A OAXACAN ADVENTURE
In this newly developed presentation, Greg takes you on a journey through the beautiful state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The presentation meanders through the Oaxacan countryside from the exciting desert vegetation of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley south to the intriguing landscapes, plants, and geology of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Greg has picked a sampling of plants and even birds that are found in this most wonderful and safe state in southern Mexico. His plant interests are broad and specific at the same time, and if that seems like a contradiction, you will just have to come to the talk to find out more.
Greg was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, and 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 graduated 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 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, Namibia, Madagascar, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina all in his quest for knowledge about the world and its flora and fauna.
Greg cut his teeth by writing articles for various journals including the Cactus and Succulent Journal published by the Cactus and Succulent Society of America, Haseltonia,and Desert Plants. Greg continued writing and his first book, Cool Plants for Hot Gardens, was released at the end of April 2009. That sold out and Greg revamped the book, went the self-publishing route, and had the revised edition printed locally in December 2021. He followed this with the companion book titled Cool Cacti and Succulents for Hot Gardens published in September 2024. His book titled Agaves: Living Sculptures for Landscapes and Containers was released in early May of 2012 and is currently out-of-print.
Greg has described seven new species of Agave, three new species of Hesperaloe,and was a part of the team that described Thelocactus tepelmemensis. He now spendsmuch of his time in botanical pursuits, tapping at the computer hoping another book will take shape, preparing PowerPoint presentations, and tending to Starr Nursery, specializing in Agaves and North American cacti, especially plants in the genus Astrophytum.