Thursday,  June 11, 2026

Free zoom registration

“PENSTEMONS: GREAT WILDFLOWERS FOR THE GARDEN.”

 Head shot by Don Melandry

PANAYOTI KELAIDIS

Director of Outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens

On June 11, via Zoom, the Southern California Horticultural Society is pleased to welcome PanayotiKelaidis, the Director of Outreach at the Denver Botanic Garden (DBG), as our guest speaker.  Kelaidisis widely  known as a champion for Western native plants, and has introduced hundreds of plants from the Southwestern United States into cultivation. During this evening’s presentation, he will be focusing on the genus Penstemon, of which there are almost 300 species. 

Kelaidis began his career at DBG in 1980 as curator of the Rock Alpine Garden, where he designed and oversaw the initial plantings of this extensive space. He has since designed plantings for many of the gardens at DBG, as well as for public and private gardens throughout Colorado, and has received numerous awards, including the 2003 Liberty Hyde Bailey medal of the American Horticultural Society, one of the highest honors in American horticulture. Additinally, as a plant explorer, many of his plant introductions have been marketed by Plant Select, a company he helped found in 1997. 

This evening, Kelaidis will be sharing his extensive knowledge of penstemons in a program illustrated by his own beautiful photos. Penstemons occur across a vast range of habitats from subtropical deserts to alpine peaks, in forests, and even growing in moist bogs – as well as in Southern California.  Given this  diverse range it is easy to understand why Kelaidis has stated “there is a penstemon for every garden – including yours!”.

He takes particular pride in sharing the plants and information he has accrued through many channels: he has lectured in nearly 150 cities in nine countries, and has been featured in dozens of television, newspaper and magazine pieces. Kelaidis’ private garden has been highlighted many times by the Garden Conservancy, where he serves as Rocky Mountain ambassador.

We are looking forward to learning more about penstemons in June. Please join us online for a tour of this diverse genus which you might decide needs to be represented in your own home garden. Register to view this program at: www.socalhort.org.

EVENT DETAILS: 

Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pm (PDT)
Registration Required for Zoom - FREE

Meeting opens 7:00 / Plant Forum at 7:15 / Lecture starts 7:30

ZOOM is FREE for SCHS members and non-members

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, May 14, 7:00 PM PDT

Online Zoom
Leila Darwish will speak on Soil Remediation

Saturday, May 30

Bus tour of Rancho Los Alamitos, Ricardo's Nursery and a private garden in Downey.
REGISTER HERE

Thursday, June 11, 7:00 PM PDT 
Online Zoom
Panayoti Kelaidis will present “Penstemons: Great Wildflowers for the Garden.”

Thursday, July 9, 7:00 PM PDT
In-Person
Travis Longcore will speak on Zone Zero in his presentation, “Plants & Protection: How Horticulture Meets Fire Risk.”

Visit our Past Meetings page to re-watch previously recorded in-person meetings and webinars, download each meeting write-up, and reference any materials provided by our speakers.

SCHS Statement of Solidarity

As a horticultural nonprofit, we stand in solidarity with the agricultural and horticultural workers whose skill and daily labor sustain our gardens, green spaces, and food systems. We honor their expertise and recognize that these workers, like all people in the United States, are protected by constitutional rights that uphold equal protection under the law, freedom of speech and association, and the right to fair and lawful treatment in their workplaces and communities.

We are committed to respecting their contributions to the land and supporting safe, fair, and dignified working conditions. Our work is possible because of theirs.

• Our Hort Happenings page lists events at local horticultural institutions. 
• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Tag @socalhort in your photos to be featured on our page!
• Want to re-watch a previous meeting, plant forum, or event? Visit our YouTube Channel for all available recordings!
• Join our mailing list to be updated with important news about SCHS via email. Your email address will not be shared with anyone, and you may unsubscribe at any time.