Greg will discuss the history, interesting tidbits and show some of his favorite plants from his new book which is titled Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers.

Greg was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, has grown to love the desert and its flora and fauna. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, and after working in the landscape industry he went back to the University to study Botany and further his education in horticulture. Greg worked for Warren Jones (co-author of Plants for Dry Climates and Landscape Plants for Dry Regions) and Dr. Charles Mason at the University of Arizona herbarium. Greg made his first foray into the world of collecting in 1979 when he traveled with Warren and Bill Kinneson to Texas where he saw firsthand, in habitat, the many plants he had only experienced in the nursery or landscapes. He emerged from the University in 1985 with a Master of Science in Horticulture with a special emphasis on botany.

He opened Starr Nursery in the summer of 1985, and has specialized in low water use plants for landscaping in southern Arizona. Greg has traveled extensively in Mexico and the southwestern United States to study the plants for their potential landscape use in desert regions of the world. He has also traveled to South Africa in search of potential landscape plants for southern Arizona.

Greg has written several horticultural articles for the journal Desert Plants. Topics have covered various groups of plants as well as botanizing in South Africa. He has also described a new species of Agave, two new species and a subspecies of Hesperaloe, and revised the genus Hesperaloe in a monograph published in the journal Madroño. Greg worked with Dr. Jose Angel Villarreal in describing Agave ovatifolia which has been dubbed Whale's Tongue Agave, a reflection of the incredibly wide leaves that sometimes double as water harvesting vessels. Greg's book, Cool Plants for Hot Gardens, was released at the end of April 2009. His second book, titled Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers, was released in early May of 2012. He has taught Plant Biology and Plant Materials classes at The Art Center Design College in Tucson for their program on Landscape Architecture.

Greg spends most of his days tapping at the computer hoping another book will take shape, preparing PowerPoint presentations and tending to Starr Nursery, specializing in Agaves and related plants as well as other succulents and new introductions of perennials, flowering shrubs, and small trees from arid and semi-arid regions around the world. He and his four legged pal Nikki spend many hours in the nursery potting up Agaves and other cool plants, chasing rabbits, and napping on the soil pile.

Please join us and invite your friends to this excellent program. Enjoy some great food, free plants, and the multitude of others who love to talk about cactus and succulents.