Natural Gardens and Restoration

By 2006, following the founding of the Confluence Chapter, many natural gardens and restoration projects were underway. Several of these gardens were turned over to other organizations, but Confluence continues to maintain the following:

Quail Ridge Park - Praire Garden & Rain Garden

This public garden has been a chapter project since 2007. It is along a 2,000 ft. stretch of a St. Charles C Park walking/hiking/biking trail where dog walkers and hikers pass by daily. The garden contains hardy native plants arranged in groups and labeled so people can readily identify the various species.

The Rain Garden is also located in Quail Ridge and is host to plants that enjoy periodic flooding. Both gardens are easily accessible with parking more readily available at the Rain Garden.

The Main Street Garden

The Main Street Garden is located at 524 S. Main Street in St. Charles and is a 4,000 sq. ft. lot that was transformed into a native garden in 2018. It is now maintained through a partnership with the St. Charles County Master Gardeners and the Confluence members. In 2022, the garden was awarded a “Nature Garden of Excellence” through the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native Program. Each fall, the members create “Mother Nature” from grasses, spent blooms and various additional treasures.

Babler State Park

The Confluence Chapter manages three small gardens at Babler State Park. There are two native gardens close to the Visitor Center. The third garden is closer to the entrance around the “Mr. Edmund Babler “ Monument. The gardens in this area have been challenging due to deer browse.