I am a terrible artist. I can’t paint, I can’t draw and I can’t sculpt. But gardening has given me a creative outlet,” says Don Richardson. “I can put things in the ground and, hopefully, they will grow. I can see the garden evolve and I can share it with others.”
Share he does! With a Kirkwood home that borders a public walkway to a local elementary school, passersby have a full view of both the front and back yards. With a heavy emphasis on native plants and filled with water features that bring the splash of waterfalls and bubbling streams to the entire area, the landscape provides natural sounds that drown out street noise and offers a haven for wildlife.
“Kids stop by all the time and people walk by to enjoy it, which is the whole purpose,” explains Don.
The garden has taken shape over time. “In 2010 I took some classes at St. Louis Community College-Meramec. I was tired of babying plants. I quickly discovered that what I wanted were native plants that would tolerate our very, very difficult climate," he says. He credits this profound interest to St. Louis Audubon Society's Bring Conservation Home project, which played a large part in helping him cultivate a garden dedicated to sustaining native wildlife.
"In 2020, I went on the St. Louis Water Garden Society Pond-O-Rama tour and realized that water is a critical part of a garden as well, and I needed to add water to bring it all together," Don explains.
One of the homes on that tour had a stream that accented the front yard as well as the back yard, something Don thought could work in his own space. To make that happen, he contacted Caleb Bauer of Bauer Falls and asked him to help create a landscape that would bring both water and his native plants together. Caleb was immediately on board, particularly in the creation of the “little stream in the front yard. We wanted to have something for the neighbors who walk along the cut-through, providing the beautiful sound of water,” he says. Caleb also created a series of stone bridges and walkways through the garden to allow the landscape to be viewed from a number of different vantage points by those inside the garden fencing.
While many gardeners worry that native plants can look weedy in a smaller, more manicured landscape, Don advises checking out the catalog of the Missouri Wildflower Nursery. “They rate plants based on how tailored they are. There are natives anyone would be glad to have in their garden.”
The addition of flowing water proved an immediate draw for the wildlife Don coveted. As well as attracting an abundance of backyard birds, bees and butterflies, he has viewed red tailed hawks, a woodland stork and herons at his waterside.
Don runs his stream 12 months a year even in the coldest weather, knowing that flowing water does not freeze, and firmly believing that “as more and more wildlife adapt to a human environment, we really need to address the need for open water. It’s a way to bring conservation home.”
The St. Louis Water Garden Society’s Pond-O-Rama tour is traditionally held the June weekend following Father’s Day. Additional information is available on the organization’s website. Proceeds from the tour support the society’s maintenance of the water gardens in front of Forest Park’s Jewel Box.
