High & Dry in the Chinook Zone
NARGS 2026
Annual General
Meeting
June 25 – 28
Calgary, Alberta,
Canada
The Calgary Rock and Alpine Garden Society (CRAGS) invites rock gardeners to Calgary next June to celebrate rock-loving plants and rock gardens. Calgary is located on the western edge of the Northern Great Plains, within sight of the Rocky Mountains. Owing to its elevation (1045 m, 3400 ft) and associated cool nights, Calgary provides favorable conditions for rock and alpine gardens, despite the challenges
of warm, drying winds (chinooks) that punctuate otherwise cold winters. Nature abounds in the Calgary region, including five UNESCO
World Heritage Sites with either alpine or dryland rock-loving vegetation within a three-hour drive.
The 2026 meeting and associated activities promise to be engaging and informative. Confirmed speakers include Vojtech Holubec (Czech
Republic), Jay Akerley (Kamloops, British Columbia), Todd Boland (St. John’s, Newfoundland) and Stephanie Ferguson (Calgary,
Alberta). The opportunities and challenges of gardening in the chinook zone will be discussed during visits to the personal gardens of
CRAGS members and municipal rock gardens that the club helped develop. Field trips to the nearby Front Range of the Rocky Mountains
will provide guided introduction to the native alpine flora.
The meeting schedule will be posted in the winter 2026 issue of the
Quarterly and on a forthcoming meeting-specific website. Also consult the CRAGS website (crags.ca) for current information.
Registration will open in January 2026.