The Sustainable Landscape Gardens

Last semester, I was astounded while touring the Sustainable Landscape Gardens at Massasoit Community College on the Brockton campus. The volunteer Science students, in order to beautify the campus and to provide other students the knowledge about indigenous plants, have realized the importance of this project.
The plants and flowers used are typical to the region and can also survive by themselves. Next to the LA and the B buildings, who can miss that marvelous New England Aster with its lavender flower petals and bright yellow center? Next to the New England Aster, a bush of groundcover ferns did not remain unnoticed. Others plants with a kaleidoscope of color were identified, especially in the flowerbed where we found the Tulip tree.
A tall and majestic Tulip Tree in the outline of a triangle supported by a pylon is impressive with its green foliage. Among the plants, there is a colony of heartleaf Foamflowers surrounding the Tulip tree. As its name indicates, the heart shaped Foamflower leaves gives the impression of pressing a foam mattress when pushing the tuft down. The Black Eyed Susan, despite some withered leaves and fallen rays, can still be admired with its golden yellow petals and dark brown center. The Purple Coneflower, a lavender flower with a huge spiny center, grows adjacent to the Black Eyed Susan.
At first glance, a wilted Purple Coneflower gives off the appearance of a burnt flower. Both the Black Eyed Susan and the Coneflower attract bees, butterflies and songbirds. In the same flowerbed between the Coneflower and the Northern Sea Oat, the Wild Blue Phlox, a groundcover plant with a hairy and sticky stem caught my eye with its delicate blue lavender flower petals. The Northern Sea Oat is a grass that covers a great majority of the flowerbed. It is a groundcover plant with flat decorative seeds.
My observations of the Sustainable Landscape Gardens have inspired me to learn more about indigenous plants. Every day I am trying to enrich my knowledge with different native plants, their names, and their uses. Now when I pass next to the Quad outdoor area, I show more appreciation to these plants and flowers. I sincerely thank the Science students for their outstanding work and research