Meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month (unless otherwise announced) at various locations TBA. Watch for information through e-mail postings from the Wild Ones e-net. Please place our domain name "for-wild.org" in your safe senders list.

Members and friends of our club who have questions about gardening with native plants in central Kentucky can ask us for advice via e-mail. A Wild Ones member will respond to you and address your issue.

Calendar | Places to Visit | Recommended Reading | Sources for Plants | Other Resources | Officers and Board Members | Join | Lexington Area Spring Events

July 2010 Ah, the beauty of flowers! And the beauty of wildflowers in particular! In July the sunny native flower garden truly comes into its glory. Purple coneflowers and culvers root have been with us for a while; toward the end of June they were joined by ox-eye sunflower, grey-headed coneflower, the monardas and royal catchfly. We are looking forward to liatris, joe pye, the rudbeckias, the true sunflowers, and later the asters and goldenrods, to mention just the real show-offs. This annual cycle, the opening of flower buds to reveal the blossom's intricate architecture and its color, suggests a question for our contemplation: why is it that a plant seems to be at its most beautiful stage just when its first flowers have become visible? It is true that the blast of color a week or so later, when every bud is open and the plant really struts its stuff, catches our attention, but we no longer feel motivated to take a close look. In fact, there is no need to do so, since the plant is in our face, so to speak. At the beginning of the process, however, with many buds still closed and only a few blossoms having ventured out into the sunlight, there is a suggestion of great potential. The picture of a royal catchfly to the left may exemplify this idea. Our Wild Ones group will celebrate the prairie flowers at our program event on Saturday, August 14. We have scheduled a guided walk at Shakertown, where a number of the former fields have been converted into meadows and prairies. -- Beate Popkin, Vice President

    Jan 30, 2010 (Sat)    

A Winter Gathering, 11 am - 1:30 pm, Sponsored by Greater Cincinnati Chapter of Wild Ones.
Get out this morning and celebrate the approach of spring at a very informal social event with your Wild Ones friends (Cincinnati & Lexington, KY) in Maineville, OH (just outside Cincinnati, before you get to King’s Island). Everyone will have a chance to share a favorite gardening tool, story or experience with the group. Barry Dalton and Jacob Bartley (Habitats Native Plant Nursery) will be attending and bringing a surprise presentation.(Should you wish to show some photographs or other illustrations, a carousel slide projector, overhead projector, easels and screen will be available for your use.)

Lunch will be provided: chili, soups, bread, cheeses and fruit + tea and coffee. Bringing food is not necessary but if you desire, crackers, bread or dessert will be most welcomed.

RSVP: Voice Mail (leave message) at (513) 398-4203 or E-mail: rdbricker@aol.com
For exact location, directions, and possible carpooling email Ann Bowe.

    Feb 10, 2010 (Wed)    

Neil Diboll will speak at 7 PM at the Gluck Equine Research Center at UK, hosted by Friends of the Arboretum. The topic is "Prairie Plants and their Use in the Landscape". Free to Wild Ones members. Wild Ones friends will pay $5 each to attend. Please plan to arrive a little early, since these talks always begin right on time. Directions

Neil Diboll's love of wild places and their floral players is contagious. A true pioneer in the native plant industry and recognized internationally as an expert in native community ecology, Neil Diboll has nurtured Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin (providing native plants and seeds for prairies, woodlands, and wetlands) as its president since 1982. On both professional and personal levels, Neil has dedicated his life to the propagation of native plants and their promotion in the green industry as beautiful, low maintenance alternatives.

    Mar 04, 2010 (Thu)    

Margaret Shea from Dropseed Nursery near Louisville will talk about the plants that have stirred her special interest in recent years and that she is now propagating for future sale. Dropseed Nursery offers plants of Kentucky stock. This meeting will take place at 7 PM at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church at 2055 Bellefonte Drive (use the rear entrance closest to Bellefonte).

    Apr 10, 2010 (Sat)    

Spring Ephemerals Hike at Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area at 10:00 am, Sponsored by Greater Cincinnati Chapter of Wild Ones.
Curtis Lloyd (as in Lloyd Library), said 20 of his acres “had never had an axe in them," and to this day, his trust agreement stipulates that nothing gets cut, nor hauled out, on those 20 acres. Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area would not exist if the eccentric Mr. Lloyd had not written a twenty-four-page will that thoroughly outlined the future management plan for his 365-acre farm. The farm is now part of a 1,179-acre wild area. Lloyd Wildlife Area has 4 miles of dirt roads and trails for hiking and bird watching. Walking sticks may be handy; expect no restrooms or drinking fountains.

Dan Boone, a top tier field botanist, fun fellow & veteran trip leader will guide us through lush woods and it will be early enough to beat the garlic mustard! Dan says LWMA has good flowers and is the best old growth forest in the Bluegrass.

Directions: From Ohio: I-75 S to Crittenden, KY Exit 166(26 miles south of the OH River). Go left off I-75 exit then left into the McDonalds parking lot. We’ll meet in the McDonald’s parking lot at 10am and caravan from there.

Please email Ann Bowe to pre-register. We will arrange carpooling for those who wish it.

    Apr 11, 2010 (Sun)    

SPRING EPHEMERALS HIKE - THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

Start Time: early afternoon, exact time tba
Duration: about 3 hours
Location: Jessamine Gorge, an absolutely gorgeous location with an amazing display of spring ephemerals.

Note: The terrain can be a bit challenging, as there are steep sections with several spots that require jumping off rocks, so participants need to be in pretty good shape. Due to the terrain and the limited parking, this event will be limited in numbers, with Wild Ones members getting the first opportunity to sign up.

Please note that there is a Cincinnati Wild Ones hike the day before this event, in a location which also offers a wonderful display of spring ephemerals. So there are two excellent opportunities for hiking on this spring weekend.

    May 06, 2010 (Thu)    

Annual Plant Exchange at 7 p.m. The location is St. Michael’s Episcopal church at 2025 Bellefonte Drive. We will meet in the lower parking lot which is accessed from Libby Lane.

Items to be exchanged can be seeds, perennials, grasses and sedges, shrubs, trees or vines; The plants must be native to the Eastern United States; cultivars of a native plant are acceptable. They should be potted if dug up several weeks before the exchange, or, if they are dug on the day of the exchange, their roots may be kept moist in wet newspaper surrounded by a plastic bag. Each plant must be labeled.

Participants who have no plants to offer for exchange may contribute a food item or beverage to this social occasion. Finger foods, beer, wine and juices are particularly cherished. It’s great fun and everybody gets to go home with new plants. See you there.

    Jun 03, 2010 (Thu)    

Time: 6 PM.

We’ll be touring Gainesway Farm, guided by their resident horticulturalist, Ryan Martin. Gainesway Farm has been designated as an arboretum by the American Public Garden Association. The farm has over 1,500 acres of decorative plants, floral displays, and tree collections that are nurtured by a full-time horticulture staff. Of particular note are the more than 45 different kinds of oaks.

    Jul 10, 2010 (Sat)    

A Backyard of Beauty and Butterflies!

Five years ago, photographer Betty Hall developed a strong interest in butterflies and decided to turn her large backyard garden into a haven for birds and butterflies by using Kentucky native plants. Natural landscaper Connie May helped Betty expand her gardens to include a wider variety of native plants. Betty and Connie discovered a shared passion for raising butterflies from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Together they have raised and released many species of butterflies.

Connie's presentation about creating your own butterfly garden will be illustrated with photographs of butterflies and native plants and will include information on how to raise butterflies, indoors or out. Betty will provide further tips on raising butterflies, along with a display of live specimens of caterpillars, chrysalises and butterflies.

We'll then head outdoors, where Richard Weber, the owner of Springhouse Gardens, will treat us to a tour of his rain gardens and meadow garden. Springhouse Gardens offers a variety of native plants, and Richard will display many of the larval and nectar plants needed to attract butterflies to your garden.

Time: 10am sharp – 12:30pm. Please plan to arrive in plenty of time, so we'll be ready to start right at 10am.
Location: Springhouse Gardens, 6041 Harrodsburg Road, Nicholasville, KY 40356
We’ll meet in the Landscape Office. Parking is somewhat limited, so carpooling would be appreciated. (See directions below.)

Note: Attendance is limited to 35 people. Please call Julie at Springhouse Gardensto register, at 859-224-1417 or email to greatplants@springhousegardens.com.

Thank you to Springhouse Gardens for offering their beautiful garden center as the site for this month’s Wild Ones event. Please put this on your calendar and call Julie right away to be sure you reserve your place.

Directions to Springhouse Gardens:
Springhouse Gardens is located just 4 miles south of Lexington's Man O War Boulevard onHarrodsburg Road / US 68. Turn right onto Highway 3375 (also known as Catnip Hill Road). The entrance is on the left.

From Downtown Lexington:
Head southwest out of downtown on South Broadway / US 68. Broadway becomesHarrodsburg Road past Mason Headley / Waller Avenue. Continue on past New Circle Road and another 2 miles to Man O War Boulevard. At this point, Springhouse Gardens is 4 miles south on Harrodsburg Road / US 68. Turn right on Highway 3375 (also known as Catnip Hill Road). The entrance is on the left.

From Nicholasville and US 27 Northbound:
From the Nicholasville Bypass and US 27 Northbound, go west on Keene Road / KY 169 for 4 miles. Turn right on Harrodsburg Road / US 68 and travel 2 miles. Turn left on Highway 3375 (also known as Catnip Hill Road). The entrance is on the left.

    Aug 14, 2010 (Sat)    

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is a great place to visit, but most folks stick to the buildings and surrounding exhibits. All wonderful - but there's more! Shaker Village has sweeping prairie and meadow plantings that are well worth a closer look.

Our upcoming event will be a tour of these plantings, led by Don Pelly, the Naturalist at Shaker Village. This hike will last about 2½ hours. The terrain is gently sloping but not strenuous at all. I’ve gone walking there myself and there is a lot to see.

Time: The tour will start at 9:30am sharp.

Meeting place: We will meet at 9:15am in the main parking lot, at the welcome area that is by the Gift Shop.

Directions: Please see the Shaker Village website for directions.

Suggestions: Bring water, sunscreen, a hat…whatever you need to feel comfortable. Even though the terrain is not difficult, good hiking footwear is always a wise choice.

Optional lunch: We have places reserved for lunch at the restaurant at Shaker Village. We need to confirm our numbers by Wednesday, August 11th. Please contact Mary Carol to reserve. NOTE: Once we have confirmed your lunch reservation, we will be charged whether you’re there or not.

    Sep 12, 2010 (Sun)    

Tami Sanderson garden tour – located near Keeneland – 9 AM.

    Oct 07, 2010 (Thu)    

6:30 PM - Tree topic with Dave Leonard.

    Nov 04, 2010 (Thu)    

7 PM - Katie Clark will speak about medicinal plants.

    Dec 04, 2010 (Sat)    

Holiday Party!

In celebration of Wild Ones 30th year, all new members and those renewing at the "wilder" or "wildest" level will receive a free DVD of the newly updated how-to film Wild About Wildflowers.

Contact Linda Porter for more information about Membership.

These are some places you can visit in and around Central Kentucky to see native habitat and vegetation. Some are only open by appointment. Others have scheduled guided tours. If you know of another place that belongs on this list, send it to Eve Podet.

Do you have a favorite to recommend? Let me know the title and author and I'll add it.

Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy
A strong argument for planting urban natural landscapes to ensure biodiversity and thereby the well-being and possibly the survival of the human species.

Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by William Cullina
Growing and Propagating Wildflowers by William Cullina
Both are excellent sources of information about growing and propagating.

Trees & Shrubs of Kentucky by Mary E Wharton, Roger W Barbour
A classic reference.

Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky By Thomas G. Barnes and S. Wilson Francis
Rare Wildflowers of Kentucky by Thomas G. Barnes, Deborah White, Marc Evans
Indispensable for anyone interested in Kentucky's native plants.

Gardening for the Birds by Thomas G. Barnes
An easy-to-use guide to transforming your yard into an oasis for urban wildlife.

Growing and Propagating Wildflowers By Harry Phillips

Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians by Dennis Horn and Tavia Cathcart

President: Ann Bowe
Vice President: Beate Popkin
Treasurer: Mary Carol Cooper
Secretary: Kate Noye
Public Relations/Publicity: Larry Grannis, Betty Hall
Website maintenance: Eve Podet

Team Leaders
Membership: Linda Porter
Hospitality: Ann Blevins