Rocky Mountain Chapter of the
North American Rock Garden Symposium
November 9th, 2025
The much-needed change of venue to Mitchell Hall will enable us to serve water, coffee, and pastries (morning) all day. This will allow us to stay together more easily and comfortably. Attendees will have the option to select 4 sandwiches for their boxed lunch or a Southwestern salad. Attendees may opt out of the lunch option and make alternative arrangements to suit their needs.
Venue: Denver Botanic Gardens – Mitchell Hall
- 4 outstanding speakers
- Coffee, water all day, and treats in the morning
- Boxed sandwich lunch or Southwestern salad (optional)
- 50th RMC Anniversary pin.
- Free Raffle of 64 Illhahe Plant Treasures
- Option to purchase plants and seed all day from various vendors.
- After the Symposium reception at a member’s garden (weather permitting)
Special Pricing for New Members
New members joining during the Symposium membership drive receive a discounted ticket price. New members will receive the cost of the Symposium ($30.00) the cost of introductory membership ($20) and the cost of the lunch ($15.00) all, for the discounted price of $45.00 – a $65.00 value.
Schedule for the day
- 8:00 Doors open – Coffee and treats available
- 8:30 Chapter business meeting
- 8:00 – 9:00 Meet and Greet
- 9:00 – 9:15 Announcements and Introduction
- 9:15 – 10:00 Adam Black — 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. - 10:30-11:15 Morgan Cannon – Plants in Cool Places
Restoration in the Teton Range: From Sagebrush to High Alpine Environments: 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. - 11:15-12:30 Lunch
- 12:30- 12:45 Announcements
- 12:45-1:30 Laura Swain — A journey from Erica to Echinocereus
Hear her story of transitioning from an east-coast-native-plant-nut to a rock hounding gardener of the west and how she is bringing a fresh eye to some well-established gardens. Come along on a botanical journey – from the ericaceous coast of New England, through limestone outcrops of the Eastern Plains, over Pike’s Peak granite in the high alpine, and to the otherworldly canyons of the Colorado Plateau – join Laura as she shares her enthusiasm for new plants in new places. - 2:00-2:45 Mark Akimoff — Illahe Rare Plants: Preserving Alpine Beauty for future Generations
At a time when more nurseries are closing than opening, Illahe Rare Plants in Salem, Oregon stands as both a refuge for alpine and rock garden plants and a model for how specialty nurseries can adapt to a changing world. This keynote will share the journey of building and sustaining a rare plant nursery in the Willamette Valley, with an eye toward the challenges of shifting demographics, climate pressures, and the future of horticulture.We will look at how Illahe balances preservation with innovation and a science driven approach to cultivation—curating mountain flora for changing gardens, cultivating resilience in collections, and fostering a new generation of enthusiasts. Far more than a place of commerce, the nursery aims to become a living archive and a gathering point for community. This address will explore how small, dedicated nurseries like Illahe can remain vital and inspiring in times of transition and change. - 3:15 Symposium over
- 3:00 – 5:00 Reception. Details sent to members via a RMC Constant Contact email
Symposium Speakers
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.
Morgan Cannon
Morgan Cannon is the Northern Colorado Project Coordinator for the National Forest Foundation, based in Ester 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 he desert southwest(Canyonlands 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, am]nd monitored high-elevation and sagebrush ecosystems.
Passionate about connecting people to conserve through plants, Morgan continues to collaborate with agencies, non-profits, and volunteers to help build resilient landscapes throughout the Rockies.
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
Proprietor of Illhahe Rare Plants. For years, Mark has provided a list of bulbs for a small number of connoisseurs and has now expanded his offerings to include Alpine plants of all kinds, which he sells both spring and fall, and at various venues around the country. Mark has been an instructor in horticulture at a community college for many years, and he also has done a great deal of research on geothermal greenhouses, where he grows many of his treasures. He has become known as one of the leading authorities on Alpine plants in North America.
Optional Lunch Options — Closed
Choose an box lunch with your booking that comes with Boulder kettle chips, fresh whole fruit, chef select cold salad, gourmet cookie, and a sandwich or the Southwestern salad that comes with Boulder kettle chips, and gourmet cookie.
The following choices are available before midnight, Thursday, November 5th.
- 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 selling a variety of hard-to-find treasures.
- Kelly Grummons selling a variety of cacti and succulents.
- Justin and Christin Ruiz of Desert Blooms selling water-wise plant selections.
- Alan Bradshaw of ALPLAINS will have a nice selection of seed for sale.
- The RMC purchased two flats of Illhahe Alpine treasures from Mark Akimoff for a free raffle. We will be raffling off these plants off all day – 64 winners!