Flora of the Turkish Silk Road

Turkey is a country of rich physical and ancient cultural diversity straddling Europe and Asia. Bella Seiden and Barbara Cooper’s trip to Turkey in the spring of 2019 was an adventure with many surprises and much beauty.  As they travelled along parts of the ancient Silk Road they saw mountains, volcanoes, steppe, beautiful rich valleys, rivers and lakes. Each of these areas is home to incredible flora, much of it endemic and fascinating cultural sites. Their presentation will offer some of the highlights of this trip.
Barbara and Bella have been gardening together in Toronto for more than 25 years. They have a plant collector’s garden in an urban setting, where they have constructed a tufa garden, crevice and rock gardens as well as perennial beds Over the years they have developed an interest in seeing plants in their natural habitat and have traveled several times to South America, South Africa, and Turkey. They are members of the Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society where they are responsible for the Speaker’s Programme.