by Sue Leahy
Board Member at Large and Outreach Coordinator
On Sunday, September 29, eight members of Wild Ones joined homeowners Steve and Krystal Coxon to plant their front yard native plant garden. The Coxons are winners of the 2019 Landscape Challenge.
After being notified that they were the winners, the homeowners prepared the area for planting. They outlined the area with stones, covered it with cardboard and then a thick layer of mulch to kill the grass. Wild Ones member Rob May designed the garden, with approval from Shaw Nature Reserve’s Scott Woodbury.
This West County location has issues with deer, so deer-resistant plants were used. The list of plants included little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), shining blue star (Amsonia illustris), blue sage (Salvia azurea), blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis) and prairie coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata).
While they have planted some natives since moving into their home, the Coxons felt their front yard was under-utilized and that this makeover will not only increase support for wildlife and provide more opportunities for their children to interact with nature, but also to share their love of native plants with interested people walking in their busy subdivision.
It will be exciting to watch this garden develop. The Coxons are already planning on hosting a Wild Ones gathering in 2020 so you can all see the results of this effort.
Keep watch for the announcement on the 2020 Landscape Challenge. You, too, could have a chance to win a front-yard makeover!
