Jay will discuss montane and great basin plants from the Southern Rockies to Western Canada. He’ll focus on genera native and familiar to us in Western Canada, such as Penstemon, Eriogonum, Castilleja and the hardy cacti, etc – but with the added twist of the many additional hardy species and forms in the Southern Rockies and Great Basin.

Jay Akerley is a rock and alpine gardening enthusiast with gardens in both Greater Vancouver and high on the Thompson Plateau in BC’s Interior. His background is in geography and horticulture. He collects seed in rugged environments across Western North America, for seed exchanges , his own gardens, and those of specialized growers around the world. He has published ten articles in various journals, and participated as a volunteer with the North American Rock Garden Society, Alpine Garden Club of BC and other gardening clubs.