The Gateway Gardener October 2021

Gateway Gardener

OCTOBER 2021

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Rudbeckias Rock!

6 Reasons Why

Right Plant...

Right PERSON Fancy Fronds and Fiddleheads The Many Faces of Squash OCTOBER 2021

The Gateway Gardener™

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The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2021

Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

OCTOBER 2021

Volume 17, Number 6

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists Diane Brueckman Rosey Acres Abby Lapides Sugar Creek Gardens Steffie Littlefield Edg-Clif Winery Jennifer Schamber Greenscape Gardens Scott Woodbury Shaw Nature Reserve

Printing: Breese Publishing, Breese, IL The Gateway Gardener® is published 7 times/year by Double Dig Communications, Inc. to promote enjoyable, successful gardening and livable landscapes in the St. Louis greater metropolitan area. The magazine is distributed free to the public at designated garden centers, nurseries, garden gift shops, lawn equipment rental, repair and sales establishments, and other locations supporting sound gardening, lawn and landscaping practices.

Please send letters-to-the-editor, questions, event announcements, editorial suggestions and contributions, photos, advertising inquiries and materials, and any other correspondence to: The Gateway Gardener Magazine® PO Box 220853 St. Louis, MO 63122 Phone: (314) 968-3740

info@gatewaygardener.com www.gatewaygardener.com

The Gateway Gardener® is printed on recycled newsprint using environmentally friendly soy-based ink, and is a member of the PurePower® renewable energy resources network.

OCTOBER 2021

W

From the Editor

e established in the Summer edition that coneflowers were my favorite flower. It’s no surprise, then, that the rudbeckias are a close second, since they share so many traits. Both are composite daisy-like flowers, both are well-represented in the native garden, both are relatively easy to care for, both are long-blooming, and following blooms provide seeds that are attractive to goldfinches and other birds. In fact, the perennial rudbeckias (black-eyed Susan and others) might even hold an edge in that they tend to live longer in the garden that the sometimes short-lived echinaceas. These are just a few reasons to grow them; Abby Lapides gives several more in her rudbeckia roundup on page 4.

In the shade garden, ferns stand as another favorite of mine. They just speak of a woodland walk to me, and nothing says spring more than the little fiddleheads as they emerge. According to Scott Woodbury’s article on native ferns on page 12, native ferns can be hard to find at retail due to propagation difficulties, but once established many species will naturalize (spread) readily.

So, in addition to checking with

popular starter plants, and suggests some alternatives that may offer greater success.

a Grow Native! Professional retail member, ask friends who may be growing them. Most would be willing to share the wealth!

Many people enjoy growing non-native ferns indoors.

Indoor plants do so much to make the dark days of winter a little brighter. But frequently beginning houseplant “parents” can be frustrated by failure in their first attempts at growing plants indoors. Often, says Jennifer Schamber in her article on page 8, the problem is people choose plants that just aren’t suitable to their schedules and/or conditions in their home/apartment.

Sometimes they’re too busy to care for the plant (or not busy enough, and “overcare” for it). Jennifer looks at several

On the Cover...

Rudbeckias (blackeyed Susan) are superstars in the late summer/fall garden. Not only do they bloom forever, but they feed the birds and other wildlife when they’re done. For more reasons why rudbeckias rock, see page 4. (photo

by Ann Lapides)

The Gateway Gardener™

Finally, back outdoors, Steffie Littlefield offers on page 14 a look at the wide, wide world of heirloom winter squash.

I grew two this summer, a pumpkin and a butternut squash. Through the course of the season, the vines creeped and crawled—then sprinted— first claiming my small garden, then expanding their territory to the driveway, compost bin, native garden and crawling over a short fence in an attempt to conquer the neighbor’s yard as well. In the end, I harvested one pumpkin and three butternut squash. Next year, I think I’ll leave it to the Farmer’s Market! But if you have the space…

Good gardening!

IN THIS ISSUE 4 6 Reasons Rudbeckias Rock 8 Right Plant, Right PERSON 10 Upcoming Events 12 Fancy Fronds and Fiddlehead 14 The Many Faces of Squash 15 Dig This!

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6 Reasons Rudbeckias Rock!

By Abby Lapides

S

howy, long blooming and rugged, Rudbeckias, AKA black-eyed Susans, are powerhouse plants that thrive in the St. Louis area. In fact, there are at least 9 Rudbeckia species native to Missouri. These easy to grow, pollinator favorites should be in everyone’s garden and here’s why.

Rudbeckia ‘Herbstsonne’

that plagued many of the older fulgida varieties (‘Goldstrum’ I’m talking to you). A perfect landscape plant, ‘American Gold Rush’ will grace gardens for years to come.

They

attract butterflies

and other pollinators to the garden

Want butterflies in your garden?

Especially monarchs? While all plants for the hands-off Rudbeckias attract pollinators, monarchs can’t resist the nectar gardener rich flowers of ‘Herbstsonne’.

If you’re looking for a longAlso knows as ‘Autumn Sun’, blooming easy-care plant look ‘Herbstsonne’ provides 8 weeks no further than ‘American Gold of shuttlecock-shaped, mac n’ Rush’. Appearing for most of cheese yellow flowers that are the summer, half-dollar-sized like candy to the monarchs. Just golden yellow blossoms form into perfectly shaped domes 18” in diameter. ‘American Gold add milkweed, blazing star and asters and you will have a gorgeous Rush’ also displays leaves that are completely free of diseases monarch haven.

They’re

easy

landscape

THE GARDEN IS CALLING.

DIG IN.

2832 Barrett Station Rd, Ballwin, MO 63021 www.greenscapegardens.com

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The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2021

All-America Selections

Rudbeckia ‘Indian Summer’ Most bloom for months

With its larger-than-life flowers and long bloom times it can be difficult to believe that ‘Indian Summer’ is real. Not only is it real, but ‘Indian Summer’ thrives in St. Louis! Huge, upwards of 7” in diameter, yellow flowers bloom for months on end. The bright petals shoot straight out of dark chocolate-black cones. This AllAmerica Selections winner is prized for its amazing number of flowers and toughness. A short-lived perennial, Rudbeckia hirta types tend to live 2-3 years, but if allowed, will reseed prolifically.

Just like children, seed offspring will not be exact clones of the parents. cont’d. on next page Abby Lapides is owner and a speaker at Sugar Creek Gardens Nursery. She has degrees from the University of Missouri, and is a member of the Landscape and Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis.

You can reach her at (314) 965-3070.

OCTOBER 2021

The Gateway Gardener™

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cont’d. from previous page

They

come

in

all

Rudbeckia maxima

Walking along the garden path and coming across a patch of giant coneflower, Rudbeckia maxima will have you feel like you just drank one of Alice’s potions from Wonderland.

Huge cabbage-like leaves give rise to 5-7’ tall stems with bright yellow petals and tall dark brown cones. This tall stately plant perfectly fits in the back of a garden, along a tall fence or anywhere a large showy specimen is needed.

Some are on the cutting edge of plant introductions

While only partially a Rudbeckia the Echibeckia, a cross between Rudbeckia and an Echinacea, exhibits two of my favorite Rudbeckia qualities – showy flowers and long bloom times. While each new Echibeckia variety is more interesting than the next, my personal favorite is the ‘Sumerina Sunchaser.’ Absolutely huge, over 8” in diameter, flowers with orange and yellow ombre flowers bloom all summer long on large plants. These new plants have only been tested hardy to zone 7, so consider it an annual, but one worth growing as it provides huge color all season.

Rudbeckia missouriensis They provide long-lived cut flowers for bouquets

Rudbeckias excel in bouquets. Their cheery flowers last for weeks when cut. For mixed summer bouquets consider growing the Missouri black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia missouriensis. This petite Missouri native, usually growing about 2-3’ tall and wide fits better into smaller gardens than other native varieties. The 3” diameter sunny daisies play beautifully with other cut flowers. Tolerant of dry rocky soils and long periods of drought, plant Missouri blackeyed Susan in locations where the hose can be difficult to reach.

Most Rudbeckias thrive in full sun to light shade in well-drained soils.

Almost all are deer and disease resistant. With their exemplary qualities -dependability, prolific showy flowers and versatility to name a fewRudbeckias will always have a home in my garden, and they belong in yours too.

Photos by Ann Lapides except as noted.

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The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2021

Robert Weaver

different sizes-even huge

OCTOBER 2021

The Gateway Gardener™

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Right Plant, Right PERSON Text and Photos by Jennifer Schamber

“R

ight plant, right place”…

It’s one of the golden rules of gardening that horticulturists repeat over and over again. It’s the very basic and wise rule of thumb that advises people to choose a plant that is suitable for the location in which it will be growing.

Things to be considered include: soil type, sun exposure, moisture needs, deer resistance, hardiness zone, size restrictions and other more minor variables. But maybe there’s something missing from this advice, maybe what really should be taken into consideration is “Right plant, right person”. There’s no guarantee that all plants and people Z Z Plant are going to be compatible. It’s kind of like choosing a mate. On the surface, a couple might seem to be a perfect match, but once they learn that they have different rhythms in life, they may find it necessary to try different paths. Different types of people with different variables in their homes, are sometimes going to have different success stories when it comes to plants. So, let’s dig in and explore different successful combinations of plants and people, this time around, we’ll focus on houseplants.

Case Study #1: A kid and a cactus Kids are naturally drawn to cactus plants. They are easily lured by their interesting shapes and their spikey texture. Some really have a hard time not touching the spines and may not learn even after getting pricked a few times. This sense of danger makes wanting to grow one of these unusual plants quite irresistible. So, the plant gets taken home and set on the windowsill, and it Variegated gets the first of many “sips” of Hindu Rope water. After about a month of lots of love (a.k.a. too much water), the plant slowly rots at the base. Despite the fact that the plant died, this is actually an opportunity for a kid to learn firsthand some valuable lessons on not just botany (why does this plant not need much water?), but also geography (where does this plant naturally grow?), soils (how does soil drain or retain water?) and resiliency (how can some plants thrive on little care?).

include: Echeveria, Peperomia, Pilea, Hoya and Spider Plants.

Case Study #2: Oooh… Look at that orchid!

There are very few plants more alluring than an orchid in its full glory. This plant that appears practically perfect in every way is an easy sell when in full bloom. The new orchid owner follows the directions as indicated on the tag and the plant thrives for another month or two, after which the flowers start to wilt and drop off, one at a time. The plant gets brought to the local garden store expert by this new plant parent who is very sad that they have “killed” the plant. Upon further inspection, the expert assures them that the plant is actually doing quite well, that they’re doing a great job and that now they have to wait until next year to see another round of blooms. Some plant parents might say, “Great!

Can’t wait!”, while others may say, “I don’t have time for that”.

Solutions: If you always want something blooming on the dining room table, you’re going to need more than one. You’re probably going to need to rotate 4-6 plants throughout the year.

Some people may not have the space or the patience to wait for orchids, kalanchoes or cyclamen to bloom again, so sometimes those plants are treated like a long-lasting bouquet of flowers, and after they’re done blooming, they get composted. Otherwise, finding something that looks great but doesn’t bloom, could be a better long-term solution like Parlor Palms or ZZ Plants.

Case Study #3: “What’s that plant in that magazine?”…

The Curse of the Fiddle Leaf Fig For a while there, it was probably the most photographed Solutions: There are a wide range of kid-friendly plants that work plant in home design magazines, well for a majority of new indoor gardeners. Some favorites and it was declared the hottest 8

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The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2021

“must have” plant by just about every interior designer across the country. The plants are shipped out from humid, sunny and perfectly tropical Florida and placed in pretty much the opposite conditions in which they thrive.

“Oh my gosh, it looks so good!”, is the first reaction to this plant, followed six months or less later with, “It still has three leaves left, Bamboo do you think it will be okay?” This Palm plant can be grown successfully indoors, but not everyone has the exact conditions to make this possible. It’s usually recommended to start with a small one to see if it will work in a certain spot. Even UV tinted windows may cause these plants to die a slow death, so having patience with getting to know the plant before going all in with it will usually prove to be worthwhile.

light like bamboo palms, rubber plants, Amate scheffleras and various dracaenas.

The main lesson here is that sometimes we learn so much more from our mistakes than our successes because in learning why the plant died, we have a much better understanding of how it can thrive.

Some of the best gardeners in the world will tell you that you don’t truly know a plant until you’ve killed it twice. Sometimes we learn from these lessons and go on to grow it successfully, and other times, we accept that we just aren’t compatible with this plant, and we move on. And that’s totally okay, too!

Solutions: Consider other upright plants that can grow in lower Jennifer Schamber is the General Manager of Greenscape Gardens, and plays leaderships roles in the Western Nursery & Landscape Association, GrowNative! and the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis. She has earned Green Profit Magazine’s Young Retailer Award, and Greenscape Gardens was named the National Winner of the 2015 “Revolutionary 100” Garden Centers by Today’s Garden Center Magazine.

OCTOBER 2021

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Upcoming Events U

pdates to this information are often posted on our online events calendar at GatewayGardener.com, so check there for the latest details.

Give us the details of your upcoming gardening, lawn or landscaping event and we’ll add it to our website and include it in our next issue. Deadline for printing in Winter issue (November-February) is October 10th.

How to reach us: Mail: PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122 Email: info@gatewaygardener.com

FUN FOR KIDS Oct. 2nd 9am—St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Children’s Garden Club.

Don’t Miss A Single Issue

Gateway Gardener THE

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Don’t have a convenient pickup spot near you, or the rack is empty when you get there? Just complete this form and mail it with $24 for postage and handling to the address below. You will receive 7 issues (a one-year subscription) beginning with the next issue.

FREE. Sherwood’s Forest Garden Center, 2651 Barrett Station Rd., Manchester, MO 63021. Subject to safety guidelines.

Oct. 24th 11am-2pm—Ghouls in the Garden.

Celebrate Halloween at a special trick-ortreating event. Come in costume and visit several stations throughout the Garden to fill your treat bag with special goodies. See the circus, dance with some trolls, and huff and puff with Three Little Pigs. Enjoy music, dancing, and photo opportunities. FREE for members-only, advance registration required. Membership level determines the number of free entries you receive.

Nonmember guests beyond your allotment cannot register for the event, but may purchase general Garden admission tickets in advance to participate. Ticket availability is limited. Visit the Garden ticketing website at missouribotanicalgarden.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110, 314-577-3100.

Nov. 6th 9am—St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Children’s Garden Club.

FREE. Planthaven Farms Garden Center.

6703 Telegraph Rd., Oakville, MO. Subject to safety guidelines.

CLASSES, SALES AND OTHER EVENTS

Now through Oct. 3nd Hillermann Bucks Redemption Days.

Redeem your Hillermann Bucks during these days! Match dollar for dollar with real cash, for up to 50% off your purchase (depending

on how many you have collected). Use them for in-stock merchandise in the Garden Center, Nursery, and Greenhouse. See the back of the bucks for rules. October Bucks will be accepted during this time in 2020.

October Bucks will expire after the year 2020. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 2601 E. 5th St., Washington, MO. (636) 239-6729, hillermann.com.

Oct. 1st-3rd Noon-8pm Fri., 9am-5pm Sat. and Sun.— Best of Missouri Market. Handmade artisan and craft items, and food, mostly from Missouri artists and producers, including native plants from Missouri Wildflower Nursery. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw, St. Louis.

Oct. 6th 4-5pm—Grow Native!

Webinar: Skippers in Your Backyard. What are those mini jet-like insects flying around your asters, goldenrods and other fallblooming flowers? They’re skippers—day fliers like butterflies, but with stout hairy bodies like moths. Join Dawn Weber as she shares information about common skippers found in home landscapes, and the native host and nectar plants that support them.

The webinar, to be held via Zoom, will be 45 minutes including a question and answer session. The webinar will be recorded, and sent to all registrants as well as posted to the Grow Native! YouTube channel. Register at GrowNative.org/events. FREE. Oct. 15th 6pm—Birding Without Borders: A Program by Noah Strycker. Noted

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Address:

City, State & Zip: Phone (opt.): Email (opt.):

Please make your check payable to The Gateway Gardener and mail it with this form to:

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birding book author Noah Stryker will share humorous and inspiring stories and slides detailing experiences from his big birding year described in his book Birding Without Borders. The book chronicles his 365-day quest to document as many as possible of the estimated 10,000 bird species on the planet. The program is part of the Jacquelyn K. Jones lecture series hosted by the Friends of the Mizzou Botanic Garden. Additionally, a representative from the Missouri Department of Conservation will talk about MDC’s program to reintroduce brownheaded nuthatches to Missouri. Monsanto Auditorium in the MU Bond Life Sciences Center on the MU campus in Columbia, MO. No registration is necessary. Those unable to attend can view the program live on the University’s YouTube link found at garden.missouri.edu.

Oct. 20th 4-5pm—Grow Native!

Webinar: Contemporary Art and the Prairie. Join this panel discussion that brings together the communities of the Missouri Prairie Foundation and the Kansas City Art Institute

OCTOBER 2021

in a shared passion for the landscapes in which we reside. Featuring 3 Midwest artists whose creative practices focus on the rich and nuanced significance the prairie has in our understanding of time, self and place.

The webinar, to be held via Zoom, will be 45 minutes including a question and answer session. The webinar will be recorded, and sent to all registrants as well as posted to the Grow Native! YouTube channel. Register at GrowNative.org/events. FREE. Nov. 6th 9-10am—Field Trip: Bellefontaine Fall Tree Walk. Enjoy a fall walk on the beautiful grounds of Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum in St. Louis with Horticulture Supervisor Matt Garrett or other staff. Learn about the many native trees and wildlife conservation activities at Bellefontaine. The one-mile walking tour is FREE. Limited to 15 people. To register, email outreach@moprairie.org or call (573) 808-7007. Presented by Missouri Prairie Foundation, moprairie.org.

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Naturally Natives Fancy Fronds and Fiddleheads text and photos by Scott Woodbury

I

f there is one group of plants that is hard to come by, and therefore underutilized by gardeners, it is native ferns. Although many ferns are easy to grow at home in shade, they are difficult to propagate commercially.

Spore production is tricky and root division is a slow process. That makes production expensive.

emerge). At times, they divided in April, while the tightly curled fronds (fiddleheads) were under 3-4 inches tall (short stem length prevents frond damage). Lastly, they planted small plants back into the original beds, and fertilized heavily with bone meal to stimulate regrowth. By the next spring, plants were big enough to divide again. They sold out of ferns at every plant sale, before Tom got sick and passed away five years ago. Unfortunately, the nursery is no longer operating, and nobody has since filled their shoes. From my experience selling ferns at our spring and fall wildflower markets, there is a native fern market ready to take off.

That said, Pan’s Garden (owned Angel Kruzen and her husband, the late Tom Kruzen of Mountain View, MO) used to supply the St. Louis area with a short list of ferns. For over 30 years, they produced broad beach, sensitive, Ostrich fern lady, Christmas, purple cliffbrake, common woodsia, narrow-leaved spleenwort, and fiddlehead maidenhair ferns in large outdoor beds at their If you are looking for native ferns to purchase, inquire with Grow Native! nursery near the Jacks Fork River. They divided and potted plants in February and March (before fiddleheads professional members, who may carry some stock. See www. grownative.org, Resource Guide. Cathy Pauley, owner of Grow Native! Professional member Papillion Perennials in St. Louis (https://www.papillonperennials.com), is propagating at least 10 species of ferns native to the lower Midwest. As with all native plants, digging ferns from the wild depletes their populations, and is prohibited on private land without permission. Digging plants on public land is illegal. Purchasing propagated native plants, including ferns, protects wild populations.

The easiest native fern to grow is sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilus).

Lucky for us, it is also the most commonly available species. It is sensitive because the leaves die back with the first light autumn frost. It is easy to grow because it tolerates average to wet soils in part shade to shade. It can even tolerate part sun to sun if growing in permanently wet soil (like at the edge of a pond or lake). It works well in shady rain gardens and swampy woodlands. It colonizes into a dense groundcover in part shade, but is more open in denser shade. It performs well with other shade-loving species like wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), Virginia knotweed (Polygonum virginianum), and Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum).

Another easy-to-grow species is ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). This one prefers greater moisture, so water in summer when it’s dry. This species also spreads by underground runners to form small colonies. The fiddleheads (coiled leaves that emerge in early spring), picked in early April when they are 1-2 inches tall are edible. Steam or sauté them in butter and add to a cream sauce and your favorite pasta. Cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) is the other commonly eaten fern, though it prefers swampy wooded areas.

My favorite ornamental fern is narrow-leaved spleenwort 12

The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2021

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants remove tree leaf litter from Christmas ferns during winter months to prevent smothering.

Broad beach fern (Thelypteris hexagonoptera) is a slow colonizer that prefers wooded slopes where soils are sandy, acidic, and dry.

Get a soil test to determine your pH. Acid soils (an indicator of sandy or cherty soils) are in the range of 4 to 6, whereas soils above 7 are alkaline (indicating limestone soils). If you have an acidic woodland, you will be able to grow lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium vacillans), mountain azalea (Rhododendron roseum), dittany (Cunila origanoides), and cream wild indigo (Baptisia bracteata) to name a few.

Narrow-leaved spleenwort (Athyrium pycnocarpon). This one is a clump-forming fern that grows 2 to 3 feet tall and has clean foliage all summer. It prefers shade or part shade (with little or no direct sun) and moist soil. It tolerates summer drought better than most ferns, but I water during dry periods to keep it looking good. This one combines well with little-flower alumroot (Heuchera parviflora) and golden groundsel (Packera aurea).

Nothing beats the shade in summer, and a patch of ancient ferns.

They add graceful beauty and a sense of wonder because they appeared on earth three hundred million years ago, well before the flowering plants (around half as old). Most ferns need regular watering in summer, but in general, shade gardens are easier to maintain than sunny ones. Ferns don’t spread from seed, unlike flowering plants, because ferns produce spores that rarely germinate or spread in gardens. If they do germinate, consider yourself lucky to have the perfect place for native ferns. Wishing you many fancy fronds and fiddleheads!

Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) has delicate, fine For a list of other Grow Native retailers who may carry native textured fronds. In nature it ferns, please visit grownative.org/resource-guide/plants/ grows on north-facing slopes, and prefers good drainage, plenty of shade, and regular moisture. Maidenhair mixes well with spring ephemerals (plants that flower in spring Maidenhair and go dormant by early fern summer) like celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans) and Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

One of the most drought-tolerant species is Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). Christmas fern is semi-evergreen, staying green through most of winter. By late winter the leaves turn brown, just before new spring growth emerges. In nature it grows on steep dry banks along creeks where leaf litter blows away, and will tolerate growing in well drained garden soil. In gardens, Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for 30 years. He is also an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s GrowNative! program.

OCTOBER 2021

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The Cornucopia Corner

Tips for Growing, Buying and Cooking Fresh, Locally Sourced Food for Your Table

The Many Faces of Squash

By Steffie Littlefield

H

multicolored Lakota, bumpy and blue Marina di eirloom vegetables on the whole are so Chioggia from Italy, pink with peanut like much more interesting and spark our creativity more than bumps, Galeaux the mundane grocery store d’Eysines from France, and the red ball-like varieties. As a home gardener you can Hokkaido or Red Kuri. diversify your plants These will delight your and your harvest senses in many ways with lots of color, with fantastic shapes shape and uses from and colors for decorating vegetables you grow and sweet juicy flesh for yourself. So, if this cooking soups, sauces and sounds fun, then the sautees. huge family of squash GROWING TIPS is the jackpot for exciting and 123rf.com Plan to set aside a fairly large unique edibles and ornamentals. At this garden next year to allow these time of year we focus on the winter or hard s h e l l area in your BIG vines to ramble.

You and the family will delight in the large squash types, great for our fall feasts and festive for fall decorating. leaves, flowers and fruit as they are discovered and nurtured to PUMPKINS maturity. Start this crop a bit later in the season, late June, so that Everyone is familiar with the large family of pumpkins, which the fruit is maturing after temperatures start to cool down in the now can be found in many different colors from white, pink, blue, later summer and fall. grey, green, black, yellow, orange to reds. I’m an equal opportunity If you do not have a big space try growing them vertically on a pumpkin fan looking for lots of variety in my displays. I love fence or trellis. Start early to train the fast-growing vines up the Cinderella, flat and wide with dark orange and pinky red colors on structure. Make sure it is sturdy enough to hold the weight of your the undulating bumpy skin. Atlantic Giant produces bright orange, hefty crop. WATER, water, water is key for these fruits to attain mammoth size pumpkins as seen at the County Fair. Blue Doll is their ultimate size. Gently control weeds and vegetation in the area a new favorite with a blue-grey shell smooth and round in shape. so they get plenty of air and prevent mildews from ruining their Buckskin is tan, squat shape with delicious flesh for pies. Others development. Add a fresh covering of compost on the root zone to grown for great Autumn dishes are Crown Prince, having blue/ during warm weather and even mulch to raise vines up from the gray skin and sweet yellow flesh, Connecticut Field, a classic damp soil. orange with light orange flesh, and Dickinson, beige, boasting a large elongated shape with prime pumpkin orange flesh. Two new Checking on their progress will become a family affair and entertain varieties to add to your Halloween decorations are Batwing, with young gardeners and even the nongardeners. Everyone will delight black flame shaped stripes on a deep orange skin, and Blaze, which in the end product for decorating, carving fun and scary faces and has the deep orange flame over a light orange background. Crystal then the delicious additions to meals during the cold months.

Star fruits are perfect for making white ghostly carved creatures and Futsu Black is a deep black/green with a pronounced warty texture that reminds one of something living in the swamp.

Steffie Littlefield is a St Louis area

OTHER WINTER SQUASH

Remember winter squash is much more than just pumpkins.

The hard shells of these fruits insure that they will store safely for months to provide fresh vegetable side dishes all winter long.

This is a great time of year to buy interesting varieties at farmers markets and save seeds to grow in your garden next year. Look for my favorite varieties like butternut, buttercup, carnival, calabaza, and blue hubbard. Get adventurous and try some unusual shapes and colors like the blue triangular-shaped Jarrahdale, oblong and 14

horticulturist and garden designer. She has degrees from St. Louis Community College at Meramec and Southeast Missouri State and is a member of Gateway Professional Horticultural Association, Missouri Botanical Garden Members Board and past president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metropolitan St. Louis. She is part-owner of Edg-Clif Winery, Potosi, MO. www.Edg-Clif. com.

The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2021

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News “You are the best,” Diana said in an email after receiving the missing issue. “It’s exactly what I wanted. I’m such a tree hugger…Master Naturalist.

Thanks so much for taking the time to make me happy! I’ll send a photo.” And she did! Thanks Diana!

New Blog Promotes All Things Garden in St. Louis

Trees Work for Art!

Diana Miller, a long-time reader of The Gateway Gardener, is also a fan of one of our advertisers (well, hopefully more than one). The Missouri Department of Conservation ran a series of ads for several years under the “Trees Work” banner designed to promote the benefits of trees. The ads featured simple, clever headlines such as “Without trees . . . we’d be up a creek without a paddle.” And “Without trees . . . hammocks would just be blankets on the ground.” But what really appealed to Diana was not the words, but the artwork. The artists from Firecracker Press in St. Louis handcrafted the original artwork using woodblocks made from Missouri native cherry trees, using the woodblocks to print posters from recycled ink, and locally-made paper – some made with recycled t-shirts! Each poster was carefully hand-printed, and the same artwork was used for the magazine ads.

Diana liked the ads so much she wanted to frame the whole series and display them in her home. Trouble was she was missing one, so she contacted The Gateway Gardener for a back issue to complete her set. We suggested she could probably get the posters from MDC that might be more suitable for framing (our newsprint may tend to fade over time in sunlight), but she had already framed most of the series and wanted this one to match. So we sent the missing issue to her, taking care to send in a large envelope so we wouldn’t have to fold the magazine.

OCTOBER 2021

The Gateway Gardener™

Jo Batzer has recently debuted “Garden-Lou”, a new blog promising to promote “all things garden in St. Louis”. Among other things, the blog plans to feature profiles on St. Louis area “plant geeks”, both high profile personalities as well as everyday home gardeners. She also wants to introduce readers to plants that do well in the St. Louis area that may not be commonly used. The goal is to bring “St. Louis gardens and gardeners together despite constrictions, with distance, busy schedules, or physical limitations,” says Jo. “Garden-Lou shares with those near and far who can’t get enough plants, gardens and the incredibly talented people who tend them. What better place to do that than St. Louis?”

Jo has plenty of experience to draw from. After fourteen years at Missouri Botanical Garden, she took her part-time landscape design and maintenance company full time, combining her art background, floral design experience, and horticulture degree (from St. Louis Community College-Meramec, where she and a certain editor were frequently classmates). A former contributing garden writer, Jo also wanted to return to garden writing and saw a local need during the pandemic.

You can read and subscribe to “Garden-Lou” at garden-lou.com.

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