Workshop 3: Lindsey Curé: Decorative Native Plants
We will be exploring native plants based on attractive characteristics, ranging from growth habit, texture, fragrance, and flowers.
Lindsey was born and raised in Arizona. She was inspired by her father Pete Curé, a professional landscape architect, to study horticulture. She received her B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Arizona in 2012. During her college career she was involved with several horticultural and agricultural programs to further her education.
While getting her degree she worked in the University of Arizona’s hydroponic greenhouses. Under the direction of Dr. Patricia Rorabaugh, she learned how to implement integrated pest management in a greenhouse setting to grow pesticide free food crops.
In Tucson, she volunteered in the propagation nursery for Tohono Chul Park, learning about Sonoran desert natives and varieties endemic to the Tucson area. Here she was mentored by Russ Buhrow, Curator of Plants, at the botanical garden.
Lindsey was also involved with the Watershed Management Group, volunteering around Tucson to transform flood areas into rainwater nurtured landscapes, as well as working with the group to xeriscape private residences.
Her involvement with these groups lead her to discover Tucson’s Community Food Bank farm, where she volunteered her time maintaining edible crops for the community. She learned about seasonally appropriate crops and varieties that do well in the desert heat.
In 2011, Lindsey was a horticultural intern at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. She spent a summer working with the horticulture crew maintaining the gardens and creating educational signage for the botanical garden. Lindsey chose this internship to immerse herself in a completely different plant pallet to broaden her knowledge.
Four years ago she moved to the Verde Valley and began her career with Verde River Growers where she learned about native and drought tolerant plants from the owner, Shaun Symond. She started as an assistant grower and has moved up through the company. Since June of 2016, Lindsey took over as general manager. She enjoys working with the community and helping people pick successful plants for their gardens.