Featured plant live zoom classes
with Vitalist Bioregional Herbalist, John Slattery
Interested in learning more about your local plants?
Featured Plant Live Zoom Classes
A live Zoom series with John Slattery, one plant a month, November through March
We’ll look at 5 different plants over 5 months, covering 1 plant, in-depth, each month on a live Zoom call.
These 5 plants occupy a variety of niches in our local ecosystem from native plant in the wild, introduced plants that have become naturalized in certain areas from the wild to our backyards and garden beds, and one plant that can be grown quite easily in the Sonoran desert ecosystem.
Each plant will be explored and detailed in the following ways:
Naming: Scientific name and classification, folk/common names
Where to Find: Distribution and Habitat where you’ll find it; if applicable, how to grow
Phenology: A brief look at the life cycle and seasonality, including plant parts used and when best to gather
Preparations: What parts of the plant are prepared and how to prepare
Applications: How we can use these plants or the preparations we make from them
Misc: Other considerations, unique attributes, cultural aspects, history, and/or my unique experiences with the plant
Join the full series for $105 (save $20 over single classes).
Or join for just the plants you want, at $25 per class.
How it works
Live on Zoom, weekday afternoons, Arizona time (times listed with each class below)
1 hour per class: about 45-50 minute presentation, then 10-15 minutes of Q&A
Zoom link emailed to you before each class
Replays sent after each class, available for at least 90 days
Join from anywhere. No experience needed.
The Schedule
Tuesday, November 17, 2:00–3:00 pm AZ (4:00 ET / 1:00 PT): Holy Basil
Tulsi, the "incomparable one," a sacred plant in India and one of the most loved aromatic herbs in the world. We'll look at its energetics, its traditional use for stress and a clouded mind, how it grows half the year in the Sonoran Desert, and how to make the most of it as tea, tincture, and other preparations.
Wednesday, December 9, 3:30–4:30 pm AZ (5:30 ET / 2:30 PT): St. John's Wort
The solstice flower that bleeds red oil. We'll cover how to identify it (and tell it from look-alikes), why timing matters so much at harvest, its traditional use for nerves, wounds and low moods, and a look at the drug interactions every doctor (and most herbalists) are concerned about.
Wednesday, January 13, 2:00–3:00 pm AZ (4:00 ET / 1:00 PT): Sow Thistle
The "weed" in your yard right now. Sow thistle comes up all over Tucson in the winter season, and it's one of the most underappreciated wild plants we have. We'll cover identification, eating it, its bitter medicine, and how it compares to its cousin the dandelion.
Wednesday, February 10, 3:30–4:30 pm AZ (5:30 ET / 2:30 PT): Red Root
Ceanothus species - the shrub with roots the color of blood. We'll look at the species in our region, how red root has been used for the lymph and for clearing stagnation, and how to effectively and efficiently make remedies from this vigorous plant.
Wednesday, March 10, 4:00–5:00 pm AZ (6:00 ET / 3:00 PT): Mullein
The tall, soft-leaved plant almost everyone recognizes, and one of the most generous. Leaf, flower and root each do something different. We'll cover first-year rosettes and second-year stalks, mullein for the lungs, the classic flower oil, and where to find it in the Southwest.
Join me for this series for an in-depth exploration of a variety of plants that can be used for both food and healing!
Questions? Email john@johnjslattery.com
*Payment in silver or crypto is also accepted; email for details.
John J Slattery LLC
Bioregional Herbalist
Tucson, AZ
© 2016-2026
www.johnjslattery.com