Events

Peggy and Tom Demmon, 7314 Park Lake Dr, Dexter, MI  Directions:  There is limited parking at the Demmons, so carpooling is advised. If you want to carpool, plan to meet at the Miller Road Park & Drive Lot in Ann Arbor at 6:15 pm, and we'll load into cars and caravan out to the Demmon's property. This tour will provide a good demonstration of how a one-acre lot can be transformed over a few years to a place of beauty featuring native plants. Matt Demmon (Feral Flora) has worked with his parents to restore the property they bought six years ago. When they originally bought the property, the lot was about half lawn, and the rest was mostly spruces, boxwoods, hostas, giant boulders, and lots and lots of empty mulched buds. There also was an ENORMOUS deck that was as big as the house. Over the first 4 years, Matt helped them rip out unwanted and invasive plants, fill empty beds with a mix of native and native-ish and non-native perennial plantings, turn 75% of the lawn into a meadow planting from seed, and demolish about half of the deck area. Now it's a mix of very wild natural plantings further away from the house, and more organized but full and natural-ish plantings around the house. There is a very large diversity of species, and there is a wide range of habitats, from full sun meadow to wet shore plantings to partial shade gardens under mature trees. Matt's parents have been very supportive his work and have let him experiment with aesthetic and species. Matt will be on hand along with his parents to help give us a tour. Guided tour of the Demmon's property by Peggy and Tom Demmon and their son Matt Demmon (Feral Flora).