The 21st Century Matriarch

Having a maple cut down after a storm damaged it, prompted some thinking about what to do with our front yard. It looked way too open, and I didn’t want more grass to mow! I talked to another Master Naturalist that has a lot more experience than me for advice about good native plants for a front yard. She had done a lecture about native plantings last fall when I attended the Missouri Master Naturalist core training, and I remembered her comments about serviceberry (Amelanchier aborea) – was leaning toward that plant as the largest in the new landscaping. She invited me to see the plantings in her yard…and that helped me decide on the other plants I wanted:

Wild hydrangea (the one that would be the next largest and be planted midway between the remaining maple and the serviceberry)…this is the one in am still thinking about…my alternative would be a Ninebark like I had in Maryland…it does well here too!

Multiple wild indigos as a smaller shrub and a legume that will put nitrogen into the soil

Roundleaf groundsel that will become the groundcover and will stay green when the other plants are dormant

My Homeowners Association has an Architecture Committee that wants to know about significant landscaping changes so I drew a sketch and listed the plants I was considering….and they approved it about 30 minutes after I sent the email! It was much easier that I thought it would be.

Now to get the bed made (an area encompassing the three areas I heavily mulched with wood chips from the maple)…and order the plants…and plant them in late September/early October.

My daughter and I got to the gardens well before the native plant sale started so that we could walk around beforehand. Once we bought plants, we would have to leave so they would not get overheated in the car. We were very glad we did.

The peonies were the standout flower. I took lots of pictures and noticed the different shape and texture of the flower centers. Many of the plants had wire frames under/around them to support the flowers that are sometimes too heavy for the plant!

Of course there were other plants in bloom: alliums, passionflower, tulip poplar, and wild indigo were the ones I photographed.

The water feature in the hosta garden is one of my favorite places; the benches and chairs were not wet this time…we sat for a few minutes to enjoy the sights and sounds of the garden.

The varieties of hens and chicks near the Botanical Center are also a favorite place in the garden.

A blue bird eyed us as we made the final part of our walk…to the plant sale. I bought an American Spikenard, 2 columbines, and a red buckeye. More about them later.