The Plant Pages

"The glory of gardening: Hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden
​is to feed not just the body, but the soul"
- Alfred Austin

Greenscaping​​

Plants fill multiple roles in an outdoor space. They produce oxygen and filter air. During photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide from the air around them and release oxygen as a byproduct. Airborne pollutants like dust, ash, and other particulate matter gets trapped on plant leaves, making air more breathable. Plants of all sizes provide food, shelter, daycare, and safety for a wide range of wildlife. Trees and shrubs offer shade to landscapes, cooling the ambient temperature around buildings and providing sun protection. On a larger scale, their presence can help to mitigate high heat in urban areas. Their roots bind soil, helping to prevent erosion caused by wind and rain. Topsoil is kept healthy and in-place on the surface, and farther down roots also provide the basis for soil ecosystems teeming with life. Plants play a major role in the water cycle as well, absorbing water through their roots and releasing it into the atmosphere through transpiration. Groundwater is purified by plant roots that absorb contaminants like heavy metals from the soil.
In human-controlled landscapes, plants provide food; many home gardeners choose to allot space to cultivate vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees. Plants create visual appeal, making outdoor spaces softer and seemingly larger. Strategically-placed shrubs and trees can create boundaries, ensure privacy, and provide structure to outdoor spaces. Dense foliage can reduce noise pollution from neighboring roads and households. Having an inviting landscape can boost curb appeal and increase individual (and by extension, neighborhood) property values. On a personal level, a plant-filled landscape can improve mental health and decrease levels of stress and anxiety. Plants, in short, are the often unsung heroes of the planet.

identifying plant life

There are many different ways to identify plant life, from photographing plant parts and taking them to a local authority to be identified to tapping into crowd-sourced information to find plant names, to using your own knowledge. With all of these options, it is difficult to know where to start. While the plant pages on this website will assist you somewhat in identifying varietals of species and learning about the care needs of various genera, they will not necessarily be helpful if you need to research a mystery plant. There are a few tried-and-true techniques that can be used to identify plant life, outlined on the page linked below: