Installation of Native Landscape

Alpine Shop Completes Installation of Unique Native Plant Landscape

The Alpine Shop, a retail outfitter for the outdoors enthusiast, located at 440 N. Kirkwood Road in downtown Kirkwood, MO, has completed the third and final phase of establishing a unique native plant landscape in the front parking lot islands. The native plant landscape was installed during a two-and-a-half year period by a combination of volunteers from Downtown Kirkwood Special Business District merchants, Kirkwood in BLOOM volunteers and the contracted services of Garden Solutions, a professional landscape service company. Continued professional landscape establishment and plant maintenance service is provided by Garden Solutions.

Plants featured in this new landscape are either Missouri native or ornamental selections of American native perennials. Specific plants selected for this full- to partial-sun site include Shining Blue Star, Blue False Indigo, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Prairie Coreopsis, Pale Coneflower, Yellow Coneflower, Purple Coneflower, Orange Coneflower, Eastern Blazing Star, Foxglove Beard-tongue, Missouri Black-eyed Susan, Stiff Goldenrod, Showy Goldenrod, Golden Alexanders, Prairie Dropseed, Little Bluestem, Sideoats Grama Grass, New England Aster, Snow Flurry Aster, Aromatic Aster, Spiderwort and Rattlesnake Master. Click here for a plant listing.

The selection and design layout of plants was provided by Kirkwood resident and Kirkwood in BLOOM founder, Bill Ruppert. Plant selection was supported by information provided by the http://www.grownative.org/ web site. Grow Native!, a program promoting the selection, use and care of native plants in the landscape, is a joint program of the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Once fully established, this native plant landscape will offer color and texture interest during the entire growing season and will attract a multitude of butterflies and hummingbirds. Landscapes utilizing native plants require no fertilizer or pesticides and need only limited supplemental water during establishment.

"We're proud to unveil our new landscaping using native plants," says Lisa Hollenbeck, co-owner of Alpine Shop. "We're excited to show how great reduced maintenance and water use can look. We appreciate all the help we received from Kirkwood in BLOOM and the Downtown Kirkwood Special Business District." 

For more information about Kirkwood in BLOOM, contact Bill Ruppert, at (314) 966-0253; info@kirkwoodinbloom.org.  For more information about the Alpine Shop, contact Lisa Hollenbeck, Proprietor, at (314) 775-2131 or lisah@alpineshop.com.