NARGS Speakers Program
August 2024 Update
With donations from the New England and Piedmont chapters of NARGS, as well as past investments from our generous, anonymous donor, the Traveling Speakers Program is funded through 2025. Please see upcoming dates below, and check the NARGS website and chapter websites for updates and details.
Eastern and Central Canada
Connor Smith, Head of the Rock Garden at Utrecht Botanic Gardens.
- Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Victoria, British Columbia. Vancouver Island Rock Garden Society (VIRAGS)
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Vancouver, British Columbia. Alpine Garden Club of British Columbia (AGCBC)
- Thursday, October 17, 2024. Calgary, Alberta. Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society (CRAGS)
- Saturday, October 19, 2024. Ottawa, Ontario. Ottawa Valley Rock Garden Society (OVRGS)
- Sunday, October 20, 2024. Toronto, Ontario. Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society (ORG&HPS)
- Saturday, October 26, 2024. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Rock Garden Club (NSRGC)
- Sunday October 27, 2024. Montreal, Quebec. Québec Alpine Rock Garden Society (QARGS)
Northeast Region
Christopher Gardner, botanist and co-owner of ViraNatura Tours, a botanical tour company based in Turkey.
- Sunday, October 13, 2024. New England Chapter of NARGS
- Saturday, October 19, 2024. West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Berkshire Chapter of NARGS.
- Sunday, October 20, 2024. New York. Tri-State Meeting, co-sponsored by the Manhattan and Hudson Valley chapters of NARGS.
- Saturday, October 26, 2024. Ithaca, New York. Adirondack Chapter of NARGS
Southeast/Mid-Atlantic Region
Julia Corden, Garden Manager at Goodwood Estate, England, will speak to chapters in the southeast and mid-Atlantic in October 2025. Dates to be determined.
Midwest Region
Connor Smith, Head of the Rock Garden at Utrecht Botanic Gardens. (See his Canadian tour schedule above).
- Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Great Lakes Chapter of NARGS (GLC-NARGS)
Julia Corden, Garden Manager at Goodwood Estate, England.
- Saturday, September 21, 2024. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Great Lakes Chapter of NARGS (GLC-NARGS).
- Sunday, September 22, 2024. Roseville, Minnesota. Minnesota Chapter of NARGS
Western Region
Plans will be developed for a tour in 2025.
Pacific Northwest Region
Esther Benedict, Plant Propagator and Owner, Benedict’s Nursery, Indiana.
- Thursday, October 3, 2024. Portland, Oregon. Columbia-Willamette Chapter of NARGS. The Alaska Chapter has been invited to participate by Zoom.
- Tuesday, October 8, 2024. Medford, Oregon. Siskiyou Chapter of NARGS.
- Thursday, October 10, 2024. Bellevue, Washington. Northwestern Chapter of NARGS.
Overall Chair
- Rosemary Monahan, New England Chapter
Regional Chairs:
- Northeast: Elisabeth Zander, Berkshire Chapter
- Southeast/Mid-Atlantic: Cyndy Cromwell, Piedmont Chapter
- Midwest/Central: Bonnie Ion, Great Lakes Chapter
- West: Panayoti Kelaidis and Steve Aegerter, Rocky Mountain Chapter
- Pacific Northwest: Christine Ebrahimi, Columbia-Willamette and Northwestern Chapters
- Eastern and Central Canada: Bella Seiden and Barbara Cooper, Ontario Rock Garden & Hardy Plant Society