The Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation Collection is the organizational and research records of an association of California horticulturalists active from 1952 to 2006. The Foundation's goal was to improve and enrich western ornamental horticulture through the promotion of shade trees, California native plants, and drought-tolerant plants. The collection spans the years 1938-2008 (bulk 1950-1998) and includes minutes, correspondence, financial records, research notes and data, project plans, and photographs relating to the Foundation's operation and horticultural research.

The Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation (SHRF) was founded in 1952 by a small group committed to improving western horticulture. Named after the location of its original headquarters on Verde Vista Lane in Saratoga, California, the SHRF grew out of nurseryman Ray Hartman's vision of a horticultural experiment station for developing hardy, reliable trees and shrubs for the California landscape. Hartman engaged his longtime friend Maunsell Van Rensselaer, a horticulturalist, and a handful of others interested in examining the possibility of establishing an experiment station as a foundation. Ultimately, the SHRF was established as a non-profit organization under the direction of a Board of Trustees, which was guided by a Board of Councillors drawn from prominent figures in the fields of western horticulture, arboriculture, landscape design, and botany. The Foundation's activities were guided by a director who reported to the Board of Trustees.

47.5 linear feet

Publication Rights Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections, University of California, Library, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.