post and photos by Donna Short, Chapter member and volunteer
Home of Amy & Ryan Cutrell
This Gathering location is the home of the 2020 Wild Ones Landscape Challenge winner, Ryan Cutrell, who has the distinction of being the youngest member of the St Louis Wild Ones Chapter.
Four years ago, at age 14, Ryan became aware of the effects of nonnative honeysuckle and how it smothers native growth. He began removing the honeysuckle from the family property. The current view below shows how the native foliage subsequently developed and revealed two healthy Paw Paw trees (Asimina triloba). Ryan’s mother, Amy, became involved and introduced Ryan to Wild Ones and together they began to tackle the backyard and the erosion from the neighbor’s runoff.
Ryan attended his first Wild Ones Gathering in 2018 at Keyser Elementary School in Kirkwood (a suburb of St Louis). His Mom, Amy, said that when he heard people talking about removing honeysuckle and about the benefits of native plants, he knew he had ‘found his people’!
The tour of the Cutrell gardens began in the front yard where we saw the plantings from the 2020 Wild Ones Landscape Challenge. Although Ryan commented that the Wild Petunias (Ruellia humilis) scattered throughout planted themselves!
Below: Bee Balm (Monarda bradburiana) and Fringed Bluestar (Amsonia Ciliata).
Plantings around the mailbox contain a variety of plants that bloom in stages throughout the season. Currently, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Downy Skullcap (Scutellaria incana) and Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) are in bloom.
The front gardens include shrubs such as Shrubby St John’s Wort (Hypericum prolificum) and Wild Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens); vines are Dutchman’s Pipevine (Aristolochia tomentosa) and Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans). Numerous flowers and grasses include Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica), Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis), Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa), Rudbeckia, Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Wild Sweet William (Phlox divaricata) and more. Ryan told us his philosophy was to let the garden take over and do what it wants. A recent tree removal has created a challenge for the shade loving plants like the Wild Hydrangeas. Currently, Ryan has set up a shade to protect these plants until a new tree is planted.
Now moving to the back yard where there was a major issue – when it rained, water gushed into the yard. Problem solved with a native plant rain garden!
Along the side of the house is another rain garden currently showcasing Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and Rudbeckia in bloom with a Phlox that migrated there!
The garden entry trellis (below) was constructed by Ryan to mark the entrance to the upper path into the heart of the garden.
Bird houses are positioned throughout the garden. Shown below, Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) in the middle photo and Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) right.
Below, Shining Bluestar provides a wave of blue in the spring and Indigo Bush (Amorpha Fruticosa) blooms in the May-June timeframe.
Back yard shrubs include American Beauty Berry (Callicarpa americana), Aromatic Sumac (Rhus aromatica), Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) and Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin). Some of the wildflowers and grasses are Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata), Rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpos), Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), and Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis).
The gardens have a native plant biodiversity of over 14 woody plants, 51 wildflower varieties, grasses and 3 trees. The recent rainstorms again proved that native plants provided the answer to the Cutrell’s flooding/erosion issue.
In addition to the Bat House, the yard also includes a vegetable garden, rain barrels, compost bins, bird baths, and solitary bee houses.
Thanks to Ryan and Amy for a great garden visit where we also picked up some tips and shared stories with other attendees.
Ryan has also taken advantage of various Wild Ones programs in addition to the Landscape Challenge. He has ordered seedlings and shared plants and seeds at Gatherings.
Ryan is a senior in high school who has accumulated service hours at the Butterfly House and Shaw Nature Reserve and intends to specialize in Evolutionary and Biological Sciences.
And of course, Amy has been a key component providing encouragement and sweat equity along the way!
