Come join us on Monday, February 13, to hear from plant explorer Panayoti Kelaidis. If you have ornamentals in your garden, there’s a good chance that you may have one of the hundreds of native plants from throughout Western United States and Mexico that Panayoti Kelaidis has introduced to general horticulture. Always on the lookout for succulents in his global travels, Panayoti will share some of the succulents he has found in places that will surprise you.
In addition to his background in Chinese literature and computer systems analysis, Panayoti has been Senior Curator and Director of Outreach for the Denver Botanic Gardens since 1980. There he has designed many garden plantings, including those for the world-renowned Rock Alpine Garden. He has also taken numerous collecting trips to, and done research in, South Africa, China, the Andes, and Europe. Many of his plant selections are available through Plant Select®, a nonprofit collaboration between Colorado State University and Denver Botanic Gardens.
Panayoti has also organized over a dozen regional and international gardening conferences in Denver and has given presentations to plant enthusiasts in cities around the world. Widely published in both popular and technical horticultural journals, he has also co-written and edited many books, most recently Steppes: The plants and ecology of the world’s semi-arid regions. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards over the years, including: Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs; 2000 Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal from Swarthmore College; Liberty Hyde Baily Award of the American Horticultural Society; and a 2004 induction into the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Hall of Fame.
Panayoti will be selling signed copies of his latest co-authored book, Steppes: The plants and ecology of the world’s semi-arid regions, before and after the meeting. To learn more, visit facebook.com/panayoti.kelaidis.