• My UNC Charlotte

  • Directory

  • Campus Events

  • Library

  • Prospective Students

    • About UNC Charlotte
    • Campus Life
    • Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
  • Faculty and Staff

    • Human Resources
    • Auxiliary Services
    • Inside UNC Charlotte
    • Academic Affairs
  • Current Students

    • Athletics
    • Financial Aid
    • Advising
    • Student Health Center
  • Alumni and Friends

    • Alumni Association
    • Advancement
    • Foundation
    • Make a Gift
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Gardens
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
  • My UNC Charlotte

  • Directory

  • Campus Events

  • Library

  • Prospective Students

    • About UNC Charlotte
    • Campus Life
    • Admissions
    • Graduate Admissions
  • Faculty and Staff

    • Human Resources
    • Auxiliary Services
    • Inside UNC Charlotte
    • Academic Affairs
  • Current Students

    • Athletics
    • Financial Aid
    • Advising
    • Student Health Center
  • Alumni and Friends

    • Alumni Association
    • Advancement
    • Foundation
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • FAQ’s
    • History
    • Staff Contacts
    • Leave Feedback
    • Instructors’ Profiles
    • Director’s Update – Archive
  • Visit
    • FAQ’s
      • Admission and Hours
    • Directions & Parking
    • Photography and Gatherings Policies
    • Garden Maps
    • Group Tours
    • Etiquette
    • Seasonal Highlights
    • Gardens/Collections
      • Carolina Garden Trail
      • Polly’s Garden
  • Support
    • Donate Now
    • Membership
    • Volunteering
    • Wishlist
    • Memorial Opportunities
    • List of Memorial Trees
  • Events Calendar
    • All Events
    • Virtual Events and Resources
    • Winter Walk – Self Guided Tour
    • Spring Plant Sale
  • Education & Programs
    • Adult Offerings
      • Gardening Classes
      • Certificate in Native Plant Studies
      • Adults Arts Workshops
    • Family Offerings
      • Stories in the Woods: Open Mic Storytime
      • Kids’ Learning
      • Earth Day – Virtual Family Event
    • Evaluations
    • Staff Publications
  • Photography and Ceremonies
  • Podcast
  • Virtual Events and Resources
  • Niner Nation

Admission is always free!

Upcoming Events
Sign Up For News
Best Places to see in Charlotte
Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
501c3 Charitable Organization
All Donations are Tax-Deductible
Donate Now
Become a Member
Education and Programs » Adult Offerings » Certificate in Native Plant Studies

Certificate in Native Plant Studies

square path

The Certificate in Native Plant Studies is designed specifically for community members interested in the diversity and use of native plants of the Carolinas.

(CNPS) was founded in 2009 by Dr. Larry Mellichamp, Director Emeritus of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. It was one of the first such programs in the Southeast, offering a challenging curriculum focused on the knowledge and cultivation of native plants.

CNPS Mission:

To offer intensive classes, taught by professional botanists, horticulturalists, and gardeners, which inspire an appreciation and understanding of native plants, including identification, ecology, habitat requirements, and use in home landscape gardening.

Benefits:

The knowledge gained from the CNPS curriculum can be applied practically whether the certificate holder is a professional gardener, landscaper, botanist, botanical artist, conservationist, amateur naturalist, or home gardener. 

Upon completing the core class Basic Botany, students will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the North Carolina Native Plant Society.

Requirements:

Enrollment in the Certificate in Native Plant Studies program is simple. Once you have taken a class, you are enrolled in the program! (Classes available for registration are below)

To receive a Certificate in Native Plant Studies, you must have successfully completed 100 hours (contact hours) of Native Plant Studies Classes offered at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. There is one required core class: Basic Botany. We recommend that this class is taken early in a student’s CNPS experience as it provides foundational terminology and concepts that will be discussed in other classes, however you are not required to complete Basic Botany before taking any other CNPS classes. 

In addition to the 100 hours, students are required to participate in 2 CNPS Field Trips which enable the students to put their knowledge to the test, and volunteer a total of 30 hours in native-plant related efforts. (A volunteer record form will be sent to you upon request).

For more information on the list of classes we offer annually and periodically and our instructors, please feel free to download our brochure:

Certificate in Native Plant Studies Brochure

FAQ’s

Enrollment in the CNPS Program is not required to take individual classes.

There is no enrollment fee for the Certificate in Native Plant Studies Program. Once you register for a class, you are registered in the program.

There is no time limit on completion of the certificate. Some students complete in a year while others take classes when they can and have completed in 8 years. You set the pace!

We do not offer credit from classes taken at other gardens or institutions as each program sets their own requirements for the course of study.

                           

 

We are tremendously pleased and proud of the continued interest this program garners not only from the public but from other botanic gardens and universities in the Southeast, which now have instituted similar programs. Thank you for your interest and participation in our Certificate in Native Plant Studies!

See all upcoming classes here: https://gardens.charlotte.edu/events-calendar/ (classes marked with a * are eligible for CNPS credit) 

 

Registration


There are two ways to register* for courses, depending on how you wish to pay.

1.     Online by charge. The entire registration and payment process is accomplished on our online store. Register and pay online here.  You will receive an automatic confirmation of your payment (if not, please email Amy).  You will also receive an email from Amy with class and parking details approximately 5 days prior to the start of class.

2.     By check.  These registrations will be processed in a first-emailed, first-paid-basis. If you prefer to pay with a check, please email Amy, who will let you know about spaces available in any given course. AmyTipton@uncc.edu

Register and pay online here

 

*Before you register, please read our cancellation and refund policies carefully.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be submitted 21 days prior to the start date of the class for a full refund (only available if paid by credit card) or a full credit towards a future course (if paid by check). Otherwise, we will deduct a 25% cancellation fee. Cancellations made during the 72 hours prior to the starting date of the class will not receive credit or refund. Credits do not have an expiration date.

Refund Process: We are able to issue refunds only on payments made through our online storefront. Cancellations on courses paid by check receive credit towards future purchases according to the cancellation policy restrictions.

Thank you!

2021 Archive

Online class with optional field trip: Native Shrub Identification

Online class with optional field trip: Mushroom Identification

Online class with optional field trip: Native Tree Identification

Online Class: Basic Botany

Online Class: Botanical Watercolor: Effective Color Mixing

Online/hybrid class: Insect ID and ecology

Online Class: Carnivorous Plant ID Bog Ecology and Bog Gardens

Online Class: Smart Native Landscape Design

Online Class: Botanical Drawing II (Capturing Details)

Online Class: What’s Wrong with My Plant? (3-part series)

Online Class: Bird ID (optional in-person field trip)

Online Series: Sustainable Gardens (6-part series with certification)

Online Class: Vegetable Gardens: Summer (Warm-Season) Vegetables

Online Class: Native Wildflower ID (optional in-person field trip)

Online Class: Basic Ecology

Online Class: Advanced Botany

Online class: Wildlife Gardening:  Songbirds and Terrestrials

Online Class: Basic Botany

2020 Archive

Online Class: Preparing your Gardens and Containers for Winter

Online Class and Field Trip: Native Tree ID

Online Class and Field Trip: Native Shrub Identification 

Online Class: Wildlife Gardening, Instructor Judy Walker

Online Class: Bird ID, Instructor: Judy Walker

Online Class – What’s Wrong With My Plant? Abiotic and Insects *CNPS Credit: 3 hours

Instructor: Jeff Gillman, Ph.D Horticulture, MS Entomology, Director UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Botanical Drawing: Flower Portraits in Pencil: Online Class *CNPS Credit: 3 hours

Instructor: Amy Tipton, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Assistant Director BFA Drawing, MFA Printmaking, MS Botany

Botanical Drawing : Capturing Details: Online Class CNPS Credit: 3 hours

Instructor: Amy Tipton, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Assistant Director BFA Drawing, MFA Printmaking, MS Botany

Basic Ecology

Instructor: Carrie DeJaco,  Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Basic Botany

Instructor: Dr. Larry Mellichamp, Ph D. Director Emeritus UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Co-Instructor: Paula Gross, Former Associate Director UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

2019 Archive

Native Shrub Identification and Use – 6 Credit Hours

Instructor:  Ed Davis, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Horticultural Supervisor and Landscape Architect

Native Tree Field Trip – 3 Credit Hours

Lake Norman State Park 

Native Tree Identification – 6 Credit Hours

Instructor: Amy Tipton, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Assistant Director

Mushroom Identification – 6 Credit Hours

Instructor: Dr. Larry Mellichamp, PhD. Director Emeritus, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens 

What’s Wrong With My Plant? Abiotic and Weeds – 3 Credit hours

Instructor: Jeff Gillman, Director, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

What’s Wrong With My Plant? Insects and Disease – 3 Credit hours

Instructor: Jeff Gillman, Director, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Propagation – 6 Credit hours

Instructor: Jeff Gillman, Director, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Bird Identification – 6 credit hours

Instructor: Judith Walker, Mecklenburg Audubon Society

Wildlife Gardening: Songbirds and Terrestrials – 3 Credit hours

Instructor: Judith Walker, Mecklenburg Audubon Society

Fern Identification – 6 credit hours

Instructor: Dr. Larry Mellichamp, PhD. Director Emeritus, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens 

Soils: Composition, Chemistry, and Fauna – 10 credit hours

Composition and Chemistry:  Dr. Mellichamp, PhD, Director Emeritus, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Mycorrhizae:  Debbie Langsam, PhD Mycology; retired faculty, UNC Charlotte Biology 

Micro-fauna: Denise Furr, Adjunct Curator of Malacology, Schiele Museum of Natural History

Insect ID and Ecology –  10 credit hours

Instructor: Jeff Gillman, Director, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Botanical Watercolor 1  – 3 credit hours

Instructor: Amy Tipton, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Assistant Director, BFA Drawing, MS Botany

Botanical Drawing 1 – 3 credit hours

Instructor: Amy Tipton, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Assistant Director, BFA Drawing, MS Botany

Sustainable Gardening  – 12 credit hours

Instructor, Don Boekelheide, Instructor, Landscape for Life

Wildflower Identification – 6 credit hours

Saturday, April 6                                                                                                                      Instructor, Paula Gross, Former Associate Director, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

Advanced Botany – 9 credit hours

March 30 – 31                                                                                                                         Instructor: Dr. Larry Mellichamp, PhD. Director Emeritus, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens 

Smart Landscape Design – 6 credit hours

Saturday, March 23   9 – 3:30 pm                                                                            Instructor:  Ed Davis, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Horticultural Supervisor and Landscape Architect

Basic Botany – 10 credit hours

Saturday, February 2, 3                                                                                            Instructor: Dr. Larry Mellichamp, PhD. Director Emeritus, UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens  

 

 

 

 

_______________________________

 

 

 

 

Click for more  

UNC Charlotte Homepage

Campus Links

  • Alerts
  • Jobs
  • Make a Gift
  • Maps / Directions
  • Accessibility

Resources

  • Alumni & Friends
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Prospective Students
  • Community
  • Current Students
  • Parents and Family

Stay In Touch

facebook instagram flickr linkedin twitter youtube maps

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
704-687-8622

© 2017 UNC Charlotte | All Rights Reserved
Contact Us | Terms of Use | University Policies
 

Loading Comments...
 

    Skip to toolbar
    • Log In