Fantastic symposium in a few weeks! Time to sign up...

 

Rocky Mountain Chapter 

of the North American Rock Garden Society

Symposium, November 9, 2025

Mitchell Hall, Denver Botanic Gardens

[For my PERSONAL take on it, scroll to the bottom*]

Adam Black

Adam Black is Director of Horticulture and Plant Conservation at Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories and Arboretum in Charlotte, NC. He is a lifelong plant enthusiast with a passion for the rare, unusual and esoteric, and combines his experience in the fields of botany and horticulture by promoting diverse landscapes of underutilized species while also collaborating with various botanic gardens, universities and governmental agencies in documenting and collecting imperiled taxa for the purposes of research and conservation. In addition to extensive familiarity of the southern US flora, he has been involved in field work and plant explorations in New Caledonia, Taiwan, The Philippines, Mexico, South Africa and beyond. Plant Exploration: The Passion and the Insanity Bringing plants into cultivation can serve many purposes, including the benefits of increasing urban landscape biodiversity as well as preserving the genetics of species of conservation concern in safe sites. Plant exploration has many ethical, legal, natural, and physical challenges to navigate, but ultimately it is a necessary endeavor that seems to be taken on only by a small collaborative group of the most passionate, adventurous plant nerds who bridge the gap between the fields of botany and horticulture. Join one of these geeks as he chronicles the various exhilarating adventures, unexpected complications, and comical situations he has encountered in both far-flung regions of the world as well as the surprisingly under-explored regions of the US where there are still adventures to be had and significant plant discoveries to be made.

Morgan Cannon

Morgan Cannon is the Northern Colorado Project Coordinator for the National Forest Foundation, based in Estes Park, Colorado. She manages post-fire recovery projects including reforestation, cone collection, and watershed health initiatives across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. With a background in native plant propagation, seed collection, and alpine restoration, Morgan has worked on ecological projects throughout the Mountain West. These have included long term monitoring projects and hands-on restoration work in the desert southwest (Grand Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park) and throughout the southern Rockies. In Grand Teton National Park, she led native plant greenhouse operations, coordinated seed collection and propagation, and monitored high-elevation and sagebrush steppe ecosystems. Passionate about connecting people to conservation through plants, Morgan continues to collaborate with agencies, nonprofits, and volunteers to help build resilient landscapes throughout the Rockies. "Plants in Cool Places": This presentation explores ongoing plant conservation work in Grand Teton National Park, from the sagebrush steppe to the park’s highest alpine ecosystems. Morgan will share insights from monitoring intact and disturbed sagebrush habitats, as well as a re-piloted program focused on sensitive alpine plants and whitebark pine (a keystone species in the region). By examining how these unique sites respond to disturbance and climate pressures, this work helps inform broader strategies for climate adaptation and ecosystem resilience across the Mountain West.

Laura Swain

Laura Swain is a horticulturist at the Denver Botanic Gardens where she specializes in arid-adapted native plant collections, including North American Steppe, Dryland Mesa and Sacred Earth gardens. Laura is incredibly passionate about creating resilient landscapes for the future. She works at the intersection of ecology and horticulture – building human-friendly habitats with a focus in plant-pollinator interactions and low maintenance inputs. Her stewardship practice involves studying plant communities in situ, elevating native species, and highlighting their form and function in the urban ecosystem. When she’s not in the gardens, she’s usually climbing mountains with a big backpack. 

Mark Akimoff

Mark Akimoff is the owner of Illahe Rare Plants, a specialty nursery grower of flower bulbs, geophytes, alpines and rock garden plants from around the world. Over his 25-year career as a professional horticulturist, Mark has worked in many sectors of the industry, from plant propagation at botanical gardens to Historical Garden management, large scale wetlands, riparian and environmental restoration projects for government, and teaching horticulture at the Community College level. He holds a bachelor's degree in Horticultural Science from Oregon State University and studied biotechnology at Montana State University. While his personal interest in plants runs wide, a particular fondness for rock gardens and alpine plants often has him exploring the high country for wildflowers. At the nursery in Salem, Oregon Mark trials many different dryland and xeric plants to better help gardeners adapt gardens to changing climate conditions we are seeing especially in the drought stricken Western North America. The flower bulb catalog that is published every summer, offers an amazing array of diverse geophytes from around the world and one of the largest collections of Fritillaria in North America. With a passion for travel and photography, Mark loves to share pictures of his botanical adventures with garden clubs and groups. Check out the website to see the amazing array of plants that he grows at illahe rare plants online at www.illaherareplants.com 

Fall Symposium - Annual Meeting 8 am - 5 pm Denver Botanic Gardens Mitchell Hall

Symposium Schedule 8:00 Meet and Greet Coffee and treats available 8:30 Business meeting 9:00 Announcements and Introduction 9:15 Adam Black 10:30 Morgan Cannon 11:15-12:30 Lunch 12:30 Announcements 12:45 Laura Swain 2:00 Mark Akimoff 3:00  After Symposium Reception  5:00- (TBD) 

 Members $20 w/o box lunch $35 w/box lunch Non-Members $30 w/o box lunch Optional box lunch: Choose one with your ticket booking. All options come with Boulder kettle chips, fresh whole fruit, and gourmet cookie. Sandwiches also include chef select cold salad. Available before midnight Saturday, November 8th. All-Natural Turkey with Swiss Sandwich House Roasted Beef with Cheddar Sandwich Albacore Tuna Salad Sandwich Mediterranean Roasted Tofu Sandwich Southwestern Salad Plant & Seed Sales 

Mike Barbour will be selling a variety of hard-to-find treasures. Kelly Grummons will be selling a variety of cacti and succulents. Justin and Christin Ruiz of Desert Blooms are selling water-wise plant selections. Alan Bradshaw of ALPLAINS will have a nice selection of seed for sale. RMC purchased two flats of Alpine treasures from Mark Akimoff, and we will be selling these Illhahe-grown plants at the back of Mitchell Hall. Special Pricing for New Members New members joining during the Symposium membership drive receive a discounted ticket price: The cost of the Symposium ($30), the introductory membership ($20), and the box lunch ($15) -- All for $45 – a $65.00 value. Online registration is open. Pay with credit/debit card of PayPal (see below)

*My personal take on it. In these strange times when so much is changing in unpleasant ways, it is a good idea to touch bases with reality. These symposia always rock (and not just because of the "rock garden" society), but because a number of us arm-wrestle to pick speakers who are special in many ways. Firstly, they must keep me awake [I sleep through 87% of most presentations.] I dare you to find me nodding off EVEN ONCE with this lineup. I have heard three of them before: they're riveting. The fourth I have been assured is dazzling. All four speakers dance in the ecotone between Civilization and Nature--that vital zone where some are blessed to reside. While most do not. Come join us as we step one step closer to harmonizing Humanity and the Wild World--the essence of rock gardening

Click here to sign up! https://rmc-nargs.org/events/rmc-symposium/