SFA Gardens lecture to discuss “growing plants where plants don’t want to grow”

Dr. Whitney Griffin will present "The Art of Growing Plants Where Plants Don't Want to Grow" for Stephen F. Austin State University's Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

Dr. Whitney Griffin, landscape software product manager, will present "The Art of Growing Plants Where Plants Don't Want to Grow."

Griffin is a passionate green industry proponent, having held several positions in a variety of green industries while earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in horticultural sciences at Auburn University in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
Griffin served as director of maintenance at a boutique contractor specializing in green roofs and living walls shortly after completing her doctoral degree at The University of Maryland in 2014. In this role, she was responsible for over 2 million square feet of living walls and green roofs from New York City down to Raleigh, North Carolina, and as far west as Chicago. Her doctoral research specialized in green roofs, specifically the optimization of green roof substrates for stormwater management.

Griffin served as a faculty member in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University from 2015-19, where she taught landscape design, computer-aided design, landscape business management and landscape construction courses. In 2019, she joined a firm in Austin as lead landscape designer and project manager for custom residential landscape development.

Since 2021, Griffin has been a part of the product management team at Aspire, a landscape software solution, where she collaborates with industry professionals to design and deliver industry-focused software for high-growth companies. She lives in Austin with her partner, Kenneth, their border collie, Pixel, and usually at least one foster dog they are rehabilitating with Border Collie Save and Rescue.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each moth and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, and donations to the lecture series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center or Raguet Elementary School.

For more information, email [email protected].