In March 2022, our Landscape Challenge winner was chosen, Kathy and Steve Sperlo of Lake St. Louis, Missouri.
Kathy has been a member of Jardin du Lac Garden Club for three years and her yard has been certified by the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri as both a hummingbird and butterfly garden. Kathy arranged for a Bring Conservation Home Survey (https://stlouisaudubon.org/bch/ ) in September 2021 and has already added natives to her back yard: garden phlox (Phlox paniculata), prairie pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardenalis), river oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) and columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). This spring she is adding purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata) along the side of the house, along with black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa).
Patty and Steve Berry presented them with our 2022 Winner sign and the Sperlo’s will have WildOnes out to see their garden as it matures.
The garden was installed June 22, 2022, with the help of Kathy’s daughter Linda, and grandson Ted, along with Rachel, and volunteers from St. Charles Wildones.
Quart size pots were used to ensure the plants were easily noticed.
Rachel Anders, of Moon Valley Plants worked with Kathy to design a “mailbox garden” where previously there were no plants. This spot is easily visible by neighbors as they walk or drive by. Kathy also plans to share the garden with her garden club members, of which there are approximately 50.
Rachel’s final design included Baptisia australis, Aster oblongifolius, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Rudbeckia missouriensis, Penstemon digitalis, Solidago drummondii, Antennaria plantaginifolia and Sporobolus heterolepis.
The Landscape Challenge is an annual event sponsored by Grow Native! ( https://grownative.org ) of the Missouri Prairie Foundation and WildOnes St. Charles Area Chapter. The event has traditionally been held in Fall; however, we have found that the availability of designer time and native plants is greater in the Spring.
Patty and Steve are looking for a few more members to join the Landscape Challenge team and hope to begin soon to refine the application and review procedures for another early Spring planting. Let us know if you would be willing to join the committee which has accomplished most of its business by zoom and email . Patty’s email is: [email protected]