SM-100 Seminar: Our Native Flora

John Manion will be the next guest speaker for SM-100 seminar this week (Monday, Feb. 24, noon-1 pm). Manion has been employed at several botanical gardens and arboreta, including the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland. After working as Historic Gardens Curator at the Atlanta History Center, he became the Kaul Wildflower Garden Curator at Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Alabama, where he spent 11 years developing and refining a seven-acre collection of native plants – the most comprehensive in the state

While at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, he designed and managed an immensely successful Certificate in Native Plant Studies program, as well as a biennial, four-day Native Plant Conference. Since early in 2022, John has been the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Overhill Gardens in Vonore, TN, where he develops and offers articles, talks, walks and multiday fieldtrips. Throughout his career, John has led many rare plant conservation efforts and is passionate about sharing his love for, and knowledge about our native flora and all of its related topics.