SFA Gardens’ July lecture to feature talk on the Longview Arboretum

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. July 14 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Steven Chamblee, executive director for the Longview Arboretum and Nature Center, will present “The Longview Arboretum: The Good, the Bad and the Muddy.”

As executive director, Chamblee uses his collective experiences to bring vibrant, artistic expression to the garden to inspire educational opportunities for local communities.

With more than 40 years in the horticulture field, Chamblee’s love for plants began when he would help his father transplant trees in the late 1970s. He soon formed Southern Lawn Care, a landscape maintenance company, and in 1986, he joined the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as a gardener.

Chamblee’s natural curiosity led him to enroll in Tarrant County College, where he earned his Associate of Applied Science in horticulture. Still working full time at the garden, Chamblee earned his Bachelor of Science in ornamental horticulture from Tarleton State University and a Master of Science in public horticulture administration from the University of Delaware. 

After graduate school, Chamblee served as the native plant horticulturist for the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney before returning to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as the grounds manager. He also served as education director for the garden, where he focused on developing a variety of self-sustaining educational programs. From 2006 to 2019, he served as chief horticulturist for Chandor Gardens in Weatherford. 

Chamblee writes a monthly column in Neil Sperry’s eGardens newsletter titled “Native Son” and gives garden presentations that weave together hard science, humor and matters of the heart.  

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.