2000: Keystone Member Jane Schaefer

Jane Amid Her Purple Poppy Mallow   I was excited to get the chance to interview Jane Schaefer but I didn’t quite realize how much she has helped the native plant movement in University City. Jane and Mary Ann Shaw started the organization, U City in Bloom in 1985. At…

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2000: Keystone Member Barbara Brain

A Native Plant Lover from Abroad   Barbara grew up in England where she learned an appreciation of nature and native plants from her mother who loved wildflowers.  She moved to the U.S. when she was 21. She and her husband moved a couple of times before settling in St….

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2001: Keystone Member Betty Struckhoff

A Learner and Sharer of All Things Native…   “In 1999, looking forward to retirement, I decided to become a Master Gardener.  It was in my DNA.  My mother always had a huge vegetable garden when I grew up on a farm near Augusta, Missouri.  Some of my favorite childhood…

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2001: Keystone Member Sue Reed

From Weeds to Native Plants …   “As a gardener my entire adult life, I have always wanted to help attract wildlife. Herbal bee (attracting) plants were favorites from my time in the St. Louis Herb Society. Garden club membership included many talks on wildflowers and tours of Shaw Nature…

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Fall 2023 Plant Sales

Did you know that fall is a good time for native planting? The soil and temperatures of fall bring great conditions for root establishment. Planting in the fall can also give you a jump on the spring gardening season. If you know of a native plant sale that isn’t listed,…

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Seeds – a closer look

post and photos by Kathy Bildner, Chapter Member and Grant Committee Chair “A seed is a flowering plant’s unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant” (Oxford dictionary) It is time to collect seeds for the St. Louis Wild ones November seed exchange. Or maybe like me, you…

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July 2023 Garden Gathering Highlights

post and photos by Donna Short, Chapter member and volunteer   Home of Jan Ward        Wednesday Jul 12 (57 attendees) Saturday Jul 15 (52 attendees)    Jan’s yard is a haven for the birds, bees and butterflies! Her native plant journey began in 2018 when she signed up for the annual Native…

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25th Anniversary: Keystone Members series

What is a keystone?  the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces in place something or someone on which associated things depend for support   Doug Tallamy says keystone plants are “Natives that are essential to our ecosystems….” For our Chapter’s 25th anniversary, we are honoring our keystone members…

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Local stories in the Summer Wild Ones Journal

  Wild Ones St. Louis and the St. Louis region shine again in the summer issue of the Wild Ones Journal. We invite everyone to access these links, although only Wild Ones members can access the entire current issue.    Members, access the journal through the email sent from National…

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