Wild Ones River City Chapter is seeking member hosts for “Walkabouts”—informal tours of home gardens and landscapes managed by members. We’d like to visit gardens of ALL sizes, small to large!
- Walkabouts last about two hours, with guests coming and going like an open house.
- Hosts select the day and time.
- Walkabouts will be held rain or shine.
- Walkabout dates will be announced via our regular email communications.
- You pick the day and time!
- Walkabouts are for Wild Ones members and their guests. (Membership Perk)
NOTE: This is not a garden “inspection.” We all deal with weeds! If you choose to offer refreshments (not required or expected) keep it very simple.
If you are a Wild Ones member and would like to host a Walkabout, contact Linda Gary at [email protected].
A Sampling of Past Walkabouts
August 22, 2024 Walkabout at Linda Trier’s home in Nunica.
Linda says: “I began my native plant journey in the summer of 2020. My sons were concerned that our cat had killed a bird. It was decided that the birds needed more places to find food besides the bird feeder. Our first project was a 2000 square foot piece of the front yard where nothing grew well. That area was seeded in the winter and the following spring we began ripping up 30 years of pachysandra. We researched plants and opened more ground along fence lines and around the patio. Over the spring and summer of 2021 we planted five large gardens and in the fall planted with plugs another 2000 square feet in the front yard. We have taken out the rest of the hosta plants this year and are continuing to plant more native plants.”
August 10, 2024 Walkabout at Marcia Carrick’s home in Byron Center.
Marcia writes: “My native plant journey began with hearing Doug Tallamy speak at Meijer Gardens. I then heard him speak again at the Wild Ones-River City Chapter 15th Anniversary Celebration at Aquinas College on June 20th, 2022. On June 28th, I became a Wild Ones member. At that point I decided to replace all of our turf grass, which had gone mostly to weeds anyway, with native plants. That means less mowing and more habitat. I currently have 150 different species of native plants in our yard and wooded area. Today, I enjoyed watching out our slider at the many, many pollinators buzzing around various plants that are currently flowering.”
July 25, 2024 Walkabout at Marty Arnold’s home in NW Grand Rapids
Marty describes her property as “a patch of wilderness hidden deep inside the city of Grand Rapids.” When she and her husband bought the 2.5 acre vacant lot in 1988 it was a ragged lawn and a wooded ravine clogged with invasive species and neighborhood trash. Over the decades they’ve added hundreds of native trees, shrubs, no-mow grass, perennials and ferns. In 2018 they purchased 4.5 acres of adjacent property. Since then, Marty has added an oak savanna, an emergent woodland, a rain garden and bioswale, a shady “hidden garden” and colorful beds of wildflowers. “I love the idea that our land is healthier and more diverse than it has been in 150 years,” Marty says. “All along the way, I’ve relied on Wild Ones and Kent Conservation District for native plants and great advice. I hope you visit my work-in-progress.”
August 2, 2023 Walkabout at Marti MacArthur’s home in Grand Rapids
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July 13, 2023 Walkabout at Gretchen Zuiderveen’s home in Belmont
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July 2021 – Two WORC members that are neighbors who live along the Grand River in Comstock Park, MI, Barbara Zvirzdinis and Rebecca Ling.
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AUGUST 2021
Calvin Ecosystem Preserve and Native Gardens
1750 E Beltline Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Created in 2018 to showcase the beauty and diversity of native plants, this botanical garden is a living field guide containing more than 200 species of plants found in Michigan. Over 20 mini gardens feature a variety of planting styles. They draw inspiration from both natural landscapes as well as familiar gardening styles such as cottage, pollinator, and shade gardens. Open to the public.
September 2021
Keith Edwards’ Comstock Park Urban Prairie
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