This intensive four-session class led by Lee Buttala on Tuesdays, Sept. 2 through 23 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., explores the world of herbaceous plants, from their identification, selection and use in the garden through their basic botany, life cycle and propagation. Participants are asked to create a final project highlighting a genus or plant family related to the curriculum. A part of the Level 1 horticulture core curriculum, this class is essential for the committed gardener and includes lectures, hands-on activities, field study, and group discussion. The class aspires to give participants a deeper understanding of annuals, perennials and ornamental vegetables and their role in the garden. Students should dress for outdoor field study. All students participating in this class as part of the Horticulture Certificate Program are required to complete a final project. 

Lee Buttala is the former executive director of Seed Savers Exchange, a seed bank dedicated to the sharing and saving of seeds that define America’s food and garden heritage. He is a former director of marketing communications for BBG and the preservation manager for the Garden Conservancy. He is the chair of the Historic Landscapes Committee of the American Public Gardens Association. He studied garden design at the Chelsea Physic Garden, the New York Botanical Garden and the Kyoto School of Art and Design. He lives in Brooklyn and Ashley Falls, Mass.