Webster Groves Southeast, Carmen Freeman
Webster Groves South of I-44 and East of Elm, Webster Groves, MO
The Webster Grove Southeast Seed Pod welcomes beginner and seasoned native plant gardeners. We form a hyper-local group that meets every six weeks in a member garden, tours the garden and talks about native plants. In Blackburn Park, we have adopted two flower beds, planted native flowers and continue to maintain them for the benefit of park guests and wildlife. Our goals are to meet like-minded neighbors, spread the word about the benefits of native plants and to provide habitat for birds and insects in our gardens to impact the conservation of species.
“Meeting people from the neighborhood who are transforming their gardens into habitats is very encouraging. We support each other on our journeys with friendship, knowledge and good laughs,” Carmen Freeman.
The Webster Groves Southeast Seed Pod is a hyper-local native plant garden group comprised of seasoned and beginning native gardeners within the Webster Groves city limits South of I-44 and East of Elm. We also welcome gardeners from places nearby.
Our enthusiastic group of 28 garden owners is always looking for more gardeners to join us. Participation is free-of-charge, and you do not need to be a member of Wild Ones.
What unites us is the belief that gardens can both be valuable habitats for insects and small wildlife, especially birds, and be visually beautiful for the homeowner and neighbors.
Every six weeks during Spring, Summer and Fall we meet at one of our member’s gardens for about 90 minutes. We talk about our gardens, ask questions and provide answers, share sightings of unusual insects, birds and mammals. The garden tour is always much appreciated. We walk, look at and talk about almost every plant, get tips on how and why to grow it, and exchange our gardening experiences. This is always great fun and very instructive.
Another benefit of being with the group is that we all edit our gardens and then we have plants to give away to our members. Seeds are also shared at the end of the season as well as tips on how to make them sprout.
In April 2025 the Seed Pod Webster Groves Southeast started a community project. We selected the North and South flower beds of the Edgar Road parking lot in Blackburn Park and got permission from the Parks Department to take care of these. In the year 2025, we weeded the beds five times. During one of our weeding sessions a Sphinx Moths landed on the glove of one volunteer. Nobody had ever seen this large and well-camouflaged moth. We were in awe.
While weeding we got to know all the flowers that came up and the gaps and areas that could be filled with native flowers. At the end of the season, we applied for a Wild Ones Plant grant and received it. Planting will be in May 2026. We hope that the improved beds will inspire the community to stop and enjoy the beautiful flowers and to observe more insects on closer inspection of the plants.
Besides having fun during our meetings and volunteering, we also want to build community. Being hyper-local allows us to get to know each other better. Suddenly we see each other at the local supermarket, gym or just walking the streets. We go from being one single native plant gardener to being a member of a community of like-minded individuals, and we support each other in the belief that habitat restoration in one’s garden is possible.
This then leads to the realization that if enough gardens were quality habitats, the distance between the gardens could be short enough for pollinators, especially insects, to fly from one habitat patch to another, thus establishing a colorful and diverse habitat quilt covering the neighborhood. Research indicates that a larger habitat area is more valuable to wildlife than many isolated small ones.
Please come to one of our meetings if you want to learn about native plants and to join a small community of people who see gardens as native habitat. Join us, and help to spread the word!
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.
