Wild Ones Gathering Highlights
Home of Allison & Steffen Jack
Wednesday April 16, 2025
Our Saturday, April 19 gathering, was cancelled due to weather
Allison and Steffen lived in various areas of the U.S. and Europe before they made St. Louis their home in 2018 and discovered native plants. Allison, a Plant Scientist at one of the agtech startups at the Danforth Plant Science Center, admired the native prairie restoration project there and was given permission to harvest seeds.
At the time they were living in a rental but that did not stop them from planting natives and sharing seeds and plants with neighbors. About three years later they moved to their current location, and brought over 100 native plants with them! Also, they became St. Louis Wild Ones members.
Allison, in The Butterfly Nook, which contains a mural Allison’s mother painted. In The Butterfly Nook, they rear and release Eastern Black Swallowtails (chrysalis below), Monarchs and Polyphemus moths.
Allison has a goal to have the host plant for all five species of swallowtail butterflies found in Missouri.
Their biggest challenge has been dealing with drainage and water movement since ten neighboring properties drain through their yard with the potential to flood their basement. Luckily Steffen is a former landscaper and was able to restore and improve the degraded swales and drainage channels (shown above) on the property and incorporate native plants into the wet areas.
They have over 60 species of sun and shade plants. In the front, sun plants are in pocket prairies which include coneflower and boneset. Shade plants are in the rear yard with three mature oaks (shown right). The plan is to include understory trees, such as pawpaw in this area.
Their garden includes plants used for their outdoor canning and food processing parties where they have incorporated natives, most notably passion fruit jam. They also cook family recipes with their wild persimmons such as Nana Ruth’s persimmon pudding and Grandma Estelle’s persimmon cookies. Elderberry jam is planned for the future.
Golden Groundsel (Packera aurea) in bloom.
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Allison has signage throughout identifying the purpose or conditions in a garden area. “Shadow Forest” (shown left) contains shade plants such as Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) and Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum).
“Papilio Park” above contains butterfly favorites such as Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) Mist Flower (Conoclinium coelestinum) and various milkweeds.
Their gardens were featured in the Sustainable Backyard Tour four seasons: two in this location and two at their previous location.
Thanks to Allison & Steffen for sharing their garden with us!
Wild Ones members shared plants they had edited out of their gardens which were eagerly adopted by members excited to have this opportunity to expand their garden and discuss plant growing conditions!
