Daily Archives: January 15, 2025

Thursday, January 23, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Eastern – Longest Blooming Perennials, Online

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For a garden that stays colorful all season, long-blooming perennials are a great choice. These plants offer consistent flowers from early summer to the first frost, providing lasting beauty with minimal effort. They attract pollinators, add variety, and reduce the need for frequent replanting, making them a practical option for maintaining a vibrant garden throughout the growing season. This Chicago Botanic Garden class on January 23 will be taught online via Zoom. All registrations must be submitted online two days before your class starts. Registered students will receive login instructions one day in advance.

Jacob Burns, curator, plant collections, Chicago Botanic Garden, is the instructor. $32 for CBG members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at www.chicagobotanic.org

Wednesday, January 29, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Unraveling Botanical Names, Online

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Scientific names offer precision and accuracy when identifying plants, but they can also intimidate even the most seasoned gardener. Mt. Cuba’s conservation scientist, Élan Alford, PhD, breaks down the various components in a Latin binomial, including why plants are named in this way and what a Latin name can teach us about a plant. This introductory course leaves you well prepared for any magazine article, nursery catalog, or class with a strong Latin component.

Élan Alford, Plant Conservation Scientist at Mt. Cuba Center, earned a B.S. in Ecology & Evolution at the University of Pittsburgh and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Ecology at Colorado State University. Élan initially worked in ecological consulting where she conducted rare plant, habitat, and wetland surveys. With survey knowledge she aided clients to achieve their projects in a regulatory-compliant manner. After seeing many remarkable sites during her private-sector career, Élan transitioned from finding practical and responsible environmental solutions in development to a conservation-centered approach. Now Elan focuses on using survey and data to tell native plant stories.

This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/unraveling-botanical-names-online/