NARGS SPEAKER LIST
The NARGS Speaker List was organized to meet the requests of Chapter Chairpersons and Chapter Program Chairpersons for ideas of people to contact to give programs to their chapters or perhaps to a regional meeting of chapters. The following people generously offered to be included on this list and sent the information which you will find below.
CARLO A. BALISTRIERI
TODD BOLAND
CLIFF BOOKER
ALAN BRADSHAW
CLAIRE COCKCROFT
PAM EVELEIGH
JUDY GLATTSTEIN
BARRY GLICK
HARRY JANS
MIKE KINTGEN
ANNA LEGGATT
JOHN T. LONSDALE
PHILIP MACDOUGALL
GORDON MACKAY
ROBIN MAGOWAN and JULIET MATTILA
MARTA MCDOWELL
JANE MCGARY
MARTHA OLIVER
DAVID SELLARS
MARCIA TATROE
MARK TURNER
DICK TYLER
BOBBY J. WARD
J. IAN YOUNG
ELISABETH ZANDER
These are all very knowledgeable and experienced speakers offering a wide range of programs of interest to the membership of NARGS. We hope you will avail yourself of the opportunity to engage them to speak to your chapters.
It is important to note that chapters are responsible for contacting these speakers whose names are on this list to inquire about their honorariums and compensation for travel expenses (transit and lodging, or arranging lodging). In addition, chapters are responsible for securing the necessary information regarding the equipment they will require making their presentation, any special needs, allergies or lodging requirements they might have. Chapters need to use this list for this program to be successful. If your chapter is unable to afford a speaker, then organize a regional meeting in your area. Help is available for organizing a regional meeting in the Meeting Planning Guidelines.
If you or someone you know is interested in providing programs to various chapters around the country, please ask them to send their information to Jim Dronenburg Your ideas and suggestions regarding this list are welcome.
THE SPEAKERS
CARLO A. BALISTRIERI
Burlington, ON, Canada
contact
Carlo Balistrieri became head of Horticulture at the Royal Botanical Gardens after a stint as Executive Director of the Gardens at Turtle Point in Tuxedo Park, New York. There he presided over the development of a private botanical garden with an extensive set of gardens including several rock gardens, a hardy cactus and succulent bed, many perennial, woodland and display gardens. Prior to that, he was Curator of the Rock Garden at The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York. There he shepherded the world famous garden formerly known as the “T.H. Everett Memorial Rock Garden.” NYBG’s rock garden is often considered its crown jewel, the heart of the garden. It is the most complex and diverse planting at the garden and contained over 3000 taxa planted in distinctly created habitat areas that included scree beds, moraine, pet beds, alpine meadow, crevice garden, trough plantings, woodland areas, bog garden and small “jewel-box” gardens – created on faux outcrops to grow choice tiny specimens that might not survive the rigors of more open planting. H has personally grown an astounding range of plants, from single-celled bioluminescent algae to Sequoia sempervirens, bulbs to epiphytes, and orchids to cacti to African violets. For a time he owned and operated Nemorosa Orchids and Exotic Plants; and Nemorosa Horticulture, where he designed and installed gardens as far afield as the Azores Islands. He is a photographer, writer, speaker, and a lawyer – but don’t hold that against him.
TOPICS:
Simple Exercises for Tighter Buns
Gardening on the Rocks with a Twist
Miniature Orchid Growing
The Best Ways to Kill an Orchid
A Passion for Plants
The New York Botanical Garden’s Rock Garden
Photography in the Garden
Bulb’s for Shade
Perennial Plant Combinations
Garden Photography: Taking Snapshots of Making Photographs
Home Grown Orchids
A Space for Every Plant, and Every Plant in a Space: Using Your Home’s Microclimates
Not Your Grandma’s Houseplants: Unusual and Amazing Plants for Your Home
How’d They Do That! A Peek under the Mulch at NYBG
Made in the Shade
Maintenance-Free Gardening
Orchids under Lights
Orchids: Mini’s on my Mind
The Secrets of Hardy Orchid Growing
The Basics of Flower and Garden Photography
Stem and Caudiciform Succulents: You’re not in Kansas Anymore!
Sustainable Horticulture
The Real Crown Jewels
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
75’th Annual Meeting of the North American Rock Garden Society, Portland, OR
Portuguese Chapter of the Mediterranean Garden Society
American Orchid Society Annual Meeting
The New York Botanical Garden
Commencement Address at the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York
Botanical Garden
Trustee’s meetings of the American Orchid Society
Wisconsin Wetlands Conference
The Milwaukee Bar Association
Reeves-Reed Arboretum
Greater New York Orchid Society
Wisconsin Orchid Society
Hillwood Museum and Gardens, Jodi Fetzer,
Berkshire Chapter, Contact Peter George
Delaware Valley Chapter, Contact Betty Mackey
TODD BOLAND
ST. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada
contact
Todd began gardening at the age of ten in St. Johns. Because of the rigorous climate, he soon graduated from vegetables and flowers to alpine plants and built his first rockery at age eighteen. He has been cultivating alpine and woodland plants ever since. After a number of positions in horticulture, he joined the staff at the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden as a research horticulturist. He has recently released four books: “The Wildflowers of Fogo and Change Islands, Newfoundland”, “A Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Newfoundland and Labrador”, 'A Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Maritimes', and 'A Guide to the Wildflowers of Nova Scotia'. He has been actively involved in the NARGS website development, writing the “Plant of the Month” feature and as administrator for the NARGS image gallery. He also acts as one of five moderators for the NARGS forum. He joined the Newfoundland Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society in 1994, is currently the chair and is a past director of NARGS.
TOPICS:
Alpines of Eastern North America…Appalachians through Newfoundland.
Arctic-alpines of Newfoundland Limestone Barrens.
Arctic-alpines of Baffin Island and Greenland.
Spring Alpines of the Aragonian Pyrenees, Spain.
Alpines of the Ecuadorian Andes.
Flora of the Fynbos: Spring in the Cape Town Region of South Africa.
Alpines of the Canada-US Peace Parks. This presentation concentrates on the alpines of Alberta’s Waterton National Park and neighboring Glacier National Park in Montana. The Alpine Garden of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden. Alpines of the Beartooth Mountains, Montana. Alpines of the Big Horns, Wyoming. Dwarf Rhododendrons and other Ericaceous plants for the Rockery. Boraginaceae for the Rock and Woodland Garden: A Study in Blue
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
2001 EWSW hosted by the Hudson Valley Chapter
2005 Annual Meeting hosted by the Newfoundland Chapter
8th International Alpine Conference hosted by the AGS
Calgary Rock and Alpine Society, contact Cathy Kurio
Rocky Mountain Chapter, contact Mike Kintgen/Panayoti Kaliedis,
Minnesota Chapter, contact Rick Roddich/Meredith Schurr
Great Lakes Chapter, contact John Serowicz
Wisconsin-Illinois Chapter, contact Ed Glover
Ottawa Valley Chapter, contact Judy Wall
Ontario Chapter, contact Barrie Porteous Perennial Plant Association, 2013 Meeting in Vancouver Association of Nova Scotia Gardeners
WEBSITE: http://www.mun.ca/botgarden/
CLIFF BOOKER
Whitworth, Lancashire, United Kingdom
contact
As an Alpine enthusiast for nearly thirty years, Cliff founded the East Lancashire Group of the Alpine Garden Society. He is a Gold Medal and double Farrer Medal winning exhibitor and is a well known photographer, writer, lecturer and artist. He lectures regularly to AGS groups, natural history and photographic societies across the U.K and in 2010 completed a NARGS Speaker Tour program of the Eastern Chapters. Cliff has lectured in Belgium and Italy and will complete a ten-venue lecture tour of New Zealand in November 2013. He will be the Scottish Rock Garden Club's traveling speaker in February 2014. His three articles about the NARGS Speakers Tour appeared in the Winter and Spring 2011 issues of Volume 69 of the Rock Garden Quarterly. He and his wife, Sue, have lead tours of the Dolomites for Collett’s Mountain Holidays for the past ten years.
Cliff is the co-author of "Mountain Flowers - The Dolomites" published February 2012.
TOPICS:
Alpine Fever. A light-hearted look at alpine gardening in the U.K. specifically compiled for a North American audience.
Outstanding Gardens. An array of stunning gardens from around the world.
Cream of Alpines. A look at thirty species or genera that have influenced my love of alpine plants. Features over five hundred individual images.
A NARGS Tour of America. The Gardens, the Gardeners and Their Generosity.
The Definitive Dolomites. a 70 minute lecture looking at these glorious mountains and their spectacular flora.
Alpines in Focus. A presentation that demonstrates that any enthusiast can take stunning digital photographs of mountain plants in their natural habitats, whatever their choice of camera.
Some shorter talks that can be combined:
The Show scene in the UK.
The Algarve. A look at the landscapes, natural history, orchids and wild flowers of this unique area of Portugal.
The Gargano. The spectacular orchids and floral splendours of Southern Italy.
The Picos de Europa and Southern Spain. The scenery and alpine flora of these bewitching Spanish mountains.
Switzerland. The ultimate in alpine floras – in our humble opinion.
The Peloponnese and Crete.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
WI-IL Chapter. Contact Ed Glover
Piedmont Chapter. Contact Bobby Ward
Berkshire Chapter. Contact Anne Spiegel
WEBSITE:
No website but further information at the following links
https://www.nargs.org/sites/default/files/page-attachments/booker_profile.pdf
https://www.nargs.org/sites/default/files/page-attachments/booker_lectures.pdf
ALAN BRADSHAW
Kiowa, Colorado
contact
Alan started his seed company, ALPLAINS, in 1989 in part out of his frustration in trying to find certain rare plant seeds. He began to collect seed from his garden on the eastern plains of Colorado and then from the wild flora of the western United States. Small seed lists in the early 1990’s were followed by his first color catalog in 1994. Growth has continued steadily and now he offers over 1300 rare and unusual plant species, including a large selection of cactus seed. He remains “Dedicated to the Preservation of Wild Flora and Dissemination of the Harvest.”
TOPICS:
Wild Flora of the Western United States
Seed Germination & Propagation Techniques
Desert Flora of the United States
High Alpines of the Western United States
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
STP Speaker to seven chapters
Alaska (two locations) Chapter
Emerald Chapter
Wasatch Chapter
Shasta Chapter. Contact, Clara Church
Sierra Chapter
Siskiyou Chapter. Contact
WI-IL Chapter. Contact, Ed Glover
Rocky Mountain Chapter. Contact, Kathleen Stewart
BNARGS. Contact, Elizabeth Zander
New England Chapter. Contact, Rosemary Monahan
Connecticut Chapter. Contact, Anne Spiegel
Calgary Chapter. Contact, Stephanie Ferguson
Eastern Winter Study Weekend in Hartford, CT. Contact, Peter George
WEBSITE: http://www.alplains.com
CLAIRE COCKCROFT
Bellevue, Washington
contact
A computer programmer by trade, Claire has been gardening since she was a small child. In 1987, she moved to Washington State, a great contrast to the semi-desert of Southern California where she grew up. Her first house in Washington was sited in the cool, dense shade of second-growth firs and cedars so she concentrated on primulas, woodlanders, and Himalayan plants. Since moving to Bellevue, she has added sun-lovers to her list. She grows primulas, meconopsis, lilies, peonies, cardiocrinums, trilliums and other woodlanders, and hardy orchids, but will try almost anything that she can grow from seed. Since 2001, she has traveled to several countries to see plants in their native habitat, photographing and learning how they might be grown.
TOPICS:
Primulas in the Wild and in Cultivation
Parnassos and the Peloponnese: Spring Wildflowers of Southern Greece
Spring Wildflowers of Crete
Trekking in the Dolomites
China, Your Garden Plants and Then Some!
A Trek in the Indian Himalayas
Turkey, from Trabzon to Gazi Antep
Patagonia, Volcanoes and Violas
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
VIRAGS and The Vancouver Primula Group, Contact Maedythe Martin
Alpine Garden Club of British Columbis, Contact David Sellars
Portland Chapter, Contact Jay Lunn
Northwestern Chapter, Contact Donna Wylie
PAM EVELEIGH
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
contact
While hiking as a child with her parents Pam developed an interest in alpine plants and photography, often taking pictures of the alpine plants she saw. Her interests in hiking continued as she enjoyed these same activities with her husband and sons. As an alpine enthusiast, most of her plants were grown from seed. Soon she began to realize that most of her seed selections were primulas. However, it was difficult to find pictures of many of the primulas. In 2000, she began to scan primula pictures into her computer. She soon realized that this would be a helpful tool for other gardeners too. It was then that Primula World was born, her website which contains a vast multitude of pictures of Primulas growing in gardens and in the wild. She travels widely photographing and studying Primulas and other Alpine Plants growing in their native habitats around the world. She has served on the Board of Directors for the American Primrose Society and is a founding member of the Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society (CRAGS).
TOPICS:
The Genus Primula. An understandable look at the taxonomy.
Himalayan Primulas
Tibetan Primulas
Alpines in Tibet
Flora of Alberta
Flower Photography (workshop)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
NARGS EASTERN CHAPTER SPEAKING TOUR, Fall 2009, Contact Maria Galletti,
Ontario Chapter, Contact Barrie Porteous
VIRAGS, Contact Yvonne Rorison
CRAGS, Contact Cathy Kurio
WEBSITE: www.everleigh.biz
www.primulaworld.com
JUDY GLATTSTEIN
Frenchtown, New Jersey
contact
Judy is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden, Rutgers Gardens at Rutgers University and a frequent speaker at the Leonard J. Buck Garden. She lectures across the United States and abroad to garden clubs, horticultural societies and professional organizations on a wide variety of horticultural topics. She has authored a number of books including “Bulbs for Garden Habitats”, “Consider the Leaf”, “Made for the Shade”, “Enhance Your Garden with Japanese Plants”, and “Garden Design with Foliage”. Her articles appear frequently in publications such as Cottage Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design and Horticulture, among others. Judy is a past chair of both the Watnong and Connecticut Chapters. She gardens in New Jersey on nine wooded acres.
TOPICS:
Little Bulbs for Rock and Woodland Gardens. A look at spring and fall flowering bulbs, with planting instructions, their maintenance and care, and companion plants.
Consider the Leaf – Foliage for Garden Design. Very useful for woodland gardens where flowering is most prolific in the spring, leaving foliage as the interest for the remainder of the year.
Classic Rock Gardens of Connecticut and Massachusetts. (H. Lincoln Foster, John Osborne, Katrink Hull, Margo Parrot).
On the Rocks: Concepts and Plants for the Rock Garden. (Begins with a look at land above the tree line, lower elevation rocky outcrops, individual plant portraits, the Leonard Buck Garden in NJ, more).
Color and Combination in the Perennial Border. Beginning with color theory, a discussion of complementary colors and how we perceive color, then continuing with applications in the herbaceous border.
Its Different Abroad: The Gardens of (choose one) Japan, Holland, or England and Ireland. (Includes culture, history, and geography).
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Watnong Chapter. Contact, Ying Huang
Hudson Valley Chapter. Contact, Don Dembowski
Delaware Native Plant Society. Contact, Quenton C. Schlieder, Jr.
NARGS Chapters in Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Vancouver, BC
Royal Horticultural Society at their Great Autumn Show in London
ISU in Liss, the Netherlands
Keynote speaker at international conference in Kobe, Japan
WEBSITE: www.bellewood-gardens.com
BARRY GLICK
Sunshine Farm & Gardens
Renick, WV
contact
Barry is Summa Cum Laude graduate of UHK (University of Hard Knocks). His speaking experience is extensive and has taken him worldwide. His articles have appeared in American Nurseryman, Fine Gardening, Perennial Plant Association Journal, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Journal and others.
TOPICS:
Something Old, Something New, Something Yada Yada Yada.
Woodland Wonders from the Wild.
Destination Helleborus.
Hardy Cyclamen - A No Brainer.
The Joy of Propagation or Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Plant Propagation But Were Afraid To Ask.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
http://www.greatgardenspeakers.com/listing/barry-glick-4c2232a1879a0.html
WEBSITE: http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=36858
HARRY JANS
Jans Alpines
Loenen, Netherlands
contact
Harry is a regular lecturer at conferences and Study Weekends in Holland, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, USA and Canada when he is not giving tours to the alpine regions of the world.
TOPICS:
Alpines on Tufa
Plant portraits
Flowers of the Incas
Flowers along the Silk Road
Plant hunting on the Roof of the World
WEBSITE: https://www.jansalpines.com
MIKE KINTGEN
Denver, Colorado
contact
Mike Kintgen is senior horticulturist at the Denver Botanic Gardens where he oversees the Alpine Collection including the Rock Alpine Garden, Trough Collection and the alpine satellite garden at Mount Goliath west of Denver on the Mt Evans Massif. He has traveled widely through the western US, Northern Mexico, Patagonian Argentina, Southern Europe and Morocco.
He began gardening at a young age with a specific interest in alpine and rock garden plants. He currently gardens in both Denver and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The two different climates allow him to experiment with a wide range of plant material.
TOPICS:
Plants of the Western United States
Plants of the Great Basin
Alpines of Colorado and Wyoming
Copper Canyon Mexico
Patagonia
Four Seasons of Interest in the Rock Garden
Tailored Topics for Your Chapter
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Denver Botanic Gardens. Contact, Panayoti Kelaides
Gardens on Spring Creek. Contact, Laura Atwood (Horticulture Program Director)
Peter Korn’s Spring 2011 Symposium. Contact Peter Korn
ANNA LEGGATT
East York, ON, Canada
contact
Anna is a nature interpreter for Toronto Region Conservation Authority at the Kortright Center for Conservation. She lectures at the Toronto Botanical Garden and Horticultural Societies, is a member of the Garden Writers Association and writes regularly for the Journal of the Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plants Society and Trellis, the newsletter for the Toronto Botanical Garden. She travels widely (on every continent) photographing wild flowers and nature. She won a first prize and placed in one of the NARGS photographic competitions.
TOPICS:
Dolomites
Patagonia
South Africa - bulbs, spring wildflowers + the Drackensberg
Spain
Spring Wildflowers of Persia – the Zagros Mountains in Iran, a favorite of hers.
Western China
Wildflowers of Western Australia
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
ORGS. Contact Marion Jarviel
Ottawa Chapter. Contact Judy Wall
JOHN T. LONSDALE
Exton, Pennsylvania
contact
Before moving to the US in 1995, John was active with the Alpine Garden Society specializing in the cultivation in pots of rare plants and bulbs. In 1995, he was awarded the AGS Gold Merit Medal.
John and his family moved to SE Pennsylvania where he now grows in ground innumerable in-character hardy plants, especially ‘bulbs’, woodland plants and many flowering trees and shrubs. He has extensive plantings of woodlanders, including Trillium, Hellebores, Cypripedium, Hepatica and Epimedium and definitive collections of Cyclamen, Crocus, Iris, Corydalis, Narcissus, Frittilaria and Erythronium species. The only pots he grows now are seedlings and a few tender Cyclamen species in his two greenhouses. He sows 600 pots of seed annually as he feels that propagation is the key to a successful garden.
John is an active member of the Daphne Society, AGS, Cyclamen Society, NARGS, SRGC and many other specialty plant groups. He contributes articles to a number of societies and lectures widely. He maintains a website which features over 8000 images of his garden and the plants he grows.
TOPICS:
The Magic of Cyclamen
Unusual Bulbs for the Garden
Pushing the Limits
Fall bulbs – Untapped Treasures
Bulbs for Shade
Species Iris
Spring Bulbs
Bulbs Under Glass
Woodland Treasures
New Enthusiasms
Alpine Primulaceae
Daphne’s
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Denver Botanic Gardens, Contact Panayoti Kelaidis
Vancouver Hardy Plant Society, Contact Gillian Collins
Taconic Gardeners Club, Contact Krys Mernyk
Longwood Gardens Symposium, Contact Shelby French
Mt Cuba Trillium Symposium, Contact Jeanne Frett
Berkshire Chapter, Contact Elisabeth Zander
WEBSITE: www.edgewoodgardens.net
PHILIP MACDOUGALL
BC, Canada
contact
Philip is the president of The Alpine Garden Club of BC. A fairly recent enthusiast of botanical travels but making up for lost time, he has visited many of the most diverse of the globes temperate floras. He is a registered nurse practicing at the BC Cancer Agency but also potters about at his small nursery, Chlorophyllia. Much of the material grown is from his own seed collections.
TOPICS:
Dempster Diving. Two weeks along the Dempster highway at the Arctic Circle, an area of high endemism that served as a refuge from the last glaciations. Glorious alpines, and if you follow the trail to the Klondike Gold Rush, dancing girls.
A comparison between the temperate floras of eastern Asia and those of North America based on travel to Taiwan, Korea, Japan and the east and west coasts of North America.
Flora of Tasmania. Alice in Wonderland meets horticulture, where Rhododendrons are replaced by the Epacrids, lilies become grass trees and mountain moors are covered in Astellia.
Temperate Flora of Taiwan. It’s not called the Emerald Island because of it’s a source of cheap green plastic.
A Carolinian Spring. Discussing the woody plants and ephemerals of the deciduous forests of Carolina with an aside on the International Trillium Symposium of 2008.
Chile. Alpines and temperate flora of central Chile and Argentina. Land of the Monkey Puzzle Tree.
Berberadaceae. An overview of the Berberis family, with observations in the garden and around the globe.
Siskiyou Mountains. One of North Americas sites of high plant biodiversity, the ultramaphic soils here create an analog to an island geography. Several plant groups are undergoing rapid speciation. The area abounds with the like of Fritillaries, Lewisias, Trilliums, Irises, a host of alpines and of course is the home of Kalmiopsis leachiana.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Columbia-Willamette Chapter. Contact, Jane McGary
GORDON MACKAY
Cowichan Bay, BC. Canada
contact
Gordon attended Threave School of Gardening, Scotland and Pershore College of Horticulture, England. He worked in both wholesale and retail nurseries in UK. He immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1994. He started his own nursery, Alba Plants in 2000. He specializes in producing quality alpines, dwarf conifers and dwarf shrubs without harmful pesticides and little peat moss. Most of his plants are propagated on site and trials as many as possible. He works part time as a mentor and supervisor at a Horticultural Therapy Program. He is a horticultural instructor at a local college on Vancouver Island.
TOPICS:
Dwarf Conifers: The Backbone of the Rock Garden – This program discusses the care and propagation of dwarf conifers
Dwarf Salix and Daphnes: Two Stalwarts of the Rock Garden – This is an overview of some of the best gems in these two genuses.
A Legend of the Plant World: George Forrest, A Life of Plants.
Hands on Workshop on how to construct and plant a crevice garden in a trough. Includes plant and soil selection and aftercare.
Plant Propagation.
Daphnes for the alpine garden
Rock Gardening from scratch
Propagation of Alpines
Life in the Alpine House
Native Alpines and Woodlanders of Vancouver Island.
Building and Filling an Alpine House.
Gardening from the Heart. An overview of some of the challenges faced when starting a specialty nursery including some humorous stories.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society/NARGS Western Winter Study
Weekend. Contact Yvonne Rorison
Victoria Hardy Plant Group. Contact Judith Mclaughlin
Glendale Gardens. Contact Carmen Varcoe
WEBSITE: www.albaplants.com
ROBIN MAGOWAN and JULIET MATTILA
Santa Fe, NM
Robin's contact
Juliet's contact
(505) 983-8599
Robin says he sees his texts as a showcase for his wife, Juliet Mattila’s garden and plant photography. As a university professor, poet and academic administrator, Juliet is an accomplished public speaker and gifted photographer.
Robin, by profession is a writer of non-fiction, a poet and translator. He has written an autobiography, “Memoirs of a Minotaur”, authored several books of travel writing including “Improbable Journeys”, “Fabled Cities of Central Asia” and “America, America”, along with eight books of poetry and many miscellaneous books and articles. He was educated at Harvard (BA), Columbia (MA) and Yale (PhD) in Comparative Literature. After teaching English at the University of Washington in Seattle and then in Berkeley (1968-70), he spent nearly twenty years abroad in Burgundy, London and the Cotswold’s. He returned to the United States in 1991, when he took up residence in northwest Connecticut. He has written numerous articles for the NARGS Quarterly. His article, “Gardening on Rock Surfaces” appeared in NARGS Quarterly this past year and describes Joseph Halda’s construction of a rather extraordinary garden at their home in Connecticut.
Robin and Juliet moved permanently to a new residence outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico in early 2012.
TOPICS:
Rocks and Ink Struck into Flowers. A comparison of aesthetic issues in writing and rock gardening.
Joseph Halda Constructs a Mountainscape Garden. A description of their garden using large limestone boulders from a nearly quarry along with the design issues of growing plants in a crevice garden and on top of rocks.
Copenhagen, Tromso and the Plants of Svalbard. Features photographs a discussion of two great botanical gardens along with the fjord wilderness.
Plants of Monarch Pass and Independence Pass in Colorado. (Juliet Mattila)
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Manhattan Chapter, Contact Lola Horwitz
Berkshire Chapter, Contact Peter George
MARTA MCDOWELL
Chatham, New Jersey
contact
Marta McDowell teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, where she studies landscape design, and landscape preservation at Drew University. She has worked for Reeves-Reed Arboretum, the Morris County Park Commission and private clients. Her book, "Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life" is coming out from Timber Press in October, 2013. (Yes, Beatrix Potter did have a rock garden.) “Emily Dickinson’s Gardens”, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2005, and she has written many articles for Hortus, an English gardening journal. She is on the board of the NH Historical Foundation at the Cross Estate in Bernardsville, NJ. Marta’s husband, Kirke Bent, summarizes her biography as “I am, therefore I dig.”
TOPICS
The Little Blue Bulbs. How to distinguish among and use the various species of Chionodoxa, Scilla, Muscari, etc. (Marta teaches the bulbs ID course at the New York Botanical Garden.)
Self-Sowers in the Garden. Self-sowers- Nicotiana, Consolida, Nigella, etc. – add a layer of interest to the rock garden and mixed border. Learn how to use them from both a design and horticultural point of view.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
New York Botanical Garden, Contact Duncan Himmelman
Ambler Arboretum at Temple University, Contact Jenny Rose Carey
Watnong Chapter, Contact Judy Glattstein
WEBSITE: www.martamcdowell.com
JANE MCGARY
Milwaukie (Portland), OR
contact
Jane McGary has a lifelong interest in gardening and wild plants. After growing up in California, she attended college in Oregon and California and then worked at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, for 12 years, spending plenty of time plant-hunting. In 1985, she moved to Oregon and gardened in the Cascades foothills for 25 years. In fall 2010, she moved nearer the city and is developing a half-acre garden at her new home. She has traveled widely, including six trips to southern South America, to see and photograph plants. She has an MA in comparative literature and linguistics and works as an editor of scholarly books; she was also editor of the NARGS Rock Garden Quarterly for 10 years. As a gardener, she is best known for her collection of hardy bulbs, grown mostly from seed over a period of more than 20 years, and formerly distributed through a mail-order list.
TOPICS:
Bulbs in Their Habitats.
Chile’s Flowering Desert.
Plants of the Southern Andes.
Spring Flowers of Crete.
Fall in the Peloponnese and Antalya.
Exploring Unusual Bulbs.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Vancouver, BC. Contact, David Sellars
Eugene, Oregon. Contact, Loren Russell
Seattle, WA. Contact, Alice Lauber
Portland, OR. Contact Jan Dobak
WEBSITE: None, but many of her photos with text may be viewed on the Pacific Bulb Society web site, http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org
MARTHA OLIVER
Scottdale, PA
contact
Martha is a garden designer and teacher at Chatham University’s Landscape Architecture
Program (retired) and the Penn State Sustainable Landscape Technology Certificate
Program (current).
TOPICS:
The Sustainable Garden (ecological garden design principles and applications)
Plants of the Shale barrens (the eastern rock garden)
Striving for Perfection – an introduction to plant breeding.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Berkshire Chapter. Contact Elizabeth Zander
Piedmont Chapter. Contact Bobby Ward
Potomac Chapter. Contact Alice Nicholson
EWSW, Contact Joyce Fingerut
ESW (2012), Contact Len Lehman
WEBSITE: www.theprimrosepath.com
DAVID SELLARS
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
contact
David Sellars is an award winning photographer and writer and is a regular contributor to the Rock Garden Quarterly. Together with his wife, Wendy, he is developing an extensive alpine and woodland garden in coastal British Columbia. He is an avid mountain hiker and maintains the website www.mountainflora.ca. His particular interests are rock garden design and construction, alpine plant photography and using video to illustrate mountain landscapes and alpine plant habitats.
TOPICS:
Chaos in the Rock Garden: Putting Theory into Practice. This is about rock garden design and how it relates to natural landscapes and preferred plant habitats. See review.
King Laurin’s Garden: Following in the Footsteps of Reginald Farrer in the Dolomites. This talk uses quotes from Farrer’s 1913 book on the Dolomites and illustrates some of his colorful language.
Alpine Flora of the Pyrenees. This presentation features hiking in the Pyrenees and focuses on alpine endemics such as Androsace ciliata.
From Rhododendrons to Rock Gardening: A Rewarding Journey. This is a general talk about starting rock gardening and how to build and plant rock gardens.
The Joy of Sax. Growing Saxifragas in the rock garden with reference to natural wild habitats in the Alps, Pyrenees and North America
Photographing Alpine Plants: A Landscape Point of View. A method for photographing alpine flora that emphasizes the plant habitat. See David's article in the Rock Garden Quarterly.
Alpine Jewels of the Olympic and Wenatchee Mountains. Endemic alpine plants of Washington State in their spectacular habitats.
In the Valley of the Ancient King. Explorations in the Maritime Alps to find Saxifraga florulenta.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
NARGS Western Winter Study Weekend, Portland. Contact Jane McGary
NARGS Emerald Chapter, Eugene. Contact Tanya Harvey
NARGS Calgary Chapter. Contact Cathy Kurio
Vancouver Island Rock and Alpine Garden Society. Contact John Ewing
Alpine Garden Club of BC. Contact Philip MacDougall
Numerous other garden clubs in BC
WEBSITE: www.mountainflora.ca
VIDEOS: www.youtube.com/user/MountainFlora
MARCIA TATROE
Centennail CO
Marcia gardens on the high plains of Colorado and squeezes in an ever changing palette of over 2,000 plants into a small suburban lot. Her gardens are featured in numerous books, magazines, and nationally televised programs. A strong advocate of xeriscaping and native plants, she is interested in all facets of gardening and garden design. She designed several gardens at Denver Botanic Gardens including Woodland Mosaic and Shady Lane. Marcia's best selling book was Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West
TOPIC:
Rockin' with Cacti and Succulents
Those Indefatigable Dutch
A Rock Garden for All Seasons
Bulbs: Drought Evaders Extraordinaire
Dryland Rock Gardening
Art on the Rocks
Cactus and Succulents of Southern California
Companion Plants for Hardy Cacti and Succulents
Cottage Gardening with an American Accent
Evolution of a Garden
Cutting Gardens
Creating Suburban Wildlife Oasis
Annuals for Weather Resistant Color
Container Gardening - Anything Goes
Gardening is for the Birds
Gardening Where the Sun Doesn't Shine and tho Hose Doesn't Reach
Front Range Rock Gardens
Go Wild with Native Plans
Making Every Drop Count
Magical Moon Gardens
More Color, Less Water- Dryland Perennials
Paradise Made - Creating a Garden Sanctuary
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Berkshire Chapter. Contact Elisabeth Zander
Connecticut Chapter. Contact Marianne Gryboski
New England Chapter. Contact: Vivien Bouffard
Rocky Mountain Chapter. Contact Panayoti Kelaidis
MARK TURNER
Bellingham, WA
contact
Mark is a freelance photographer specializing in botanical subjects, especially Northwest wildflowers and gardens. He photographs extensively for books and magazines both in gardens and in a wide range of native plant environments. He, along with Phyllis Gustafson, is co-author of Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest published in 2006 and winner of a 2007 American Horticultural Society book award. He is an avid member of the native plant societies of Washington and Oregon and has more than 25 years experience exploring for native plants. He lives in Bellingham, Washington where he also runs a portrait studio photographing families, high school seniors and pets. Mark's next book, with co-author Ellen Kuhlmann, is Trees and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest. It is due out from Timber Press in May 2014, with descriptions, photographs, and distribution maps for about 580 species of woody plants from southern British Columbia to Northern California.
TOPICS:
Wildflowers to see within a Day’s Drive of Portland. Common and endemic plants from Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams on the north, Mt. Pisgah Arboretum on the south, the
Oregon coast on the west and the Columbia Gorge on the East will be shown.
Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest National Parks. One hundred and one of his favorite wildflowers, spanning many different habitats in the Olympic, Mount Rainer, North Cascades and Crater Lake National Park are featured.
Rare and Endemic Plants of the Northwest. Rare and endemic plants from several areas in the Pacific Northwest, including the Olympic Mountains, Steens Mountain, Klamath/Siskiyou Mountains and the Columbia Plateau are presented.
Wildflowers of the Columbia Plateau. Plants which grow and bloom in this area will be shown.
Wildflowers of the Siskiyou and Surrounding Area. One hundred five or common and rare plants from the Klamath/Siskiyou region spanning Oregon and California will be shown.
Wildflowers of the North Cascades. About 100 of the showiest and most interesting plants of this area, both in and outside the North Cascades National Park will be seen.
Not Weeds – Northwest Roadside Wildflowers. Sixty plants that are easily recognized from behind the windshield of your car are presented.
Rock Gardens of the Pacific Northwest. Some rock gardens in backyards of those in the northwest will be pictured along with their plants and will be contrasted with those plants growing in their native surrounds.
Wildflower Field Photography: Combining Art & Science. Students will be spending weekend learning and practicing techniques for photographing wildflowers in their native locations.
Photographing your Garden through New Eyes. Gardeners will be introduced to insights into garden photography using basic photographic techniques.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Shasta Chapter of NARGS. Contact Barbara Coatney
Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem, Oregon. Contact Betty Murrell
Bakerview Nursery. Contact Toni Clark
NARGS WWSW events in Medford, Everett, and Sidney North Cascades Institute. Contact Laura Busby
WEBSITES: www.turnerphotographics.com, www.inlandnwgardening.com, www.pnwflowers.com
BLOG: http://www.turnerphotographics.com/blog
DICK TYLER
Clarksville, VA
contact
Dick Tyler returned to the US from Canada and began to garden on land that was part of a farm which has been in his wife's Judith’s family for six generations. Since their garden was located in an eastern mixed deciduous forest, growing shade plants became their main focus but that focus soon changed to the genus Hellebores. They began breeding the plants with particular interest in the breeding of double forms. Their gardens at Pine Knot Farms have been featured in Southern Living, Virginia Gardener, Virginia Living, Carolina Gardener, Heritage and Washingtonian magazines, numerous newspaper articles and on Martha Stewart’s television program and magazine. Judith is the author, with C. Coleston Burrell, of the Timber Press publication entitled “Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide”, which features many of Dick’s photographs. They have owned and operated Pine Knot Farms since 1982. Judith is deceased.
TOPICS:
Gardening in the Shade. Staying out of the sun is good for you and your garden, using shade plants for year round interest.
Gardening with Hellebores. How to use Hellebores successfully in the garden with emphasis on the many different species as well as hybrids and companions.
The Winter Garden. Finding and using plants to provide winter interest.
Hellebores Today. What’s new and exciting, concentrating on the new hybrids between species as well as what’s happening with Lenten Roses.
Creating a Meadow Garden. Making and maintaining a sunny meadow.
Hellebores Species for American Gardens. Growing and using species hellebores in the garden, combining them with other plants for best effect.
Making Chicken Salad from Chicken S**t. Building, planting and furnishing a garden using the imagination rather than the pocketbook.
2003, A Hellebore Odyssey. Photos and Tales of Visits with Top Breeders in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany,
2004 Hellebore Homeland, The Balkans. April 2004 visit to Germany, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Bosnia studying Hellebore Species.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
JC Raulston Arboretum, Contact, Mark Weathington
Piedmont Chapter, Contact, Bobby Ward
Sarah P. Duke gardens. Contact, Alice Le Duke
Brookside Gardens, Phil Normandy
Greenspring Gardens, Contact Nancy Olney
Iowa Arboretum, Contact Lois Girton
Cape Cod Rhododendron Society, Contact Judith Dalmas
Perennial Plant Association, Contact Steven Still
Georgia Perennial Plant Association, Contact Paula
NARGS Winter Study Weekend in DC, Contact Alice Nicholson
Northwest Horticultural Society, Contact Greg Graves
Hanover Maser Gardeners, Contact Judy Durant
WEBSITE: http://www.pineknotfarms.com/
BOBBY J. WARD
Raleigh, NC
contact
Bobby retired as an environmental scientist and began a new career as an editor, author
and popular lecturer. He was initially co-editor of “A Garden of Ones Own,” a collection
of the garden writings of North Carolina writer Elizabeth Lawrence. He then moved on to
author several books, including “A Contemplation upon Flowers: Garden Plants in Myth
and Literature”, “The Plants Hunters Garden: the New Explorers and Their Discoveries”,
and more recently “Chlorophyll in His Veins: J.C.Rauston, Horticultural ambassador”.
He has written articles for several magazines, the SRGC, NARGS and Raleigh
newspapers. He is a frequent lecturer at many and varied venues and is past President of
NARGS. Bobby is NARGS Executive Secretary.
TOPICS:
Modern-Day Plant Hunters – He profiles some of the 32 most prolific modern day plant explorers.
Wildflowers of the American Southeast
Life of J. C. Raulston – Founder of the NCSU Arboretum – He relates the biography of the founder of the arboretum at N.C. State University and its director for 21 years.
Rock Gardening in the South
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Many NARGS Chapters
NARGS Annual Meeting
WWSW, 2011, BC, Canada
Several Rock Garden Chapters in Devon and Cornwall for the Alpine Garden Society
Several Rock Garden Chapters and Annual Meeting with the Scottish Rock Garden Club
The Eden Project, Cornwall, U.K
Czech Rock Garden Club, Prague.
Northwest Flower and Garden Show (Seattle)
Philadelphia Flower Show
Charleston Horticultural Society
California Horticultural Society
Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden
U.S. Botanic Garden
Woody Plant Conference, Swarthmore College (July, 2011)
JC Raulston Arboretum, North Carolina Arboretum, Duke Gardens, and N.C. Botanical Garden
Potomac Valley Chapter. Contact Betty Anne Spar
WI-IL Chapter. Contact Ed Glover
Connecticut Chapter. Contact Joyce Fingerut
WEBSITE: www.bobbyjward.com
J. IAN YOUNG
Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
contact
Ian Young is an accomplished Artist, Photographer, Writer, Lecturer and Plantsman Extraordinaire. Along with his wife, Margaret, he has gardened for forty years. He has concentrated his attention on the study of bulb cultivation (but not to the exclusion of other plants) for the past twenty years and has written a Bulb Log Diary, for the SRGC web site, since 2003. He is widely known for developing the method of turning polystyrene (Styrofoam) fish boxes into troughs that mimic the appearance of real stone. He is also part of the editorial team (including his wife Margaret) who created the monthly e-magazine “International Rock Gardener”. He is a popular speaker, and has lectured widely throughout the UK, Europe Scandinavia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. He is a member of the SRGC Council and served as President from 2000-2003. He led the development of the SRGC web site and continues as its Chairman.
TOPICS:
High Rise and Time Share. A look at our garden, some of the plants we grow and how we make maximium use of all the planting space.1
Bulbs in the Garden. How we use bulbs in the garden to create interest and colour for as many months as possible - concentrates on the use of bulbs rather than their botany.1
Woodland Bulbs. A look at the range of woodland bulbs we grow.1
HIghland Gathering. Talk for the 2011 International Conference looking at the development and philosophy of our garden.1
Inspired to Rock. The gardens and places that inspired me to grow rock garden plants and how I interpreted them into our garden.2
Troughs: A Fishy Tale. Showing a number of ways to make troughs including using Styrofoam fish boxes, paint and cement. Continually updated to show my latest methods. It also includes how to plant and maintain troughs and raised beds.2
Nature the Gardeners Tutor. Looking at the lessons that I have learned from both visiting plants in the wild and observing them in the garden.2
Around Ericaceous. A look at the Ericaceous plants we have grown and associated plants in our garden.
Bulb Log Live. A selection of bulbs that have featured and tips given in my weekly bulb log.3
Bulbs from Seed. A detailed look at how we grow bulbs in pots.3
Erythronium in Cultivation. A wide ranging look at the genus and cultivation methods based on my own experience with nearly all the known species.
Off the Wall. A very different talk comparing my work as an artist how I view things and how it fits in with my gardening - challenging how you look at things. I created this talk as a one off for a Scottish Groups Christmas meeting where they wanted something different - off the wall-. Originally it was intended as a once only but I have given it a number of times now by popular request.
[Titles that share the same superscript have a degree of overlap and should not be chosen together.]
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
NARGS mini tour to Oregon, Denver, etc. Contact Panayoti Kaleidis
SRGC Groups and Study Weekends. Contact Liz Mills, SRGC President
AGS Groups, Study Weekends and Special Events. Contact Diane Clement
Vancouver, Canada. Contact Beverley Merryfield
Denmark, Sweden. Contact Henrik Zetterlund
Norway. Contact Finn Haugli
WEBSITE LINKS: www.srgc.net, www.bulblog.co.uk
ELISABETH ZANDER
Goshen, CT
contact
Elisabeth retired from programming backend databases and is currently serving as webmaster for the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS). She is the current past president. Over the years, she has worked in many capacities for NARGS, starting at the chapter level (Newsletter Editor, Chair, Treasurer, Program Manager, etc.) As the 1994-96 NARGS Seed Exchange Director, she managed the complete operation with the help of the Connecticut and Berkshire chapters. Before passing it on, she split it into a three-part operation for future exchanges. For many years now, she has economically arranged several of the NARGS Speakers Tour for its chapters. An avid seed grower since joining NARGS, she was sowing well over 1,400 packets of seed yearly by the late ‘90s. She built raised berms, hill pocket, and shade gardens to house all the plants and kept over 2,500 species thriving. At the turn of the millennium, Elisabeth moved her gardening to a blank slate of property in the hills or northwest Connecticut. Since then, she and her husband Rod have built a greenhouse, stone walls, plunge beds, troughs, raised beds, sand beds, and extensive crevice gardens. In 2018 they received the Linc and Timmy Foster Millstream Garden Award from NARGS for creating a superior garden that reflects the standards of the Millstream Garden. Still sowing seed, she has tapered down to a couple of hundred packets of seed a year. But she is still constructing additional outlays to her crevice gardens.
TOPICS:
Evolution of my Garden – From Old Garden to New. Adventures in sand beds, raised beds, troughs, crevice gardens, growing a range of plants from high alpines to Eastern woodland flora. (This talk can be tailored to any of the various constructions, i.e. Crevice Gardens; How to Build a Sand Bed and what will grow; Stone Troughs vs. Hypertufa; Raised Bed Gardening, Growing Rock Garden Plants Hardy in the Northeast; New England Shade Gardening, etc.)
Growing from Seed, and Propagation. Easy rock garden plants to know and grow. How to sow seed, what to do when they germinate, and how to grow on to planting out time.
Propagation of easy rock garden plants.
Vertical Gardening around the World. Czech, Dutch, NE and Western American crevice gardens: how to make and plant them. The design of gardening in crevices as popularized by the Czechs works. This talk shows constructions around the world as well as three great gardens in the Northeast.
Czech Gardens. Fabulous gardens/fabulous plants from great plant explorers who originated the crevice garden. Climate conditions in CZ are similar to the Northeast US. This talk features five spectacular gardens and the plants growing within.
Daphne An overview of current cultivars and species with emphasis on their hardiness.
Lessons from Scottish and Welsh Rock Gardens From Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Wales, to a few stops in the lower UK. There is much to learn from our cousins across the sea.
Newfoundland Discovered: From Deer Lake to St. Anthony, how many orchids might there be?
Patagonia North and South: The cream of all South American alpines contains more than just violets.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Manhattan Chapter, Michael Riley
Adirondack Chapter, Billie Jean Isbell
Berkshire Chapter, Anne Spiegel
WEBSITE: http://www.seed-aholic.com/
