Panayoti kelaidis biography

Panayoti Kelaidis is a.
Panayoti Kelaidis represents the Gardens in educational, professional and promotional endeavors as an expert in horticulture, science and art.
Born in 1950 in a small mining town on the western slopes of Colorado, Panayoti developed a love of the untamed West while fishing with his.

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This renowned plant expert would forgo the foliage and visit an ancient site on his perfect day.

As senior curator and director of outreach for Denver Botanic Gardens, travel for me usually involves plants or meetings, and the occasional mountain outing. But there’s one place I’ve always wanted to go that I haven’t been able to justify through a grant or tour, and that’s St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. No trade shows or conferences are there, and any plants I’d see would not likely have garden potential. Plus, the monastery is smack-dab in the middle of a controversial and violence-plagued hot spot. Nevertheless, I must find a way to go! I’ve accumulated several books on the monastery, have Googled it repeatedly and have always dreamed of visiting it. What would it be like to spend a day or so inside its sixth-century walls? You see, in addition to being a horticulturist, I’m a history buff with lifelong yearnings to visit the widely scattered and often difficult-to-reach monuments of Medieval Greek history. Most of t

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Horticulturist's Bios

Phillip Douglas, Director of Horticulture and Center for Global Initiatives – A native Kentuckian, Douglas began his career in horticulture working for the historical Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio, and most recently as the director of plant collections for the Chicago Botanic Garden. He received a Bachelor of Science in horticulture from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Public Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. As the director of horticulture at Denver Botanic Gardens, Douglas manages a team of esteemed horticulturists overseeing one of the world’s most diverse plant collections. Douglas is a member of the International Oak Society, International Plant Propagators Society, American Public Garden Association and International Dendrology Society. He currently serves as the chair of the Plant Collecting Collaborative, a group of public gardens dedicated to plant conservation through exploration expedition work around the globe.

Panayoti Kelaidis, Senior Curator and Director

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Panayoti Kelaidis represents the Gardens in educational, professional and promotional endeavors as an expert in horticulture, science and art. He also acts as a liaison to botanical societies, professional horticulture organizations and green industry members. Kelaidis has worked at the Gardens for 30 years in many capacities. Most recently, he was the Curator of Plant Collections, where he supervised the curatorial staff and directed inventory, maintenance, interpretation and integrity for over 15,000 kinds of living plants. His far-reaching knowledge of horticulture in the mountainous and dry climate of Colorado has aided Plant Select®, a plant introduction program where Panayoti has helped discover and name numerous plants, as well as disseminate nearly 10 million plants. He designed the plantings for the world-renowned Rock Alpine Garden and helped implement Wildflower Treasures, South African Plaza and the Romantic Gardens among many other gardens at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Kelaidis helped plan and stage over 12 regional, national and international gardening conferences