Wildflowers at the Bandstand

Stanberry, MO

Size: Eight 180 square-foot plots

Year established: 2005

Year inducted: 2021

Category: Volunteer managed

Entrance Fee: None

Description: This planting, located in the small town of Stanberry in northwestern Missouri, is an excellent example of how a small garden can make a big impact. The garden consists of eight plots, each measuring approximately 180 square feet, surrounding a bandstand in the Stanberry City Park. The four gardens on the east side of the bandstand “mirror” the four gardens on the west side.

The plots, first planted 15 years ago, are managed and maintained by volunteer gardeners in the community, most notably Debbie Nickell and Mariam Goforth. All the plants were originally introduced as plugs.

In spring, perennials emerge and the garden is weeded. Weed removal is overwhelmingly carried out by hand. The gardens are lush and green during this season and usually require no trimming. However, some of the plants (purple coneflower, sweet coneflower, and wild bergamot) are clipped back some years to set back their height and delay blooming by a few weeks.

The gardens receive their highest visitation in the summer, during which they feature in the Father’s Day Car Show and the Fourth of July celebrations, both of which are big area events and celebrated in the park. There are almost a dozen and a half species represented in the plots, so there are waves of blooming flowers from spring through early fall. Some plants used include shining blue star, foxglove beardtongue, blue wild indigo, columbine, butterfly milkweed, purple coneflower, sweet coneflower, Indian pink, tickseed coreopsis, black-eyed Susan, rose verbena, prairie blazing star, bottlebrush blazing star, aromatic aster, purple poppy mallow, and silky aster. Occasionally, natives from earlier waves of plantings reappear, such as prairie coreopsis, white prairie clover, purple prairie clover, royal catchfly, and evening primrose.

In early September, some seed heads are removed to reduce the spread of more aggressive species such as New England aster and purple coneflower. The tall, senescent plants are cut down to about two feet in the process. If there are open areas requiring the addition of more plants, they are added at this time. The new plants are watered and cared for, and the last seed harvest is conducted in early November. The plants are mowed down to several inches in mid- to late November, as the town uses the plots around the bandstand to set up trees and decorations for Christmas. In this instance, municipal needs outweigh the needs of wildlife—not ideal, but representative of some of the concessions required in a real-world setting.

Ten Great Native Plants to See Here:
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed)
Aquilegia canadensis (columbine)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (shining blue star)
Baptisia australis (blue wild indigo)
Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppy mallow)
Glandularia canadensis (rose verbena)
Liatris mucronata (bottlebrush blazing star)
Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue)
Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)
Symphyotrichum sericeum (silky aster)

Examples of Wildlife Spotted Here:
Butterflies, bees, and other beneficial native insects

Signage: Temporary signage identifying individual plants is often displayed during events and holidays.

Accessibility: The gardens are connected via a paved walkway around the bandstand.

For More Information:
Betty C. Grace – Albany, Missouri, 660-822-6114
Debbie Nickell – Stanberry, Missouri, dnickell68@gmail.com