Rock Garden Spring Plant Sale at Tagawa Gardens
Saturday, April 11, 9 AM – 5 PM
The Rocky Mountain Chapter (RMC) of the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) is thrilled to invite you to our Spring Plant Sale at Tagawa Gardens. This is a must-attend event for gardeners looking for exceptional plants that thrive in rock gardens and perennial gardens well suited to our region.
You’ll find a remarkable selection of plants, including water-wise, Colorado native, pollinator-friendly, and cold-hardy cactus and succulents. Many of these plants are true garden treasures—rarely available at local nurseries.
Expert Talks & Garden Inspiration
Throughout the day, enjoy three engaging rock garden presentations led by renowned experts:
- Marcia Tatroe – Rock Gardens Rock! Have you fallen in love with those cute little treasures in the rock garden section but aren’t quite sure what to do with them? A rock garden is the answer. You can fit a large number of plants into a small spot making rock gardens ideal where space is limited. And because rock garden plants are tough and weather resilient, no garden is better suited to Colorado’s capricious climate. This class covers the basics of building a rock garden including construction, soil and rock options, rock placement and plant selection.
- Panayoti Kelaidis – A Rock Garden in your Garden. We all moved to Colorado because of the beautiful mountains, wonderful canyons and prairies, but we often replace these with yards that could be in New Jersey or Oregon. This talk will feature plants that are suitable for this climate in rock gardens.
- Kelly Grummons – Winter Hardy Cacti for Front Range Gardens. Learn about cold-hardy cacti that thrive in our region, featuring plants Kelly has collected, propagated, and hybridized to add year-round interest and beauty to gardens and rock gardens alike
Check back later for the times of the Saturday presentations!
Below are local growers that will be participating at this amazing sale!
Dessert Blooms
Desert Blooms is a family-owned Colorado nursery born from a backyard passion for plants and inspired by resilient, beautiful landscapes. They specialize in waterwise perennials and rock garden plants chosen for hardiness, longevity, and natural beauty. Desert Blooms’ mission is to help gardeners create low-maintenance, water-smart spaces without sacrificing color or texture—sharing the joy of gardening, one plant at a time.
Desert Blooms will bring over 100 varieties of perennials, including: Acantholimon, Agastache, Arenaria, Dianthus, Draba, Penstemon, Phlox, Pterocephalus, Nepeta, Salvia, and Saxifraga—and more.
High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC)
High Plains Environmental Center (HPEC) in Loveland, Colorado is a 501(c)(3) that promotes “Suburbitat,” a philosophy demonstrating that human development and nature can thrive together. The HPEC Native Plant Nursery specializes in growing and offering regionally native plants for the purpose of conserving regional flora and supporting biodiversity in private gardens, public spaces, and wildland restoration.
Plants available at the sale may include:
Amelanchier utahensis, Antennaria parvifolia, Astragalus, Castilleja, Echinacea angustifolia, Eriogonum, Geum triflorum, Sedum lanceolata, and Penstemon
🔗 https://high-plains-environmental-center.square.site/
Rock Alpines
Rock Alpines, formerly Mike’s Plant, is a small Colorado nursery focusing on unique alpine plants, especially well suited for rock and crevice gardens. Their carefully curated selection is ideal for gardeners seeking distinctive, tough plants with refined beauty.
Plants may include:
Aethionema, Aquilegia, Campanula, Daphne, Draba, Erigeron, Eriogonum, Gentiana, Globularia, Oenothera, Penstemon, Veronica, Townsendia, and many more
Cold Hardy Cactus
Cold Hardy Cactus specializes in winter-hardy cacti and succulents, propagating more than 200 varieties—including their exclusive Walk in Beauty hybrid Opuntia. Their diverse offerings are well suited for crevice and rock gardens and include standout plants such as Escobaria leei, Gymnocalycium andreae, and Echinocereus weedinii.
Denver Botanic Gardens
At the production greenhouses of Denver Botanic Gardens, they grow more than plants for their Gardens and Living Collections—they also cultivate meaningful connections between people and plants through the Grown at the Gardens program. Plants grown in-house for public sales feature a thoughtfully curated mix of native, waterwise, and rock garden species, along with distinctive selections rarely found at typical garden centers. These offerings highlight staff favorites and uncommon treasures especially prized by local rock gardeners.
Denver Botanic Gardens is excited to bring a selection of plant offerings well suited for crevice and rock gardens, alongside other unique, garden-grown plants. These include plants propagated from Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, featuring multiple Saxifraga and Penstemon varieties, as well as rock garden treasures originating from Denver Botanic Gardens’ own Rock Alpine Garden and Panayoti Kelaidis’ home garden.
Plants may include: Acantholimon, Aethionema, Agastache, Anagallis, Androsace, Aquilegia, Arenia, Bolax, Commelina, Cryptanha, Daphne, Dionysia, Draba, Dryas, Epilobium, Erysimum, Globularia, and many more.
🔗 https://www.botanicgardens.org/ 
Bios for Rock Garden Speakers
Marcia Tatroe has been gardening in Centennial CO for over 37 years. She wrote a garden column for the Denver Post for over 20 years. Her photography and gardens have been featured in numerous books, magazines and nationally televised gardening shows. She lectures throughout the West focusing on garden design, rock gardening, xeriscape, and native plants, advocating using drought-tolerant and native plants and indigenous materials to create a gardening aesthetic unique to this region. Her garden was awarded Gold Habitat Hero status by the Audubon Rockies in 2017 as an outstanding urban wildscape.
Panayoti Kelaidis is the Director of Outreach and Senior Curator, Denver Botanic Gardens and a Board Member of the American Horticultural Society. He helped create Plant Select®. He speaks on a myriad of topics and leads botanical and horticultural tours throughout the US and the world.
Kelly Grummons has been collecting, hybridizing and propagating winter hardy cacti and succulents for over 30 years. His plants are sold throughout the US and even in other countries. He is the owner of Cold Hardy Cactus in Parker CO.