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Studio Scholars with Houston Botanic Garden’s Fran de la Mota, Ph.D.
Fran de la Mota, Ph.D. takes a journey through the canopy to help us see and better understand the urban “forest” and its trees.
The Houston Botanic Garden’s Deputy Director of Horticulture, Fran de la Mota, Ph.D., has overseen horticulture operations at the garden since 2021, where he initiates the company’s involvement in plant research and conservation by collaborating with institutions regionally and nationally. As the deputy director, he establishes and executes the Garden’s horticulture priorities and design development, while also maintaining high horticulture standards and practices to build a living collection of plants that support conservation and interpretation to showcase and educate the public on the significance and relevance of the Garden’s collections and research projects.
He previously worked for the Holden Arboretum, but began his professional career in public horticulture in Madrid, Spain, at the Royal Botanic Garden and at El Retiro Park.
On March 20th, Fran de la Mota, Ph.D. will lead a 45-minute discussion sharing the following topics: misconceptions among people outside and within the tree world about how a tree grows, impervious surfaces and the Houston urban sprawl dilemma, why tree pits matter in an urban environment, and freezing temperatures and gardens in the Houston region. The discussion will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A open to all attendees. The event will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with light bites and social networking, then we will welcome Fran de la Mota, Ph.D., to the stage at 12:15 p.m. Guests will then have the opportunity to engage and participate in a Q&A at 1:15 p.m. before the event concludes at 1:30 p.m.
