for orchids, Nuccio's for Camellias and, of course, the Theodore Payne Foundation for California natives. When Ruth could no longer drive to So Cal Hort meetings, Nancy became her chauffeur. Nancy still oversees Ruth's garden and is working on bringing it back to the Chris Rosmini era.

Ruth's collaboration and friendship with landscape designer Christine Rosmini (a SCHS Horticulturist of the Year) lasted for years. They traveled together extensively, visiting gardens and gardeners throughout the world. The result was a garden that was featured in Sunset magazine, in the Los Angeles Times, and in Christopher Lloyd's book, Other People's Gardens (one of only three American gardens in the book).

Photo by John Schoustra

SCHS members are grateful for the memories of Ruth and her garden and thankful that her memory lives on through the Ruth Borun Lecture Series.

Photo courtesy of the Borun Family

Photo by Diana Markosian

2022 Ruth Borun Lecture Series

Online Webinar Thursday, February 10, 2022

On February 10 the Southern California Horticultural Society is pleased to welcome Dr. Suzanne Simard, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia, as this year’s speaker in the Ruth Borun Lecture Series.

Dr. Simard is the leader of The Mother Tree Project, which researches forest renewal practices that protect biodiversity against climate change. Her latest book, Finding the Mother Tree, brings us into the intimate world of trees, exploring the ways in which trees learn and adapt their behaviors, remember the past, demonstrate agency over the future, and cooperate with a sophistication typically ascribed to humans.

Registration is required to attend online: free for SCHS members with a $5 fee for non-members. This webinar will not be recorded or archived on our YouTube Channel. Attendance is limited to 200 viewers.