Our February speaker has had a life-long association with plants. Raised on a large, fancy nursery in Toms River, NJ, he first began experimenting with exotic plants in the 6th grade. He did undergraduate work in molecular biology at Caltech in Southern California, returned to the family nursery for several years, then later worked his way through grad school at UMCP as a local nurseryman. He eventually took a job in the Cryobiology Laboratory of the American Red Cross, earning his PhD on the biophysics of deep freezing resistance.

As a result of his vast education and hands-on work, Allen has become an expert on plant cold hardiness. He will address the club on the subject of Winter-Hardy Cacti and Succulents, such as those in the agave family (agave, yucca), hardy mesems (delosperma, stomatium), prickly pears, cholla, barrel cactus, and more! We hope you are able to attend this sure-to-be fascinating discussion.