WVHPG Educational Speaker Program Tuesday, 8 September 2026
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Join us on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 at 7:00 pm in the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, 1685 W 13th Ave, Eugene OR 97402, to listen to Kevin Vaughn, Retired USDA Plant Cell Biologist and Hybridizer. He will be presenting "Hybridizer on the Loose".
Program:
Kevin Vaughn has been hybridizing plants for 62 years starting in Massachusetts as a kid, then 30 years in Mississippi while working for the USDA, and finally in the promised land of Salem, Oregon! In his program, he will detail his work on irises of all types, Sempervivum, daffodils, daylilies and several other genera. Nothing with pollen is safe in Kevin's yard! Besides seeing great images of his creations, he will give insight into his methods of selecting the varieties that end up on the market.
Speaker Bio:
Kevin Vaughn’s work on irises, hosta, and Sempervivum were part of his early efforts. His curiosity about plant genetics led him to pursue a PhD in plant genetics, where he researched the genetics of variegation in hosta.
After graduate school, Kevin spent 30 years as a research cell biologist for the USDA in Stoneville, Mississippi, where he investigated weeds and herbicides but also hybridized irises, daylilies, daffodils, and Tradescantia.
After retirement in 2010, Kevin moved to Salem, Oregon to pursue hybridizing iris, daffodils and daylilies more aggressively, and restarted his Sempervivum program as well. New avenues in Cyclamens, dianthus, hardy geraniums, Kniphofias, and asters are also being explored. Presently over 200 varieties of plants have been introduced from what is a backyard project, and dozens more are being ramped into production each year. His Louisiana iris hybrids ‘Red Velvet Elvis’ and ‘Lemon Zest’ have won the DeBaillon and Hybridizer’s Medals from the American Iris Society and the Foster Memorial Plaque from the British Iris Society. From the American Hosta Society, he has won the Alex Summers, Nancy Minks and Eunice Fischer Awards for his hybridizing efforts in that genus. Most recently he was awarded the Marcel Le Piniec Award from the North American Rock Garden Society for a lifetime of breeding Sempervivum. His present interests in irises are centered on the dwarf and median bearded irises and the spuria irises.
Besides his hybridizing work, Kevin has authored or co-authored three books on irises and one on Sempervivum: Beardless Irises: A Plant for Every Garden Situation; Dwarf and Median Bearded Irises: Jewels of the Iris World; The Louisiana Iris: The Taming of a Native American Wildflower (Caillet, Farron-Campbell and Vaughn): and Sempervivum: A Gardener's Perspective of the Not-So-Humble Hens-And-Chicks.
Beyond horticulture, Kevin plays in 5 musical groups in the Salem, Oregon area, playing various members of the oboe and clarinet families.
Program Location:
The in-person meetings and speaker programs take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene at 1685 W 13th Ave, Eugene OR 97402.
Entrance is on the east side of the building and there is ample parking in the parking lots, which can be accessed from both Chambers St or W 13th Ave, with additional parking in the adjacent Looking Glass Center parking lot. Please do not park under their covered entry way. Overflow parking is also available in the first 20 spaces on the east and south side of Redeemer Fellowship Church just across Chambers St to the west. For location and parking information see our website at: www.thehardyplantgroup.org/contact
Meetings begin at 7:00 PM, but the doors open at 6:30 PM for botanical sample browsing, refreshments, and socializing. We meet the second Tuesday of the month, September through November, and January through May. The public is invited to attend our meetings. Admission is free for members and $5 for non-members.
This program will also be broadcast live via a Zoom webinar, if you are unable to attend in person, to all members of WVHPG. If you are not a member and would like to view this webinar please see our "About" page on our website to learn how to join. www.thehardyplantgroup.org/about
Program:
Kevin Vaughn has been hybridizing plants for 62 years starting in Massachusetts as a kid, then 30 years in Mississippi while working for the USDA, and finally in the promised land of Salem, Oregon! In his program, he will detail his work on irises of all types, Sempervivum, daffodils, daylilies and several other genera. Nothing with pollen is safe in Kevin's yard! Besides seeing great images of his creations, he will give insight into his methods of selecting the varieties that end up on the market.
Speaker Bio:
Kevin Vaughn’s work on irises, hosta, and Sempervivum were part of his early efforts. His curiosity about plant genetics led him to pursue a PhD in plant genetics, where he researched the genetics of variegation in hosta.
After graduate school, Kevin spent 30 years as a research cell biologist for the USDA in Stoneville, Mississippi, where he investigated weeds and herbicides but also hybridized irises, daylilies, daffodils, and Tradescantia.
After retirement in 2010, Kevin moved to Salem, Oregon to pursue hybridizing iris, daffodils and daylilies more aggressively, and restarted his Sempervivum program as well. New avenues in Cyclamens, dianthus, hardy geraniums, Kniphofias, and asters are also being explored. Presently over 200 varieties of plants have been introduced from what is a backyard project, and dozens more are being ramped into production each year. His Louisiana iris hybrids ‘Red Velvet Elvis’ and ‘Lemon Zest’ have won the DeBaillon and Hybridizer’s Medals from the American Iris Society and the Foster Memorial Plaque from the British Iris Society. From the American Hosta Society, he has won the Alex Summers, Nancy Minks and Eunice Fischer Awards for his hybridizing efforts in that genus. Most recently he was awarded the Marcel Le Piniec Award from the North American Rock Garden Society for a lifetime of breeding Sempervivum. His present interests in irises are centered on the dwarf and median bearded irises and the spuria irises.
Besides his hybridizing work, Kevin has authored or co-authored three books on irises and one on Sempervivum: Beardless Irises: A Plant for Every Garden Situation; Dwarf and Median Bearded Irises: Jewels of the Iris World; The Louisiana Iris: The Taming of a Native American Wildflower (Caillet, Farron-Campbell and Vaughn): and Sempervivum: A Gardener's Perspective of the Not-So-Humble Hens-And-Chicks.
Beyond horticulture, Kevin plays in 5 musical groups in the Salem, Oregon area, playing various members of the oboe and clarinet families.
Program Location:
The in-person meetings and speaker programs take place at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene at 1685 W 13th Ave, Eugene OR 97402.
Entrance is on the east side of the building and there is ample parking in the parking lots, which can be accessed from both Chambers St or W 13th Ave, with additional parking in the adjacent Looking Glass Center parking lot. Please do not park under their covered entry way. Overflow parking is also available in the first 20 spaces on the east and south side of Redeemer Fellowship Church just across Chambers St to the west. For location and parking information see our website at: www.thehardyplantgroup.org/contact
Meetings begin at 7:00 PM, but the doors open at 6:30 PM for botanical sample browsing, refreshments, and socializing. We meet the second Tuesday of the month, September through November, and January through May. The public is invited to attend our meetings. Admission is free for members and $5 for non-members.
This program will also be broadcast live via a Zoom webinar, if you are unable to attend in person, to all members of WVHPG. If you are not a member and would like to view this webinar please see our "About" page on our website to learn how to join. www.thehardyplantgroup.org/about
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Where is it happening?
Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene, 1685 W 13th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402-3743, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherWillamette Valley Hardy Plant Group
