Botanical Latin for Gardeners

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It is easy to fall for the poetry and charm of common plant names. Who can resist the romance of plants with names like "Loves-lie bleeding," "forget-me-not" or "morning-noon-and-night"? However, when understood and used appropriately, botanical Latin can help in understanding the origin of a plant or important characteristics such as its form, color, shape or size. Based on the book Latin for Gardeners, this class will explore the reasons to use Latin for plant names and how to use botanical Latin to improve gardening efforts. Who says Latin is a dead language? Instructor Phil Roudebush enlivens this core class and gives students an essential tool for better understanding botanical nomenclature and taxonomy.

Phil Roudebush is a native of Indiana and lived in Colorado, Missouri, Mississippi and Kansas before moving to North Carolina in 2015. He is a retired veterinarian who has worked in small animal practice, taught in several veterinary schools and did research, product development and technical communication in the animal health industry. Phil has maintained a large vegetable garden, herb garden, pumpkin patch, water garden and a 30-acre native grass hay pasture. He was an Extension Master Gardener in Shawnee County, Kansas before moving to Asheville and is a certified Extension Master Gardener Volunteer in Buncombe County.

Event Host

The NC Arboretum Adult Education Programs