Annual Sims Lecture with Andrea DeLong-Amaya: Native Swagger: Turning Heads with Native Plants
Schedule
Sun Apr 12 2026 at 05:30 pm to 06:45 pm
UTC-04:00Location
North Carolina Botanical Garden | Chapel Hill, NC
Advertisement
Join us for our Annual Evelyn McNeill Sims Native Plant Lecture: Native Swagger: Turning Heads with Native Plantswith Andrea DeLong-Amaya, Horticulture Educator at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center!
Sunday, April 12, 2026
5:30 PM ET
Hybrid - Join us in person or on Zoom!
Free; preregistration required: https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0005-0014-50280706b8134f3b955f372b3e4b5ca1
Native plants are resilient ecological powerhouses and anchor us to our botanical heritage. But too often, they’re dismissed as messy or weedy. It’s time to change the narrative! In this talk, we’ll explore how to use native plants to create gardens that are true people-pleasers.
From wild to formal designs, lawns to containers, sun to shade, wildlife gardens to water gardens, even edible gardens — you’ll see how natives provide habitat while also serving as the basis for stunning landscapes. Whether you’re already a native-plant champion or just native-curious, you’ll come away with ideas to elevate your garden and give native plants the starring role they deserve.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
For over three decades, Andrea DeLong-Amaya has been living her life’s mission to honor the natural world through presenting and teaching classes about the horticulture, ecology, and importance of native plants in planned landscapes.
Over the prior 21 years, she served as the Center’s Director of Horticulture, overseeing the nine acres of Texas native plant gardens, and nursery programs. She’s been a staff member since 1998 and has over 30 years of experience with Texas native plants in horticulture, ecology and garden design. Recently, she has taken on a new role at the Wildflower Center focusing more on teaching and advancing interpretation in the gardens.
She has contributed numerous gardening articles to publications such as Taunton’s Fine Gardening, Rodale’s Organic Gardening, American Public Gardens Association’s Public Garden, Neil Sperry’s Gardens and e-Gardens, Texas Gardener and Wildflower (the Center’s member magazine). Her regionally best-selling book, the Texas Native Plant Primer (Timber Press), was released in March of 2025.
DeLong-Amaya has appeared numerous times on Central Texas Gardener, PBS’s long-running television program, and was a two-time guest on WNYC’s Science Friday. Jennifer Jewell featured Andrea’s work in her 2020 book, “The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants,” and interviewed DeLong-Amaya on the podcast Cultivating Place.
The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College honored DeLong-Amaya with the prestigious 2025 Scott Garden & Horticulture Award in March 2025.
ABOUT THE SIMS LECTURE
Every spring, the Garden offers a lecture focused on native plants and their conservation and ecology. The lecture series was initiated in 2000 with a gift from then Botanical Garden Foundation Board member Nancy Preston. Mrs. Preston wanted to honor her mother, Evelyn McNeill Sims, on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Born in Lumberton, North Carolina, Mrs. Sims was educated at UNC-Greensboro and later moved to Kingsport, Tennessee, with her husband and daughter. Wildflower excursions in the mountains surrounding Kingsport were a favorite activity for Mrs. Sims, who eventually became a volunteer guide at Bays Mountain Nature Park.
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
North Carolina Botanical Garden, 100 Old Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
