Dr. Francisco Javier de la Mota

Dr. Francisco Javier de la Mota


NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Dr. Francisco Javier de la Mota will be presenting “A Path to Successfully Growing Mediterranean Plants in Southeast Texas." De la Mota joined the Houston Botanic Garden as director of horticulture in May 2021 where he oversees the horticultural operations and staff on the 132-acre botanic garden. 

De la Mota holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Universidad de Castilla La Mancha in Spain, and a doctoral degree in horticulture from Virginia Tech.

De la Mota has more than 20 years of experience in horticulture and a lifetime of experience growing and collecting plants. His career in public horticulture started in Madrid, Spain, at the Royal Botanic Garden and at the Retiro Park, as well as at the Holden Arboretum in Ohio. He also has been on the commercial side of horticulture as owner of a landscaping business and consulted in tree risk assessment while in Madrid.

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 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.