Flowers at Sappington House

While you might rightly think of history and their museum when you hear about the Sappington House, their flower displays are spectacular. Please stop by and enjoy all their flowering plants and displays.

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Cleanup Help Needed – Father Dickson Cemetery

Saturday, August 17th at 10 a.m., volunteers are needed to help cleanup the Father Dickson Cemetery at 845 Sappington Rd, St. Louis, MO 63126.

Lawnmowers and other yard tools will be welcome.

This is being led by the The Kiwanis Club of Crestwood-Sunset Hills.

Grooming the Catalina West entrance

First row Nate, Chrissie, Steve, Josie, Matt, Gary. Second Row Brian’s daughter, Brian.

 

July 20, 2019.  “Many hands make light work.” This pearl goes back to the 14th century. I heard it repeated by two different people this Saturday morning. A group of neighbors gathered at the  Rayburn and Tahiti Drive entrance sign to Catalina West subdivision, all volunteers wanting to help Beautify Crestwood.

They were not planting flowers.

They were doing one of the the other vital activities in every beautification project. They were maintaining a site that was established in the 1950s when this subdivision was built and named. It has been been tended by neighbors for the last 40 years.

They removed the weeds and overgrowth that had grown up around the monument sign. They did it in less than an hour. Congratulations and thanks to these neighbors. This morning they improved the quality of our lives and the the value of our properties

Steve and Nate’s Evergreen Yard of the Month July 2019

 

At Steve and Nate’s house on Montego the front is covered by a carport, an interesting architectural design, but they wanted to try a different approach. When they first moved in, a small non-functioning pond dominated the site. They set about making the bland front yard more appealing. Because they wanted something that held year round interest, they took out the pond and filled the space with native and drought-tolerant evergreens. After some trial and error they came up with a unique design featuring only evergreens of varying colors, shapes, sizes and textures.* You should see it! It is unique, outstanding in the neighborhood, beautiful in all seasons, even in the Winter. 

In the front yard Nate is trying to establish some larger trees. He has planted a Burr Oak tree and two American Smoke trees. He would like to see more neighbors plant larger hardwood trees such as oak varieties. The neighborhood still has many of those trees original to the subdivision but several have died and are not being replaced. 

On the street by the mailbox is a small garden of black eyed susans, lantana, a few small evergreens, and a very interesting gray headed coneflower which attracts native pollinators. 

Nate did most of the front yard design while Steve focused on the backyard. The entrance to the backyard is a welcoming gated patio. It is a sunny space due to the loss of a large old oak tree just behind the patio. Steve has experimented with various pots filled with delightful combinations of flowers, green plants and herbs. 

Since the backyard is a steep slope Steve and Nate have terraced it and created a number of outdoor “rooms”. Behind the patio where the oak tree once stood is an area filled with a variety of plants such as blackberries, gladiolas, and vegetables. The lower levels of the backyard house a cornucopia of beautiful foliage: a Catalpa tree, River Cane Bamboo (native to Missouri), 6 Green Giant Arborvitae, and a Sweetgum tree. 

*​Here is the evergreen list: American Holly, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Hinoki False Cypress, Dwarf Globe Blue Spruce, Various Arborvitae, Green Giant Arborvitae, Various Juniper, Blue Point Juniper, Mugo Pine, Short Leaf Pine. 

Ellen’s Yard of the Month July 2019

Ellen MacDonald moved into her Crestwood house a few years ago.  The outside of the house and yard were nice but completely devoid of adornment.  Nothing.

Soon neighbors noticed a transformation slowly taking place. Little by little small changes started to appear:  a porch swing with a cushion, a little table with 2 chairs, a potted plant, a few nice flowers, some new bushes, a new screen door. It started to look like a pleasant little cottage.

Ellen said she didn’t like the look of  the house when she bought it so she set upon trying to improve it with welcoming plants and seating areas. She planted bushes, perennials, and some annuals for a pop of color.

She certainly did succeed! Her efforts make our beautiful little city even more attractive. 

Tuesday Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays to help work in the City Hall and Firehouse gardens.

If you can volunteer an hour or two please send an email to the address below and we’ll work out the details.

Thanks – Galligee@gmail.com

Gary & Carrie Gobble’s Yard of the Month May 2019

This beautiful yard is the result of  collaboration. The grass is his. The flowers are hers. Together they are pleased with and proud of their yard. We are too. It is a welcome addition to our  neighborhood and our city.

Gary’s interest in their front lawn goes back several years. He has been seeding it and mowing it regularly but he decided to make some changes to make it look even better. The hardest part, Gary says, was getting rid of the crab grass and other undesirable upstart volunteers that spotted his lawn. He did this with methodical cutting and trimming and weeding, and even killing off parts of the lawn, before replacing it with his preferred grass. In its place he planted and cultivated a Fescue mix and Kentucky Blue Grass. The results are beautiful.

Carrie has concentrated on the flowers and trees that enhance the attraction of their lovely house. She has nurtured the plants and shrubs along the drive. There is a variety of mostly perennials with some Missouri wildflowers, a favorite of hers. Speckled within are some other attractive favorites of theirs including Purple Coneflowers, Black -Eyed Susans, Lavender, Showy Evening Primrose, Phlox, Salvia, Daylilies, Creeping Jenny, Bearded Iris, Oak-Leafed Hydrangea, Daffodils, Tulips, and many others!