Slosson Home

Elvenia J. Slosson Endowment for Ornamental Horticulture

Elvenia J. Slosson spent much of her life promoting the enhancement of landscapes, botanical gardens, arboreta, and the introduction and use of ornamental plants in beautifying highways and the landscape.

She founded and served as the first president of the California Garden Clubs and continually encouraged individuals and local groups to work for the enhancement of both public and private outdoor environments.

When Mrs. Slosson died in 1958, she left a gift in trust to the University of California to be used "for the advancement and promotion of the science and practice of horticulture, particularly including ornamental horticulture."

In 1970, the Regents of the University of California established the Elvenia J. Slosson Endowment Fund for the support of research and Extension education in ornamental horticulture. The annual income from the fund was assigned by the Office of the Vice President, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, to fund research and education projects by University researchers and staff. Research and education proposals were solicited annually and evaluated and selected through a competitive review process by an advisory committee consisting of representatives from University of California campuses, Cooperative Extension and the California Garden Clubs. The Advisory Committee recommended to the Office of the Vice President, DANR, those proposals it believed met the purposes of the fund and the quality expected by the University. Grants were awarded for one to three years, contingent upon satisfactory progress as judged by the Advisory Committee.

Severe budget shortfalls in 2009 forced the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources to redirect Slosson Endowment income to retain critical programs and personnel involved in ornamental horticulture education and outreach.

This website remains as an archive of the diverse research and educational projects undertaken in Mrs. Slosson's name that have deepened and broadened the people of California's knowledge of ornamental horticulture.