Ruth Patricia Shellhorn, FASLA (1909–2006) was among the most important Southern California landscape architects of the post-war era.

"[1][2][3] With a focus on indoor/outdoor living, she incorporated topography and nature into urban settings to create landscapes in her designs for residences, retail, city and regional parks, universities, and colleges.

[7][8][3] She designed Bullock's department store,[9] the Fashion Square shopping centers at Santa Ana, Sherman Oaks, La Habra and Del Amo in Torrance.

[10] In 1955, she was hired by Walt Disney to create a comprehensive pedestrian circulation system for Disneyland, establishing central landscaping elements of the park.

She focused on bringing restrictions on oil drilling in Santa Monica Bay, a precedent for the goals of the later-enacted California Coastal Act, an advocate for the use of public funding for recreation and parkland acquisition.