The Gateway Gardener April 2014

Gateway Gardener

APRIL 2014

THE

速

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Milkweeds for Monarchs

Help Save the Monarch Migration

Top Performing Natives Impatiens Alternatives Growing Veggies in Containers FREE Courtesy of:

Gateway Gardener

From the Editor

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

April 2014

Volume 10, Number 3

Founded in 2005 by

Robert Weaver & Joyce Bruno

Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists

Barbara Perry Lawton Garden Book Author and Garden Writer Connie Alwood Master Gardener Ellen Barredo Certified Nursery Professional Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Cindy Gilberg Landscape Design Mara Higdon Gateway Greening Glenn Kraemer Turf Horticulturist Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional Printing: Breese Publishing, Breese, IL The Gateway Gardener® is published monthly 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.

T

he monarch butterfly migration is in peril. Most of us have seen the reports by now. In 2013, the number overwintering in Mexico was at its lowest point ever, a staggering 44% decline from last year alone, which itself was a historic low. Estimates are that the 2013 hibernating population was only 3% of the peak population recorded only a couple decades ago.

The decline of the monarch may not threaten our own survival as, say, the plight of the honeybee, but the facts of their amazing migration have fascinated many of us since childhood, and who among us would want to lose that for future generations? One thing we can do is to plant more milkweed. Jennifer Schamber explains why in her article on page 22, and gives us several options from which to choose. The frontrunning favorite of most gardeners is the orange butterfly milkweed.

They are the showiest, certainly, but if you like fragrance in the garden, be sure to try the swamp or common milkweeds. Either one rivals lilac in my opinion for its sweet smell. I have both, as well as the butterfly weed, and this year I’m going to try another: the shortgrowing white-flowered antelope horn milkweed (Asclepias viridis),

foliage in a rainbow of options, and flowers to boot, coralbells can also help fill the impatiens void.

also known as spider milkweed or green milkweed.

One thing we’ll be planting fewer of is seed impatiens (I. walleriana).

Sadly, as Patrick Bellrose explains in his article on page 12, downy mildew disease has been creating havoc in impatiens beds throughout the country, and finally seemed to make its way to the St. Louis area last year. Many garden centers may not even sell seed impatiens this year, but that doesn’t mean your shade garden has to revert to a deep, dark hole. There are plenty of impatiens alternatives to give color and brightness to the shade, and our area experts give you some options on page 10. In addition to the annuals suggested, I’d like to add one of my own favorite shade perennials: heucheras! With

On the Cover...

Monarchs and other butterflies will feed on many different types of nectarproducing flowers, but when it comes to their young larvae, there’s only one genus that will do: Asclepias (milkweed). Read about how you can help rescue the endangered monarch migration by planting milkweed like this common milkweed (A. syriaca) in your garden. Story on page 22. (Photo courtesy MonarchWatch.org.)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Getting Children Started 6 Top Performing Natives 8 Woody & Hairy Woodpeckers

10 12 13 14 16 18 20 22 24 25 26 28 29 30

Whatever you’re planting this spring, April is a great time to get out to your favorite independent garden center and fill up your carts! The month begins with Arbor Day and winds down with Earth Day—both celebrations of the kinds of caretakers of the earth and our little plots upon it that I like to think enjoy this magazine.

Thank you for doing both!

Oh, and I’d love to have you stop by our booth at one of several functions we’re participating in this spring, including Garden Expo in O’Fallon, MO (April 12th), Edgar Denison Day in Kirkwood (April 19th), Earth Day in Forest Park (April 27th), and Chesterfield Gardening Day (May 24th) at Chesterfield Mall. See the Upcoming Events on page 30 for details.

Good Gardening!

Impatiens Alternatives A Downer for Impatiens Critter Control Compost Herbs for Contrast and Beauty Eco-Product Guice Sustainable Lawns Milkweeds for Monarchs A Moveable Feast Crunch Time for Veggies Intriguing Air Plants Tough Love for Roses Dig This Upcoming Events

Getting Children Started Seeds and Seedlings for Kids

by Barbara Perry Lawton

T

here’s something magical about the way seeds sprout and grow into a multitude of plants, from radishes to sequoias. Share nature’s seed magic with children and you may well start them on a lifetime of appreciating nature and, of course, gardening. Children as young as three or four can learn to garden successfully, especially if they have a little help from Mom or Dad, a grandparent or a teacher.

An important part of this is having children participate in planning. “How would you like to have your very own garden?” is a good place to start. Choose a site that gets six or more hours of direct sun and make sure the soil is of good texture—you may want to get a soil test, a practice that often guarantees good productive gardening. Amend the soil with compost, explaining that this will make it easier for plants to develop strong roots that will take up water and nutrients.

Although each child should decide what to grow, you ought to suggest a few fast-growing edibles that young gardeners can easily harvest and bring to the table. Radishes, leaf lettuces and green beans are sure to please. Easy-to-grow ornamentals such as colorful zinnias and marigolds come in many sizes and colors. If you have plenty of space, big plants such as mammoth sunflowers and pumpkins will be sure to delight any child.

Offer the youngster some choices. Look at catalogs and visit seed racks in your favorite garden center.

Pick out three or four kinds of leaf lettuces, then ask, “Which one do you think you’d like best?” Or select two to three and suggest that mixing them up and planting them together will give you a tossed salad ready to pick for the table. Do the same thing with radish seed packets—mix up two or three different kinds so you can discover together which ones you prefer.

Read the backs of seed packets together. They provide lots of information—the number of days to germination, the number of days to maturity, and directions for planting. Salad crop seeds can be planted in rows or scattered in a prescribed area.

Once leaf lettuce is four inches tall, it is ready for harvest. Show how you can use scissors to cut the lettuce so that it will keep regrowing. Harvest every few days. Show how you pull radishes and how to pick green beans.

Plan also to offer some choices of annual seedlings. Six-packs of flowering ornamentals offer instant gratification since they are usually blooming when you buy them. Again, read plant labels carefully to learn what the plants require. At home and ready to plant, show youngsters how to scoop out a hole about the size of the rootball, place the plant and firm the soil around the plant.

Once the seeds and plants are in the ground, show how to tell when the soil is dry—moisture meters are wonderful teaching tools. Use a watering can—hoses can be such a temptation to young children that they may sluice plants and seeds right out of the garden. A watering can, on the other hand, is easy to use and the water does not have the force to displace plants.

Tour the garden with your young gardeners every couple of days to look for firsts. The first seedling to pop up. The first bud to flower. The first bean to pick. The first radish to fatten up. A garden is a wondrous place.

Share and encourage that wonder with your children.

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Here are a few of the many good seed choices for a child’s garden:

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• Pumpkins. Pumpkins are great for grow-your-own Halloween projects, for pies, seed-roasting and just for fun—if you have room for this vining plant.

• Bush beans. Tender and string-free, these are somewhat easier to care for than pole beans which must have supports.

• Radishes. Come in shades of white, pink and red. Easy and fast to grow.

• Leaf lettuce. There are curly and smooth leaf lettuces. They come in many shades of green and red.

• Sunflowers. Come in all sizes, from two to 12-feet tall and with flowers from four inches wide to over a foot in diameter.

Here are a few good flowering annuals to buy in six-packs for your child’s garden: • Snapdragons. Come in all sizes from dwarf to nearly two feet tall and in bright colors of red, yellow, white and all shades between.

• Marigolds. Few plants are easier to grow than the sunny marigolds of yellows and oranges that range from dwarf to two feet or more in height.

• Zinnias. Colorful to the nth degree are these Mexican natives with bright flowers that range from colorful 1-inch midgets up to huge double flowers six inches across. The plants range from dwarf to three feet or more tall.

• Petunias. For containers or beds and borders, few plants will give you the quick color that modern petunias can.

With luck and a bit of careful planting, you will have planted the seeds for a lifetime of enjoyment. You will have introduced young ones to the joys and accomplishments of gardening.

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Barbara Perry Lawton is a writer, author, speaker and photographer. She has served as manager of publications for Missouri Botanical Garden and as weekly garden columnist for the PostDispatch. The author of a number of gardening and natural history books, and contributor to many periodicals, she has earned regional and national honors for her writing and photography. Barbara is also a Master Gardener and volunteers at MBG.

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Naturally Natives Top Performing NAtive Plants

By Cindy Gilberg Observations in this trial garden have shown that native plants can be great performers, are attractive additions to gardens and provide habitat for wildlife.

Sifting through the list of native plants, a group of “top performing native plants” has emerged, and those that made the cut are listed in Chapter 4 of the Native Landscaping Manual (www.shawnature.org).

Note that plant performance Spigelia marilandica, Indian Pink and success requires choosing the Native Plant School classes. many pollinators and small plants to fit your site—match Through the most demanding birds. With so many choices in the plants’ cultural requirements moments of our Missouri the native plant palette available to the site. In other words, dry weather, native plants there to us, choosing native plants vs. wet, shade vs. sun, etc. as thrive and bloom, attracting that are appropriate and good this is key to the performance of performers for our landscapes any plant. can be a challenge.

Looking for Robert Weaver

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ative plant landscaping has become popular, in large part, due to the hardiness, beauty and resiliency of many of our regionally native plants.

We are very fortunate to have an immense resource nearby—the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve (of Missouri Botanical Garden).

Scott Woodbury, curator of this five acre-plus display garden, designed the Whitmire Wildflower Garden to be a display garden and a trial garden for testing the performance of various native plants. It is also used as a teaching garden for

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The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants

Robert Weaver

Symphiotrichum oblongifolius, aromatic aster for sustainable landscapes.

Plants that have mounding growth habits and can be used as “ground cover” are quite useful for covering large areas.

For example, in sunny sites, aromatic aster (Symphiotrichum oblongifolius), prairie dropseed (Sporobolis heterolepis) and

prairie alum root (Heuchera richardsonii) all made the top performers list since they provide multiple season appeal, have strong mounding growth and longevity. Add in false indigo (Baptisia spp.) for good spring color and butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) for a blast of orange in midsummer.

In shade, some choice plants include wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), oak sedge (Carex albicans) and Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica).

Complement these with some native ferns, the spring-blooming wild Geranium and the short, fallblooming broadleaf goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis). These combinations provide textural interest when the plants aren’t in bloom.

Multi-season interest is a strong consideration for plants on the top-performers list. While many gardeners go for the color (flowers), these plants put on a show when not in bloom with good fall color, interesting foliage, or color in the form of birds that come visit to glean seeds. Other plants have showy berries and

Cindy Gilberg is a Missouri native and horticulturist in the St. Louis region. She is past co-owner of Gilberg Perennial Farms, and now devotes her time to promoting native plant landscaping and stormwater management.

Contact Cindy at cindy.gilberg@gmail.com.

This article is written in collaboration with Shaw Nature Reserve (Missouri Botanical Garden) in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Visit the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve, a 5-acre display garden, for ideas on native plant landscaping. Native plant conservation and the promotion of native plants in our landscapes is vital to restoring the rich biodiversity of our region.

fruit after they bloom that also attract many birds, for instance, dogwoods (Cornus spp.), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) and beautyberry (Callicarpa americana).

Most important, a final consideration for designating a top performing native plant is that gardeners are able to easily find and purchase these plants at local garden centers and nurseries. Nothing is more frustrating than to develop a great plant list and design but not be able to find the plants.

Call and ask for native plants by botanical name—demand drives supply. Go to www.grownative. org to see other Top Ten Native Plant lists, and to refer to their Resource Guide—a listing of GrowNative! members who

Cindy GIlberg

Certain attributes were scrutinized in order for plants to make the top performing native plants list. Long-lived plants that have a wide tolerance of growing conditions are essential to creating a durable and reliable landscape. Low maintenance is taken into account as well— plants that do not need lots of pruning or pampering in order to thrive are in high demand

Hydrangea arborescens, wild hydrangea grow, sell and work with native plants. Mark your calendars— on May 10th, Shaw Nature Reserve hosts the annual Spring Wildflower Sale and Market, featuring many regional growers, artwork, books and more.

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APRIL 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

7

Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers

E

xcept for size, they look alike. Well, there are a couple of small differences, but the Downy Woodpecker is basically just a diminutive Hairy Woodpecker or you could reverse it and say that the Hairy Woodpecker is an overgrown Downy. People will frequently try to turn a Downy Woodpecker into a Hairy Woodpecker, but the reverse is never true. Once you see a Hairy, you will call it a Hairy because its larger size—9 ¼ inches to the Downy’s 6 ¾— is considerable, and therefore, unmistakable. The sexes are different in both species; both males have a small red patch on the back of their heads. The females have black in the same area.

There are two hundred sixteen species of woodpeckers in the world. They exist on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. We have seven species in the St. Louis area.

Except for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, which spends the winter here, the other six are permanent residents.

Woodpeckers have chisel-like bills that serve a dual purpose: drilling holes for nesting and uncovering bark for insects and larvae. Their stiff tails allow them to prop themselves on the sides of trees, while their strong feet are splayed for further support. They fly with an undulating flight that is easily recognizable. Our Downy Woodpecker is light enough to grab and perch on a flower

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

stem; not so, the Hairy.

Besides using their bills to bore a hole in an oak tree as fast as a jackhammer can tear up a cement sidewalk, they use them to woo a mate. Their courtship consists not only of vocalizations, but also of using that jackhammer of a bill to pound out a cadence on any wooden surface. The drumbeat says: Lover boy is here! If the

roar of a lawn mower is an early sign of spring, so is the rata-tat-tat of a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker on any wooden surface, including a house.

Many a homeowner has cursed these creatures for leaving a golf ball size hole in what the woodpeckers thought was a cedar tree. Woodpeckers seldom reuse their nesting holes, but other cavity nesters-- including

Photos by Margy Terpstra

By Connie Alwood

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Bluebirds, Great Crested Flycatchers, Tree Swallows and even Flying Squirrels--will use them the following year.

Seeing a woodpecker bang its bill against a hard wooden surface, most of us have asked how does it do it without having a kingsized headache. Woodpeckers have a special muscle that works like a shock absorber.

Even the woodpecker’s ear has a thickened membrane to absorb the potentially dangerous banging of the bill.

Both of these Mutt and Jeff birds will visit your peanut and suet feeders. You are more likely to attract the Downy Woodpecker; however, don’t be surprised to see his larger cousin (both woodpeckers are in the genus Picoides), especially if you live in a rural area. The literature claims that the population of both species is about the same; but in urban areas the Downy dominates.

The Hairy Woodpecker has a greater range, even going into parts of Mexico. In the west the Downy Woodpecker is usually found only in riparian habitats.

So how did these two get their common names--for the Downy isn’t particularly downy, nor is the Hairy particularly hairy. Ask the guy who named the Redbellied Woodpecker, which is not very Red-bellied. Maybe he knows. I would call them Mutt and Jeff.

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Impatiens Alternatives

by Robert Weaver

Seed impatiens (Impatien walleriana) have for years been the go-to annual for adding beautiful color to a shady area.

Sadly, a serious fungal disease (see article on page 12) has made growing these impatiens in the St. Louis area a risky gamble. That doesn’t mean, however, you have to resign yourself to drab, dull expanses in your shade garden.

There are many exciting options in today’s garden centers to perk up those shady areas. Here are just a few recommended by some area experts.

growth habit, and wax begonias stand up to heat and rain way better than impatiens.

‘Doublet Rose’ Begonia

Begonias

Begonias are a versatile workhorse in the garden, performing capably in all kinds of light conditions from full sun to deep shade. Some gardeners turn their noses up at the old-fashioned wax begonias (B. x semperflorens-cultorum), but with colorful shiny green or bronze foliage and perky pink, red and white flowers with yellow centers, they’re great for use in containers or beds and borders. Many new cultivars offer improvements such as larger flowers or more compact

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One relatively new wax begonia series is a cross between wax and angel wing cousins called, appropriately, BIG™ Begonias (B. x benariensis). “BIG is a vigorous grower and absolutely filled with 3” Texas-sized blooms all season long, and no deadheading required,” says Sandy Richter of Sandy’s Back Porch in Belleville, Illinois. “The intense flower color will quickly make this the focal point of any garden. BIG Begonias are among the elite in trial gardens across the Midwest, and come in three varieties: Red with Green Leaf, Red with Bronze Leaf, Rose with Bronze Leaf.”

Yet another take on the wax begonia is The ‘Doublet Rose’ Begonia, a favorite of Abby Lapides of Sugar Creek Gardens in Kirkwood.

“The flowers are loaded with petals that give them the look of deeppink mini-roses covering mounded glossy foliage.”

Dragon wing begonias (B. x argenteoguttata ‘Dragon Wings’) are another popular shade solution. They feature many of the same benefits as wax begonias, but on steroids! “Dragon wing begonias have become a fast favorite of mine,” says Sandi Hillermann of Hillermann’s Nursery & Florist in Washington. “The thick stems, large glossy leaves and abundant red flowers are a great addition to any shade/part shade garden.”

Other Impatiens Varieties

Just because seed impatiens are troubled, that doesn’t mean you have to avoid all impatiens. Several other types are immune to the disease that’s hitting the seed varieties.

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New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) have long been a favorite for containers in shade as well as sunnier locations, but they’re equally at home in the garden, and are one of Sandy Richter’s favorite substitutions. “New Guineas tolerate more sun than regular impatiens and have bigger flowers, too (no deadheading required). The foliage is also more lush and tropical looking than regular impatiens. They do extremely well in containers, hanging baskets and in beds making them so versatile. They do prefer a little more water than most annuals.

Keep an eye out for this “Best of the Best” award winner Harmony Salmon, which performed at the top of its class in the University of Georgia Trial Gardens. We are anxiously anticipating its first bloom!”

Sunpatiens® are another series of hybrid impatiens that have been marketed for sunny sites, but are equally at home in the shade. It comes in many different flower and foliage color combinations, and Abby Lapides particularly likes the Variegated Salmon Sunpatiens.

“It is the heaviest, longest blooming and most colorful of Sunpatiens, with deep coral flowers and bright yellow foliage with a green edge.

Vigorous plants spread to 18” and like all Sunpatiens, thrives in sun or shade.”

Beyond Impatiens and Begonias

Finally, though not as commonly found as begonias and impatiens, there are other alternatives to bring color into shady nooks and borders.

Last spring, Proven Winners sent me some plants to trial, and among them was a Torenia hybrid called Catalina® ‘Grape-O-Licious.’ It was recommended for part shade, so I tried it in a container that received only a little sun in late afternoon, and I was impressed! Apparently torenia has impressed others as well, because both Sandi Hillermann and Sandy Richter recommended it for an impatiens alternative.

Corydalis lutea

BIG™ Begonia Rose with Bronze Leaf

“Torenia, said Sandi Hillermann, “is an up-and-coming shade-loving selection. It has a few colors to choose from but the best benefit here is the ability for this plant to attract hummingbirds. An excellent choice!”

“The upright Kauai Series is new this year,” says Sandy Richter. “Its colors include a bright Vivid Rose, deep Magenta, creamy white w/ yellow dots, Blue & White, and a Deep Blue. Our favorite variety of torenia is the trailing Summer Wave® Blue from Proven Winners. The shear blue color makes it a perfect partner in hanging baskets, window boxes or mixed containers.”

If torenia isn’t your thing, Abby Lapides has a final recommendation: Corydalis lutea. “Its ferny green foliage is delightfully peppered with soft, lemon yellow flowers from spring through fall. An easy-to-grow perennial that thrives in dry shade.”

These are just a few choices you can consider to brighten up the spots formerly occupied by seed impatiens. There are also plenty of perennials, such as hardy begonia, heuchera, sedges, some geranium species, and many others with colorful foliage and/or flowers. So don’t despair; until a cure or resistance is found for downy mildew, don’t be impatient for impatiens. Try one of these alternatives!

Photo credits: Doublet Rose Begonia, courtesy Ann Lapides Sunpatiens Spreading Salmon, Sakata Torenia Summer Wave Blue, Proven Winners Corydalis lutea, Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder, Glenn Kopp.

BIG Begonia Rose with Brozne Leaf, Proven Winners

Fertilizers

New look, same great products!

Bayer Garden Center 3401 Hampton St Louis, MO 63139 Bayer Garden Center 5926 Old State Rd. Imperial, MO 63052 Haegele Nursery 6043 Lemay Ferry Rd. St Louis, MO 63129

APRIL 2014

Sappington Garden Shop 11530 Gravois St Louis, MO 63126 O K Hatchery Feed & Garden Center 115 East Argonne Kirkwood, MO 63122

The Gateway Gardener®

Rolling Ridge Nursery 60 North Gore Ave. Webster Groves, MO 63119 Passiglia Nursery 1855 Highway 109 Wildwood, MO 63038 Plants R Us 2701 Hwy DD Cuba, MO 65453

Hartke Nursery Inc 1030 North Warson Rd. St Louis, MO 63132 Kirkwood Material Supply 2701 Barrett Station Rd, St Louis, MO 63021 Kirkwood Material Supply 800 S Fillmore Kirkwood, MO 63122

Kirkwood Material Supply 14550 S Outer Highway 40 Chesterfield, MO 63017 Kirkwood Material Supply 8601 New Hampshire Ave. Affton, MO 63123

11

A Downer for Impatiens Text and Photos by Patrick Bellrose

I

IDM only affects Impatiens walleriana cultivars, which includes impatiens from seed, double impatiens and the wild touch-me-not.

It does not affect New Guinea impatiens and sun impatiens. The easiest way to tell the two types apart is I. walleriana have rounded leaves and the other types have pointed leaves.

n 1969—the same year I earned my horticulture degree--impatiens became the number one blooming annual sold to consumers in the United States. In shade gardens, there is no plant that has the flowering impact of impatiens; because of this they have remained the most popular annual.

Their broad palette of color and vigorous growth habit make them a star performer.

Working with impatiens all these years, I’ve loved the bright colors and dynamic growth that make them my favorite annual. However, I now feel like I am writing the obituary of an old friend.

Like all fungus, the disease spreads by spores.

Unfortunately, IDM has two distinctively different spores. One is airborne and sprouts right away. The other is waterborne and can over-winter in the soil for up to two years.

Once IDM starts it is impossible to stop. It spreads rapidly to all seed impatiens in close Unfortunately, there is a new very contagious proximity. As a consultant to many landscapers, disease, and seed impatiens (Impatiens in late July I got a number of inquiries about walleriana), are its victim. The culprit is problems with impatiens. In August I toured Seed Impatiens Downy Mildew (IDM). This the entire greater St. Louis area looking at disease has spread with incredible speed. It If your impatiens looked like this by many commercial flowerbeds. One planting started in Europe around 2008 and by 2010 mid-summer, they probably suffered I observed last August was beautiful with the it reached the east coast of the United States. from downy mildew. classic bright colors of impatiens we all know In 2011 it destroyed all seed impatiens in so well. I noticed just a few infected leaves. I Florida and the southern states. revisited the site just 20 days later and everything was dead.

Next, IDM spread to Ohio, Indiana and parts of Illinois. In 2013 IDM Another thing to know about IDM is that chemicals used to control appeared in the greater St. Louis the disease are not very effective. A spray program for outdoors area and it seems to be widespread would have to include multiple fungicides on a five-day rotation.

Most people would not want to apply that much chemical material throughout our area. and the cost would be excessive.

Early symptoms of IDM are difficult to detect. Leaves may be At this time, there is no solution for the disease that has decimated slightly yellow with stippling and this beautiful plant that thrived for so many years in Missouri. Right may mimic nutritional deficiency now the best course of action for gardeners is to plant other annuals or spider mite damage. On the until the risk of IDM has passed. To continue to plant impatiens will underside of the leaf there will be just lengthen the time that the disease will survive.

If you suspect downy mildew, small white-colored sporulation I believe impatiens will make a comeback. Plant breeders are hard look for fuzzy gray fungal (dust). As the disease progresses at work to make new hybrids that are resistant to IDM, but this will sporulation on the leaf plants will look stunted and drop take years before they will find their way to your backyard. underside. their foliage resulting in green, Patrick Bellrose is president of Fahr Greenhouses in Wildwood, MO, leafless stems. Eventually the stems collapse completely, looking and a consultant for landscape professionals. like the plants have been killed by frost.

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The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

Critter Control

By Abby Lapides

T

hey approach without mercy or remorse. Their soulless eyes search for prey while you sleep. They want what you value most, and will eviscerate it with ruthless efficiency.

Nobody thought Bambi or Thumper was capable of such atrocities, but those same folks never saw extravagant hydrangea blossoms disappear overnight, or their prized phlox mowed to the ground.

Neighborhood herbivores like rabbits and deer can turn prized gardens into their personal smorgasbords. However, there are new, ingenious tools and techniques to help combat these notorious pests and perhaps help you sleep a little better at night. You know they’re coming. Here’s Perhaps this guy can help! how to stop them.

Beyond elaborate barriers or highly carnivorous family pets, gardeners traditionally could use repellants that either scared the pests away or made the plants inedible. Fearbased repellents use or mimic the urine of a predator, like ShakeAway®, or are protein-based, usually from cow’s blood, like Plantskydd® or Deer Scram™. The second types are made up of rotten eggs, hot peppers and other gross tasting and smelling ingredients—basically the worst salad dressing you can imagine. You may even have your great-great aunt’s prized family secret recipe for the perfect repellent. Know that you’ll probably need to reapply most homemade repellents after a good rain. A good commercial product, like Bobbex™ or Liquid Fence®, should last four to six weeks.

Both types of products come in liquid and granular form. Liquids are sprayed directly onto the plants while the granules are spread on the ground around the affected area. Liquids work wonders, but be prepared for the smell. Note that some blood-based sprays can turn the plants red for a few days. Granular repellents are much easier to

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use than liquid—especially for larger areas and lower-growing plants—but are less effective with deer. Reapply both at least a few times a season to ensure effectiveness.

A new and truly exciting development in repellant technology within the past few years is Repellex® Systemic Granules, which alters the plant’s own physiology to keep pests at bay.

The main ingredient is hot pepper that travels through the roots of the plant up into the stems and leaves to make the plant inedible for the entire season! You get the effectiveness of a spray all while saving your back.

If you have a serious pest problem, the best approach to corralling the coreopsis carnage involves multiple approaches. Pair a product like Shake-Away, which uses coyote urine, with an actual coyote decoy. For example, Kojo is a life-sized canvas decoy that will cause pests to sprint for their lives. Move the decoy around every few days or so to keep the animals on their furry toes.

Just like you or me, every deer and rabbit is different. Some sprays that work on one deer or rabbit will not work on another. Sometimes, the animals will get used to the same repellent if used many times.

With the right repellants and a little ingenuity, you can keep your garden safe the entire year. You know they›re coming. Now you’ll be ready.

Abby Lapides is a manager and 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.

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Compost: The Solution to Sustainable Soil and Water

by Sara Ryan

“The Solution to Sustainable Soil and Water” for many, can mean planting a backyard vegetable garden; the ultimate way to go green. Fresh produce comes direct from the garden to your table, cutting out the middle man. As any seasoned vegetable gardener will attest, the best strategy for boosting yields is to build a better soil by conditioning with compost. Compost delivers four major benefits to the gardener, all of which help the environment:

St. Louis Composting invites you to join in celebrating International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), May 5-11, 2014.

To celebrate, St. Louis Composting will host events at three of our composting facilities on May 6, 7 and 10.

• Compost improves plant/turf quality. Compost reduces spring transplant shock and, longer term, decreases plant stress response to drought, disease and insects. Because of the intense heat generated in compost piles, compost contains no weeds, insects or insect eggs/larvae. Compost also reduces salt Enjoy BBQ, snacks and veggies that damage and provides nutritional balance.

• The benefits of compost are long lasting. Rain and watering cause chemical fertilizers to leach out of soil, stripping it of its nutritional properties. Conversely, compost binds with the soil and releases its nutrients over a multi-year period.

• Compost strengthens soil structure. Compost reduces the compaction of heavy soil, enhances sandy soil and increases both top-soil and soil fertility while rebuilding worn-out soil.

Over time, compost makes any Garden renovations type of soil easier to work with.

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• Finally, compost can hold six times its weight in water, which reduces the need for irrigation during periods of drought.

But, perhaps more important to remember when planting is that using all-natural, STA-certified compost is part of a 100% efficient recycling cycle.

• May 6 – Fort Bellefontaine facility in Florissant, Mo. (13060 County Park Road) – 11a.m.

• May 7 – Belleville, Ill. facility (5841 Mine Haul Road) – 11a.m.

• May 10 – Valley Park, Mo. facility (39 Old Elam Ave.) 8 – 10a.m. and 11 – 1p.m.

Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week May 5-11, 2014 On Saturday, May 10 from 8 – 10a.m. Mike Miller, Host of KMOX 1120’s Garden Hotline will be broadcasting live from the Valley Park facility. Come by and meet him, chat with St. Louis Composting experts and who knows, maybe you could even be on the radio!

41st Annual Spring Herb Sale Saturday April 26th, 2014

They also will host a ZERO waste lunch from 11 – 1p.m.

Experts will be around to educate customers about compost, its benefits and how to begin backyard composting and enrich your backyard vegetable gardens! No registration is required; just show up ready to COMPOST!

First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, Missouri (at Lockwood & Elm)

Home composters will be available to purchase at the event and all attendees will receive one free cubic yard of compost to take home (offer good for day of workshop only)!

Do Your One-Stop Shopping Here!

8:30am-2:00pm

• Thousands of culinary, medicinal, and ornamental herbs • 2014 Herb of the Year: Artemisia • Books, recipes, herb growing advice, herbal demos, heirloom tomatoes • Personal shopping assistants available to help with your selections

www.wgherbs.org

14

grow GREAT in St. Louis Composting’s S TA - C e r t i f i e d compost and soil blends at these three ZERO waste events:

If you cannot make it to any of St. Louis Composting’s exciting ICAW events, be sure to celebrate ICAW at home! For more information about the benefits of compost and composting at home, please visit www.stlcompost.com.

Sara Ryan is marketing representative for St. Louis Composting.

You can contact her at (314) 482-7740.

The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

PRESENTED BY:

25th ANNIVERSARY

THE MUNY GROUNDS AT FOREST PARK

11am – 6pm

APRIL 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

15

Bountiful Borders: Herbs for Contrast and Beauty

By Joyce Driemeyer

S

oon we can look forward to installing plants either in our borders or in pots. How I love the change of seasons. Having at one time lived in a part of the world where change of seasons meant hot and hotter and rain or drought, I welcome our seasonal changes.

Although anxious to get into the garden, do not allow eagerness to work the soils until they are sufficiently dry and friable, or you will destroy the structure. After clearing litter from beds, address pruning and dead wooding established herbs like lavender, sages, savory, thymes and artemisia.

In visualizing and planning your outside plantings, whether for beds or pots, think about foliage textures, colors and eventual sizes playing against one another for effect. For example small-leafed basil ‘boxwood’ as edging against vertical chives or grey-leaved sage (Salvia officinalis)

THIS SPRING, FIND PLANTS THAT ARE TM

AT THESE LOCAL GARDEN CENTERS Ahner Florists & Greenhouses

Ann’s Gardens & Greenhouse

415 West Hanover New Baden, IL

5130 Mexico Rd. St. Peters, MO

Creekside Gardens

Daniel’s Farm & Greenhouses

721 Johnson Hill Rd. Collinsville, IL

Effinger Garden Center 720 South 11th St. Belleville, IL

Garden Heights Nursery 1605 S. Big Bend Blvd.

St. Louis, MO

Kahl’s Greenhouse & Landscaping 520 West Main Carlinville, IL

6961 Telegraph Rd. St. Louis, MO

Dauster’s Greenhouse

352 Jungermann Rd. St. Peters, MO

Fahr Greenhouses 18944 St. Albans Rd. Wildwood, MO

Gardens to Go 4404 Rainbow Dr. Jefferson City, MO

Oma’s Barn Home & Garden 1057 Highway 79 St. Peters, MO

Planthaven Farms

Planthaven Farms

324 Firma Rd. O’Fallon, MO

9520 Olive Blvd.

St. Louis, MO

Sunnyside Nurseries & Greenhouses

Sunnyview Garden Center

7960 Collinsville Rd. Troy, IL

Crabapple Cove Nursery

2 Front St. Troy, MO

1751 Creve Coeur Mill St. Louis, MO

For the Garden by Haefner’s 6703 Telegraph Rd. St. Louis, MO

Hillermann Nursery & Florist 2601 East 5th St. Washington, MO

Parkview Gardens 1925 Randolph St. St. Charles, MO

Sugar Creek Gardens 1011 N. Woodlawn Kirkwood, MO

localgrownplants.com

surrounded by dwarf fern-leaf dill, an annual that you seed directly where it is to grow, as it does not transplant well.

Consider other annuals to seed directly outside because of transplanting problems such as borage, which has beautiful, edible blue blooms and foliage that tastes of cucumber, and cilantro/coriander—especially feather leaf—which does not bolt early and has a better flavor than some other corianders.

Wonderful additions to the border or herb garden should include Italian parsley, and sweet marjoram, whose versatile flavoring enhances all vegetables, meats and salad dressings, often in combination with other herbs. For back of the border, plant a clump of lemon grass (Cymtopogon citratus), which can get 4-5’ tall and tastes of ginger, mint and lemon.

Include a clump of stevia for its sweet-tasting foliage as a sugar substitute—it really works! I also love oregano ‘Hot and Spicy’, which gives oregano a bit of zest, and for a taste of tarragon, plant the Mexican marigold (Tagetes lucida), which tastes of anise and has small yellow blooms and is ornamental. Be certain to use some of the many basils of varying flavors and colors, especially some of the purple-foliaged ones. Plant basils around tomato plants—they attract pollinators, but at the same time repel rabbits and squirrels.

For pot culture grow rosemary; mojito mint (Mentha x villosa) for your Cuban cocktail. In a hanging basket, for years I have enjoyed dittany of Crete (Origanum dictamnus) with its long-blooming chartreuse and pink flowers and small wooly leaves. In pot culture, be sure all pots have openings for drainage.

After 30 years as a landscape designer, Joyce is now retired. She has been a MBG volunteer since 1969 and a Master Gardener since 1985.

She is also a past board member of the Herb Society of America, and is a current board member of the St. Louis Herb Society.

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The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

April is Herb Sale Season You’ll find abundant opportunities to learn from area herb experts and start your 2014 herb garden in April, as area herb clubs and societies are planning their big fund-raising herb sales this month.

From April 23rd-26th, the the St. Louis Herb Society and the Garden Gate Gift Shop at Missouri Botanical Garden will hold “Herb Days”. They’ll offer a wide selection of potted fresh herbs, including new and hard-to-find varieties. The society’s popular cookbook, periodicals and herb-related products will also be available. Herb Society members will give demonstrations and guidance on selecting, planting, growing

and using herbs. An early public sale will be held from 4-7pm on Wednesday. Then MBG members get a private preview on Thursday from 9am-noon; finally, public hours, will take continue Thursday, noon-5pm and Friday and Saturday, 9am5pm, at the MBG Orthwein Floral Display Hall.

The Webster Groves Herb Society will hold its Annual Spring Herb Sale on April 26th at the First Congregational Church in Webster Groves at Elm and Lockwood Aves., 8:30-2 p.m. This is the largest herb sale in the metro St. Louis area. You will find more varieties of quality herbs and heirloom vegetables. Herb-related books, demonstrations and member availability to answer your questions. No admission charge and great parking. For further information: 314-739-9925/www.wgherbs.org.

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Garden desiGn and rearranGement • sprinG cleanup of Gardens • mulchinG • Soil testing and preparation • Complete annual and perennial delivery and plantinG • maintenance—weedinG, deadheadinG, fertilizinG and insect control • Composting • Shrub and ornamental tree pruning and thinning • Indoor plant repottIng • Fall bulb plantIngs • greenhouse care • Winter preparation for beds and roses • Vegetable & Herb Gardening

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Gary & Gail Abbott

17

2014 Eco-Garden Product Guide You can make your green thumb even greener, by practicing sustainable gardening in your landscape! Here are some suggestions from area retailers for products that can help us all establish our own greener gardening habits.

Happy Earth Day! Hillermann Nursery & Florist 2601 E. 5th Street, Washington, MO 63090 636-239-6729 Hillermann.com

Garden Heights Nursery 1605 S. Big Bend Blvd.

Richmond Heights, MO (314) 645-7333 GardenHeights.com “Sprouted Designs”

based soaps, with organic ingredients are USA Fair Trade certified, no palm oil and are the perfect soap for dirty hands.

Comes in Lavender and Orange Blossom. $10.99

Espoma Plant Food and Soil Amendments. Espoma is a leader in natural organic garden, plant, soil and lawn food and amendment products.

Our extensive line of Espoma products covers mainly organic plant food and soil amendments. We encourage the use of organic or natural products whenever possible to ensure a safer environment for our future generations. $8.99 to $42.00 Frisella’s Nursery 550 Hwy F Defiance, MO 63341 (636) 798-2555 FrisellaNursery.com Hand in Hand Soap. Buy a bar, give a bar and a month of clean water to those in need.

Every gardener needs a good soap. These 100% vegetable 18

Rolling Ridge Nursery 60 North Gore Ave. Webster Groves, MO 63119 (314) 962-3311

RollingRidgeNursery.com “Generation Line” Outdoor Furniture. Old World Charm from New-Age Materials.

Outdoor furniture crafted from 100% recycled furniture.

Carries a 10-year warranty and is ergonomically designed—so comfortable you won’t want to get up. Maintenance free!

Flour Sack Hand/Dish Towels. Local, handmade, environmentally friendly, and beautiful screen printed towels with nature-inspired designs. Artist Amanda GraySwain hand prints each towel.

Their local origin makes the product more eco-friendly by dramatically reducing the impacts of shipping. $14.99 Greenscape Gardens 2832 Barrett Station Rd. Manchester, MO 63021 (314) 821-2440 GreenscapeGardens.com

Eco-Easy Landscape Collection. Our exclusive “Eco-Easy” logo identifies a lineup of bio-beneficial plants and products that are easy to use and easy on the earth.

Choose from a wide range of native plants (including host plants and nectar sources), organic gardening solutions, and delectable edibles. $1.99 and up Gutter Gardens LLC “Stand Up and Garden” GutterGardens.com 314-255-1845 or 618-3342504

Gutter Gardens. Container Gardening made easy with these 100% recycled aluminum rain gutter planters! Designed with drainage holes for the outdoor planters and watertight for indoor use, these sturdy channels come in Black, Dark Green, Dark Brown and White and are 1 foot to 5 feet in length. Local delivery/ installation is available. $20-80

The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

Sugar Creek Gardens 1011 N. Woodlawn Kirkwood, MO 63122 (314) 965-3070 SugarCreekGardens.com

Summer Wine Ninebark, Physocarpus. A lowmaintenance, low-water and no chemicals needed shrub.

Rich, dark purple foliage all season and soft pink flowers in late summer. Adaptable, easy to grow native. Sun or shade, and even thrives in dry shade, grows 6’ tall.

Sappington Garden Shop 11530 Gravois Rd. (314) 843-4700 SappingtonGardenShop.com

Smart Pot Aeration Container. Smart Pots patented Aeration Container

APRIL 2014

is a portable raised bed that is better than plastic containers. It releases heat, aerates the root zone, stops root circling, air-prunes the plant’s root structure. Great for hydroponics growing. $9.9916.99 Worms Way 1225 N. Warson Rd. Saint Louis,MO. 63132 314-994-3900 WormsWay.com

Compost Sak. Gardeners can turn kitchen and yard waste into soil-enriching compost with the 100-gallon Compost Sak. This affordable, reusable container is 30” wide and 38” tall and consists of a porous fabric that allows complete aeration of its contents for optimal composting. $40 Visit The Gateway Gardener booth at the Earth Day Festival, Forest Park, Apr. 27th.

The Gateway Gardener®

19

Cultural Practices for Sustainable Lawns

By Glennon Kraemer

C

ultural practices are what determine the sustainability of our lawns here in St. Louis. We will discuss what I consider be the most important cultural practices for both warm-season (zoysia) and cool-season (fescues/blues) lawns. My list includes: Mowing, Fertilizing, Watering, Aerating.

Mowing: Cool-season lawns like to be mowed at 3-3 1/2”. Except for the first 2-3 mowings of the year, right before aerating or over seeding and again in early November. You should mow at 2-2 ½” at these times.

Shorter mowing helps the lawn to green up, get more seed in contact with the soil and helps prevent leaf accumulation. Taller mowing allows the roots to go deeper, which provides better drought and disease resistance.

You mow less in the summer months because cool season lawns don’t grow as much in the summer! Warm-season lawns are easy…just mow at 1-2” all year. Short mowing encourages spreading, which helps choke out weeds. Be careful mowing that short—tree roots can damage mowers and vice versa. Sharpen your mowing blade after 8 hours of use and alternate your mowing pattern to avoid soil compaction.

Fertilizing: Cool-season grasses like little-to-no fertilizer in the summer. I recommend an organic base fertilizer from April through August. 1-3 shots at ½-lb. nitrogen/1000 ft. sq. are plenty. Fall is when you should apply high nitrogen fertilizers to cool-season lawns. Warm season lawns are totally opposite. They want to be fertilized with high nitrogen fertilizers in May, June and July. That is when they put on their growth as opposed to cool-season lawns (hence the names).

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Watering: This remains one of the most difficult subjects to get across in articles such as these. Percolation rates, water pressure, slope, wind, etc. all play a part in determining how much water to apply per cycle and how many cycles per week the lawns get. Here are my simple suggestions:

Cool-season lawns usually respond best to infrequent deep watering cycles (some soil types just won’t allow this). I like to suggest you water for two days in a row (morning is best), take a day or two off and repeat. This is only for the hot times of the year (June-August). Once or twice a week early and late in the year is usually fine. Warm-season lawns are easier. You can water 2-3 times a week, any time of the day for 15-30 minutes. They have a lot less disease issues than their cool season counterparts and they love the hot weather!

Aerating: “Core” aerating is more like it. If you don’t remove a “core” it’s not really aerating. Mainly, stay away from “spike” aerating. When you remove the core, you allow the introduction of air, water and organic matter (compost) to reach the root zone quickly. If you overseed too, you provide a safe harbor for that seed to germinate in. Cool-season lawns should be aerated in late March through Mid-May and again from late August through October. Warm-season lawns should not be aerated until mid-May and not much past mid-August.

Of course there are other cultural practices, but I wanted to get you what I consider the most important ones. Sustainable lawns should require fewer inputs! If you lower your expectations for cool-season lawns during the hot months of the year (tolerate a few more brown patches knowing they will be fixed in the fall) that will make them more sustainable too. Thick healthy lawns are the best defense against weeds and bugs, not a bunch of chemicals. Mow your cool-season grass high, water properly and you will be rewarded with a good-looking lawn, even in the summer!

Join Us April 26th & 27th

Bring your questions for our experts, plus...

Check us out for other FUN in-store SPECIALS!

11530 Gravois Road St. Louis, MO 63126

(314) 843-4700 or www.sappingtongardenshop.com OPEN 7 DAYS 20

ST

• Poker Chip Discount Days • Free Saplings • Product Sample Giveaways

HOME OF THE D E E R F R E E ZON E * AREA’S OP ONLY E K

Come Have Fun With Us!

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BUC

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

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Remember folks…it’s just grass!

Glenn Kraemer owns and operates GR Robinson Seed and Service, and can be reached by phone at (314) 432-0300 or by email at gmmseed@ sbcglobal.net.

S HER

* Our new in-store boutique featuring deer-resistant trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals & tropicals conveniently displayed together under one roof.

GreenscapeGardens.com | 314.821.2440 2832 Barrett Station Rd., Manchester, MO 63021 Located 1 Mile West of I-270 on Barrett Station at Dougherty Ferry

The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

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Milkweeds for Monarchs byJennifer Schamber

amazing process and incredible journey will always exist simply because it has been occurring since before our recorded history. But according to reports and studies over recent years, the “flight” of the Monarch may be redefined as the “plight” of the Monarch.

Most researchers are in agreement that one of the leading causes of the decrease in the Monarch population stems

Butterfly Milkweed

Common Milkweed

from the decline of available habitat throughout breeding areas in the United States and Canada as well as at overwintering grounds in Mexico.

Over-development of land as well as widespread usage of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides are the primary culprits of the decline.

When you use the original,

Fortunately, the national media (including the New York Times and Washington Post) has been publishing articles on recent reports on the subject, which are helping to raise public awareness about the issue. Organizations like Monarch Watch and the Missouri Prairie Foundation are educating consumers about the

Robert Weaver

O

ne of the most beloved and iconic creatures in the world of gardening is certainly the Monarch butterfly.

Starting at a very young age, we read stories to our children about caterpillars and their magical transformation into butterflies.

In school, teachers build lesson plans around metamorphosis and later on, students learn about the yearly migration of the species. It has, perhaps, been taken for granted that this

importance of helping to create, conserve, and protect Monarch habitats. Although there are many large-scale implications pertaining to this issue, there is one clear message that is resonating throughout every report, article, organization and institution: We need to plant more native milkweeds.

Milkweed is a crucial component to the lifecycle of Monarchs because it serves as the host plant for them in their larval stage. Among the genus Asclepias, there are 16 species in Missouri, 9 of which are considered “widely distributed” according to Missouri Department of Conservation

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22 Newsvine

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Experience Earth Day at the 2nd largest celebration in the country!

North Creek Nursery

Be part of a community tradition at the 25th anniversary of the St. Louis Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 27th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Muny Grounds of Forest Park.

Enjoy three stages of entertainment, learn about sustainable products and services offered by local businesses, meet area non-profits that share the mission of Earth Day, and participate in a variety of hands-on educational activities.

Monarch on Swamp Milkweed

Cindy Gilberg

book Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison. In the nursery trade, there are 2 species that are readily available at most garden centers: the popular Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).

When cited properly, these plants can be

Ed. Note:

Last year, Greenscape Gardens launched a program called “Show Me The Monarchs”, which is aiming to help raise awareness about the plight of the Monarch with a milkweed planting campaign. Your local garden center may also have native milkweed as well as butterfly nectar plants.

To learn more about monarchs and how you can help them, visit MonarchWatch.org. You can learn how you can improve y o u r landscape habitat, and even Monarch order a caterpillar M o n a r c h Waystation purposeful in the landscape g a r d e n and also serve as effective host sign. plants for Monarchs. But if the Monarchs had their choice of Other local groups you where to lay their eggs, they may find helpful include would likely choose Common Wild Ones (wildones.org/ Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). connect), St. Louis Audubon This species has a reputation Society (stlouisaudubon. of being too vigorous for some org), Missouri Prairie gardeners, but again, when Foundation (MoPrairie.org) cited properly, such as in a and Shaw Nature Reserve naturalized area, it may be the (missouribotanicalgarden. right selection. org).

Jennifer Schamber is the general manager of Greenscape Gardens in west St. Louis county. She is a past president of the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis and past vice president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis. Greenscape Gardens is a 2014 recipient of Today’s Garden Center Magazine’s Revolutionary 100 Award.

APRIL 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

Environmental Education Exhibitors are scattered throughout the grounds with a wide range of hands-on activities for kids and adults. Visitors can engage with ecosystem models, roleplaying games, or create something beautiful with ‘trash’.

The Ameren exhibit provides information and interactive ways to learn about energy efficiency and conservation.

Two stages feature local music all day beginning at 11 a.m., including Andy Coco’s Rhythm Section Road Show, Edward David Anderson, the Green Strum Band with Ryan Spearman and Kelly Wells, and the premiere of Wat Hill String Band – presented in partnership with 88.1 KDHX and The Folk School of St. Louis, a service of KDHX. At the Community Stage pavilion, experience Circus Flora and meet the birds of the World Bird Sanctuary.

St. Louis Earth Day encourages visitors to use low-impact methods of transportation and offers prizes to those achieving the “Earth Day Challenge” – rewarding those who travel by bus, bike or Metro and bring their own water bottle and reusable shopping bag. Metro is “Your Official Ride to Earth Day” and the Forest Park/DeBaliviere Metrolink station is only a halfmile from the Festival, with a free shuttle connecting riders to the Muny Grounds. Trailnet will be offering free bike valet parking in two locations at the Festival.

A collection event for hard-to-recycle items returns to the Festival for a fourth year, including the DEA Medication TakeBack Initiative. The Recycling Extravaganza will take place in the parking lot of the St. Louis Community College Forest Park campus off Oakland Avenue 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A full list of acceptable items, including everything from mattresses and “anything with a cord” to light bulbs and carpet, is updated regularly online so you can plan your spring-cleaning accordingly.

For a second year, we’re kicking off the celebration early with Earth Day Eve on Saturday, April 26th – a family-friendly evening with food and music in the Earth Day Café area of the Festival grounds 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the corner of McKinley and Theatre Drives. All are welcome and a donation of $5 is suggested to support St. Louis Earth Day. New this year is the VIP experience for $35, which includes entry, food and drinks.

St. Louis Earth Day is a 501c3 non-profit organization working to make every day Earth Day in the St. Louis region through celebration, education and action. The St. Louis Earth Day Festival is presented by Ameren Missouri and Metro Transit.

23

A Moveable Feast! hen I give a vegetable gardening workshop, I start by suggesting a garden site have at least 8 hours of direct sun for healthy productive plants, then I always hear a sigh from someone.

Afterwards there are several people who identify their primary challenge as not having a proper space to grow vegetables.

Either they do not have a physical space like a garden or they lack a sunny spot in their garden. If you fall into this category please don’t be discouraged, there are alternative opportunities for you to grow your own fresh vegetables. We just have to fit our vegetable garden style to your best sunny location.

Vegetables in containers give any enthusiastic individual a flexible alternative to gardening in the ground. There are even containers specially designed for growing vegetables such as the Earthbox™ and Earthbox Junior™. The benefits to starting a container garden PROOF spot wherever it is and control the allow you to use your sunny EFFINGER GARDEN 4/8/2010 3:19:37 PM TIME organic make-up of the LAST soil.RUN: Many people find they have much J296 04/28/10 COLLINSVILLE SIZE: containers 4.95X4.875than they did in a not so betterHERALD success in well-placed good garden plot. So find your bright, sunny location on the porch, deck, patio, windowsill or roof and your local garden center can outfit you with a suitable container. There is a surprising list of vegetables that can be grown in pots, troughs, window boxes and even hanging baskets.

Once you’ve identified the container with the best fit, then make sure to get super rich organic potting soil, worm castings or ultrafine compost, and an all-natural root stimulator. You need to make your mini-garden packed with nutrients to feed your plants all growing

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season. The Earthbox system includes a balanced set of organic soil additives. It is also a self-watering system with a reservoir to hold water. Access to water is the next element to consider. The challenge is that shallow containers will need more water, maybe twice a day.

Hanging baskets should be at least 12” in diameter and I highly recommend lining them with some paper (not plastic) to help hold water. These are suitable for determinate cherry tomatoes, bush beans, smaller eggplants, lettuces, peas, peppers and even the smaller cucumbers. A window box should be at least 8” deep and can also be lined with a natural paper to help maintain moisture. Depending on the length of the box multiple plants can be successful. Rule of thumb: allow a 12” square for average plants like peppers, eggplants, and small tomatoes. Lettuces and spinach can be closer and climbing beans, cucumbers, peas and small melons can be allowed to trail out or climb-up an added trellis. Round pots should be at least 14” x 14” and can hold a small collection of JVA15821 plants with an upright tomato or okra in the center and 3-4 beets, peas, peppers, beans or eggplants around the outside. Remember to use a support for the center plant to ensure it doesn’t fall over its companions. Larger size troughs like the Earthbox really allow more flexibility and when the trellis system is added, it Steffie Littlefield is a horticulturist becomes a real vegetable garden and garden designer at Garden Heights on wheels. The wheels allow you Nursery. She has degrees from St. to turn or move the container Louis Community College at Meramec and Southeast Missouri State and is to follow the sun. All these a member of Gateway Professional alternatives will give anyone the Horticultural Association and past opportunity to enjoy their own president of the Horticulture Co-op of home-grown fresh vegetables Metropolitan St. Louis. this summer!

Made in St. Louis

Photo courtesy Gutter Gardens

W

By Steffie Littlefield

www.GutterGardens.com

Garden on your Deck or Balcony Grow flowers, herbs or veggies

stand up and garden 314-255-1845 or 618-334-2504 Displays at Outdoor Living (Kirkwood) or Creekside Gardens (Collinsville)

The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

Crunch Time!

By Mara Higdon

T

here are a number of vegetables, salad greens, and flowers to be grown in the garden this time of year that can add significant crunch and nutrition to your everyday salad. Salads are comprised of more than just lettuce. Here are a few veggies you can grow in the garden and use the early and middle growth as edible portions of a salad. Never fear, if you have over sown and need to thin seedlings out - just wash and toss them in a salad, on top of a sandwich or eat for a quick, nutritious snack!

Early seedling stage

Vegetables and legumes in the seedling stage can be thinned out, washed, and added to your salad for a bit of crunch and flavor. If you plan on harvesting seedlings early for sprouts, but also want mature vegetables as well, plant your seeds closer together than what is recommended. Once the seedlings begin to germinate you can begin the thinning process.

Harvest the sprouts after 5-7 days, but before their secondary leaves emerge. Using a small pair of scissors trim the sprouts at the base of the soil. Put the sprouts in a bowl of cold water and swirl them around to release the seed casing from the sprout and remove any dirt or grit.

Drain and lay out the sprouts on a paper towel to dry. Once dry, store the sprouts in a zip lock bag. The sprouts can last up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. Some veggies to try include radishes, peas, sunflowers, cabbage, broccoli.

Middle plant stage

be harvested for their leaves or for “green onions”. When planting onion sets, plant them 2-3 inches apart at 2 times the depth of the onion bulb. As the onions grow, harvest every other onion for the green upper portion.

Garlic. Mid-season, garlic bulbs send up a slender shoot called a garlic scape that will curl under at the end. Remove these garlic scapes with a sharp knife at the base of the plant. The chopped scapes can be sautéed, which releases the garlicky sweetness within. The sauteed scapes can be added to salads or blended in a food processor to make garlic scape pesto.

Cabbage and other brassicas. As these plants are growing, there are occasionally leaves that become damaged or need to be removed to ensure the long-term health and vigor of the plant. These leaves can be cleaned off and thrown into a salad, or stir fry for added flavor and Mara Higdon is the Program Director at Gateway Greening, Inc. They nutrients.

focus on community development

Try these plants this year and come through gardening throughout the up with great uses for a variety of St. Louis area. You can reach her at (314) 588-9600 x22 or by email at non-lettuce salads. mara@gatewaygreening.org.

Onions. Before onions reach maturity as full-grown bulbs, they can

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Intriguing Air Plants text and photo by Ellen Barredo

A

important requirements are bright light, although not direct sun, good air circulation and water.

ir plants continue to intrigue people with their fascinating sizes, shapes and colors! They are very versatile in the home or office because these little beauties can be displayed in numerous ways. Versatile to use or display is the number one reason that Air plants are popular with people of all ages.

The second reason is they are easy care plants.

Air plants are also known as Tillandsia and I am including here the care info provided by Russell’s Bromeliads because many people purchase these beauties without the proper information. Read up and enjoy air plants in your home or office!

Tillandsia is the largest genus in the bromeliad family, accounting for approximately 550 of the over 2500 species of bromeliads. They are native to the warmer climates of the Americas. Commonly know as air plants, they are found from jungle rain forest to arid desert environments- from sea level to high mountain regions.

Most tillandsia species use their root systems to attach themselves to trees or rocks and absorb moisture and nutrients through their leaves. Absorption occurs through small scales on their leaves called trichomes. These trichomes are what give many air plants their silver or gray appearance. There is enormous variety in size, shape, texture, bloom, and color of these bromeliads. Many of these unique plants undergo a dramatic color change as they prepare to bloom. Some have a very luscious and unequaled fragrance. Since tillandsias are epiphytes the mounting medium you choose is limited only by your imagination.

These hardy plants are adaptable and tolerant to a wide range of environmental conditions and require minimal care. The three most

INDOOR/ OUTDOOR CARE LIGHT: A South, East or West window would be best.

Bright light or filtered sun is recommended. Otherwise, a broad spectrum fluorescent light, such as an aquarium light will provide short-term light requirements.

Air plants do exceptionally well in outdoor environments.

Early morning or late afternoon sun should be fine under more humid conditions. In hotter, drier conditions more shade and water should be provided.

WATER: Indoors, water 2 to 4 times a week. Saturate the bromeliad completely until water runs off the plant- light misting is normally insufficient. Allow to dry completely between watering. If leaves start to curl or roll completely submerge your plant in water overnight; then resume normal watering schedule.

Softer, greener-leaved plants will require more frequent watering and a bit less sun than gray or silver-leaved plants.

VENTILATION: Locate your tillandsias in a well-ventilated area.

FERTILIZATION: Fertilize about once a month with good quality liquid or water soluble fertilizer with a formulation low in copper.

We recommend 10-5-5 plant food. Dilute the suggested dosage to 1/4 strength.

TEMPERATURE: Very tolerant of a wide range of temperatures, from near-freezing to the 90s. They prefer temperatures in the 70s (Fahrenheit).

BLOOM: Tillandsia blooms are as diverse and beautiful as any in the plant world can last from a few days to as long as a year in some of the

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slower growing plants. Color can vary from bright yellow, orange, pink, blue, purple, white and many shades in between. A wide variety of plants bloom naturally in late winter through mid-summer.

REPRODUCTION: Tillandsias reproduce by offset (pup) or by seed. Many send out pups from the base or between the leaves of the mother plant. It is not unusual to see 4 to 8 offsets appear before, during or after bloom. Young plants can be separated from the mother when they are about ½ the parent’s size, and will mature in about one year.

MOUNTING: Mount on driftwood, tree limbs, cork, clay pottery, Manzanita burl, rocks or stones of any kind. Make sure the media you select does not hold water. If a hole is drilled in wood, make sure that it goes all the way through the wood for quick drainage.

Use adhesives such as Liquid Nails or hot glue. Use a small amount of adhesive near the base of the plant, but not on the bottom. Avoid covering the area where the roots form. Then using a soft coated wire, tie the plant securely until the adhesive sets.

These evergreen, disease resistant, reblooming Azaleas feature large flowers in spring, summer, and fall. Even high summer temperatures won’t stop these beaut from producing loads of late summer and fall flowers.

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(The above care information was excerpted with permission from information provided by Russell’s Bromeliads, Clearlake FLA. The full care sheet is available at http://russellsairplants.com/tillandsiacare/ Ellen Barredo is a Missouri Certified Nursery Professional with more than 30 years in professional horticulture. She works at Bowood Farms and can be reached at (314) 4546868 or ebarredo77@gmail.com.

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27

Tough Love in the Rose Garden

By Diane Brueckman

T

his year’s winter Mother Nature put our roses to the test. Roses are a tough family of plants and with a little patience and TLC they will come back. Many plants will have died back to the winter cover. If they had sufficient winter protection the bud-union should be OK. As I wrote last month it is more important than ever that you wait until after the last frost date to uncover (April 15th in this area).

It might be a good idea to keep some of the mulch close to the plant in case of a late frost is predicted, then you can re-cover the base of the plant until the danger is past. You must be extra careful not to break off the new basal shoots that come from the bud-union. Your Hybrid Teas will be small for a while but with a good dose of Chicken Soup they will come along nicely.

Most of the Old Garden Roses, Rugosas and shrubs should be fine. Again, they may have some die-back. Cut that back and nurse the stronger new growth along. An own-root rose that is of a stronger variety should also come back. They may also have died back to the ground but being on their own roots what comes back will be the desired rose. Roses that are zones 6 or higher may have a bit more of a struggle even on their own-roots, but watch them for signs of growth. On the positive side, the roses did not have to survive a lot of freeze/thaw this winter and they had snow cover during the coldest temperatures. This winter makes a good argument for a nice thick layer of mulch in fall, even for those roses we do not cover.

You will need to watch out for suckers on your budded roses. If the

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shoots coming up look different than the other canes on your bush they are probably suckers. At that point gently remove the soil around the shoot until you see where it is coming from. If the shoot is growing from below the bud-union it is likely a sucker and needs to be removed.

You should double check that the shoot is not coming from the bottom of the bud-union before you whack it off. If the only shoots coming up are spindly and look different than you remember do the same check. If only suckers are coming up, I would say the plant is most likely dead and needs to be “shovel pruned.”

Once your garden is cleaned up it is time for routine spring chores. This year I am going to do an organic garden. I feed everything Chicken Soup, a mixture of milorganite, alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal and bone meal. The idea is to feed the soil, which in turn feeds the plants. Last year I had two loads of shredded wood dropped off by Ameren IP, I used it to mulch my beds and cover my roses. It will break down and add to the organic matter in my soil. The shredded wood contained green material as well as the wood chips. This single ground material is the mulch recommended by EarthKind™. It is the only fertilizer their test gardens receive.

I will be using neem oil as my first defense against pests. Neem oil comes from the neem tree, which only grows in India, and is certified for use in organic gardens. It can be used on roses and food crops. If you use neem oil please check the label for detailed information. There are some plants that don’t like the oil. There are some precautions as well, which is true of any product you spray on your plants. One example: spraying should be done in the cool of the morning or evening before the sun can burn the plants. It also can harm honey bees if sprayed later in the day when they are out and about.

Please join us on April 26th for an open house at Rosey Acres from noon to 5pm.

Diane Brueckman is a retired rosarian with Missouri Botanical Garden, and currently owns Rosey Acres in Baldwin, Illinois. You can reach her at (618) 785-3011 or Brueckman Diane <droseyacres@ egyptian.net>.

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The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Strut Your Stuff on the Backyard Tour

The Sustainable Backyard Tour, held annually in June, is a unique opportunity to see firsthand how homeowners in St. Louis City and County are transforming their yards in a range of environmentally sensitive ways. This year’s community partners include Slow Food St. Louis, Grow Native!, the St. Louis Audubon Society, and the Saint Louis Beekeepers. The tour is Sunday, June 22, from 11am to 4pm. As the tour grows, more hosts are needed to keep things interesting as well as to give past hosts a break. While many host sites are single family backyards, organizers encourage residents of apartment buildings with community or rooftop gardens, and those with front yards to apply, too. The deadline to register or suggest a potential host is May 1st. Visit www. sustainablebackyardtour.com for details and a link to the online registry.

Kirkwood Celebrates Sustainabiliity Pioneer

EDG

Y DA

19 APRIL

OD , MO

The City of Kirkwood is celebrating the life and contributions of Edgar Denison, a long-time N I S E O D N Kirkwood resident and leader in the AR promotion of sustainability and especially native landscaping, ❃ ❃ with a series of events this spring. The Edgar Denison Nature Education Series will feature several programs on ,2 landscaping with native plants, O 014 ❃KIRKW planting for birds and butterflies and more. A Edgar Denison Spring Wildflower Walk is also planned, as is a BioBlitz and several art exhibits featuring native plants and nature art.

The City is also designating its Earth Day celebration on April 19th as Edgar Denison Day. Edgar Denison was a conservationist, amateur botanist and naturalist who was an early proponent of the value of the use of native plants in cultivated landscapes and in preserving and restoring biodiversity in natural and disturbed habitats. He provided text as well as many photographs and illustrations for the handbook, Missouri Wildflowers, published by Missouri Department of Conservation in 1972, and now in its 6th edition. For more information on the scheduled events, visit KirkwoodInBloom.org.

Seeking Nominations for Beautification Contest

The City of Creve Coeur Horticulture, Environment and Beautification Committee invites all residents, community groups and local businesses located within the city limits of Creve Coeur to participate in the 7th Biennial Beautification APRIL 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

Contest. This friendly competition is a way of encouraging residents and businesses to landscape and beautify the community.

Contestants may enter up to twelve award categories best describing their entry. Categories include: Best in the City; Best Commercial; Best Institutional, Best Use of Native Plants, Best Stormwater/Raingarden Solution, Best Subdivision/Condominium Entrance/Common Ground, Best Use of Small Space, Best Container, Best Curb Appeal, Best Water Feature, Most Creative Garden, and Most Outstanding Tree. One award is permitted per selected properties.

A convenient online nomination form is available at www. creve-coeur.org/beautification. Entry forms are also available for pick up at the Creve Coeur Government Center, 300 N. New Ballas Rd., Creve Coeur.

For more information, contact Sharon Stott, Assistant to the City Administrator, at sstott@ci.creve-coeur.mo.us or by calling 314-872-2516. Entries must be postmarked or electronically submitted no later than May 23, 2014.

Rain Barrel Event Supports Earth Day Spring is almost here and that means it’s time to quench your thirst for gardening. St. Louis Earth Day, in partnership with RainReserve is offering discounted rain barrels and compost bins available for pick-up at the Recycling Extravaganza on Sunday, April 27th from 10-4pm at St. Louis Community College.

Proceeds from the event help support the organizers of the St. Louis Earth Day Festival.

Pre-ordered RainReserve rain barrels as well as compost bins are available online in three different colors, brown, tan and gray. Each rain barrel includes a downspout diverter and the standard rain barrel holds 50 gallons of rainwater.

Larger systems available can hold 200 gallons per downspout, which can fill-up surprising quickly. Just ½ inch of rain on a 1000 square roof space produces 300 gallons of harvestable rainwater. For more information and save more by pre-ordering in advance visit www.rainreserve. com/STL.

29

Upcoming Events

Updates to this information are often posted on our online events calendar at www.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 the June issue is May 1st.

How to send your info to us: Mail: PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122 Email: info@gatewaygardener.com We also have meeting dates, locations and contact information on more than 50 area garden clubs on our website at www.

GatewayGardener.com. Don’t have access to the internet? Just call or write us and we’ll get the information to you.

FUN FOR KIDS April 5th 9am—Fun in the Garden. FREE, no reservations required, everyone welcome.

The Children’s Garden Club is designed to educate and bring delight in gardening to children with projects they do themselves.

For the Garden by Haefner’s, 6703 Telegraph Rd., (314) 846-0078.

11am-2pm—First Saturday Kids. Bring the kids to play in the garden and enjoy a FREE activity! Decorate and plant an oval poly pot to grow Easter grass. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

GARDEN TOURS, PLANT SALES AND SHOWS April 12th 10am-4pm—Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. The Garden Conservancy welcomes Monroe and Madison County, Illinois, into the 2014 Open Days Program. Save the dates for these unique opportunities to visit five of the area’s best private gardens and three lovely public space. Admission is $7 per garden. No reservation required.

Tickets available at Cottage Garden in Piasa, IL, or at tour sites. Visit www. opendaysprogram.org or call 800-8422442. (Public gardens are free.)

April 23rd-26th Herb Days, presented by the Garden Gate Shop and the St. Louis Herb Society.

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Choose from a wide selection of potted fresh herbs, including new and hardto-find varieties. The society’s popular cookbook, periodicals and curry powder will also be available. Herb Society members will give demonstrations and guidance on selecting, planting, growing and using herbs. Included with Garden admission or membership. An early public sale will be held from 4-7pm on Wednesday. Then MBG members get a private preview on Thursday from 9amnoon; finally, public hours, will take continue Thursday, noon-5pm and Friday and Saturday, 9am-5pm, at the MBG Orthwein Floral Display Hall.

April 25th-28th 3-6pm Fri. and Mon., 9am-3pm Sat., Noon-4pm Sun. — St. Louis Master Gardener Plant Sale. MG’s are growing beautiful annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, succulents, natives and water plants. The greenhouse on South Technical High School campus, 12721 West Watson Rd. Sunset Hills, 63127. Checks and cash accepted. Proceeds from the plant sale benefit St Louis Master Gardener programs throughout St. Louis County and City and assist with educational efforts at South Technical High School. For additional information, call 314-304-6831 or kkoehneman@earthlink.net.

April 26th 8:30am-2pm—Webster Groves Herb Society Spring Herb Sale. The 42nd Annual spring sale is celebrating ‘Herbin Renewal”, with more varieties of quality herbs and heirloom vegetables.

Herb-related books, demonstrations and member availability to answer your questions. No admission charge and great parking. Proceeds help the society support and maintain several gardens plus provide scholarships to local horticulture students.

First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, 10 W. Lockwood. Free admission and parking.

9am-noon—St. Charles Garden County Master Gardener Tour and Plant Sale.

Vegetables, Missouri natives, annuals, herbs, perennials, seeds and more. Tour demo gardens, “Ask a Master Gardener” booth, container raffle and more!

University of Missouri Extension, 260 Brown Rd., St. Peters, MO. Call 636-9703000 for directions and info.

8am-1pm – 3rd Annual Lincoln County Master Gardener Plant Sale. A wide variety of annuals, perennials, bulbs, and many types of vegetable plants and herbs, plus seed packets, yard art, bird feeders, and bird houses. “Ask the Gardener” booth. Bring a gallon container for FREE liquid fertilizer! Troy, MO, at the Valvoline Express Care, 47 The Plaza.

Rain date is May 3rd.

April 26 -27 9am-1pm Sat., 10-noon Sun.—U. City in Bloom’s Annual Plant Sale. Perennials, annuals, native and wildlife-attracting th

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plants, culinary herbs and vegetables.

Heman Park Community Center, University City. UCityinBloom.org, 314973-3541.

Earth Day Celebration at Sappington Garden Shop. Poker Chip Discount Days, free saplings, product sample giveaways and more! 11530 Gravois Rd. St. Louis, 63126. Call (314) 843-4700.

April 27th 1pm—Belleville Area Rose Society Plant Auction. HenryWhite Research facility on Hwy. 158 East of Millstadt. The public is welcome to see the Gardens and participate in the Auction and Meeting. Many roses and other items will be offered.

1pm—St. Louis Hosta Society Annual Vendors Day. Creve Coeur Government Center, 300 N. New Ballas Rd. Vendors include Avalon Acres Hostas from Effingham, IL; Homestead Hosta Farms from Owensville, MO; Meadow Sweet Gardens with general garden plants and decorations; Overland Hardware with garden necessities, and Polly Deck’s bird baths and stepping stones. Open to the public.

May 3rd 7am-noon—Central Missouri Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale. Free admission Huge plant sale..all plants grown by Master Gardeners, including annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, tomatoes and tropical. Like us on facebook at facebook.com/central missouri master gardener plant sale. 573-295-6263. Jaycee Fairgrounds, 1445 Fairgrounds Rd., Jefferson City, MO. 8am-noon—Edwardsville Garden Club Plant Sale. Most of our plants are tried and true, dug out of members’ gardens. St. Mary’s Catholic Church parking lot, 1805 Madison Ave., Edwardsville, IL. 8am-1pm— Huge Plant Sale Event.

Webster Groves Women’s Garden Association will offer great prices and great advice on truckloads of donated perennials from local gardens (including hosta, ferns, woodland plants, daylilies, butterfly favorites, and Plants of Merit) plus nursery grown annuals & hanging baskets. Also featured: Container gardens (perfect for Mother’s Day!), “Garden Treasures” Resale, and a Sherwood’s Forest gift certificate raffle!! Rain or shine Saturday, at Webster Groves Masonic Lodge, 12 E. Lockwood (next to City Hall at Elm).

9-Noon—Four Winds Garden Club Perennial Plant Sale. Members will share hand-raised plants that are tried & true & do well in our region. The sale location is the AKC Museum of the Dog, 1721 South Mason Rd., Town & Country. 636-2275896. New members are always welcome.

9am-1pm—Bethel UMC Plant Sale.

Large selection of annual, perennials, houseplants and much more. Great bargains. Bethel UMC, 17500 Manchester Road, Wildwood, MO. For more information call: 636-458-2255.

9am-3pm—Missouri Prairie Foundation Plant Sale. A smashing and bountiful selection of choice native perennials, grasses, sedges, vines, shrubs, and trees supplied by Missouri Wildflowers Nursery will be available outside the entrance to the Town & Country Whole Foods Market,1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive, Town and Country.

Don’t miss this great sale! A portion of the proceeds will benefit the prairie conservation work of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS March 31st-April 29th 7pm—Edgar Denison Nature Education Series. Presented by the Kirkwood Public Library, 140 E. Jefferson, Kirkwood.

March 31st—Missouri Natural Communities and Natural Areas, by Mike Leahy, Natural Areas Coordinator for Missouri Department of Conservation; April 9th—Naturescaping: Landscaping for Life, by Mitch Leachman, Exec.

Director St. Louis Audubon Society; April 15th—Natives: Beyond Beauty, Plants that REALLY Work, by Bill Ruppert, Missouri Prairie Foundation’s GrowNative! Committee; April 21st— Show Me the Monarchs: Adventures in Butterfly Gardening, by Jennifer LoyetSchamber and Tammy Behm, Greenscape Gardens; and April 29th—The Best Missouri Trees for Native Landscaping,

by Mark Gruber, Urban Forester, Missouri Department of Conservation. There will also be a nature art exhibit by Elizabeth Holm Cole opening April 9th, 6-7pm and running through May. April 1st 5:30pm—Fairy Gardening, Mini Landscaping for Containers and Gardens. Hear about doll-size shrubs, plus the perennials, annuals and vines with tiny leaves and flowers. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

April 4th 9am-5pm—Arbor Day Tree Giveaway.

The Kemper Center for Home Gardening will give away 600 tree saplings on a firstcome, first served basis, one per visitor while supplies last. Master gardeners will answer questions and give advice on planting trees in the spring. While supplies last. Kemper Center, upper level at Missouri Botanical Garden.

April 5th 11am ­– Creating and Caring for Terrariums. Bring your gardening indoors with this seminar on terrarium and table top gardening. Horticultural

The Gateway Gardener® APRIL 2014

specialist John Skoot will discuss how to create and care for your own terrariums.

This in-depth presentation will talk about everything from plant selection, planting mediums, soil covers to container selection and the traditional terrarium.

Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/ events, 636.798.2555.

Hillermann’s Anniversary Weekend.

Celebrate Hillermann’s 63rd anniversary with cake and punch all weekend long.

Kids’ can pick up a FREE Monster Tomato Plant to grow and enter a monster tomato in the Washington Town and Country Fair in August. Also, Bark for Life. (9am to noon) Honoring the life-long contribution of our Canine Caregivers. Enjoy activities with your canine pets and to contribute to cancer cures through the mission of the American Cancer Society. Canine activities and vendor booths will be available. $10 entry fee. Contact Rhonda Mueller - lvpenguins@gmail.com, or 314-4013642 (after 6pm) for more information.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com.

April 8th and 10th The Basics of Growing Herbs Webinar.

A look at various common herbs, their characteristics and how to grow them.

University of Illinois Extension, Waterloo and Collinsville offices April 8, 1pm, Collinsville office only April 10, 6:30pm.

Pre-registration deadline is 2 days prior to class. $5 fee for black and white handouts, $10 for color. Register online at web. extension.illinois.edu/mms/ or call (618) 939-3434 for Waterloo office or (618) 344-4230 for Collinsville.

April 8th and 10th 5:30pm—Gardening Under Trees.

Learn how to garden under trees without damaging them. Also discussed will be the ever-expanding selection of shade plants and how to combine flower and foliage color, form and texture for seasonlong interest in your garden. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. April 10th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Top Performing Plants. Bring your questions, comments, photos, drawings, and plant specimens for discussion.

Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. $15 ($12 Garden members).

Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. For reservations or more information, call (636) 451-3512 x0 or visit ShawNature.org.

April 12th 9am-3pm—Weekend Gardener. Sixteen classes offered in 4 hour-long sessions of your choice including lunch. Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, 442 South Demazenod Dr., Belleville. $40 or $55 with printed program book including class handouts.

U. of Illinois Extension. Register at web. extension.illinois.edu/mms/ or call (618) 939-3434 for Waterloo office or (618) 344-4230 for Collinsville.

APRIL 2014

9am-1pm— O’Fallon (MO) Garden Expo. The event begins with an elementary school’s Earth Club assisting the Mayor Hennessy with an Arbor Day Ceremony. Free tree saplings will be given to the first 50 people. One per family please. Free kids crafts, kite making with assistance from the Gateway Kite Club, and a small food vendor. Fort Zumwalt Park.

11am-1pm--Easter Bunny Lunch Tea Party. Come enjoy a Tea Party with the Easter Bunny. Take pictures with the Easter Bunny. Activities including planting your teacup to take home will be included. $5.00 charge per child. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

April 12 - 13th Spring Open House at Frisella Nursery.

Celebrate spring at Frisella’s annual open house. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery. com/events, 636.798.2555.

April 13th-14th P. Allen Smith at Mizzou Botanic Garden. TV host, author, gardening and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith will be at the University of Missouri’s Columbia campus hosted by the Mizzou Botanic Garden as part of the Jacquelyn K. Jones Lectureship. On April 13th, he’ll participate in the campus’ 175th birthday celebration and a presentation on the gardens of Thomas Jefferson. On April 14th, there will be a sensory garden installation and planting, and a Local Harvest Roundtable Discussion. For more information visit www.gardens.missouri. edu.

April 14th 7pm—Edgar Denison: A Modern Johnny Appleseed. By Scott Woodbury, Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve. a panel discussion on the life and contributions of Edgar Denison. Panelists include Peter Raven, George Yatskievych, Tom Ott, Lesley Schoedinger, and Bill Ruppert.

First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, East Adams and South Kirkwood Road.

April 15th 5:30pm—Sugar Creek Gardens Nursery Tour. Tour the nursery, seeing what’s in bloom, what’s coming into bloom, along with the best plants of the year. Learn about the newest selections along with our rarest and most unusual gems. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. April 17th 5:30pm—Best New Perennials. Hear about the exciting new perennials hybridizers have concocted for 2013.

Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. 7pm—Green Speaker Series. Rae Machado of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, will speak on what life is like in this fascinating community that exemplifies low-carbon living. Longview Farm Park, 13525 Clayton Rd., Town and Country.

The Gateway Gardener®

April 19th 10am-3pm—Earth Day at Kirkwood Farmers’ Market & Station Plaza.

Celebrating the life and legacy of Edgar Denison, a Kirkwood native and author of Missouri Wildflowers. Meet the experts from over 20 local organizations covering topics such as bee keeping, growing herbs, native plants and wildflowers, organic gardening, composting, attracting birds and butterflies, and more. Visit www.KirkwoodInBloom.org for more information.

9am—Irrigation Basics Class. Topics include concepts, appropriate watering, difference in sprinkler heads, controller operations, hands-on instruction of operating controller and setting heads.

Water conservation topics on soil sensors, rain sensors etc. will also be discussed.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist. Dress weather appropriately, a portion of our class will be outdoors! Please call 636239-6729 to RSVP. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, www.hillermann.com.

10am-2pm—Exmark Demos and Grill Day. Equipment demos and grilled hot dogs. Talk with the Exmark rep, ask questions and learn more about this line of equipment. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

April 22nd 9am—Rain Garden Work Party. Learn about rainscaping with native plants and then identify and remove undesirable plant species in the rain garden on site. Lunch provided. Deer Creek Watershed Alliance.

Mount Calvary Church, 9321 Litzsinger Rd., Brentwood. Pre-registration is required. Go to www.deercreekalliance. org for more information.

5:30pm—Long Blooming Shrubs For Exceptional Color. Learn about the showiest, longest blooming, heaviest producing shrubs available, plus growing techniques. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. April 22nd or 24th Pest Control Strategies in the Garden Webinar. This program will help you decide the best options for managing pestsin your landscape. University of Illinois Extension, , Waterloo and Collinsville offices April 22, 1pm, Collinsville office only April 24, 6:30pm.

Pre-registration deadline is 2 days prior to class. $5 fee for black and white handouts, $10 for color. Register online at web. extension.illinois.edu/mms/ or call (618) 939-3434 for Waterloo office or (618) 344-4230 for Collinsville.

April 24th 5:30pm—Containers for Year-Round Interest. Learn creative ideas to add seasonal interest as the year progresses, along with fertilizing, watering tips and over-wintering care. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE.

growing the everyday plants we eat. He’ll go through the seasons of the kitchen garden from cold weather crops like spinach, lettuce and cilantro to the warm weather row crops like tomatoes. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636.798.2555.

Noon-5pm—Open House at Rosey Acres. Visit the Easy Elegance rose test gardens of the former rosarian of the Missouri Botanical Garden and rose expert for The Gateway Gardener magazine.

Rosey Acres, Baldwin, Illinois. Call (618) 785-3011 for directions.

Earth Day & Family Fun Day. Celebrate Earth Day by picking up trees and plants for your yard and gardens. Kids’ activities available. See alpacas from River Bluff Alpacas. Grilled hot dogs will be available

by Missouri Mulch. Kids growing MONSTER Tomatoes for the fair can come in to decorate a plant tag for their entry and get a FREE gallon of Nature’s Source ready to use fertilizer to help their MONSTER grow. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

2pm—Gardening With A Twist. Enjoy fellowship, wine and cheese and create a make and take container garden to take home. A supply fee will apply. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up and for more information. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, www.hillermann.com.

April 27th 11am-6pm—St. Louis Earth Day Festival. Celebrate the 25th annual National Earth Day at Forest Park, See page 23 for details. Visit us at The Gateway Gardener Booth!

April 29th, 30th and May 1st 5:30pm (April 29 and May 1), 10am (April 30)—Dazzling Containers for Entrance Ways, Patios and Gardens.

Learn creative combinations of plants, colors and textures to amaze your family and friends. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. May 2nd 7am-12pm—En Plein Air Sunrise Paint.

Meet the artists of the Augusta Plein Air Art Festival as they paint scenes from around Frisella’s gardens. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636.798.2555.

May 3rd Noon-5pm—LUSH Cosmetics Charity Pot Lotion Party Featuring Missouri Prairie Foundation. Enjoy shopping at LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics at the Galleria and learn about the Foundation’s prairie conservation work and the importance of native plant landscaping.

1155 St. Louis Galleria, St. Louis, MO 63117. Free native landscaping literature will be available.

April 26th 11am—The Kitchen Garden.

Horticultural Specialist John Skoot discusses the kitchen garden and how he fell in love with horticulture through

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COMPOST! THE SOLUTION TO SUSTAINABLE SOIL AND WATER International Compost Awareness Week • May 5-11, 2014 Visit St. Louis Composting on May 6, 7, & 10 for lunch and learning with the experts during International Compost Awareness Week!

Lunch at Fort Bellefontaine Compost Facility May 6 at 11am Lunch at Belleville Facility May 7 at 11am Meet Mike Miller, Host of KMOX1120’s Garden Hotline at Valley Park May 10 at 8-10am Lunch with the Experts at Valley Park May 10 at 11-1pm

Above image is the 2014 ICAW Poster Contest Winner hosted by the USCC - more information at http://compostingcouncil.org/icaw/

FORT BELLEFONTAINE COMPOST FACILITY 13060 County Park Rd. 314.355.0052

BELLEVILLE, IL

5841 Mine Haul Rd. 618.233.2007

VALLEY PARK, MO 39 Old Elam Ave. 636.861.3344

More details at www.stlcompost.com

ENRICHING THE SOIL NATURALLY SINCE 1992