The Glencarlyn Library Community Garden coordinators have created a new series of short videos highlighting the beauty of native plants. We will be sharing these videos as well as additional resources on our website every month as well as glossary words that go along with each month’s topic.
While most of the Glencarlyn videos have a science-based, instructional focus, the series on “Beautiful Native Plants” was created to simply celebrate the ornamental characteristics of many species that are either native to the Mid-Atlantic region or are environmentally friendly and grow well here. Based on a personal library of still photos and a few video clips, each presentation introduces viewers to around a dozen plants, providing scientific and common names and illustrating their full forms as well as details of buds, flowers, and foliage through the seasons. The videos are designed to be viewed with audio on to provide a background of music and the sounds of nature. You are invited to fall in love with beautiful native plants.
Beautiful Native Shrubs with Outstanding Flowers
Featured Plants – Tried & True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
- Calycanthus floridus (Sweet-shrub)
- Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea)
- Cephalanthus occidentalis (Buttonbush)
- Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush)
- Fothergilla gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla)
- Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel)
- Hydrangea arborescens (Wild Hydrangea)
- Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea)
- Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire)
- Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)
- Physocarpus opulifolius (Common Ninebark)
- Spiraea tomentosa (Steeplebush)
Illustrated Glossary
- inflorescence – [ in-flaw-RES-uhns ] noun: 1. the flowering structure consisting of more than one flower, usually comprising distinct individual flowers 2. the way flowers are arranged or develop on a stalk 3. the budding and flowering of a plant
- pedicel – [ PED-uh-suhl, -sel ] noun: a thin stalk that supports an individual flower (or fruit) of an inflorescence (or infructescence)
- peduncle – [ pi-DUHNG-kuhl, PEE-duhng- ] noun: the main stalk of a solitary flower (or fruit) or of an inflorescence (or infructescence)
- persistent – [ per-SIS-tuhnt ] adjective: remaining attached beyond maturation after similar parts of the plant, such as flowers, seeds, or leaves, have normally dropped off or their function is completed
- sessile – [ SES-il, -ahyl ] adjective: attached directly by the base without a stalk
- stamen – [ STEY-muhn ] noun, plural stamens, stamina: male reproductive organ of a seed plant, typically consisting of a stalk (filament) bearing a pollen producing anther at its tip; the angiosperm microsporophyll
- sucker – [ SUK-er ] noun: a shoot originating underground from the root or stem of a plant. verb: to form shoots or sprouts from the root or stem of a plant; to remove suckers from a plant