Can you eat it? Make tea from it? Does it serve wildlife? Does it taste good or provide a health benefit? Is it low maintenance? Does it have a fun story? Does it provide a unique landscape service? Oh, and is it attractive?
These are the questions Monika Maeckle asked of each plant included in her most recent book, Plants with Purpose: Twenty-five Ecosystem Multitaskers. To qualify, the plant had to answer YES to at least three besides attractiveness. Beauty alone is no longer reason enough to choose a plant that will occupy valuable real estate in your landscape. We owe functional plants–plants that do more than look good–to the ecosystem.
Event co-sponsors Friends of Mission Branch Library and Gardening Volunteers of South Texas invite you to watch segments of GVST Go Gardening video series and learn about Friends of Mission Branch Library while we gather.