by Susan Leahy Board member-at-Large; Chairperson, Outreach Committee and Landscape Challenge
The winner of the 2023 Landscape Challenge is Laura Arthur, whose yard was chosen from 13 applicants. Her North Hampton neighborhood is one where natives are just starting to take hold. Laura’s yard represents a nice blank level slate to work with. She is planning to put additional money into this project in order to plant the entire front yard.
Laura grew up in rural South Carolina where she spent a lot of time playing in the woods and a creek. She has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Wofford College. She was fortunate enough to spend a semester abroad in Australia learning about rainforest and reef ecology.
Laura came to St. Louis in 2013 to study genetics at Washington University. Laura says she has found a great community of friends in St. Louis. Here she met her future husband, Andrew, found their house in the North Hampton neighborhood and was able to indulge her love of native plant gardening. She is currently a scientist at a biotechnology company where she studies cells of the immune system as a treatment for cancer. Her leisure time is spent learning more about native plants and St. Louis history and propagating native seeds. She found Wild Ones St. Louis and joined in 2021.
The designer of the garden will be Wild Ones member Erin Goss. The plan is to plant the garden around the end of April. We will need volunteers to help so watch for the announcement.
