Text by Ed Schmidt, photos by Fran Glass The August general meeting of the Southwest Illinois Chapter of Wild Ones marked the first anniversary of the formation of the chapter. The meeting was at the home of chapter vice-president Grace Gavin, whose beautiful native gardens provided a wonderful gathering place….
By April Anderson Here are 2 ‘before’ photos of my tiny backyard. Upon removing this excessive amount of ivy, I found oak, hackberry, and redbud saplings. From my former home in the Chicago area, I brought New England aster, butterfly weed, black-eyed Susan, zigzag goldenrod, rosin weed, Joe Pye weed, and marsh milkweed…
August 5 and 8, 2015 This month, Judy and Randy Speck, with their son Danny, hosted two yard tour gatherings. A total of 30 members and 3 guests attended. The Speck yard is Silver Certified by St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program. It was featured on the 2015 Native…
By Peggy Whetzel With so much paper and so many books already in the world, you might wonder why anyone would want to make their own paper or create a book from scratch. With an invitation to attend free workshops on papermaking and book making, one answer is to save something…
By Ed Schmidt Planning for the 2015 Landscape Challenge is well underway. The property was chosen by representatives of Wild Ones and Grow Native! from among applications received from Bring Conservation Home participants in University City and surrounding communities. The winning property is in University City. Designer Jeanne Cablish has…
PROGRAM Bill Hoss hosted a yard tour for this month’s gathering. Eleven guests and 27 members attended. Bill’s yard is Platinum Certified by St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program. His yard, along with six other Wild Ones members’ yards, was on the 2015 Native Plant Landscape yard tour on…
Before we know it, the growing season will start winding down. But there are still plenty of opportunities to learn about landscaping with native plants. Powder Valley Nature Center Floral Design with Widlflowers – Aug. 14 Native plants greatly benefit wildlife, but widflowers can also make beautiful floral arrangements. Learn…
By Dawn Weber I have a photo in the Wild Ones 2015 photo contest. It’s in the Flora category, called “Under Pressure,” a photo of wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) guttation. Guttation occurs when a plant has turned off its transpiration processes, usually at night, so excess moisture cannot evaporate from…
PROGRAM St. Louis Chapter Vice President Marsha Gebhardt welcomed 5 guests and 25 members to our gathering. Scott Woodbury, our chapter founder, led us on a tour of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden. The Garden at was a birthday gift from the late Blanton Whitmire to his wife Peg. With their…
By Kathy Bildner, Grant Liaison Over the last eight years, we have given grants to 23 schools and community gardens. I would like to know how these gardens are doing, and I’d like your help. I am asking readers to look at this list of locations. If you live near one, it…
