I expect that I may be posting a little less often in the next couple of months as the weather warms and I venture outside to haul rocks, spread mulch, and other fun garden projects. I’ll post pictures when the plants wake from their winter slumber. It’s always fun to look at before and after photos. Last year I started with a grass lawn that had been minimally landscaped. Four months later we had a pond, mulch, 50+ native Missouri wild flowers (20+ species added to the land), and a nice bench to sit on. Almost every plant survived and I’m hoping to see them really thrive this year.

On the to-do list:

1. Haul rocks to better define the creek that was created to handle run-off water.
2. Pull decomposed mulch into beds and add fresh mulch.
3. Expand the garden area to double its current size.
4. Possibly create a second, slightly larger pond.
A few of the benefits of this kind of garden:
1. Native species supply food to birds and wildlife.
2. Native species require little to no watering once established.
3. No fertilizers needed.
4. No lawn mowing needed!
When we moved into deCleyre the first thing we did was remove the grass lawn in the front yard. It was gone by the end of the second summer. I doubt I’ll be able to accomplish that here in Missouri but every bit covered by mulch and garden is a reduction of mowing and oil consumed.

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