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You asked and we listened

Readers request workshop on developing landscapes

By RENEE JEAN
Daily Journal Assistant Managing Editor

Thursday, June 05, 2008

More Photos

Deadline extended to June 24
Winner receives $1,000 matching grant
We are extending the deadline for the Grow Native Landscape Challenge in light of the workshop coming up June 17. We'll give readers until June 24 to sign up for our $1,000 Earth Day makeover.
The winner will get a $1,000 matching grant to purchase native plants and a professional redesign for their property.
Linda Resinger, in charge of the 4,000 plants that annually grow in the greenhouse at Mineral Area College, and native plant expert Jan Dellamano, a private land conservationist with Missouri Department of Conservation, will collaborate on the design.
To be eligible for the challenge, contestants must live in St. Francois County and have at least a 12 x 12 area. Business owners and organizations may also participate.
The winner must commit to maintaining the site once planted.
Applications and complete rules are available at the Daily Journal Office in Park Hills, or the Farmington Press in Farmington. They are also available at a display in The Factory in Farmington. Be sure to include up to 3 photographs with your submission.
Questions about the challenge may be sent to Renee Jean, 431-2010, ext. 117 or by e-mail, rjean@dailyjournalonline.com.

Adding native plants to landscapes is an idea that’s been gaining ground across the country as dry weather and conservation concerns increase. Readers here have been interested enough to write in requesting a workshop on the subject as our own Grow Native! Landscape Challenge continues.

Well, you asked, we listened.

Barbara Fairchild, who leads the Grow Native! program with Missouri Department of Conservation, has agreed to put on a workshop for our readers to help them develop landscapes for their homes.

The workshop will begin at 6 p.m. June 17 in Room 114 at Mineral Area College.

You’ll find out more about native plants and get a chance to design something for your own home. You’ll also learn more about our landscape challenge, which is offering a $1,000 Earth Day makeover to one St. Francois County resident, business or organization.

There are a wide assortment of native plants available for landscape designs. Missouri has no less than 2,300 plants to choose from. It doesn’t matter what your soil or lighting conditions are in the area you’re designing. There’s a plant that will fit.

Native plants have had a bit of time to adjust to Missouri’s changeable climate and often poor soil — 10,000 years, give or take a few hundred. In that time they’ve developed strategies to protect themselves from the annual “surprise” late frost, the periodic droughts of summer and the near floods of spring and sometimes fall.

They often won’t need as much time and attention as many imported horticulture varieties do, so you’ll spend less money and time on them once they’re established.

Some people have come to think of native plants as weeds, but many are quite showy and will fit in a formal landscape. Most people won’t even know it’s a native, unless you tell them. They’ll think it’s an exotic and expensive import.

“We’ll cover various kinds of plants, vines, shrubs, perennials and small trees so they’ll have some idea there are a lot of native plants with various needs,” Fairchild said.

In the second half of the workshop, participants will break up into groups to share design ideas for their own property. For that, bring a landscape diagram, including your square footage, and the lighting conditions.

“We’ll work in small groups so they can feed ideas off one another and when we’re finished with that, we’ll take time for some feedback on their designs,” Fairchild said.

Fairchild will have examples of landscaping projects that use native plants, as well as many design tools to help participants develop something for their own yards.