Gone Wild: Symphony member strings wildflowers with perennials in colorful landscape

Louise Butler ditched her lawnmower years ago. She doesn't like the chore, so over time, Butler pulled out patches of grass near her South Hill home to replace them with various wildflowers and perennials.

Section:Gallery

Mon., June 27, 2022

A cornflower bloom is one of the many wildflowers that grow in Louise Butler’s yard on South Adams Street.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Revi
Louise Butler, Spokane Symphony cello player, has filled yards around her home on Adams Street with mostly wildflowers and other color-producing plants, versus a lawn, slowly over the past 15 years or so. Daily, what shows up changes, and catches the eyes of those walking or cycling nearby. She gave up her lawn mower years ago and won’t go back.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Revi
A dame’s rocket is one of the many wildflowers that grow in Louise Butler’s yard on South Adams Street.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Revi
Louise Butler, a Spokane Symphony cello player, has filled the yard around her home on Adams Street with wildflowers and other color-producing plants, versus a lawn, over the past 15 years or so. What shows up changes daily and catches the eyes of those walking or cycling nearby. She gave up her lawn mower years ago and won’t go back.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Revi
Blue flax blooms in Louise Butler's yard.

Courtesy Louise Butler
A South Hill neighbor recently told Louise Butler that she enjoyed her purple backyard filled with blooming allium and other blooms.

Courtesy Louise Butler
Courtesy Louise Butler