Wild Ones St. Louis created the concept of Seed Pods to help local gardeners get to know, learn and work with native gardeners in their area. These hyper-local groups cover smaller areas like neighborhoods or larger areas like entire towns.
Why the name Seed Pod? Seeds of different plants have different dispersal methods to meet different propagation goals. Some seeds drop very near the ‘mother’ plant. Similarly, some Wild Ones Seed Pods share their ‘seeds’ of information and plants hyper locally, in a neighborhood. Some seeds use wind to disperse them much more broadly, like the flying fluffy seeds of asters and milkweed. Similarly, some Seed Pods are working with a municipality to have a less personal but broader effect. Some Seed Pods do both types of ‘seed dispersal’.
So…each Seed Pod is a little different in what it offers. But what unites each group is the same mission that unites Wild Ones members: the desire to create native habit in home gardens, and sometimes in community gardens, in order to support native insects and birds, retain rainwater, avoid the need for fertilizer, etc.
Each group has a Seed Pod ‘leader’ who is a Wild Ones St. Louis member. The Seed Pod Leaders meet each month via Zoom to share progress, ask for suggestions, and plan ways to support other Seed Pods.
Seed Pod group members usually meet during the growing season, share their enthusiasm for nature, talk about and share native plants, sometimes visit each other’s gardens, and sometimes plan larger projects within their larger community.
Want to start a Seed Pod or join an existing one?!
Carmen Freeman is the Wild Ones St. Louis Seed Pod Coordinator. Contact her if you would like to explore starting a new Seed Pod, or if you would like information about joining an existing Seed Pod.
Ballwin Grows Native: Lori Stringer, Krystal Coxon, Eileen Graessle, Mike McLellan
Ballwin, MO
Grantwood Village: Laura Yates
Grantwood Village – located north of Grant’s Farm and Ulysses S. Grant NHS.
Greening Ferguson: Marsha Gebhardt
Ferguson, MO
Kirkwood-Des Peres Seed Pod: Elizabeth Struckhoff
Kirkwood-Des Peres area, roughly 63122 and 63131 zip codes; others are welcome
Webster Gardens Seed Pod: Karen Anderson
Webster Gardens neighborhood in southern Webster Groves, MO
Webster Groves Southeast: Carmen Freeman
Webster Groves South of I-44 and East of Elm, Webster Groves, MO
Wild Wood Subdivision Native Plant Club: Krystal Coxon
Ballwin, MO – Wild Wood Subdivision
To reach any of the Seed Pod leaders, please contact us.
