Meeting:

June 11, 2009

Guest Presenter:

Tom Fischer

Program:

Unraveling the Mysteries of Botanical Latins

Most gardeners concede the necessity of using botanical Latin in order to communicate clearly about plants. Nevertheless, puzzling questions remain: How did it develop? Why is it pronounced the way it is? Are there correct and incorrect pronunciations? Are there any rules-of-thumb that can make it easier to remember? These and other questions were addressed in Mr. Fischer’s talk.

Tom Fischer got his start in book publishing at the University of Chicago Press and Beacon Press. Before moving to Portland in 2004, he spent 14 years on the editorial staff of Horticulture magazine in Boston, Massachusetts.

Tom’s experiences as a bi-coastal gardener and his inexhaustible curiosity about plants have shaped his new garden, which in 2008 was profiled in the Oregonian. A prolific writer as well as an editor, his articles have been featured in magazines such as Garden Design, Gardens Illustrated, and Martha Stewart Living. His book, Perennial Companions: 100 Dazzling Plant Combinations for Every Season, was published by Timber Press in February 2009. His website, Overplanted.com, is due to launch in mid-2009.