Porch ponds and possibilities on the Native Plant Garden Tour

This annual event sold out, and it's easy to see why.

By Lisa Brunette

I recently ran a poll over on Twitter (I know, I know… blech, Twitter) asking whether or not respondents would be willing to open up their gardens to public tours, and most said no.

Maybe that’s just Twitter for you; I don’t know. Anthony and I put ourselves in the “yes” camp last June when we had close to a hundred people traipse through our garden as part of the monthly Wild Ones members-only tours.

For a great many gardeners here in the St. Louis metro area, showing off one’s garden is a joy, as evidenced by the smashing success of the Native Plant Garden Tour, which featured 12 gardens in the University City area this year. One of those belongs to Brunette Gardens subscriber (and past giveaway winner) Kathy Freese, whose beautiful, lawn-free garden we made a point to tour.

Organizers tell me the event sold out, at 365 attendees. Anthony and I were two of those, so I’m offering our paid subscribers the below photo-essay recap for those who couldn’t make it. The tour cost $20 per person, with proceeds shared between the St. Louis Audubon Society and the St. Louis Wild Ones chapter, which cosponsored the tour.

As a reminder, paid subscribers are also eligible to participate in our seasonal giveaways, and this spring we’ll be sending one lucky recipient a cute little bug matching game. Since we’re still in our first year here on Substack, we have few paid subscribers, which greatly increases your chances of winning. Some have made back their full subscription cost through the freebie. And if you don’t want to pop for the annual sub, feel free to check us out for a month to see if the extras are worth it to ya. You’re eligible for our giveaways either way!