By Kathy Bildner On Jan. 29, Wild Ones representatives Kathy Bildner, Ann Rankin Horton and Marsha Gebhardt visited the Campbell Montessori School in St. Charles. The students from the school filled out a grant application for the national Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program. They are requesting $191.14 from Wild Ones…
The 4th Annual Partners for Native Landscaping workshop is full, but here are a couple of other opportunities to learn about landscaping with native plants. Native Plants for Homeowners Workshop Saturday, Feb 21, 9:30 – 11 a.m. August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area New to native plants, and not sure where to…
Baby, it’s cold outside, but this workshop will get you thinking about spring planting. What: 4th Annual Partners for Native Landscaping Workshop When: Saturday, Feb. 28, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Where: Powder Valley Nature Center Wild Ones is co-sponsoring this in-depth workshop that offers information and resources on how…
Years ago, Kathy Bildner taught herself how to identify monarch butterfly eggs on her milkweed plants. Each spring through fall, in order to save them from hungry birds, spiders, parasites, etc. she brings the eggs indoors to go through their life cycle. When they become butterflies, she releases them in her…
Our annual potluck dinner and seed exchange, held at the First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, was enjoyed by 36 members, including 6 from the new Southwest Illinois chapter, who were warmly welcomed. Copies of our chapter membership list and the 2015 meeting and event calendar were distributed. Confirmation of Chapter…
By Ed Schmidt At a couple of Wild Ones meetings this year, people have mentioned “seed bombs.” Some of us were unfamiliar with the concept, so I did some research. According to Wikipedia, “Seed bombing or aerial reforestation is a technique of introducing vegetation to land by throwing or dropping compressed bundles…
By Peggy Whetzel Small though it is, Fran Glass’s yard could serve as the poster child for making the world a better place, one suburban yard at a time. There are no roses, daylilies or beguiling begonias. Instead, with a gardener’s guiding touch, she’s sprouted a landscape brimming with 170…
Here are Kathy Bildner’s tips on planting seeds: Plant seeds in the late fall or early winter. The seeds must over-winter in the ground. Cover with screen or rocks so the squirrels won’t dig them up. Label the site so you remember what and where you planted. If you plant…
By Betty Struckhoff Our Wild Ones annual landscape makeover has become one of those markers in my mind’s clockwork — marking a changing season and another year. Always close to the fall equinox, we gather (like Druids?!) to dig in the dirt. This year was no exception. On September 27, 2014 Scott…
By Betty Struckhoff I’m not a native plant purist, but one thought often enters my head when I see a vast expanse of mown grass while driving on a highway: What a wasted opportunity! My yard has grass, but only enough to give a sense of order and to preserve a hill for occasional…
