Botany: a taster
- Course Code: HS289
- Dates: 01/06/24 - 01/06/24
- Time: 10:00 - 16:00
- Taught: Sat, Daytime
- Duration: 1 session
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Letta Jones
Course Code: HS289
Duration: 1 session
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
In our everyday lives we directly encounter around 40 plants in and outside the home. From the tea plant and grass for cattle which give us milk, to the rubber tree providing cycle tyres and cotton for clothes, our lives are inextricably linked to plants. This one day taster course will introduce the breadth of the plant world and explore common plants used for ornamental and medicinal purposes. Please note that the morning session will take place at City Lit; after the lunchbreak, there will be a botany walk in Lincoln's Inn Fields.
What will we cover?
The diversity of plants
Plannts growing locally in Lincolns Inn Fields. This may include edible and ornamental garden/landscape plants and those used for medicinal purposes.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
List the ways in which we use plants in everyday life
Recognise c.10 plants growing locally in London
Evaluate the beneficial and practical uses of plants.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an introductory course and open to all. The course does not assume any previous study or reading, although you will need a good grasp of English to keep up with the course. An interest in plants and enthusiasm for learning are the only prerequisites. As with most courses, an open mind and willingness to listen and observe are more important than specific levels of skill.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught in several ways including presentations, practical group work with fresh specimens, observation activities, discussion and Q & A. Plant apps are not covered.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs, but you may find a notebook useful.
Please wear appropriate walking shoes and bring a raincoat/umbrella for the afternoon session if necessary on the day. No dogs (except assistance dogs) allowed.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
HS021 Why Plants Matter
Please see our Science & Nature category on the City Lit website for further information.
Letta Jones, MA, is a Lecturer in Horticulture and Garden History. She taught at Capel Manor College and and Birkbeck, University of London for 15 years. She now teaches classes at the City Lit, Marlborough College Summer School, Woodbrooke,Denman, Glenthorne and Knuston Hall. She is part of the Garden History Grapevine/Gardens Trust group which offers introductory and advanced courses in garden history www.gardenhistorygrapevine.wordpress.com. A guide at the Chelsea Physic Garden for 18 years, Letta now teaches on their education programme. She is a Green Flag Park judge and she also leads her own garden study tours abroad.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
