Mushrooms are the secret powerhouse plant supporting Devon’s Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens, writes Alyssa Turner for County Lines Magazine.
The arboretum’s horticulture team aims to support mushrooms by minimizing soil disruption. By avoiding over cutting and embracing a more natural look, mushrooms improve soil quality and support other plants.
Small but mighty, mushrooms help maintain forest health by digesting organic materials like leaves and dead wood. The organism then recycles these nutrients back into the soil.
The mushrooms that visitors see sprouting from the soil are part of a larger organism that lives beneath the ground. These thin threads, called mycelium, distribute nutrients and water to the plants above them. This helps maintain plant health throughout the seasons, especially through summer droughts.
Pennsylvania boasts over 7,000 mushroom species, and visitors can explore the magic of these plants close to home at Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens.
Mushrooms are often visible on logs, trees, and stones throughout the gardens. Guests can spot a wide variety of mushroom colors, shapes, and sizes across the arboretum’s 48 acres.
On July 26, Jenkins will collaborate with the Philadelphia Mycology Club to organize a Summer Fungi Walk throughout the gardens. In September, visitors can build their sketching skills with the arboretum’s upcoming mushroom-themed art class, The Mushroom Forager’s Sketchbook.
Read more about Jenkins Arboretum and how mushrooms support other plants throughout the gardens in County Lines Magazine.
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