Kyle Cheesborough at the March gathering
Photo by Marcia Myers
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
President Marsha Gebhardt welcomed 53 members and 18 guests to our March gathering at The Heights community center of Richmond Heights.
Program
Kyle Cheesborough, Horticulture Supervisor at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum, was our speaker. He gave an informative and entertaining program titled Native Trees, Selection & Care. [Note: Kyle will conduct a tour of Bellefontaine Cemetery for Wild Ones on May 5 – our May Gathering.]
Bellefontaine is a Level II Accredited Arboretum and is listed in the Morton Register of Arboreta. Kyle and his staff are working toward level III accreditation.
Kyle recommends planting native trees for their wildlife benefits, sustainability, beauty, and generally fewer maintenance requirements than exotic trees. He reports wildlife at the cemetery to include coyotes, skunks, red foxes, great horned owls, and wood ducks.
March gathering attendees
Photo by Marcia Myers
Things to consider in selecting native trees are:
- Attributes such as flowers, fruits, fall color, etc.
- Site considerations/restrictions: light, drainage/slope, north/south facing, existing vegetation.
- Access to water source and ability to maintain.
- Tree size, initially and at maturity.
Kyle explained that balled-and-burlapped trees don’t do as well as container-grown trees. Check trees for damage especially along the trunk and root flare. Healthy roots exhibit white fibrous roots that do not slough. Signs of disease are brown/grey roots, leaf spots, galls, split bark, and curly leaves.
Care includes proper planting and maintenance, mulching for three years, and watering frequently after planting. Once established, water only when needed in drought, if damaged, or transplanted. Don’t over water. Protect from deer and sapsuckers, lawn mowers/string trimmers, and construction workers by fencing trees off. Avoid changing grade near tree trunks.
Pruning trees when they are young is easier than when they are mature. However, do no structural pruning for the first three years.
President Marsha Gebhardt at the front of the room with Kyle Cheesborough
Photo by Dawn Weber
A few of the native trees Kyle recommends are:
- Paw paw (Asimina triloba)
- Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)
- Hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana), adaptable to wet or dry conditions
- Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana), easy to grow and has a great shape
- American plum (Prunus americana)
- Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)
- Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis )
- Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
- Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), makes a great screen
- American holly (Ilex opaca).
The gathering ended with announcements and door prizes.
Partners for Native Landscape Workshop
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Registration is required. [Editor’s Note: This event attracted 240 attendees.]
Door prize winners
Photo by Dawn Weber
Landscape Challenge
The 2018 Landscape Challenge is open only to current Wild Ones members who were members as of Dec. 31, 2017.
This year’s application period is open now and will be closed on May 10, 2018.
Details and an application are now on our Landscape Challenge website page .
Volunteer Opportunities
Upcoming volunteer opportunities are posted on our Dig In! website page.
20th Anniversary of St. Louis Wild Ones – door prizes
2018 is our Chapter’s 20th anniversary. To celebrate, we will provide door prizes at each of our 2018 gatherings. Tonight’s items were a soil knife with leather sheath, a copy of the book Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy, and five coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) plants propagated by Susan Burk. Winners were Marcia Myers, Maureen Jacob, Wes Boshart, Bob Byrne, Larry Brammer, and two guests.
Next Gathering
Yard tour at the home of James Faupel. For directions, click on date and time link.
Choose Wednesday evening April 11, 6:00 p.m. OR Saturday morning April 14, 9:30 a.m.
Please bring a lawn chair.
Carpooling is encouraged.
Recorded by: Fran Glass, Secretary
