Plants really are amazing. They feed us. They produce oxygen for us to breathe. They give us a space to feel connected to the earth and to unwind after a stressful day at the office, in the classroom, or wherever our lives take us.
And while all plants do that, it’s native plants that really fire on all cylinders. They attract native pollinators, which are specialists and help keep new generations of native plants growing. The pollinators are also food for birds, which helps with bird populations, and native plants come in all sizes, colors, shapes, and tastes.
One of the stars of our Florida native plants is the Beautyberry. It is a lovely plant that grows in part shade areas, and if you walk in any of our local parks you are likely to see it blooming and producing berries in the shade of scrub oaks and pines. Its vivid purple berries grow up and down the stalks, creating juicy color in your garden, and guess what? Those berries aren’t just for wildlife.
You can eat them, too. They are definitely human-edible. OK, they don’t taste all that good if you try them fresh. A little too perfumey/vegetable-y taste for most palates. But a friend gave us a jar of Beautyberry jelly the other day, and with some sugar added in the floral flavor is in perfect balance, and it was some of the tastiest jelly for putting on some fresh homemade biscuits.
So… wildlife loves Beautyberry, we can eat Beautyberry, but this lovely plant has one more trick up its sleeve. It is also a great mosquito repellent. There are active ingredients in the leaves that when crushed do a great job at repelling mosquitos, ticks, and other insects. After a breakfast of biscuits and Beautyberry jelly, you can crush some leaves, rub on your arms, and you are ready for a day out in the garden.
If you want to learn more about Beautyberry and all of the amazing native plants that called Florida home before we were ever here, come out this Saturday to the Pollinator Party. We’ll start with a free seminar on native plants and native pollinators at 10 am. Then at 11:30, join me for a guided tour of our Homegrown National Park®, where I’ll talk about native plants in a real setting and tell you how you can become a part of the HNP movement. And while you are here, grab a bite to eat from Seasoned Green, a vegan/vegetarian food truck. I can’t wait to show you everything that native plants and native pollinators can do.
P.S. Here are some links for recipes for Beautyberry jelly and Sea Grape jelly, and a link to some other fun edible native plants.
Beautyberry Jelly (southernliving.com)
Time to Make Authentic Florida Beautyberry Jelly
How to Make Sea Grape Jelly • Authentic Florida
And if you have any houseplants that need to see the doctor (AKA our expert horticulturalists), join us on Saturday, October 28th at 10 am for a free seminar and then from 11 am to 2 pm for our first ever Houseplant Checkup & Repotting Clinic. Tickets are required for the clinic (details here), but we’ll have our microscope out and ready with solutions on hand to help you diagnose and treat your plants. If you need repotting, we’ll guide you through the process and provide the soil and fertilizer you need to properly replant your houseplants (limits apply). Get all the information on our Happy Healthy Houseplants Day here.
