Ron was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Scotland and England. His father was the head gardener on the large estate where they lived in Hollywood. His family moved to Santa Barbara where Ron attended Santa Barbara High School, taking a special interest in horticulture. He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Ron worked for Mistletoe Sales, followed by a long career working at Griffin Tree and Landscape. He spent a large amount of his time working at Lotusland starting in 1968. In the early 1970s, Ron purchased property off south Patterson Avenue in Goleta and began Por La Mar Nursery. Ron later sold Griffin Tree and Landscape to concentrate on the growth of the nursery. He remains very active in the nursery and sits on the Ag Advisory and Crop Science Advisory Committees at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Ron and his wife have supported Lotusland for 14 years.