Braunton, Ernest.

Ernest Braunton, horticulturist and author of The garden beautiful in California, was born in London, England in 1868. He immigrated with his parents to Iowa in 1872. He moved to Los Angeles in 1887 and married Addie M. Kirkpatrick two years later. They had five children together. Braunton's first agricultural project was Singleton Court, the home of mining millionaire John Singleton. The popularity of Singleton Court helped establish Braunton as a respected consultant of landscape design and horticulture. He planned the layout of the Bryant Botanical Gardens, designed the lily ponds for Henry Huntington and designed ornamental grounds for hundreds of homes in Southern California. Landscape design was just one of Braunton's interests. His knowledge of horticulture, especially the regional flora of Southern California, was extensive and based upon his own exploration of the area. At one point his collection of specimens numbered 1,281. He also had a hand in the development of the avocado industry in Southern California. Positions held at various times include: Lecturer for the University of California Farmers' Institutes; Professor of Landscape Design, University of Southern California; Associate Editor of the California Cultivator 1901-32; Editor Garden Department, Los Angeles Times 1903-36; Garden Doctor, Los Angeles Times 1942-45; Southern California section in Bailey's Cyclopedia of Horticulture; Fellow, Royal Botanical Society of England; and Secretary, Southern California Horticultural Society. Braunton died in 1945.