Photo by Carol Davit.
Photo by Scott Woodbury.
The Time is Ripe for Front-Yard Conversations
Above: James and Jan Trager’s Gray Summit, Mo., native garden was certified through the St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program.
Photo by Scott Woodbury.
Left and Below: Signs like these for your garden indicate to the neighborhood that you support native gardening.
I
f there ever was a silver lining to the current health crisis, it is that people are spending more time outdoors and yearning to connect with other people. For instance, in the past week, while strolling along a sidewalk, I struck up conversations with two people who were gardening in their front yards. I was drawn in by their attractive gardens, and then thrilled to have a face-to-face chat over the split-rail fence, over the lowclipped hedge. These days it is so
easy to break the ice. People are yearning for human connections. I simply said, “Your roses smell so nice,” and “Are those ‘Happy Returns’ daylilies?” and before I knew it, a few minutes of blissful chit-chat had consumed my day, and these conversations became the highlight of my week. What a treat from the depressing new normal of visiting with coworkers, friends and family on a computer screen! In addition to my exchanges being pleasant, they also were
SCOTT WOODBURY Horticulturist 18
September 2020 | kcgmag.com
Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmore Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for 28 years, and which is supported by the Missouri Dept. of Conservation. He also is an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program.
