Native Missouri plants, flowers and grasses will be featured in one of the gardens included on this weekend’s Master Gardeners area garden tour.
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Native Missouri plants, flowers and grasses will be featured in one of the gardens included on this weekend’s Master Gardeners area garden tour.
Rural Spickard resident Susanne Gilhuly has made it a point to include Missouri-related specimens in her yard, beginning with a wild Iris native only to this state which she saved from a farm where demolition was about to take place.
“I have a lot of things here that are native to Missouri,” Mrs. Gilhuly said. “Some of them have been great to have while others have taken a lot of my time.”
Plants, flowers and grasses of all types line the walkways at both the front and back of her house while the yard features native grasses and trees, many of which have come from friends and members of local garden clubs, who are always good to share flowers and plants.
“The pink coralbell I have all came from two plants given to me by Mary Hoffman,” Mrs. Gilhuly said.
The coralbell takes up a large portion of the ground on the west side of the house and are used as ground cover for other plants in that same area. Also on that side is a dove current, given to Mrs. Gilhuly by Ellen Dolan from plants grown by Mrs. Dolan’s mother. It grows in the spring and features a yellow blossom, which she said is very beautiful to look at.
“I really just love that plant,” Mrs. Gilhuly said.
Catnip is another plant grown by Mrs. Gilhuly, who added that gardeners-to-be who want to include it in their plant beds should use the non-spreadable type.
“It’s a beautiful plant, but you don’t want the type that can spread itself,” she said. “Otherwise, it will keep reseeding itself and you’ll have a mess.”
Mrs. Gilhuly’s garden in the back features birdhouses constructed by Charles Scornia, a Jefferson City resident and personal friend who makes birdhouses for the Runge Conservation Center. The houses attract many species of birds, including sparrows that made their appearance at the Gilhuly home this spring. In addition, Mrs. Gilhuly also has a birdhouse fashioned by Trenton resident Swede Magnuson.
The birdhouses can be seen while sitting in the comfort of Mrs. Gilhuly’s living room, which provides a serene setting for those whose interest is just watching birds.
With her house sitting in a fairly sunny area, with little or no shade, Mrs. Gilhuly spends a lot of time in her garden, making sure her plants are properly nourished.
“When I started this, I was looking for something a little more low maintenance,” she said. “It’s a little more work than I had planned, but it’s very enjoyable.”
Mrs. Gilhuly is in the process of remedying some of the shade issues, having planted several trees, again many of them being native to Missouri. Several of those trees have come from the Missouri Department of Conservation, which she said has been a big help in all areas of her landscaping efforts.
“They are just more helpful when it comes to these things,” Mrs. Gilhuly said. “Sometimes I’m not sure what I would do without them.”
The Department of Conservation is just one of several sources of information Mrs. Gilhuly has used in putting together her garden, noting she isn’t afraid to ask questions when she doesn’t have an answer. She has also taken classes at Powell Garden to help add to her landscaping savvy.
“I’ve also learned lots of things from other Master Gardeners,” Mrs. Gilhuly.
Mrs. Gilhuly’s garden is one of nine that will be featured on the tour, which is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased the day of the tour at the office of Dr. Nick McHargue at 2700 Oklahoma Ave., which is serving as the tour headquarters. A map of gardens on the tour will be provided at that time. The headquarters will also feature several displays and demonstrations. All proceeds go to the Master Gardeners for community improvement projects.