The backyard is a medicine chest

On Thursday, January 14, a curious bunch of Oakland Parkers were treated to a presentation by the eminent horticulturist (and creative bovine excrementalist) Mr. David McLean at the Oakland Park Library. McLean taught the Landscape Technology course at Broward Community College for more than 25 years and knows everything there is to know about growing plants in South Florida.

For this presentation he focused on the medicinal benefits of plants that can be grown in the backyard, and brought in about a dozen specimens such as aloe, avocado, gotu kola, saw palmetto, and tilo. One unusual plant was the 'Florida friendly nettle,' a stingless nettle. Click on the images below to learn some of the benefits of these plants.
The city's Environmental Lecture Series is held regularly and covers all aspects of nature in our urban environment. David McLean's Trinity Churchside Garden is located at 14 SW 11 Street in Ft. Lauderdale.