The Gateway Gardener January/February 2014

Gateway Gardener

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Missouri’s Orchids

Exotic Beauties from Our Own Backyard

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Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 Volume 10, Number 1

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver 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 9 times/year by Double Dig Communications, Inc. to promote enjoyable, successful gardening and livable landscapes in the St. Louis greater metropolitan area. The magazine is distributed free to the public at designated garden centers, nurseries, garden gift shops, lawn equipment rental, repair and sales establishments, and other locations supporting sound gardening, lawn and landscaping practices.

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

info@gatewaygardener.com www.gatewaygardener.com

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

B

From the Editor

efore I began publishing this magazine, and before I studied horticulture at St. Louis Community College-Meramec, and before I became a Master Gardener—indeed, before I knew much of anything about gardening, I had an enthusiasm for nature. (Forgive me, I may have told this story before on this page, but I’m getting to that age where people will have to roll their eyes and politely allow me to repeat myself.) I was writing freelance articles for various publications, and the topics frequently leaned toward natural history. Black bears in Missouri, the Wolf Sanctuary, Missouri’s caves, roadside wildflower projects.

It was while researching an article on a fellow doing a prairie restoration that I started down this garden path.

I tell this story (again?) because, while I am conscious in defining our editorial coverage that it is the cultivated ornamental landscape industry that drives the business and pays the bills for most of my advertisers, and

thus for me, it is the natives that are dearest to my heart, personally. It was those rolling hills riotous with pale purple coneflower on a remnant of northern Missouri prairie that triggered the “Wow!” factor in me, and motivated me to learn more about native plants, and subsequently, their cultivated cousins.

4). These orchids will never compete in a popularity contest with the showy moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) and its tropical kin (to see those, don’t miss the Orchid Show this month at the Missouri Botanical Garden); but I hope you’ll be as fascinated as was I to read about these unusual plants from our own region.

Before long, spring will be here, and I’m looking forward to seeing many of the exciting new annuals and perennials I’ve been reading about over the winter. We’ll be showing them to you in upcoming issues. But for now, with snow on the ground and a fire in the fireplace, I like to sit back and imagine some future walk in So, I was pleased not only to the woods, and stumbling upon give our magazine a regular an orchid in Missouri! monthly spread devoted to native plants, featuring Good Gardening!

Cindy Gilberg’s outstanding contributions, along with a regular “Top 10 Natives” list, but to also receive a contribution for this issue from Master Naturalist Carol Gravens on “Orchids of Missouri” (pg.

On the Cover...

We typically think of orchids as exotic tropicals, but as naturalist Carol Gravens tells us, Missouri has some beautiful native species, such as this Spiranthes cernua, or Ladies’ Tresses. More on page 4. Photo by Carol Gravens.

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Orchids in Missouri 6 Spring Garden To-Do Calendar

8 Scientific Names 10 Mizzou Botanic Garden 12 Klip ‘n’ Keep Resource Guide 14 Where to Find The Gateway Gardener 15 Three Houseplants 16 Shows, Classes and Conventions 18 What is Rainscaping?

19 Top 10 Native List—Shrubs 20 Two Blackbirds 21 Upcoming Events 22 Dig This

Orchids in Missouri text and photos by Carol Gravens

O

rchids fascinate me!

How could you not be mesmerized by a plant family that has been around for 120 million years and whose members grow on every continent except Antarctica? How could you not be drawn in by a group of plants whose flowers may be as small as a pinhead or as large as a dinner plate and widely diverse in color and form, yet all have the same basic structural elements?

Orchids are the largest flowering plant family in the world, and they have permeated worldwide cultures ranging from China to Greece to New Zealand to the Americas and beyond. Orchids are associated with eroticism, mysticism, and medicine. They are threaded through religion, literature, art and legend. They are the sexiest of flowers!

Area in Jefferson County and at St. Francois State Park in St Francois County.

It grows low to the ground, and its leaves have withered and died by flowering time.

Another favorite is the Adam-and-Eve orchid, Aplectrum hyemale. It has curious properties, sending up a single pleated evergreen leaf in fall that persists through winter. In May the leaf withers and dies, and a flowering stem emerges that bears 8-20 yellowish purple flowers. I have found this plant near streams on many winter hikes, including Engelmann Woods Natural Area and Babler State Park.

If you are fortunate in your quest, you may find the beautiful yellow Lady’s Slipper orchid, Cypripedium calceolus. It tends Spiranthes cernua to grow in colonies, so there are many distinctive flowers to see in a clump. The yellow, pouch-like lower petal, or lip, Although most orchid species on earth are tropical plants, growing resembles a shoe. I have come across this plant at Shaw Nature between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, Reserve in Franklin County.

Missouri boasts more than 35 native orchids. An excellent way to At Hickory Canyons read about them is Missouri Orchids by Bill Summers, published Natural Area in St. by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Genevieve County an orchid called Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens, grows. I have never caught it in bloom, One of my favorites is the delicate white Ladies’ Tresses orchid, probably because the Spiranthes cernua. In fall it blooms on dry glades, its flowers in a heat and ticks of summer Aplectrum hyemale spiral arrangement. I often see it at Victoria Glades Conservation dampen my enthusiasm for summer hiking, but its foliage is quite distinctive and easily identified in winter. The leaves are dark green, laced with white veins.

WINTER-GREEN Being an avid hiker, I am more than thrilled to come across an orchid growing along the trail in a glade, meadow, woodland or forest. My Canon camera is always with me, so I drop to eye-level with the plant, admire it and photograph it for posterity.

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Goodyera pubescens Carol Gravens is an Advanced Level Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist, and was named St. Louis Master Gardener’s Master Gardener of the Year in 2013. She grows more than 200 orchids at home, volunteers in the Missouri Botanical Garden’s orchid greenhouse, and gives talks on orchids through the Master Gardener Speakers Bureau. She is a retired microbiologist.

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If looking for orchids in the wilderness isn’t your cup of tea, be sure to take advantage of the spectacular annual Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. South America is this year’s theme. Orthwein Display Hall will transform into an exotic garden inspired by Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. Bold colors, a fountain, metal sculptures and a living wall will be on display along with more than 500 orchids from the Garden’s permanent collection. It is the only time of the year that the public can enjoy the Garden’s extensive and historic collection. The orchids are displayed as they would be found in nature with terrestrial orchids at ground level and epiphytic orchids suspended at eye level on tree branches. Admission is $5 plus regular Garden admission.

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2014 Spring Garden To-Do Calendar

By Steffie Littlefield

F

inally the holidays are over, the tree is recycled, the decorations repacked and the counters cleared of holiday leftovers. It’s a good thing because now it’s time to plan your 2014 garden. This is the year you grow more organic vegetables, try really unique tomatoes to impress your neighbors, and harvest the best tasting homegrown treats your whole family will enjoy. So where do you start and why do you start now? Because the most rewarding gardening experience is starting your own plants from seed indoors and some of the early crops need to be started in January and February.

plants ready to put in the garden.

As my tiny seedlings start to grow I keep them only a few inches from the lights to keep them from getting leggy. A small fan blowing strengthens the stems of the small seedlings and I rotate the trays everyday.

As the 2nd set of leaves appears add a half strength dose of liquid organic fertilizer to the water.

March are better planted directly into the garden. To get you off to a good start here is my personal monthly to do list:

January

Set up grow lights in the After studying all the seed basement, creating an area catalogues and websites take a for seed trays, buy fresh seed quick trip to your local garden starting mix, wash trays and clear center to get up close and covers. Purchase new varieties personal with the best seed for this year’s vegetables. The selections for our area. Look first seeds started are leeks and for certified organic seeds and celery because these take a long heirloom varieties for the best in time to become big enough for healthy edibles. Your friends at transplanting. the garden center will help you When sowing seeds into trays with your list of what to start I will usually put 2-3 seeds per now and later and what seeds cell so I don’t have to divide the

tiny plants. Keep them evenly moist by misting with water and covering the trays with clear covers until the seeds germinate.

Then uncover and water daily.

February Now start a few varieties of broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and kale every week. These plants will be ready to plant into the garden in 6-8 weeks during March. They prefer cooler weather. Toward the end of February sow trays of spinach, Swiss chard, mustards and baby head lettuces. These will develop quickly into mini-

This is a busy month in my basement greenhouse under lights. It is time to start tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, okra and tomatillos. These love warm weather and will not be happy outside until soil temperatures are above 70.

To make room for the new seed trays I start to move the cool season crops outside for a few hours a day so they can adjust to sunlight and temperatures.

After about two weeks of this hardening off process they will be ready to plant in the garden beds.

By March 15th be ready to start peas, beets, carrots, parsnips

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and turnips directly into the garden beds. This also is the best time to plant onion sets or plants, potatoes, and clean up and replant strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus.

April

Plant out all the summer weather lovers by May 15th.

Remember rushing to plant when the weather is cold and wet will only damage your precious babies and stunt their growth.

Yep, it’s a busy spring in the As weather permits plant your garden but by the time you spinach, lettuces, and chard into are planting your tomatoes your garden beds. you will be harvesting peas, May broccoli and spinach. So while Wait for warmer weather to you are starting your seeds, get direct sow cucumbers, beans, your recipes for fresh garden edamame, squash, melons, vegetables ready. Enjoy! pumpkins

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Steffie Littlefield is a horticulturist and garden designer at Garden Heights Nursery. She has degrees from St. Louis Community College at Meramec and Southeast Missouri State and is a member of Gateway Professional Horticultural Association and past president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metropolitan St. Louis.

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Don’t Let Those Scientific Names Get You Down!

By Barbara Perry Lawton

A

lthough plants’ Latin or Greek names may seem confusing, they serve a vital purpose for both scientists and gardeners. One widely grown plant may have dozens of common names—a ridiculous state of affairs. For instance, the plant we commonly know as the white water lily has 15 English names, 44 French, 105 German, and 81 Dutch common names. As you can easily see, you must know the binomial name Nymphaea alba if you are to know the specific plant. Similarly, some plants’ common names may refer to several distinctive species in various countries. Bluebells, for instance, is the common name for at least five different plants in as many parts of the world.

St. Louis

If you learn both common and scientific names, you will be in the best of both worlds. Common names can have great value in that they often preserve cultural richness. A common name for the fleshy succulent we may know as houseleek is welcomehome-husband-however-drunkyou-may-be. The scientific

is leap-up-and-kiss-me.

Standardized scientific plant names bring order out of chaos.

It was Carl Linnaeus in his 1753 publication Species Plantarum who established the system of naming plants and animals that we use to this day. As American horticultural genius and

following the botanical rules for naming plants is that each plant will have one standard scientific name that is recognized throughout the world.

Of course, some of the Latin names are challenging jawbreakers. A good example of that is the scientific name for ostrich fern, a plant you may have in your garden— A common name for the fleshy Matteuccia struthiopteris. succulent we may know as houseleek Break it down and it becomes easier. The genus name is in is “welcome-home-husband-howeverhonor of Carlos Matteuci, a 19th drunk-you-may-be.” century Italian scientist, while name for the genus of this plant pioneer Liberty Hyde Bailey the species name combines the is Sempervivum, which means said, “The binomial system of Latin struthio for ostrich and “always alive,” as you might nomenclature is one of the best the Greek pteris for fern. guess from school experiences inventions of men.”

Did you realize that you’ve with foreign languages. A The genus name may describe been using the scientific names common name for Viola tricolor the plant, commemorate a for many plants without even person, be a Latinized or knowing it? Aster, begonia, Greek version of a common hosta, iris, veronica, lantana, name, or may even be an geranium, phlox and impatiens arbitrary choice. The species are all anglicized versions name may be descriptive or a of plant genus names. Most classical form of a noun, as in gardeners are familiar with provincialis, which represents the reliable coneflowers that the Provence region of France, have become so popular in probably referring to the origin recent years. Their genus name, of the plant. The whole point of Echinacea, is almost as familiar

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The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

as the common name.

single quotes. Thus the full name of a garden marigold Don’t worry about pronunciation could be, for instance, Tagetes of the scientific names. If you erecta ‘Doubloon’. buy in person, simply ask how to pronounce the scientific Unfortunately, there are name. When you mail-order publications and even catalogs plants, you don’t have to say that do not follow the rules the name, simply write it. Use for writing scientific names. italic type, capitalize the genus Ignorance is not always bliss. name and use lower case for the species. Most nursery and garden center people will gladly help you learn what you want to know about their plants.

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Finally, you should know that horticulturists are very different form taxonomic botanists.

Horticulturists can grow live plants but may not know the scientific names. Taxonomic botanists study preserved plant specimens but may not know how to grow them.

As horticulturists have bred and selected new varieties of plants, taxonomists realized that a third name must be added onto the scientific name, one that represents the cultivated variety or cultivar. The cultivar name should be in Roman type, capitalized and placed within

Genus and species are just part of the name game associated with identifying plants (and animals and invertebrates and all living things). The complete classification system goes like this: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species, cultivar. If we were to apply a similar system to cars, the classification tree might look like this: Kingdom: Machine Phylum: Automobile Class: American-made Order: Sedan Family: Four-door Genus: Chevrolet Species: Nova Variety: White

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 Post-Dispatch. 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.

Join us in Kansas City Saturday, Feb. 22

for advice and inspiration from four gardening authors SURROUNDED BY ART A 15-year tradition of gardening education and inspiration continues when the Kansas City Garden Symposium returns to Kansas City’s The NelsonAtkins Museum of Art. FULL DAY OF LECTURES The Garden Symposium starts at 8:30 a.m. (doors open at 8 a.m.) and will last until 3 p.m.

FRIDAY BANQUET The Garden Symposium Banquet will be Friday, Feb. 21, at Grand Street Café. “Kiss My Aster” author Amanda Thomsen will set us straight about “Landscaping Questions You Forgot to Ask.” WORKSHOP On Friday, Feb. 21, at 10 a.m., Joseph Tychonievich will lead a workshop on plant propagation for the gardener at the Loose Park Garden Center.

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Joseph Tychonievich,

author of a new Timber Press book, “Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener,” will talk about “Hummingbirds Don’t Actually Like Red Flowers” and teach a propagation workshop on Friday.

Amanda Thomsen,

commercial landscaper and author of “Kiss My Aster,” will talk about “You Can Grow Your Own Way” and at the Friday night banquet will discuss “Landscaping Questions You Forgot to Ask: Stuff You Need to Know to Grow.”

Kerry Ann Mendez,

author of “Top 10 Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens” and “The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Top 10 Lists,” will talk about “High-impact, Low-maintenance Perennial Gardens” and “Outrageous Foliage Carries the Show!”

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Propagation workshop Friday, Feb. 21: $39 through Jan. 18 and $49 after.

Banquet Friday evening, Feb. 21: $49 through Jan. 18 and $59 after

9

Who’s Buried Under Jefferson’s Tombstone?

And other surprises you may discover during Mizzou’s 175th Anniversary Celebration the Garden encompasses 735 acres of the campus.

A

commonly asked silly question is “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” The answer, of course, is (General Ulysses S.) Grant! But if you ask another seemingly silly question— “Who’s buried under Jefferson’s tombstone?”—you may be surprised at the answer. The tombstone in question is not the one placed over Thomas Jefferson’s final resting place at Monticello, but rather the one that first marked his grave before finding its way to the Columbia campus of the University of Missouri!

As the University of Missouri celebrates its 175th anniversary souvenir seekers), had to be family to be the new caretaker throughout 2014, kicking off replaced within a few decades of the old monument. And that on Founder’s Day, Feb. 11, after Jefferson was buried is how Jefferson’s original the Mizzou Botanic Garden in Virginia. Since Missouri tombstone came to be located is going to contribute to the was the first public university on the Mizzou grounds. The celebration with the planting of west of the Mississippi in the monument is actually comprised 175 trees, one for each year of MU’s anniversary. Trees will be available for sponsorship and planted throughout the campus grounds. The Botanic Garden also plans a variety of activities and contributions to campus life throughout the year. One event will be a tree symposium for professionals and plant enthusiasts, dedicated to promoting the value of trees.

The Mizzou Botanic Garden will also be celebrating its own 15th anniversary in 2014, and on August 26th will welcome land obtained in Jefferson’s of two parts, a large obelisk Monticello’s garden director Purchase, and which is still on the grounds, and Thomas Jefferson historian No, it wasn’t the result of Louisiana some collegiate prank. Rather, since it was modeled after and a smaller stone base with Peter Hatch. Hatch has been the original marker, created the University of Virginia, the inscription. This piece is the director of the grounds at of soft marble and subject to which Jefferson founded, the currently being restored at the Monticello since 1977 and has weathering (and damage by University lobbied the Jefferson Smithsonian, and will return to written several books on his Mizzou next year. plethora of experience with gardens.

This is just one point of interest that is sure to surprise you as For more information about you stroll around the Columbia the garden’s anniversary • Indoor Lighting • Hydroponics campus of the University of activities, visit: gardens.

Missouri.

Perhaps another missouri.edu or follow them on • Propagation • Pest Control surprise, as you take in the Facebook at facebook.com/ • D.I.Y Beer & Wine • Composting beautiful landscape features MizzouBotanicGarden. throughout the campus, is that you’re in the midst of an Bring in officially designated botanic garden—Mizzou Botanic this ad for Garden. Since it was established N. Warson Rd. 15% off any 1225 St. Louis, MO 63132 in 1999, the garden campus has purchase! blossomed into a living museum 314-994-3900 800-285-9676 featuring thousands of plants, including 11 themed gardens Offer expires 04/01/14. Not valid with other offers. Limit 1 per customer. and 7 special collections. In all, 10 GG_Ads.indd 5

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2014 Klip 'n' Keep Resource Guide On the following pages, you’ll find our annual Klip ‘n’ Keep Resource Guide, featuring great garden centers, water garden centers, landscape supplies, landscaping services, arborists, and other retailers and service businesses to keep your lawn, garden and landscape beautiful and healthy throughout the year. You can either cut out the Guide pages or just pull out the 4-page spread and keep it handy for reference all year long.

If you want to keep your print magazine intact, don’t worry--we publish the entire Guide online, both separately and as part of the online edition of the magazine at www.Issuu.com/TheGatewayGardener.

On the last page of the Guide, we’ve listed all the locations where you can find the print copy of the magazine each month. More than 400 locations make it easier than ever to find your free copy. If, however, none is convenient to you or your location runs out, there’s a handy subscription form to have the magazine mailed directly to your home. It’s right here!

Thank you for supporting our advertisers and local, independent businesses everywhere!

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

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11

2014 Klip n Keep Resource Guide Your Metro Region Green Industry Pros

GARDEN CENTERS AND NURSERIES

St. Louis County

Central Garden Heights Nursery 1605 S. Big Bend Richmond Heights (314) 645-7333 GardenHeights.com

OK Hatchery 115 E. Argonne Kirkwood (314) 822-0083

University Gardens 8130 Delmar Blvd.

St. Louis, MO (314) 863-1700 University-Gardens.com

Rolling Ridge Nursery 60 N. Gore Webster Groves (314) 962-3311 RollingRidgeNursery.com

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

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North

A. Waldbart & Sons Nursery

Frisella Nursery

5517 N. Florissant Florissant (314) 741-3121

550 Hwy F (636) 798-2555 Defiance FrisellaNursery.com

South Sappington Garden Shop

Lake St. Louis Garden Center

11530 Gravois Rd. Crestwood (314) 843-4700 SappingtonGardenShop.com

3230 Technology Dr. Lake St. Louis (636) 561-0124 LakeStLouisGardenCenter.com

West

Other Missouri Locations

Ballwin Nursery

112 Old Ballwin Rd. Ballwin (636) 394-7776 BallwinNurseryLandscape.com

Greenscape Gardens & Gifts 2832 Barrett Station Rd. Manchester (314) 821-2440 GreenscapeGardens.com

Jaeger Greenhouses

2369 Creve Coeur Mill Rd. Maryland Heights (314) 739-1507 JaegerGreenhouses.com

St. Charles County Ann’s Gardens & Greenhouse

Forrest Keeling

88 Forrest Keeling Ln. Elsberry, MO (800) FKN-2401 ForrestKeeling.com

Hillermann’s Nursery & Florist 2601 E. 5th St. Washington, MO (636) 239-6729 Hillermann.com

Missouri Wildflowers 9814 Pleasant Hill Rd. Jefferson City (573) 496-3492 MoWildFlowers.net

5130 Mexico Rd. St. Peters, MO (636) 244-5533 AnnsGandG.com

Daniel’s Farm & Greenhouses 352 Jungermann Rd. St Peters (636) 441-5048 DanielsFarmAndGreenhouse.com

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

2014 Klip n Keep Resource Guide Your Metro Region Green Industry Pros

GARDEN CENTERS AND NURSERIES Illinois

Belleville

Effinger Garden Center 720 South 11 St. (618) 234-4600 EffingerGarden.com th

HYDROPONICS AND INDOOR GARDENING Worm’s Way

1225 N. Warson Rd. St. Louis, MO (314) 994-3900 WormsWay.com

LANDSCAPING MATERIALS MPR Supply Company 2541 Link Rd. St. Louis, MO (314) 426-4838 MPRSupply.com

St. Louis Composting StLouisCompost.com 39 Old Elam Ave. Valley Park, MO (636) 861-3344

Sandy’s Back Porch Garden Center 2004 West. Blvd.

(618) 235-2004 SandysBackPorch.com

560 Terminal Rd. St. Louis, MO (314) 868-1612

Collinsville

Naturescapes Nursery

11294 Schaefer Rd. Maryland Heights, MO (314) 423-9035

Godfrey

5841 Mine Haul Rd. Belleville, IL (618) 233-2007

1674 N. Bluff Rd. (618) 344-8841

The Greenery

1021 W. Delmar Ave. Godfrey, IL (618) 466-8475

Piasa

LANDSCAPING SERVICES

13060 County Park Rd. Florissant, MO (314) 355-0052

(314) 968-5066 GloriousGardens.net

WATER GARDEN SUPPLIES

Glorious Gardens

Cottage Garden 6967 Route 111 (618) 729-4324 CottGardens.com

Horstmann Bros.

Springfield

Davidsan’s Japanese Maples

By Appointment Only (217) 303-2641 DavidsansJapaneseMaples.com

(314) 432-0880 HorstmannBrothers.com

TREE CARE

Gamma Tree Experts (314) 725-6159 GammaTree.com

Trees, Forests and Landscapes (314) 821-9918 TreesForestsAndLandscapes.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

The Gateway Gardener™

Chalily Pond & Gardens 14430 Manchester Rd. Manchester, MO (636) 527-2001 ChalilyPond.com

Thank you for supporting The Gateway Gardener frequent advertisers listed on this page. They make it possible to provide the magazine to you FREE each month. (Entries in red indicate year-round advertisers.)

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Looking for The Gateway Gardener near you? We’re in more than 400 locations throughout the St. Louis Metro area. Let us know if you know of a business that would like to make the magazine available to its customers. Just call (314) 968-3740 or email us at robert@gatewaygardener.com. And if you’re on this list and aren’t receiving magazines, please let us know! Good Gardening!

MISSOURI

AFFTON--Ace Hardware / Affton Lawn Equipment / Schnuck’s / Wolf’s Flower Shop ARNOLD--Arnold Rental Center / Fox Library / Schnuck’s BALLWIN--Arco Lawn Equipment / Ballwin Nursery / Dierberg’s / Queeny Park Recreation Complex / The Pointe at Ballwin Commons / Walter Knoll Florist BARNHART--Windsor Library BERKELEY--Midwest Turf & Irrigation Distributors BONNE TERRE--Save A Lot / Talk of the Town Convenience Ctr. BRECKENRIDGE HILLS--MPR Supply BRENTWOOD--Brentwood Recreational Center / Brentwood Public Library / The Gifted Gardener / Lawn Care Equipment Co. / Westlake Ace Hardware / Whole Foods BRIDGETON--Ritter Greenhouses / Spectrum Brands / Scott’s Lawn & Landscape CEDAR HILL--Radeackar AG Market / Cecil Whitaker’s Pizza CENTERTOWN--Longfellow’s Garden Center CHESTERFIELD-- 24 Hour Fitness / Alpine Shop / Chesterfield Athletic Club / Chesterfield Valley Nursery / JCCA / Kirkwood Material Supply / Seed Visitor Center at Faust Park / Viviano’s / Wellbridge Fitness Center / YMCA CLAYTON--Brown Shoe Company Cafeteria / In Your Vase Florist / Kaldi’s Coffee House / Kaldi’s (in the Crescent) / Kayak’s Coffee / Straub’s / The Coffee House / The Petaler Florist / Twigs & MOSS CRESTWOOD--Sappington Garden Shop / Westlake Ace Hardware CREVE COEUR--Club Fitness / Creve Coeur City Hall / Dierberg’s / It’s A Grind / Schnuck’s / The Fitness Edge DEFIANCE--Bluff View Nursery / Frisella Nursery / Wine Country Nursery DE SOTO--Jefferson County Feed & Fertilizer DES PERES-- Ace Hardware / Daily Bread / Hunan Star /The Lodge at Des Peres / Terra DUTZOW-- Town and Country Nursery EARTH CITY--Hummert International ELLISVILLE--Einstein Bros. / Summer Classics at Mansfield’s / SummerWinds ELSBERRY--Forrest Keeling Nursery EUREKA--Eureka Feed Station / Eureka Rental / Phil’s Bar B Que / Rich & Charlie’s / Super Smokers BBQ / Winding Brook Estate Lavender Farm FARMINGTON--Country Mart / Save A Lot FENTON--China Buffet / Erb Equipment / Marshall’s Nursery / Riverchase / Viviano’s / Stuckmeyer’s Farm FERGUSON--Corner Coffee House / Ferguson Library FESTUS-- Meert Tree Farm FLORISSANT--A. Waldbart & Sons Nursery / Art’s Lawn Mower / Behlmann’s Nursery / Church of the Master / Dierberg’s / El-Mel Inc. / Florissant Valley Public Library / Goeke Fruit & Produce / Handyman True Value (Hwy. 67 and Washington Locations) /Old Towne Donuts / Schnuck’s GLEN ECHO PARK--Thies Farms and Nursery GLENDALE--Dierberg’s GRAY SUMMIT--Bahr’s Discount Foods / Shaw Nature Reserve GROVER--West County Feed HAZELWOOD-- Pat Kelly Equip. Co. / Teson Farms / Turf Products Equip. Co. HERCULANEUM--Buchheit Farm Supply HIGH RIDGE--Bi-State Landscape Supply HILLSBORO--Books and Moore / Kress Farm Garden Preserve / The Photo Works / U. of Missouri Extension IMPERIAL--Harrell’s Market / Imperial Seed & Feed / Montebello Sales & Service / The Mill JEFFERSON CITY--Gardens to Go KIMMSWICK--Visitor’s Center KIRKWOOD--Alpine Shop / Einstein Bros. / Grapevine Wines / Kirkwood Florist / Kirkwood Materials Supply / Kirkwood Public Library / Kirkwood Train Station / McArthur’s Bakery / O.K. Hatchery / Outdoor Living / Urban Roots Garden Center / St. Louis Community CollegesMeramec Student Center / Sugar Creek Gardens / The Breadsmith / The Bug Store / Universal Rentals LADUE--Barnes & Noble Booksellers / City Coffee House / Companion Bake House / Ladue Florist / Schnarr’s Hardware / Schnuck’s / World Gym LAKE ST. LOUIS--Greene’s Country Store / Lake St. Louis Garden Center LEADINGTON--Rosener’s Restaurant LEMAY--Club Fitness / Fendler’s Nursery & Garden Ctr. / Haegele Nursery / Kruse Florist / Pond Market MANCHESTER--Chalily Ponds and Gardens / Greenscapes Gardens / Kirkwood Garden Center / Manchester Coin and Jewelry / Sherwood’s Forest / Wiethop’s Nursery MAPLEWOOD--Maplewood Public Library / Scheidt True Value Hardware / Schlafly’s Bottleworks MARYLAND HEIGHTS--Arrangement Florist of WestPort / Dauster’s Greenhouse /Express Scripts / Jaeger Greenhouses / Jewish Community Center / Schmittel’s / Thies Farm MEHLVILLE--Cotton’s Ace Hardware, Diehl Feed South, Dierberg’s / Walter Knoll Florist MOSCOW MILLS-- Tractor Supply / Turfline / Sydenstricker John Deere OAKVILLE--Crabapple Cove / For the Garden / Handyman True Value O’ FALLON--Art’s Produce / Baxter Gardens / Dierberg’s / Doe Run Library / Club Fitness / Enchanted Moments / Hansen’s Tree Service / St. Charles City/County Library / Schnuck’s Veteran’s Memorial Pkwy / Sears Garden Center / Snap Fitness 24/7 / True Value Hardware / Western Lawn Equipment OLD ORCHARD-- Grove Deli OLIVETTE--Beyer’s Lumber / G.R. Robinson Seed / Hartke Nursery / Horstmann Brothers / Worm’s Way OVERLAND--Ango Kernan Rentals / Frank Munsch Community Center / Overland Hardware Store / Tuff Shed PACIFIC--Creamer’s Garden Center / Pacific Feed & Supply / Pacific Foods / Rock Solid Landscape and Garden Supply / The Market / Tom Wolf Hardware

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PARK HILLS--Country Mart / Mineral Area College--Agribusiness Dept. / Save A Lot PERRYVILLE--Perry County Extension RICHMOND HEIGHTS--Garden Heights Nursery /Mike Duffy’s / Richmond Heights Library ROCK HILL--Amighetti’s Restaurant / Club Fitness / Nachomama’s / Rock Hill Library ST. CHARLES--24 Hour Fitness / ART Concrete & Tool / Buse’s Flower & Gift Shop / Busy Bee Plantland / Cafe ala Fleur Designs / Club Fitness / Crooked Tree Coffee / Dierberg’s Zumbehl Rd. / El-Mel Inc. / Green Thumb Organics / Harvester Small Engine / Hearts and Roses / Home Depot / Lady of America Fitness / Mary Rents / Michael’s Arts & Crafts / Miss Aimee B’s Tea Room / Missouri Mulch Landscaping / Parkview Gardens / St. Charles City-County Libraries Boone Hills Dr. /Kathryn Linneman Branch/Kisker Branch/McClay Branch/Spencer Branch / St. Charles Coffee House / Sunbelt Rentals / Westlake Ace Hardware / Wild Birds Unlimited / World Outdoor Emporium ST. GENEVIEVE--U. of MO. Extension ST. LOUIS--Baisch & Skinner Wholesale Floral / Bowood Farms / Broadway Bean / Buder Branch Library / Carpenter Branch Library / Chris’ Pancake & Dining / Club Fitness / Clyde Miller Career Academy / Coffee Cartel /Colors of Spring / Corondelet Branch Library / Cunetto’s House of Pasta / Dennis & Judith Jones Visitors and Education Center at Forest Park / E.H. Glueck & Co. / Flowers to the People / Food Court / Geechi’s Flowers / Gringo Jones Imports / Home Eco / Karmik Korner / Lesher’s Flowers Inc. / Local Harvest Cafe and Catering / Local Harvest Grocery / London Tea Room / Main St. Louis Public Library / Missouri Botanical Gardens Ridgway Center and Kemper Center / Moolah Theater / Mosaic / Plaza Pastries & Donuts / St. Louis Community College Forest Park / St. Louis University Busch Center / St. Louis Workout / Schlafly Library / Scottish Arms / Soulard Coffee Market / Soulard Market / Southern Floral Shop / Straub’s / Sqwires / Taylor Community Resource Center / The Bug Store / Walter Knoll Florist / Worlds Fair Donuts / YMCA Downtown / YMCA South City ST. PETERS-- Ann’s Garden & Greenhouse / Anthony’s Produce / Cappucino’s / Club Fitness / Daniel’s Farm & Greenhouses / Dierberg’s Salt Lick Rd. / Green Thumb Organics / Koenig’s Greenhouse / Mansfield Nursery / Mexico Road Florist / Orlando’s Produce & Flowers / Oma’s Barn Home & Garden / St. Charles County Library / YMCA SPANISH LAKE--Windy Hill Farm SUNSET HILLS-- Friendship Village South / Sunset Plantland Nursery TOWN & COUNTRY--Mike Duffy’s / Straub’s TROY-- Kroger / Schmittel’s Garden Center / Troy Flower Shop UNION--Margo’s Flowers & Gifts / Platt Nursery & Greenhouses / Union Scenic Regional Library / Schweissguth Brothers UNIVERSITY CITY--Bend and Strech / Cub Fitness / University City Library / University Gardens VALLEY PARK--Bobcat of St. Louis / Deck & Fence Store / RSC Rental / St. Louis Composting / Valley Park Elevator & Hardware / Valley Park Library VILLA RIDGE--Midwest Block & Brick WARSON WOODS--Bozzay Florist / Crazy Bowls & Wraps / The Breadsmith / Wild Birds Unlimited WASHINGTON-- Hillermann Nursery and Florist / Orscheln Farm & Home / Washington Library / Westlake Ace Hardware WEBSTER GROVES--College School / Crazy Bowls and Wraps / Freddie’s Market / Mac Hardware / Pond Crazy Water Gardens / Rolling Ridge Nursery / Straub’s / Webster Groves Bookstore / Webster Groves Library / Webster Groves Recreation Center WENTZVILLE-- World Outdoor Emporium West WILDWOOD-- Big Bear Grill / Fahr Greenhouses / Passiglia’s Nursery / Wildwood Campus St. Louis Community Colleges / Zick’s Great Outdoors ILLINOIS ALTON--Alton Dept. of Parks and Recreation / Hayner Public Library / McConahey’s Flowers / St. Peters Hardware & Rental / Season’s Garden Center / Tractor Supply Co. BALDWIN--Rosey Acres BELLEVILLE--Ace Hardware / Artiste de Fleurs / Belleville Public Library / Dill’s Floral Haven / Dintelmann Nursery & Garden Center / Eckert’s Country Store and Farms / Eckert Florist / Effinger’s Garden Center / Krupp Florist / Quality Rental / Sandy’s Back Porch / Schnuck’s / Sonnenberg Landscaping & Material Supply / The Jones Boys / University of Illinois Extension / Weissenborn Boat & Lawn / YMCA BREESE--Plant Land BUNKER HILL--A. Waldbart & Sons Nursery CENTERVILLE--Terry’s Home & Garden COLLINSVILLE--Collinsville Ice & Fuel / Creekside Gardens / Naturescapes COLUMBIA-- Columbia Public Library /Dee’s Floral & Gifts / Shady Creek Nursery & Garden Center / Sonnenberg Landscaping and Material Supply / Quality Rental COTTAGE HILLS--Swings n Things EAST ALTON--Alton Equipment Rental and Supply / Community Seed & Feed / East Alton Library EDWARDSVILLE--Edwardsville Public Library / Schnuck’s / The Market Basket FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS--Wild Birds Unlimited / Grand Rental Station GLEN CARBON--The Garden Kingdom GODFREY--Bob’s Lawn & Garden / The Greenery / Hindley Nursery / Josephine’s Tea Room / Schnuck’s / The Market Basket GRAFTON--Grafton Visitor’s Center / Iron Decor & More HERRIN--Plantscape Nursery O’FALLON--Huller Lawn Equipment / O’Fallon Public Library / Quality Rental & Sales / Scott’s Power of Illinois / The Market Basket PIASA--The Cottage Garden SALEM--Four Seasons Garden Center SWANSEA--Grand Rental Station / Wild Birds Unlimited WATERLOO--Schaefer Farms Nursery, U. of I. Extension

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Three Houseplants to Brighten Your Home in Winter Text and Photos by Ellen Barredo

Lemon Cypress

Cyclamen

L

isted below are three of my favorite houseplants to brighten up the winter months of January and February.

Lemon Cypress

My first favorite is the Lemon Cypress, a plant native to California. This evergreen tree enjoys lots of light and consistent moisture. My Lemon Cypress lives in the kitchen where I spend most of my time, so it receives plenty of personal attention.

Lemon Cypress can be grown indoors for winter and vacation outdoors for the summer, and can tolerate temperatures outdoors around the freezing mark before coming indoors. These beautiful evergreens can be kept clipped topiary style to control size. They come cone shaped or as a topiary tree shape. Lemon cypress trees produce a wonderful lemon scent when the foliage is brushed against. Not only do they have a lemon scent, they have a lovely lemon color. Place this beauty in a white pot to really show it off for winter.

Cyclamen

Another favorite of mine for winter, especially in the month of February, is the blooming Cyclamen. I love the fairylike flowers that float above beautiful heart-shaped foliage. These beauties have flowers that come in many colors and bicolors. Some ruffled flowering varieties can be found on occasion and white flowering cyclamen often have a citrusy fragrance. Place your Cyclamen in bright, indirect light. Please water Cyclamen JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

whenever the soil feels slightly dry. Avoid watering the center of the plant, which is also known as the crown; instead focus on watering the plant slowly around the side of the pot. Remove flowers as they fade and start bending toward the ground.

In time the plant will tire and want to go dormant. When this happens I usually toss it and replace it with another fresh blooming Cyclamen!

Parsley Aralia

My new favorite, Variegated Parsley Aralia, grows outdoors in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, and also can be found growing in the Caribbean Islands.

The Parsley Aralia has leaves that resemble those of the herb parsley. It is often found with variegated green and white foliage, but this plant has very lemon color with green foliage. Awesome!

This beauty is slow growing and can also be kept small through trimming.

Parsley Aralia is often used as a bonsai specimen. This plant can be grown in very bright indirect light.

Use a quality potting mix when repotting in the spring only if the plant requires it. It has a very fine

The Gateway Gardener™

Parsley Aralia root system and does well pot bound. Little fertilizer is required. Lack of water can cause the loss of leaves, but that being said, this plant will not tolerate sitting in standing water, either. Mist leaves indoors in winter.

Parsley Aralia do best in an environment with a minimum of 60 degrees, remember they are tropical!

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) 454-6868 or ebarredo77@gmail.com.

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2014 Spring Shows, Conventions & Classes In this our 8th annual listing of spring shows, conferences and classes, you’ll find a wide array of educational and entertaining options to break the ice off your winter gardening dreams. Whether you’re a horticulture professional, master gardener or neophyte green-thumber, there’s something going on this spring that will scratch your gardening itch!

Western Trade Show / National Green Centre Overland Park, KS Jan. 5th and 6th The event features an innovative trade show floor with learning centers, ‘peerto-peer’ roundtable discussions, keynote addresses by industry experts and a plant fashion show. More information at www.nationalgreencentre.org.

Gateway Green Industry Conference & Trade Show Gateway Convention Center Collinsville, IL January 14th-15th Registration begins at 8am each day followed by the Keynote Session from 9-10:30am and then 3 break-out sessions each day.

Registration fee includes admission to classes, trade show, break refreshments and lunch. Tuesday Keynote Speaker will be Kaizad Irani, speaking on E-ImpACT. Wednesday keynote Lynn Bement, the Organic Garden Coach will be speaking about Sex in the Soil: The Facts of Life Beyond NPK. Breakout sessions on a variety of topics. Registration is $80 for 1 day or $100 for both days with discounts available for full-time students and Certified Master Gardeners. For registration information visit web.extension. illinois.edu/mms or call 618-344-4230.

26thAnniversary Midwestern Herb and Garden Show Times Square Mall, Mt. Vernon, IL. Feb. 7th-9th Hosted by the Herbs for Health and Fun Club and Mt. Vernon’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, this 26th Anniversary Show is the largest event of its type in the area. Featured speaker Sharon Lovejoy is a nationally known gardening expert, author and columnist, lecturer, TV and radio personality, and past president of the International Herb Society. A variety of other talented class speakers will host presentations geared for everyone from the novice to the master gardener. Plus, exhibitors display a variety of herbal and gardening items. Proceeds from the herb club’s resale booth are used for horticulture scholarships for local students. All indoors. Admission and hourly educational seminars are FREE. For details, visit www.midwesternherbandgardenshow.com, or call Visitors Bureau (800) 252-5464. Free. Fri-Sat hours 10am– 9pm, Sunday Noon – 5pm.

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37th Annual Builders Home and Garden Show America’s Center St. Louis, MO—March 6th-9th The St. Louis Builders Home & Garden Show is the largest consumer home show in North America. Approximately 500 exhibitors fill more than 9 acres of America’s Center in downtown St. Louis! The show has been in existence for more than 35 years and is the place for area consumers to see, touch, compare and buy everything they need for their homes and gardens.

The Builders Home and Garden Show is actually 6 complete shows in one - Lawn and Garden, Pool and Spa, Green Products, Kitchen & Bath, Interior Design and Building Products. This year’s show features multiple large display gardens as well as a number of smaller landscapes. In addition to the magnificent landscapes, you will find lawn decorations, mowers and equipment, hardscape materials, fire pits, outdoor kitchens, nurseries, fencing, decking, playground equipment, plants, trees, shrubs and lawn and landscape services. The Lawn & Garden Showcase is also home to the Green Thumb Theater, where gardening experts present seminars on a variety of topics, as well as the Children’s Garden Club, where kids can create free make-and-take projects. There is also the annual Flower Show Competition.

Dig In: A Gardening Seminar University of Missouri Extension Center St. Charles, MO February 22nd 8:30am to 12:30pm. Three sessions will be held with three topics offered each session. Registrants will choose a topic for each session for a total of three hours of instruction. $20 (nonrefundable) for registration received by February 13; $25 for at-the-door registration—class availability may be limited. Visit http:// extension.missouri.edu/stcharles/digin.aspx or call 636-970-3000 for details and registration.

Kansas City Garden Symposium The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City, MO February 22nd 8:30am-3pm. The theme of the 9th annual symposium is ‘Color The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Outside the Lines; Developing Your Garden Style.’ Four gardenbook authors are coming to Kansas City for the Symposium: Julie Moir Messervy, garden designer and award-winning author; Amanda Thomsen, commercial landscaper and author of “Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You”; Joseph Tychonievich, nursery manager at Arrowhead Alpines and author of “Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener: How to Create Unique Vegetables and Flowers”; and Kerry Ann Mendez, author of several gardening books. A workshop and banquet are also planned on Friday, Feb., 21st.

Sign up by Jan. 18, and the Symposium ticket is $79, the propagation workshop is $39 and the banquet is $49. After that date, tickets are $89 for the Symposium, $49 for the workshop and $59 for the banquet.

For info, e-mail info@GardenSymposium.org or call 913-302-4234.

For more information or to sign up, go to www.GardenSymposium. org, or send a check accompanied by a note with your name, phone number, e-mail address and which events you wish to attend to: Garden Symposium, P.O. Box 4463, Overland Park, KS 66204.

The Kansas City Garden Symposium is presented by Gardeners Connect, a nonprofit gardening education organization, and a partner of the Kansas City Parks Department.

St. Louis Garden Blitz: Ask the Expert Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis, MO March 1st 9am-3:30pm. Start your spring off smart with a blitz of classes on gardening, food & cooking, art & photography and behind-thescenes tours. Select from an a la carte menu of our most popular full-length classes and create your own custom-fit educational program. Bring your questions and visit our “Ask the Expert” tables between classes. Enjoy lunch on your own at Sassafras or check out local food trucks on-site. Advance registration required (opens February 1); www.mobot.org/classes or (314) 577-9506.

A Standard Flower Show March 6-9 Builder’s Home & Garden Show America’s Center • St. Louis, MO Whodunit?! This year’s annual flower show at the St. Louis Builder’s Home and Garden Show (March 6th-9th at the America’s Center) invites participants to sleuth out the perfect floral solution and avoid any design crimes! “Let’s Play Clue” is the theme for this year’s edition of the annual flower show and competition, once again presented by the East Central District of the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc., National Garden Clubs, Inc., and the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri.

Participants can enter in a number of categories, including a youth division (see the rules and information on The Gateway Gardener website) and show off designs celebrating a variety of themes. Children can get some tips and practice prior to the show by attending the Children’s Garden Club meeting on January 4th at Baisch & Skinner. Sponsors encourage any interested gardeners and flower arrangers to enter regardless of past experience.

The deadline for entries is February

26.

For questions call: Design Entries Nancy Senter (314) 521-6534 Horticulture Entries Jackie Reynolds (314) 968-5004 Youth Entries Doug Wolter (314) 822-9095 The Flower Show is made possible by the Home Builders Association and the Home & Garden Show.

Sponsors include Sherwood’s Forest Nursery and Garden Center, which provided landscape materials to beautify the flower show area, Saint Louis County Parks, Baisch and Skinner, National Garden Clubs, Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Jost Greenhouses and Wiethop Greenhouses.

Even if you don’t enter, be sure to stop by the Flower Show at Booth #124. And be sure to bring your children to the Children’s Garden Club booth #141.

For complete rules and regulations, visit our website at: GatewayGardener.com/flower-shows/ rules

Entry Form for Horticulture Division

Name__________________________________________ Phone #________________________________________ Address________________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip_____________ Class#

Class Title

_______ __________________________________

Partners for Native Landscaping Missouri Botanical Garden St. Louis, MO March 22nd 9am-5pm. A workshop for homeowners featuring Doug Tallamy, nationally acclaimed author of Bringing Nature Home. This indepth workshop offiers information and resources on how to landscape with native plants for greener communities. Topics include how to garden for birds, cope with invasive species, develop a rainscape, garden in shade and more. Registration is $25 and includes lunch and a native landscape guide. Register online at www.stlouisaudupon.org/PNL. For more info, call 636-451-3512 x6078.

_______ __________________________________

Weekend Gardener Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows Belleville, IL April 12th 8:30am to 2:45pm. Choose from 16 exciting workshops including Wildflowers, Growing with Natives, Shade Gardening, Pruning, Vegetable Gardening, and more. Fee is $40 and includes lunch. Preregistration required. Call 618-939-3434 for more information.

Class#

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

The Gateway Gardener™

_______ __________________________________ Mail form to: Jackie Reynolds • 452 Foreston Place Webster Groves, MO 63119

Entry Form for Design Division

(Also use this form for Youth Design Section*)

Name__________________________________________ Phone #________________________________________ Address________________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip_____________ For Youth Entries: Age_______

Grade______________

Class Title

_______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ Mail form to: Nancy Senter • 8822 Heather Lane • Hazelwood, MO 63042 *Youth entries to: Douglas Wolter • St. Louis County Parks and Recreation • 1675 S. Mason Rd.• St. Louis, MO 63131

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Naturally Natives What is Rainscaping

W

By Cindy Gilberg

hat can we do to be good stewards of our environment, specifically to promote clean water in our region and beyond?

We can create landscapes that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Rainscaping is a concept that takes a holistic look at the entire landscape and offers planting alternatives.

These alternatives use deeperrooted plants to make soil more permeable, allowing rainwater to soak in. Plants slow down runoff from rainfall, soak it up for their growth and diminish the amount and velocity of runoff that carries with it sediment and

do you have large amounts of mowed grass? Is there a water problem such as soil erosion or water pooling in low areas? These ‘problems’ are opportunities where a rainscaping feature can be a beautiful, plant-based solution.

When choosing plants for a rainscaping landscape option, regionally native plants offer a reliably hardy list of plants that multi-task by also enhancing local biodiversity by replacing This attractive native border featuring sweetspire shrubs and blue lost habitat. For more detailed iris perennials helps capture water runoff from the turf area. information on rainscaping, other pollutants. back into the natural system rain gardens and native plant landscaping, see the resource Nature, where most rainfall goes (soil and plants), is the source of inspiration for rainscaping. list at the end of this article.

Human development has Deer Creek Watershed Alliance Partners for Native Landscaping promoting rainscaping replaced many natural is ...a workshop for homeowners featuring Doug Tallamy, with their Rainscape Rebates landscapes with hard surfaces nationally acclaimed author of Bringing Nature Home. (concrete, rooftops, etc.) that program that gives rebate Sat., March 22, 2014 9am-5pm allow water and pollutants to money to eligible projects at Missouri Botanical Garden • St. Louis • MO run off quickly. Rainscaping (www.deercreekalliance.org).

In-Depth Workshop offers information and resources includes landscape alternatives Many yards have large on how to landscape with such as replacing large areas of trees surrounded by mowed mowed grass with perennials grass. One can create a lawn native plants for greener communities. and shrubs, rain gardens, alternative by creating a shade Learn How to... bioswales, and planting trees. garden beneath these large • Bring Nature Home Where do you start to decide trees, thus replacing the mowed • Garden for Birds and Butterflies what rainscaping feature(s) are turf while protecting the large • Cope with Invasive Plants • Develop a Rainscape right for your property? Take trees. Do not till under trees— • Garden in Shade a close look at your yard— it does irreparable damage to their root system. Plant a few native understory trees such as dogwoods, serviceberry, or Also... redbud. Around these can be • Hear about Organizations added a mass of wild hydrangea, Custom DESIGNS • Discover Upcoming Events Register Today! Space is Limited for each unique site coralberry or, if it is light shade, • Meet Other Native Gardeners Register Online at • Purchase Missouri Wildflowers beautyberry. Finish off the INSTALLATIONS of www.stlouisaudubon.org/PNL beautiful plants and Workshop at Missouri Botanical Garden planting with masses of native walls, paths, and 4344 Shaw Blvd • St. Louis, MO 63110 Cost: $25 Includes Lunch and ground covers such as oak or For more info call 636-451-3512 x6078 patios Native Landscape Guide ($5 Value) cedar sedge, wild ginger, or Meticulous MAINTENANCE round-leaf groundsel. of every property Partner Organizations... entrusted to our care

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For sun-part sun areas that are low and wet, plant some of the native plants that thrive in

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants this condition. Large trees, for example bald cypress, swamp white oak or black gum, are among those. Add in some choice moisture-loving shrubs like elderberry, chokecherry, winterberry and/or sweetspire.

Finish off the design with a ground cover such as palm sedge highlighted with moisture loving perennials such as switch grass, Hibiscus, shining bluestar, spike blazing star, marsh milkweed, copper iris, orange coneflower or Joe Pye. These plants are among those that are also quite useful when creating rain gardens and/ or bioswales. Bioswales are swales, planted with moistureloving plants, that direct water from its source to an end point (i.e. a rain garden, rainscaping feature or a culvert). A rain garden is a basin (4-8 inches deep), planted with moistureloving plants, that intercepts rainwater runoff, collecting it temporarily to allow it to soak into the soil and be taken up by the plants.

Eliminate the use of pesticides as much as possible as this is a source of water pollution.

Pesticides degrade the environment, causing undue stress on insects, birds and other animals native to our region. If

Learn more! An indepth class on rainscaping—Rainscaping Fundamentals—will be held at Shaw Nature Reserve on Thur, Feb. 6, 1-4 p.m. For more information and to register, visit www. shawnature.org and click on Gardens/ Gardening for Home Landscapers.

Resources: www.grownative.org www.mobot.org/rainscaping (Rainscaping Guide) www.deercreekalliance (Rainscape Rebates program and prize drawing info) www.shawnature.org – Native Plant School

habitat improvement is on your list as well as stormwater management, pesticides should be avoided and the use of regionally native plants is encouraged.

www.shawnature.org – Native Landscaping Manual

Can one person make a difference? Yes, of course! What each of us does on our property affects those downstream from us. By implementing some form of rainscaping, we can all reduce rainwater runoff and the pollution associated with it—clean water is a precious

www.stlwildones.org

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Dig Deeper.

Visit

resource. As we move into a future that demands more sustainable solutions, we should look to nature for some of the answers and consider creating landscapes that are functional as well as aesthetic.

www.showmeraingardens. com www.stlaudubon.org

www.mdc.mo.gov www.rainscaping.org (cross-reference to regional information)

The Gateway Gardener™

GreenGardeningStL.com for More on Sustainable Gardening

A Grow Native! Top 10 List FeATured CATeGory: outstanding Native Shrubs for Wildlife

Attractive • durable • Non-seedy • Flood-tolerant • Attract Pollinators NATive PLANT NAme

HAbiT

Shining Bluestar (Amsonia illustris) Sedge 2 Yellow-fruited (Carex annectans) Sedge 3 Palm (Carex muskingumensis) Holly 4 Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) Turtlehead 5 Rose (Chelone obliqua) Blue flag Iris 6 Southern (Iris virginica) flower 7 Cardinal (Lobelia cardinalis) Fern 8 Sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis) Coneflower 9 Orange (Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa) 10 Groundsel (Senecio aureus)

tall mound

makes good hedges

low mound

fine textured grass

low mound

groundcover

1

uNique quALiTy

shrub

red berries in winter

tall perennial

late summer flowers

groundcover

blue flowers spring

tall perennial

short-lived

fern

shade lover

groundcover

large flower clusters

groundcover

evergreen

Grow Native! is a native plant education and marketing program of the

Cindy Gilberg is a horticulturist and Missouri native who writes, teaches and does consulting and design work in the St. Louis area. Her work focuses on both native plant landscapes as well as other styles of landscape design. Contact cindy. gilberg@gmail.com www.cindygilberg. com This column 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.

19

(Black)Birds of a Feather

by Connie Alwood

T

www.commons.wikimedia.org

Red-winged Blackbird grounds, contamination and further disturbance in wetlands on its wintering grounds in the southeast have combined in a synergistic manner to decrease the numbers of Rusties, as they are often called.

that is why Margy Terpstra, whose photo accompanies this article, usually has them visit her Kirkwood garden in winter. She has a natural boggy area where the Rusties turn over the leaves looking for invertebrates and seeds.

Rusty Blackbird as they show off for the ladies.

Females don’t look anything like the males. They are much smaller with a heavily streaked breast and slightly buffy throat and head. One male will often have several females, and yet woe unto anyone approaching the nest of any of his ladies, for the male will fly directly at the intruder.

In the cattails of the three-acre pond in my neighborhood, Red-wings have nested for several years. As I walk around the pond in April through July I can hear the male’s loud konkla-ree, not exactly a sweet sound. In winter, thousands upon thousands gather in the trees on the islands in the Mississippi River to roost at night. In the early morning they will leave in waves--ribbons of blackbirds--as they make their way to the fields and cattle pens looking for weed seeds and leftover corn. Both the Rusty and Red-winged Blackbirds will fly in mixed flocks with cowbirds and grackles joining them.

As expected the Red-winged Blackbird breeds in our area in big numbers. Go to any marsh or grassy area or even upland field in spring and early summer and the male Red-wings will display their The range of Red-winged bright reddish/orange epaulets Blackbirds is from coast to 20

Speaking of seeds. Throw some bird food out on your lawn this winter. I did last winter and lo and behold a handful of Rusty Blackbirds joined their fellow Icterid, the coast in the United States Red-winged Blackbirds in the and most of Canada and even small feast. most of Mexico. They have even expanded into southern Alaska. In winter, Canadian birds will come south into most of the states, but avoid the Rocky Mountains. The Rusty Blackbird also nests throughout most of Canada and Alaska; however, in winter it is seldom found in the west, Connie Alwood is a Master restricting itself to the east and Gardener and co-author of Birds Midwest. The Rusty Blackbird, of the St. Louis Area: Where and however, is more committed to When to Find Them. wetlands and boggy areas. And Margy Terpstra

hey’re cousins.

The Red-winged Blackbird and the Rusty Blackbird are in the same family: Icteridae. Yet the Red-winged Blackbird is probably the most numerous bird in the lower fortyeight states, while the Rusty Blackbirds’ numbers have plunged dramatically in the last forty years. Some studies say the decrease is ninety percent.

How can this be? Both species have similar habitats and even basically eat the same kinds of food—invertebrates during the breeding season and seeds in winter. Ornithologists believe that disturbance on its breeding

Bring Conservation Home

• Dreaming of your own wildlife sanctuary?

• Fascinated by hummingbirds, butterflies or creepy/ crawlies?

• Not sure how to get started or which native plants are best?

Call (314) 599-7390 or check out our habitat assistance and certification program at:

StLouisAudubon.org/bch The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Upcoming Events County, MO. FREE.

Meetings, Classes, Entertainment and More Updates to this information are often posted on our online events calendar at GatewayGardener. com, so check there for the latest details. If you have a smartphone, scan this code to go directly to the Upcoming Events online calendar.

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 March issue is February 1st.

How to reach us: Mail: PO Box 220853 St. Louis, MO 63122 Email: info@ gatewaygardener.com FUN FOR KIDS Jan. 4th 9 am—Flower Arranging— Children’s Garden Club.

Baisch & Skinner, Inc., 2721 LaSalle St., St. Louis, MO. FREE. Feb. 1st 9am—Fun Things in the Garden- Children’s Garden Club. Sappington Garden Shop. 11530 Gravois, St. Louis JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Mar. 6th-9th Children’s Garden Club at the Builder’s Home and Garden Show, America’s Center & Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis.

Booth #141.

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS Jan. 5th & 6th Western Trade Show / National Green Centre. See pg. 16-17 for details.

Jan. 14th-15th Gateway Green Industry Conference & Trade Show.

See page 16-17 for details.

Jan. 16th 7pm—Schlafly Gardenworks Winter Garden Social and Seed Swap. Join Gardener Jack Petrovic in the Bottleworks Crown Room for stimulating vegetable garden conversation, lecture and guest speaker. Plus, expert gardeners on hand to answer your questions. Bring any extra seeds and plants you have to share on the swap table, meet others like your selves, maybe even win a fabulous door prize. As usual the event is free and seating is limited.

Schlafly Bottleworks 7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood, MO. (314) 241-2337.

Jan. 25th 7pm—O’Fallon Garden Club Trivia Night and Silent Auction. Silent auction, mulligans, 50/50, raffles and cash bar. Bring your own snacks, No outside alcohol. Prizes for highest score and best table decorations incorporating a “Seasons” theme. Katy Cavins Community Center, O’Fallon, IL. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets The Gateway Gardener™

available through Parks and Recreation at (618) 624-0139.

Feb. 1st through Mar. 23rd 9am-5pm— Annual Orchid Show. Features 800 blooming orchids from one of the world’s premier orchid collections. The Orchid Show is the only time of year when a vast, rotating selection of orchids from the Garden’s collection is available for public viewing. Orthwein Floral Display Hall at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission plus $5; free for Garden members.

Feb. 6th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Rainscaping Fundamentals. Bring your questions, comments, photos, drawings, and plant specimens for discussion. Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged.

Registration is required by visiting online at www. shawnature.org or calling (636) 451-3512 x0. $15 ($12 Garden members).

Feb. 7th-9th 25th Anniversary Midwestern Herb and Garden Show. See pg.16-17 for details.

Feb. 20th-Mar. 27th 2pm and 7pm--Gardening Seminars. Each Thursday a different topic is discussed.

Join the fun! Call for topics. Sappington Garden Shop, 11530 Gravois Rd. (314) 843-4700 or SappingtonGardenShop.com.

Feb. 22nd 9am-4pm—Spring Gardening Seminar. Half day or full day classes. For more information in January, visit www. extension.missouri.edu/cole.

George Washington Carver Farm, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO. (573-6342824.

Kansas City Garden Symposium. See pages 16-17 for details.

Dig In: A Gardening Seminar (St. Charles). See pages 16-17 for details.

Mar. 1st St. Louis Garden Blitz: Ask the Expert. See pages 16-17 for details.

Mar. 6th-9th Annual Builders Home and Garden Show. See page 16-17 for details.

Dig Deeper.

Spring 2014 events: Feb 22 Dig-In: A gardening seminar, pick your topics, 3 hours Mar 5

Begin training to become a Master Gardener, 15-weeks

Mar 15 Cool-season vegetable sale, in the greenhouse, 9 - Noon Apr 26 Annual Plant Sale, 9 - Noon

260 Brown Rd., St. Peters, 63376

Visit GatewayGardener.

COM for The LATEST Events Calendar with PostPublication Entries!

Call 636-970-3000 for more info

21

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Girl Scouts Study Native Plants The O’Fallon (Illinois) Garden Club, a group dedicated to c o m m u n i t y beautification and sharing the love of gardening, hosted the Girl Scout Junior Troop 392 from Marie Schaefer Elementary School at the Club’s community garden (the corner of State and Smiley St.) in O’Fallon. The girls came to learn about native plants, to collect seeds, and tour the grounds. They are earning a Gardener Badge as part of their Get Moving! Journey and a Native Plants Patch for Girl Scouts from the National Garden Clubs (NGC).

The club encourages everyone to stop by the community garden and have a walk around. The newly installed butterfly garden is gorgeous. Also, they invite any civic group to contact them for a guided site visit and demonstration during the growing season. The club is available, year round, to come out to a group’s facility to share their vision for beautifying the town. To find out more, visit www.ofallongardenclub.org or email theofallongardenclub@gmail.com. They’re also on Facebook.

More Scouts!

Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade Girl Scout troops from Edgar Road School and Cadettes from Steger 6th Grade Center gathered in December at Sherwood Forest Garden Center and Nursery to make holiday table decorations. The group then delivered the decorations to Laclede Groves Senior Living Center and sang to the residents.

Washington Wins AIB Honor Washington, Missouri, has once again been recognized by the America In Bloom community beautification organization. At the AIB Symposium held in Orlando, Florida, last September, awards were presented to communities in a number of categories. Washington earned an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 22

Representatives of Washington’s America In Bloom Organizing Committee. category of Urban Forestry. This is the 3rd year Washington has competed in the program, and the first year it has earned the Outstanding Achievement Award. In past years, the community was honored with Special Mention recognition in the categories of Community Involvement and Historic Preservation.

Rainscaping Prize Drawing and Rebates

New trends are emerging locally and nationwide on converting standard residential lawns into more sustainable landscapes. Interested landowners may need assistance however, in navigating these new strategies.

For a limited time, Missouri Botanical Garden is offering RainScaping Prize Drawings valued at $350 to $1,000 and a RainScape Rebates Program valued at up to $2,000 per landowner.

Interested parties are invited to fill out a survey at www. mobot.org/rainscaping by February 11, 2014 for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate to the Shaw Nature Reserve Spring Wildflower Market; 10 flats of GT-38 Deep Cell Plug Native Plants and site visit from DJM Ecoscapes valued at $1,000; plant material for a shade or full sun rain garden by Horstmann Brothers valued at $400; 10 man hours of labor for either a landscape/ rain garden design or labor towards installing rainscaping or invasive species removal from Simply Sustainable Landscaping valued at $350; any rain barrel in stock up to 150 gallons valued up to $449 from Rainwater Harvesting Supply Company, LLC; or a rustic natural stone bench, installed from Luna Landscaping, LLC valued at $450. In addition, landowners in 19 participating St. Louis municipalities are eligible to take part in the RainScape Rebates program. This voluntary program financially assists landowners in the Deer Creek Watershed wishing to landscape their yards to improve stormwater management. Residents in the appropriate municipalities may download a RainScape Rebates application form at www.deercreekalliance.org or pick up a hard copy application form at a participating city hall.

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

Class of 2013 was introduced to the group.

STLCC Students Accessible Garden

Create

Wheelchair-

Students from the St. Louis Community CollegeMeramec Horticulture Club and Physical Therapy Assistants Club, as well as students and faculty from Saint Louis University Physical Therapy program, collaborated on a project to create a wheelchairaccessible garden for St Louisan Jerry Weisbrod.

The application deadline for the third round of funding is February 12, 2014.

Eligible cities include Brentwood, Clayton, Creve Coeur, Crystal Lake Park, Des Peres, Frontenac, Glendale, Huntleigh, Kirkwood, Ladue, Maplewood, Olivette, Richmond Heights, Rock Hill, Shrewsbury, Town & Country, University City, Warson Woods and Webster Groves. The RainScape Rebates Program is partially funded by Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Great Rivers Greenway, Missouri Department of Conservation, the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation, and US EPA Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (subgrant number G11-NPS-15), under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

Master Gardeners Honored

At its annual Holiday Party in December, the St. Louis Master Gardeners recognized a number of individuals and organizations for their volunteer contributions and community service efforts. In the latter category, the St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home program, The Independence Center, Little Creek Nature Area and Longview Farm Park were presented with cash awards to help support their endeavors in the use of gardens and gardening to promote health, wellbeing, education and sustainability.

Individual Master Gardeners were recognized for their significant service anniversaries (5, 10, 15, 20—and in the case of Mary Ann Pelot, 30 years!). Carol Gravens was announced as Master Gardener of the Year for her work at the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Doctor Desk and other volunteer service through her 10-year volunteer career. And the new Master Gardener

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

STLCC horticulture student Dara Mattern led the project, assisted by fellow students Anna Koch, Chris Aiken and John Payne. The group designed and implemented a plan that will enable Weisbrod, who is disabled due to a brain tumor, to take part in an activity he enjoys – gardening. “(The students) spent most of the summer gathering information and putting a design together,” said Jerry Pence, who coordinates the STLCC Horticulture program. “They divided the space into four sections and each took charge of designing their section, then came back together and put together the master plan.”

Phase 1 of the multiphase project is complete. It involved designing a landscape around an existing walkway in the backyard of Weisbrod’s home.

Students from the STLCC PTA Club and Saint Louis University provided labor, spreading topsoil and laying sod. The goal is to focus the design of the landscape so Weisbrod can not only enjoy the garden, but also work in it.

Homeowner Wins Native Landscape

Volunteers (pictured above) from the St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones recently installed the sixth-annual garden

for the Landscape Challenge makeover contest. The winning property, on Horner Avenue in St. Louis, received a rain garden, prairie garden and shrub planting. Wild Ones Natural Landscapers encourages Landscaping with native plants in residential, business and public landscapes.

Carol Gravins with U. of MO Extension agent Nathan Brandt.

The Gateway Gardener™

23

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