by Sue Leahy
Board Member at Large and Outreach Committee Chair
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On Sunday, September 20, five members of Wild Ones St. Louis gathered at the home of Ryan and Amy Cutrell to help plant their front yard as winners of the 2020 Landscape Challenge. Renee Benage, Kathy Bildner, Marsha Gebhardt, Ginny Johnson and Sue Leahy helped Ryan and Amy plant the new garden, designed by Sue Leahy. We did not ask for additional volunteers because we wanted to make sure we could be properly social distanced.
The site for the new garden is in shade a good portion of the day with about 4 hours of afternoon sun. The Cutrells have a HUGE deer problem. The deer have even been eating their Showy Goldenrod. These two issues presented some challenges in selecting plants for their yard. After planting, they covered the new garden with netting to keep the deer away until the plants have a chance to establish.
The Cutrells are excited about their new front yard and can’t wait to show it off to the neighborhood. They will host a Wild Ones gathering in the future so you will all get a chance to see it. Ryan is just 15 years old but has hacked honeysuckle on the common ground behind his home and gotten his whole family excited about native plants. We are thrilled to have someone his age join our mission of “Healing the Earth one yard at a time.”
The Landscape Challenge is held every year. Applicants must have had an Audubon BCH evaluation of their yard. Wild Ones administers the competition and Grow Native reimburses us the funds paid for the plants. Applications are submitted in the spring, the WO Grants Committee and the Landscape Challenge Coordinator, and a representative from Grow Native! review the applications and select a winner. The designer works with the homeowner to plan the garden and prep the site, and volunteers are recruited to plant the garden in the early fall. The announcement for the 2021 Landscape Challenge will be posted on our website after the start of the new year so watch for your chance to win a front yard makeover with native plants!
