Cactus Symposium Last Minute News!
Late Breaking News -
The Cactus Symposium is free for Cactus Members.
Please enter through the Freyer-Newman Center off York Street. Entry to the Gardens will be free, plus this entrance should be less crowded.
I won’t make any promises but, if possible, we will attempt to Zoom the morning’s presentations. Links will be sent out once we have those details. Watch Instagram for alerts and details!
Important things to know and remember -
This is Memorial Day Weekend! In the past the Denver Botanic Gardens has been very busy for this holiday.
Parking will likely be at a premium. Please arrive early so you can secure a parking space.
The Symposium is in Gates Hall. Please be there by 9:20am, so we can start promptly. These are great speakers, and we want to hear their entire presentation.
Consider bringing a lunch or snack to the Gardens. We are concerned that with the possible crowds, all the eateries could be packed, and the lines will be long. And with limited parking any empty space will be quickly filled, and returning to the DBG after eating might be terribly tough!
We plan to finish by 3:00pm. Each outdoor tour is scheduled for 30 minutes, but they could easily run longer. But this is our plan, and we’ll try to stick to it!
The morning will feature indoor presentations:
9:30am - Alice Liles: "Gardening in Muleshoe, Texas" - This may be what gardening in Denver will be after a few decades of Climate Change; It may be pretty cool (if not temperature wise!) A masterful gardener will show the terrific things that can be done with cacti and succulents on the Southern Great Plains.
10:30am - Dan Johnson: "Gardening in Tucson" - Dan has designed one of the most beautiful and plant-packed gardens at his home in Denver. In this talk he'll be sharing the challenges and triumphs of gardening at his second home in Tucson; Along with great insights to all Western Gardeners.
11:30am - Woody Minnich: "Shows, Showing and Judging" - Woody has put on plants shows, shown plants at other shows, and judged plants far and wide. He will share tips and tricks for hosting, entering, and judging at plant shows. This talk is an introduction to his workshop this afternoon.
The Afternoon will feature outdoor events:
1:30pm - Dan Johnson: An afternoon walk-about at DBG! Dan is Associate Director of Horticulture at Denver Botanic Gardens where he has overseen the native and xeric (and many other gardens) for decades. This Symposium will take place after lunch where Dan will show us around the many spectacular gardens he's designed or re-designed at their peak of spring bloom.
2:00pm - Scott Preusser: Scott will take us behind the scenes to see the extensive collections of succulents in the greenhouses. Under his stewardship this collection is rapidly becoming a premier collection at DBG.
2:30pm - Woody Minnich: Woody has presented and judged plants as long as we can remember. The final event of the afternoon is his presentation on successfully staging and showing plants.
Thanks Again,
PK & Scott
