September 2025 Garden Gathering Highlights
Home of Laura Arthur and Andrew Warner
Wednesday, September 10th and Saturday, September 13th
Photos and highlights by Donna Short
Laura grew up in rural South Carolina, where she discovered native plants while playing in the woods and creek near her home. This began her lifelong quest to deepen her knowledge of the natural world. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wofford College and spent a semester abroad in Australia studying rainforest and reef ecology. In 2013, she moved to St. Louis to study genetics at Washington University and is now a scientist in the Immunology Department.
In 2021 Laura joined Wild Ones and was the winner of the Landscape Challenge in 2023.
Landscape Challenge planting day 1
Landscape Challenge Planting now:
Prior to the Landscape Challenge planting she replaced the ornamentals in front of the porch with native plants which now include Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Blue Sage (Salvia azurea), Shining Bluestar (Amsonia illustris), and Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) among others.
Southern Prairie Asters (Eurybia hemispherica)
Side-Oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) and Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida) seed heads
Laura removed a large cement pad that took up 1/3 of the backyard. This was a major challenge and required renting a jackhammer and tractor. Since then, she has added over 70 native species to the yard! She has been experimenting with ground covers. She initially tried using Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – but has switched to Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides).
There is a large Coral Honeysuckle ( Lonicera sempervirens) with berries over 10 feet tall. Laura explained her technique for maintaining it in an upright position – which involved various anchors and stakes that she added as the honeysuckle grew.
Closeup of the fruit
Laura planted tall plants along one side of the yard so she would be able to see them from her kitchen window! These include Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris), Giant Coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima), and Lead Plant (Amorpha canescens).
There is a garden bed that runs from deep shade to full sun, creating a natural gradient where species sort themselves by light preference, from mosses and Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans) in the shade to Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) in the sun.
She has a stock tank pond as a water feature. Laura was excited to find a snake in her yard recently and hopes for a turtle one day! Her future plans include planting in the side yards that border the house, an idea both of her neighbors support.
In addition to being a Landscape Challenge Winner, her yard is Bring Conservation Home Certified Platinum, and was included in the 2024 Garden Tour. Laura is a Missouri Master Naturalist and is also a member of the Cortex Green Team where she conducted a native plant workshop in the fall of 2024 on seed collecting, cleaning, sowing and plug planting. Cortex is the location of next month’s Gathering.
Thanks for Laura and Andrew for sharing their landscape with us!
