PANAYOTI KELAIDIS is a lifelong Colorado gardener who has worked at Denver Botanic Gardens for more than 40 years. Known for his expertise in rock gardening and alpine plants, he is a longtime member of the North American Rock Garden Society. This interview took place during a society conference at Cornell University in June 2022.
SCOTT BEUERLEIN: Tell me a little bit about how you got started in horticulture.
PANAYOTI KELAIDIS: I have to kind of blame my parents, because they were very keen vegetable gardeners. It was maybe a thousand square feet and they grew a lot of things that you couldn't buy in grocery stores back then, Greek greens especially. I remember thinking it was really weird that they were out there all the time. We lived in Boulder, Colorado, which is a nice town, but our house was ornamentally threadbare and I thought that we could have a nicer yard, so I wanted to grow some flowers.
But what really did it for me was my brother-in-law, Allan Taylor, who married my sister when I was eight years old. He was a passionate gardener. And because he was an Anglo and my parents were these foreigners they were chubby and short with accents and he was tall and spoke English natively-and so I idolized him because he was kind of like a second father in a way because, you know, my real parents weren’t quite good enough for me back then.
Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2022 de Horticulture.
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Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2022 de Horticulture.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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GAGA FOR GALANTHUS
As easy as they are irresistible, snowdrops boast a devoted and growing following
NEW PLANTS
Multiseason Marvels
BLUEBERRIES & CO.
Members of the genus Vaccinium provide sweet flavor, health benefits and beauty in the garden
AN ECOLOGICAL AGREEMENT
How three great minds think alike
Take It Indoors
Cs the growing season dwindles, _ potted cittus became a summer souuenir
ROOTED IN PLACE
LAYERING IS A PROPAGATION TECHNIQUE THAT TAKES A WHILE TO COMPLETE, BUT IT DEMANDS LITTLE EFFORT FROM THE GARDENER
AT HOME WITH PLANTS
Business travel and pleasure trips helped inspire this Cincinnati garden
THE GARDEN GOES DARK
Yes, gardens have their dark side. But-surprise! A garden's darkness can be good, not sinister.
LOW-WATER WONDERS
EXPLORE ONE PLANTSMAN'S DROUGHT-TOLERANT FAVORITES FOR EACH LEVEL OF THE GARDEN
Succeed With Succession- The best crops to plant throughout summer, plus how to time them right
The best crops to plant throughout summer, plus how to time them right. Once a crop like spring turnips or snap peas has finished, I tidy up the bed, amend the soil with a thin layer of compost and replant. Depending on the new crop, I may be sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings.
