Details

ONSITE | Tuesday, March 28, 4 - 5:30 p.m.

Instructor: Patrick Thompson

$12 Non-member Adult**

(**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

Course Capacity: 24

Join Patrick Thompson in a discussion about the importance of conserving native plant biodiversity and the role public gardens can play to help prevent species loss. As Curator of Special Collections at Auburn University's Davis Arboretum and Coordinator of the Alabama Plant Conservation Alliance, Patrick has been instrumental in the recovery of numerous species of rare and imperiled plants in Alabama and curates the Davis Arboretum's Azalea Collection. Patrick will present on the history of the Davis Arboretum's Azalea Collection, his experience developing the collection as a celebration of azalea diversity and beauty, and his perspectives on collection curation as a tool for conservation.

Patrick Thompson began his decades-long career at Auburn University’s David Arboretum in 2001 following undergraduate and graduate work in Horticulture Science. In 2008, his role as the Curator of Special Collections found him immersed in native azaleas when the late R.O. Smitherman donated several hundred plants to the arboretum. In the years to follow, he conducted a study assessing techniques in vegetative propagation of deciduous azaleas, and became the current president of Alabama’s Azalea Society of America chapter. Beyond his work with azaleas, he has become a leader in southeastern native plant and Quercus spp. conservation efforts and coordinates the Alabama Plant Conservation Alliance. You can hear him talk about his work on podcasts like In Defense of Plants and Conservation Connection.

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