Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough
One of the themed gardens here in the cemetery is the Lewis and Clark Garden located adjacent to Willam Clark’s gravesite.
This garden features plants documented during the Corps of Discovery such as columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Cussick’s camas (Camassia cusickii), and a little bit of Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). All but the bluebells were originally described to science by Lewis & Clark.
The Camassia actually served as an important food source for the Lewis & Clark expedition. The bulbs were steamed or boiled and then dehydrated for use over a long period of time.
Heading to the southern part of the cemetery you can find the shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia), a small woodland native, blooming near the intersection of Memorial Ave and Wildwood Ave.
Nearby is the golden groundsel (Packera obovata) and the celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), both woodland native perennials.
The golden groundsel makes an excellent mat of spreading, evergreen foliage, even in dense shade underneath trees, and is very drought tolerant.
Wild cranesbill (Geranium maculatum), is another native woodland perennial. It prefers moist, shady areas, and will naturalize under those conditions.
Compiled by Cara L. Crocker
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