From West Cook Wild Ones:
Presentation by Drew Reaves
Drew Reaves tends the beautiful prairie house garden at Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, IL. His work in this garden inspired him to establish a full-sun garden at his own home using native prairie plants. Drew will teach us how to determine proper placement of native prairie plants by accommodating their light and moisture requirements. Drew will also discuss drainage to regulate water levels and incorporating places to observe and enjoy the plants and the animals they attract.
For inspiration, Drew provided a list of some of the plants he grows in his garden: Blue Flag Iris, Bottle Gentian, Culver’s Root, Ironweed, Leadplant, Obedient Plant, Pink Turtlehead, Queen of the Prairie, Rattlesnake Master, Spiderwort, Swamp Rose-mallow, Wild Senna and Yarrow, plus various Coneflowers, Liatris, Lobelia (Cardinal and Blue), Milkweeds (Butterfly, Common, Prairie and Swamp), Monarda, Silphia (Compass Plant, Cup Plant and Prairie Dock) and Wild Indigos, as well as Big Bluestem, Bottlebrush and Prairie Dropseed Grasses and Bur and Palm Sedges.
Speaker Bio
Drew Reaves is a retired German teacher with a PhD in German Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Save of Prairie Society affiliated with Wolf Road Prairie in Westchester, IL. In addition to his role on the board, Drew designed and cares for the Franzosenbusch Prairie House Garden at Wolf Road Prairie.