Building a Botanical Career with Cacti Across the West by Jason Wiley
Join us for a special presentation by horticulturist Jason Wiley, whose career with cacti and succulents began far from the desert—on a Colorado sod farm. Jason will share the personal story of how an early fascination with spiny plants evolved into a botanical career shaped by some of the West’s most renowned public gardens.
From earning his Bachelors in Urban Horticulture and studying Landscape Architecture to caring for the cactus, agave, and arid plant collections at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, helping renovate succulent greenhouses at Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and working at the Portland Japanese Garden, Jason has built a rare career rooted in cacti and other succulents, and other fascinating plants.
Now a horticulturist at CU Boulder, Jason is developing the Front Range FireWise Botanical Garden Initiative - www.firewisebotanical.org - , a new project focused on climate-resilient, fire-adaptive plant communities—including fire-resistant cold-hardy cacti and succulents for Colorado landscapes.
Whether you’re a longtime grower or simply love these extraordinary plants, this program offers behind-the-scenes stories, plant knowledge, public garden insights, and inspiration for how passion can shape a life’s work.
Come be part of an evening that blends horticulture, landscape design, discovery, and the joy of the plants we love—we hope to see you there!
