The Gateway Gardener January/February 2017

Gateway Gardener

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Art in Bloom

A Celebration of Art and Flowers

Dish Gardens Spring Shows, Conventions & Classes Gardening for Bees in the City FREE Courtesy of:

$10.00 OFF

Any Purchase of $40.00 or more!

Good thru 2/28/17. With coupon. Not good with any other sale, coupon or discount or on previous purchases.

HNF-006

2601 E. 5th Street • Washington, MO • 636-239-6729 Hours: Monday - Saturday: 8:00 to 5:00, Sunday: Closed

REDEFINE WINTER INTEREST

Your Complete Gift & Garden Center

1065 SOUTH BIG BEND BLVD. | ST. LOUIS, MO 63117 314.645.7333 | WWW.GARDENHEIGHTS.COM

Upcoming Events

January - It’s for the Birds!

February 4th - Children’s Garden Club Meets 9AM—Birding Project February 11th-14th - Valentine Roses For Your Sweetie—ORDER EARLY February 23rd - Spring Garden Seminars Start & Go through March 30th, 2017 First Seminar - The Pollinator Buffet with Natives & Cultivars, followed by “What’s the Buzzzzzz?”—Pollinators in Your Garden and for Your Health.

11530 Gravois Road St. Louis, MO 63126

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

Start Your Garden Indoors Now!

We Have the Seeds and Supplies You Need!

Plus a Complete Line of Bird Feeders and Bird Seed Safe for you AND your plants!

Earth-Wise Plus!

Eco-Friendly Ice Melt 50 lbs - $14.99!

e” Lik

“

Us

on

115 E. Argonne Kirkwood, MO

(314) 822 -0083 Hours: m-f 9:00-5:30 Sat 8:30-5:00 We Accept: - Personal Checks & Cash

Your Garden Center that’s OPEN YEAR ROUND!

Stop in this winter for firewood, plant super sales, and FREE horticulture classes!

Visit our website for more information.

Like us on Facebook for coupons, updates and specials!

2701 Barrett Station Rd. • St. Louis, MO 63021 www.kirkwoodgardens.com • 314-966-4840

Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 Volume 13, 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 Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional Abby Elliott Nursery Professional Jennifer Schamber Nursery Professional Scott Woodbury Native Plant Specialist

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.

H

From the Editor

ere in St. Louis, winter was a long time coming, with leaves hanging on and blossoms persisting past Thanksgiving.

I planted daffodil bulbs in mid-December. Now arrived, however, the Old Man seems to be making up for lost time, and area meteorologists are predicting an arctic, hunkerdown few months before we can enjoy spring’s renewal.

I like winter, at least through January, but by the time February rolls around, I usually start looking for ways to start pushing the season. Seedstarting is one strategy, and I have some seeds I harvested from coneflower and milkweed last fall chilling in the fridge awaiting a warming bed of potting mix. Another is to visit local botanical “hot spots” like the Missouri Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show and area garden centers that keep their greenhouses and conservatory’s tropically inviting throughout the year.

This year, I also plan to take in the St. Louis Art Museum’s “Art in Bloom” events (page 6). Its pairing of beautiful

other fidgety gardeners and gardening experts and talk all things green! In our annual roundup of spring (and late winter) classes, expos and other garden-related educational events (page 10), you’ll find a full schedule of programs and activities that will prime your gardening pump and have you ready to start moving soil at first thaw! Be sure to check out our Upcoming Events floral arrangements with the calendar, too, for individual art that inspired them offers a classes. very effective escape from the lingering chill of winter.

I think it’s warming already.

Another way to get an early start on spring is to bring gardening indoors with dish gardens.

Dish gardens aren’t simply houseplants slung together, but properly executed, reveal garden design techniques in miniature. Anything you can do outdoors you can replicate in a dish garden. Steffie Littlefield, an accomplished outdoor garden designer, tells us how to succeed with dish gardens as well (page 4).

Good Gardening!

(ps: Another year older, Rosie can now sit for her portrait unrestrained... given the promise of a treat afterward.)

Finally, a surefire way to slough off winter blues is to meet with

On the Cover...

No matter the wintery conditions outdoors, the flowers are blooming indoors at the St. Louis Art Museum’s Art in Bloom events. See page 6 for more information. (Photo courtesy St. Louis Art Museum.)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Dish Gardens 5 Know the Pros!

6 Art in Bloom 8 Dig This!

10 Shows, Classes and Conventions 12 Gardening for Bees in the City 15 Upcoming Events

Dish Gardens

by Steffie Littlefield

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adults! Take inspiration from a favorite vacation spot, hobby, or decorating magazine and incorporate it into your very own dish garden. Include accents like stones, miniature figurines, and other features that reflect the theme – from fairy villages, to Zen gardens, to tropical forests.

Anything goes. The vessel one chooses can be as simple as a small bowl, larger saucer or even a box. Dish gardens may not always have drainage and therefore the layering of different mediums is recommended to support the healthy growth of plants. Smaller and shallow containers are adequate for succulents and some dwarf tropical plants, however small trees and leafy plants need more moisture available in the Dish gardens make a great hands-on project for both kids and soil so added depth in the container is better. If the container does have drainage it is necessary to use a saucer to keep furniture from being ruined. garden can truly be planted anywhere the gardener can tend to it. The oldfashioned notion of recreating nature in a small space is where the inspiration for the “Dish Garden” originated. The idea of planting a garden in a dish, vessel, bowl or shallow pot is an ancient notion dating back centuries in Asian culture and European/monastic cultures. When the forces of nature were greater than the passion to garden, an alternative became planting a garden in miniature or in a dish. This in modern times is also a very creative interior design element, adding life to our interior living space. Get creative and find a beautiful “Dish” and then add plants; it’s that simple.

. e in Town.

While You’r

Types of Exhibitors Fresh herbs, herbs for culinary, medicinal and decorative use, bulbs, seeds, books on birds, herbs and gardening, hypertufa, live plants, herbal cookbooks, gardening magazines, bird feeders, houses and baths, antiques, china, spices, dried floral arrangements, goat's milk soap, herbal soap, painted ceramics, garden signs, decor, homemade fudge, herbal spices and blends, spiced nuts, trellises, gourds, orchids, fudge, pasta, rolling pins and more!

When planning a dish garden, it’s important to select plants that share similar growing needs in terms of light and water requirements.

Since they will all be living together in one container, this will ensure all the plants will thrive. Landscaping the dish garden can be done in a multitude of different ways depending upon the look you are going for. Create different levels of terrain by combining tall, medium, and low growing plants and add contrast by varying the size, texture, and color of the leaves. Add flowering plants for unexpected color. When selecting plants, arrange them at the

REJUVENATE

Free Classes

New Easy Care Roses for 2017, Raising Chickens, What Your Weeds Tell You, Hummingbirds Up Close, Cardinals - Everyone’s Favorite Bird, Essential Herbs for Animals, A Handful of Projects to Jazz Up Your Garden and much more!

Brighten up the New Year with succulents for the home.

29th Annual Midwestern Herb & Garden Show February 10th - 12th, 2017 | Times Square Mall

HOME & GARDEN :: LANDSCAPING :: IRRIGATION :: MAINTENANCE

Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday: 12 - 5 p.m.

FREE ADMISSION For more information: (800) 252-5464 or www.midwesternherbandgardenshow.com

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550 HIGHWAY F DEFIANCE, MO 636.798.2555 ::::: FRISELLANURSERY.COM

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

garden center in the dish you plan to use to be sure you purchase the right number of plants and that they blend well together.

Match the soil type to the plants – sandy soils for cactus and succulents, potting mix for houseplants. After the plants are arranged, make sure to water your dish garden to set the soil in place.

Want to try a desert theme? Succulents, cactus, and other desert plants combine beautifully to create contrasting shades and textures.

There is a world of fascinating plants to choose from - combine low growing plants like the spikes of haworthia, the rosettes of hens and chicks (echeveria) or crassula, the smooth green surface of living stone (lithops), and the petite leaves of graptopetalum with taller plants like the brightly flowered kalanchoe, and tall stalks of aloe.

Thinking of some place sunny and warm, go for a tropical theme.

Look for plants with lush leaves and graceful silhouettes. Start with tall colorful dracaenas or a leafy palm, soften the edges with the feathery leaves of ptseris ferns, and add drama with the dark green glossy leaves of pittosporum, the variegated leaves of croton. Fill in with shorter plants like peperomia and complete the look with low spreading plants like creeping fig, ivy or philodendron.

Planting and Planning Tips • For a centerpiece, it’s best to place the tallest plant in the center so the dish garden can be viewed from all angles. Cluster smaller plants around the sides to add fullness and texture.

• If you’re only viewing the dish garden from one side, place the tallest plant in the back with smaller plants in the foreground.

• Make sure not to over plant your dish garden! Start with fewer plants and leave some room to grow.

• For decorative purpose top the soil with fine bark or gravel and add small accents like twigs or stones. For a personal touch, any ornament can be added to the dish garden!

• Although they are low maintenance, dish gardens require some watering, pruning, transplanting, and replacement.

Thanks to Garden Heights Nursery and Rolling Ridge Nursery for the dish gardens pictured here and on the cover.

Steffie Littlefield is a horticulturist and garden designer at Garden Heights Nursery and part-owner of Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard. 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.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

Know The Pros!

Green-Industry Experts You Should Meet!

Each month, we are introducing readers to one of our area’s green-industry professional individuals or businesses. In this issue, we invite you to get to know...

2701 Barrett Station Rd. St. Louis, MO 63021 (314) 966-4840 KirkwoodGardens.com

A Little History…

Kirkwood Gardens opened in 1997, as Kirkwood Material Supply’s garden center branch.

With almost 20 years offering experience, hard work, and a passion for plants and the horticulture industry, it is well known by area homeowners, landscapers and designers for having an extensive array of the best performing ornamental plants specifically selected for the St. Louis area. With experienced horticulturists and hardscape specialists always on staff, you’ll find the knowledge you need to complete your outdoor projects.

You’ve GOT to see…

…their outdoor displays. Experienced horticulturists are always here having fun and available to educate and inspire. Check out the greenhouse for perennials, ground cover, and shrubs for shade. The showroom houses a selection of gardening tools and gifts, organic and synthetic fertilizers and soil amendments, grass seed, and more. Scope out the hardscape and natural stone area for other projects you didn’t know you wanted to start!

For your convenience they’re open year round, and deliver everything that they sell, including mulch and other bulk materials. Don’t forget to find the resident cats Frankie & Hey!

What’s New for 2017?:

In 2017 Kirkwood Gardens is pleased to offer free horticultural classes in February! Hosted by Dan Billman (see events page in this issue), and a brand new Free Gardening Library. Check out their website for more, and find them on Facebook!

Proud Member of...

Looking for professional help for your garden, lawn and landscape?

StLouisLandscape.org

Search our website’s membership directory or look for the LNAGSL logo in members’ ads in The Gateway Gardener.

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Art in Bloom

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A Celebration of Art and Flowers Feb. 24th-26th

rt in Bloom returns February 24–26 with a decidedly French twist! The Museum’s annual festival of art and flowers will feature 35 works of art, some new on view, creatively interpreted into floral displays by the region’s most talented florists. In addition to the floral displays, the festival includes lectures and new events that meld art, entertaining and French wine. And on Sunday, a popular family event returns with activities for children. Caleres will once again serve as presenting sponsor of Art in Bloom. The 138-year-old company, formerly known as Brown Shoe Company, has supported Art in Bloom since 2005, and its longtime investment in Art in Bloom has enriched the experiences of thousands of visitors and enabled the Museum to provide inspiring and enlightening connections.

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Exclusively for Members

Museum members can enjoy exclusive early morning entry to Art in Bloom on Friday and Saturday from 8 to 10 am.

Reservations are not required but you must present a current membership card for entry before 10 am. Admission to Art in Bloom is free, but tickets are required for select programs in The Farrell Auditorium.

Members enjoy valuable discounts on ticketed programs as well as Art in Bloom dining in Panorama or the Cafe. Tickets for lectures and programs go on sale January 10 for Members and on January 17 for the general public.

Tickets may be purchased at the Museum’s Information Centers or through MetroTix. When ordering through MetroTix, use the special promo code SLAMAUD2017.

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

World Renowned Designer Featured

As artistic director of the Four Season Hotel George V in Paris and floral artist to the stars, Jeff Leatham is known throughout the world for his breathtaking floral installations. In an exclusive presentation visitors will be introduced to the inspiration behind

SLAM Underground: Fleur

Friday evening from 7 to 10 pm is a lively approach to experiencing art, music, cocktails and the art-inspired floral arrangements.

Entertaining French Style

floral arrangements.

Learn how to create a French-inspired event, perfect for parties and showers from entertainment connoisseurs Bon Apetit Executive Chef Ivy Magruder, Mike Ward from Ward on Wine, and St. Louis at Home Magazine Editor Veronica Theodoro. You’ll see demonstrations of French cuisine concepts and learn how to pair those with French wines, plus how to set a beautiful French-inspired tablescape incorporating

Art in Bloom Family Day

his creative designs that transform spaces through arrangements that are compared to works of contemporary art.

L’Aperitif Happy Hour

On Friday, from 5 to 7 pm, enjoy French wines in Sculpture Hall before or after a stroll through the galleries. Cash bar and light refreshments will be for sale.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

On Sunday, children can create their own flower inspired art, take a self-guided scavenger hunt throughout the galleries and enjoy storytelling. Family Sundays are supported by Wells Fargo Advisors.

This information originally appeared in the St. Louis Art Museum magazine’s Winter 2017 issue. Photos courtesy St. Louis Art Museum.

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Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Master Gardeners 2016 Recognitions

Dennis Green

The St. Louis Master Gardeners honored both new and veteran members at their annual holiday luncheon in December. Among the new, more than 60 graduates of Chip Tynan the Class of 2016 were recognized for completing the rigorous training program and agreeing to 50 hours of annual volunteer service in the community. Among the veterans, significant service anniversaries were observed, including 29 celebrating 5 years of volunteer service, and 14 with 10 years of service, 7 master gardeners with 20 years in the books, and another 7 with 25 years, including Kay Banks, Joanne Fogarty, Norma Holler, Deborah Ladd, Cherie Moody, Barbara Mutz and Patricia O’ Brien. Several master gardeners were also honored for significant lifetime accumulations of service hours, including John Stephens (9,040 hours) and Ron Stevens (6,347 hours). A Special Recognition Award was also presented to Chip Tynan, director of the Horticulture Answer Service, where he has been answering the area’s most perplexing plant, insect and disease questions since the 1980s! Congratulations, all!

GROW Exhibit Showcases Native Plants

The St. Louis Science Center’s new GROW Exhibit, debuting last spring to educate visitors about 8

the nation’s food supply and where it comes from, also exhibits and describes the ecological value of native plants in the landscape. Even more natives were added last fall by volunteers from Grow Native/ Missouri Prairie Foundation, Missouri Master Naturalists, members of local Great Rivers & Confluence chapters and Ted Spaid, principal of SWT Design. The Native Prairie Strip Demonstration Exhibit included a variety of prairie forbs (flowering perennials) and grasses, and are meant to show how such strips planted downhill of a crop field can reduce water runoff and pollutants while adding beneficial wildlife habitat and other benefits.

New Organization Merges Missouri Green Industry Professional Groups

At recent annual membership meetings, the Missouri Turf and Ornamental Council (MoTOC) and Missouri Landscape and Nursery Association (MLNA) agreed to merge into a single statewide organization to be called Missouri Green Industry Alliance (MoGIA). The mission of the new organization is to provide a unified voice for Missouri’s green industry with a vision to offer a resource that advances the green industry and increases public awareness of the industry’s value to Missouri.

The leadership Board will represent each professional sector of the industry, including landscape (construction, ecological restoration and management), land care (commercial, residential, municipal, arboriculture, irrigation), turf management (commercial, residential, golf, sports turf), landscape architecture and design, production (nursery, greenhouse, sod, support products), distribution (wholesale, sales and brokerage), retail garden The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

centers and institutions of higher learning.

The work of MoGIA will include educating professionals and students through on-going professional development activities, promotion of the green industry’s value to the public, advocating for the green industry by providing members an awareness of the legislative process and affording them the opportunity and communicating the results of their actions, supporting research and sharing pure and applied findings, collaborating between and among green industry professionals and with alliance organizations and institutions, and encouraging environmental stewardship by fostering responsible awareness of and engagement in practices that support stewardship.

Missouri Botanical Garden Announces New 2017 Exhibit

The Missouri Botanical Garden will play host to floral glass artist Craig Mitchell Smith next summer during its Garden of Glass event. Smith’s pieces have previously been on exhibit at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center, Michigan S t a t e University and various botanical gardens. His work has been featured on HGTV. Smith is known for his custom kiln-fired technique and style. He uses fusing, texturing, slumping and cold-working to create his pieces. Next summer’s exhibit will feature 30 displays, all commissioned specifically for the Missouri Botanical Garden. It will be the world’s largest kiln-fired glass exhibit to date. The majority of the exhibit will be housed in the Garden’s Climatron® with preview pieces on other parts of the grounds and one display at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. Evening events will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings June 1 to August 12 so that guests can see the exhibit with custom lighting. Evening events will feature food and beverage sales and live entertainment. The pieces are best seen at night, but will be on display during regular daytime hours at no additional charge.

Tickets for evening events will be available in early January 2017.

Garden Veteran Retires

June Hutson, longtime educator, horticulturist and JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

Friends and co-workers gathered last month to celebrate June Hutson’s (center front) career and contributions to Missouri Botanical Garden and the St. Louis gardening scene.

supervisor at Missouri Botanical Garden, retired at the end of 2016. Over the years, June has worked in the Climatron, the old Mediterranean House, the Shoenberg Temperate House, the Heckman Rock Garden, the Kassabaum Dwarf Conifer collection, and most recently as the horticulture supervisor of the outdoor Kemper Center for Home Gardening plant collections. She was also familiar to many St. Louisans through her regular appearances on local radio programs, where she often paired with the Garden’s Chip Tynan to answer listeners’ gardening questions. An excellent educator, she has been a frequent teacher of Adult Education courses at the Garden, and is a regular instructor in the Master Gardener training program. She has also been a popular speaker for local professional organizations and garden clubs.

Among her many accomplishments, June is the author of a popular book on Annual Gardening, a founder and past president of the local chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, and a long-term member of both the Perennial Plant Association, and the American Conifer Societies.

“June has inspired a legion of St. Louis area gardeners and visitors through her writing and lectures, “said Chip Tynan, “but most especially with her innovative plant selections and artistic combinations that have beautified the various areas in which she has worked at Missouri Botanical Garden. She has been an extraordinary ambassador for the Garden, generously sharing her love of plants and her encyclopedic gardening knowledge with both the public and professional peers. The Garden grounds have benefitted immensely from her enthusiasm for seeking out new and unusual plant material, her exquisite design sense, her tireless work ethic, and her inspirational passion for excellence.”

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2017 Spring Shows, Conventions & Classes In this our 10th 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!

Illinois First Detector Program U of I Extension, Monroe County Office 901 Illinois Avenue, Waterloo,IL January 25th The one-day course teaches participants how to report potential invasive threats. Topics this year include invasive plants and human health, oak tree diseases, and emerging invasive forest insects.

The program focuses on current and new invasive pests, but also provides updates on previously covered topics. The popular handson portion of the workshop allows participants to examine invasive species samples in detail and learn identification techniques that will help them to distinguish these invasive pests in the field.

Workshop participants take the knowledge they acquire to their own communities. Call 618-344-4230 for more information or register online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/mms/.

A Handful of Projects to Jazz Up Your Garden, and more. Exhibitors display a variety of items including fresh herbs, herbs for culinary, medicinal and decorative use, bulbs, seeds, books on birds, herbs and gardening, hypertufa, plants, herbal cookbooks, gardening magazines, bird feeders, houses and baths, antiques, china, spices, trellises, gourds, orchids, fudge, pasta, rolling pins, and many more.

Times Square Mall located on Broadway & 42nd Street. Hours are 10am – 9pm on Friday & Saturday and 12pm – 5pm Sunday.

Free Admission & Free Hourly Classes. For more information call (618) 842-7108 or email midwesternherbshow@gmail.com.

PreSeason Gardening Expo Rolling Ridge Nursery Webster Groves, MO February 11th 10am-3pm. Join local industry experts who will cover gardening th topics, education, demonstrations, and seed-starting for kids.

28 Anniversary Midwestern Herb and Garden Show Refreshments and prizes on hand. Participants include: Audubon Times Square Mall, Mt. Vernon, IL. th th Society, Chris’ Lawn and Maintenance, The Easy Chicken, Farming Feb. 10 -12 For both the gardening experts and the gardening hopefuls, three Blueprint LLC, The Gateway Gardener, Gateway Greening, days of demonstrations, classes, and seminars with nationally Grow Native, Henry Cactus and recognized speakers and unique displays by more than 40+ Shaw Society, exhibitors.The Herb & Garden Show, hosted by the Herbs for Succulent Meramec Community College Horticulture Program, Missourians for Monarchs, Ritter Greenhouse, Ritter Perennials, St. Louis County Parks and Children’s Gardening Club and Pollinator Project, Seed Geeks, Trees, Forests and Landscapes, Think about Tables, Wallflower Design, Wildflower Wagon, Wild Ones, and Woodhat Spirits will be here with samples and sales of their locally made cordials and whiskey! Rolling Ridge Nursery, 60 N. Gore, Webster Groves. Visit RollingRidgeNursery. com for more information or call (314) 962-3311.

Health and Fun Club, is an opportunity to learn from the experts Gateway Small Fruit & Vegetable Conference during the free hourly educational classes where you can ask Regency Conference Center questions, share information and even participate in take-home O’Fallon, IL activities. Topics include New Easy Care Roses for 2017, Raising February 15th Chickens, What Your Weeds Tell You, Hummingbirds Up Close, Commercial fruit and vegetable growers, as well as those interested Cardinals-Everyone’s Favorite Bird, Essential Herbs for Animals, 10

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

in the latest research on disease and insect effects on fruits and vegetables are invited to attend. This conference has breakout speaker sessions and vendors who will be displaying the latest products available. Registration will be open in December for this conference. The registration fee is an affordable per family or per farm fee. Call 618-344-4230 for more information or register online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/mms/.

Gateway Green Industry Conference Gateway Convention Center Collinsville, IL March 1st This event features a keynote speaker and 5 breakout sessions with a variety of topics to choose from in each session. It is open to all interested in natives, trees, perennials, invasive plants, pollinators, rain garden and much more. Registration is $80. Call 618-344-4230 for more information or register online at http://web.extension. illinois.edu/mms/.

Partners for Native Landscaping St. Louis Community College-Meramec Kirkwood, MO March 3rd and 4th 5:30-9pm Fri., 9am-4pm Sun. A reception (Fri.) and workshop (Sat.) for homeowners offering information and resources on how to landscape with native plants for greener communities. Keynote speakers are Neil Diboll, President of Prairie Nursery, and Heather Holm, author of Pollinators of Native Plants. Other breakout

A Standard Flower Show

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March 9th-12th Builder’s Home & Garden Show America’s Center • St. Louis, MO

his year’s annual flower show at the St. Louis Builder’s Home and Garden Show invites participants to celebrate some literary masterpieces and represent them in beautiful floral designs! “Bookworm” 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, 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 7th at Baisch & Skinner.

Sponsors encourage any interested gardeners and flower arrangers to enter regardless of past experience.

The deadline for entries is March 1st.

For questions call: Design Entries Jeanne Davis (314) 838-8505

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, Emerald View Turf Farms, Jost Greenhouses, St. Louis Composting and Wiethop Greenhouses.

Even if you don’t enter, be sure to stop by the Flower Show at Booth #4051. And be sure to bring your children to the Children’s Garden Club booth #4043.

For complete rules and regulations, visit our website at: GatewayGardener.com/flowershows/rules

Entry Form for Horticulture Division

Name__________________________________________ Phone #________________________________________ Address________________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip_____________ Class#

Class Title

_______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ Mail or email form to: Jackie Reynolds • 452 Foreston Place Webster Groves, MO 63119 • JReynolds452@charter.net

sessions on topics including Gardening for Wildlife, Rainscaping, and Native Gardening Practices. Natvie plants for sale, and vendors from various organizations on hand to answer questions about native gardening and related topics. Registration is $20 for the reception, and $15 for the workshop, which includes lunch.

Register online at www.stlouisaudupon.org/PNL2017.

2017 Weekend Gardener Our Lady of Snows Belleville, IL March 4th 16 horticultural breakout session to choose from this event is always a local favorite. $40, includes lunch. Registration information is available at 618-939-3434.

Entry Form for Design Division

(Also use this form for Youth Design Section*)

Name__________________________________________ Phone #________________________________________ Address________________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip_____________ For Youth Entries: Age_______ Class#

Grade______________

Class Title

_______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ Mail form to:

Nancy Senter • 8822 Heather Ln. • Hazelwood, MO 63042

*Youth entries mail or email to: Douglas Wolter • St. Louis County Parks and Recreation • 1675 S. Mason Rd.• St. Louis, MO 63131 • DWolter@stlouisco.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

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Naturally Natives Gardening for Bees in the City Text and photos by Scott Woodbury

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re we serving nature by gardening with native plants and is it possible to promote biodiversity in urban places? Given the negative effect development seems to have on biodiversity these are valid questions. St. Louis lacks natural wildlife diversity and quality plant communities.

That’s a typical consequence of development.

producing flowers.

Some native plants definitely attract bees better than others.

It is not one size fits all.

Bumblebees love big flowers that they can wallow in like blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis) and poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata). On balmy latewinter days tiny sweat bees and flies appear on blooming prairie pussytoes (Antennaria But what happens when neglecta) and Ozark witch hazel development begins to revert (Hamamelis vernalis). Pull up a back to nature? That has Louis University, says there are unattended areas growing weeds chair or sit on the ground for happened in parts of North greater numbers of bees than in like chicory and Queen-Anne’s the best view. Later in spring St. Louis where Dr. Gerardo communities in south St. Louis lace to the north and fewer black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) Camilo, a bee scientist at St. like Holly Hills. There are more people spraying herbicides on and American linden (Tilia them. That’s just the opposite americana) trees bloom, luring in Holly Hills, which has the a cacophony of bees by day Partners for Native Landscaping ...present a reception and workshop for homeowners second lowest population of and silent armies of moths by featuring Neil Diboll, President of Prairie Nursery bees in St. Louis according to night. At the tail-end of spring, and Heather Holm, author of Pollinators of Native Plants Camilo. Basically his research Reception Fri., March 3, 2017 5:30-9pm found that weeds growing in Workshop Sat. March 4, 2017 9am-4pm abandoned lots do more for at St. Louis Community College - Meramec Campus wildlife diversity than highly Saturday’s Workshop offers information and resources manicured lawns and bushes. on how to landscape with Makes me think that planting native plants for greener communities. natives in homes, community gardens, churches and parks can Breakout sessions on... do the same, OR BETTER. • Gardening for Wildlife • Designing Native Gardens • Maintaining Native Gardens • Developing Rainscaping Features

Also...

Register for one or both-but Hurry!

Space is Limited Register Online at www.stlouisaudubon.org/PNL2017 Workshop at St. Louis Community College - Meramec 11333 Big Bend Blvd Kirkwood, MO 63122 For more info call 636-451-3512 x6078

Partner Organizations...

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• Hear about Organizations • Discover Upcoming Events • Meet Other Native Gardeners • Purchase Missouri Wildflowers

Cost: Friday $20 With Appetizer Buffet Saturday $15 With Lunch

Camilo encourages homeowners to replace 20% of mowed grass with native plants to improve habitat for bees. This conversion also improves storm water infiltration. Camilo also recommends mowing grass at 3-4 inches high every two weeks instead of 1-2 inches every week to increase habitat and food for bees. This combined with a tolerance for lawn weeds like violets and dandelions helps bees and other beneficial insects survive in urban places by providing them with nectar-

native swamp rose (Rosa palustris) and Carolina rose (R. caroliniana) attract small bumblebees that do a crazydance on the flowers. Scientists call it buzz-pollination. Dance, little bumblebees, dance!

When summer rolls around the best bee performance in town is on the stage of a wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants Dig Deeper.

Visit

GreenGardeningStL.com for More on Sustainable Gardening

A Grow Native! Top 10 List FEATURED CATEGORY:

TOP 10 NATIVE PLANTS TO ATTRACT BEES Heavy Nectar Production • Attractive to bees • Tried and true NATIVE PLANT NAME

1 2

flower cluster where metallic sweat bees, honeybees, small bumblebees, flies, beetles, moths and wasps all take turns lapping up its sweet nectar. It reminds me of a frenzied bait ball of sardines slowly being devoured by tuna, diving birds, sea lions, and whales until the last fish is gone. This is another National Geographic moment waiting for you in your own back yard. Sadly, the cultivar ‘Annabelle’ and other “improved varieties” have no nectar/pollen producing flowers and no performers.

Next bee-magnet on deck in summer is ladies eardrops (Brunicchia cirrosa) which, like children, can more easily be heard than seen. Bees swarm to

this high-climbing woody vine so the trick is to grow it on a low trellis or fence so you can view the show without binoculars and more easily prune it. I recommend cutting it back hard every 2-3 years. It will bloom on new stems and is best pruned in winter.

For more information about lawn alternatives check out the Missouri Botanical Garden’s rainscaping web page at www. mobot.org. To find sources of native plants referenced in this article and many more that support pollinators, visit www.grownative.org, Resource Guide. Also check out the plants featured in the Grow Native!

Pollinator Buffet program.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

American linden Tilia americana Aromatic aster

Symphotrichum oblongifolum

HEIGHT SUN/SHADE UNIQUE QUALITY 50+ ft.

Pt. shade

2-3 in.

Full-pt. shade Sun/pt. shade Sun/pt. shade Sun/pt. shade Sun/pt. shade Full-pt. shade

Blue wild indigo 2-3 ft.

Baptisia australis Blue sage 3-5 ft.

Salvia azurea Butterfly milkweed 2 ft.

Asclepias tuberosa Ladies eardrops 30-40 ft.

Brunnichia cirrosa Prairie pussytoes 2-3 in.

Antennaria neglecta Slender mountain mint 14-20 Pt. shade Pycnanthemum tenuifolium in.

Wild bergamot Sun/pt.

4-6 ft.

Monarda fistulosa shade Wild hydrangea Sun/pt.

4-6 ft. shade Hydrangea arborescens

Shade tree. Honeybee magnet.

Fall-blooming perennial.

Drought tolerant.

Long-lived perennial.

Bumblebee magnet.

Summer-blooming perennial.

Light blue.

Dry-loving perennial.

Pollinator magnet.

Woody vine. Honeybees.

Grows quickly.

Low spreading groundcover.

Leaves 1” high.

Clump-forming perennial.

Long-lived.

Summer-blooming perennial.

Mounded shrub. Shade to part shade.

Note: This list was created by Scott Woodbury, based on his many years of experience and observations as the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. The plants on this list are not in ranked order.

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

™

Bring Conservation Home

Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for more than 20 years. He is also an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s GrowNative! program.

• 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:

www.stlouisaudubon.org/BCH

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

13

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

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.

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.

Fun For Kids Jan. 7th 9 am—Dried Flora— Children’s Garden Club.

Baisch & Skinner, Inc., 2721 LaSalle St., St. Louis, MO. FREE. 10-11am—First Saturday Kids.

Make a mason jar terrarium. $5 supply fee. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

Feb. 4th 9am—Birding ProjectChildren’s Garden Club.

Sappington Garden Shop. 11530 Gravois, St. Louis County, MO. FREE. 10-11am—First Saturday Kids.

Bring the kids by and make a Valentine’s Planter as a figt for Mom or Dad. $5 supply fee.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS Jan. 12th 6-7pm—Native Plantings in Kirkwood School District.

Learn from Kirkwood plant expert Bill Ruppert about the many native plantings that are springing up throughout the school district and why they are important and educational. Then visit a variety of information tables related to natives, pollinators, sustainability and outdoor education. Keysor Elementary School, 725 N. Geyer Rd., Kirkwood, MO.

Jan. 12th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Getting a Handle on Invasive Bush Honeysuckle. Control methods described in this class are designed for both homeowners and large landowners having problems with bush honeysuckle.

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. $17 ($14 Garden members).

Jan. 14th 10am and 1pm—Terrarium Classes. Woodland Foliage (10am), Succulent Garden (1pm). FREE classes. Rolling Ridge Nursery, 60 N. Gore, Webster Groves, MO. RollingRidgeNursery.com.

10-11am—Mini Garden MakeN-Take Workshop. Create your own Mini Garden to take home. A container, plants and mini decor items are included in a $40.00 supply fee. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist,

Henri Fantin-Latour, French, 1836–1904; Asters in a Vase, 1875; oil on canvas; 22 7/8 x 23 1/4 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase 4:1944

February 24–26

Free Admission. Tickets required for featured events.

For ticket information, full schedule of Art in Bloom lectures and performances, parking, and information about the free parking shuttle, visit slam.org/bloom.

One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park SLAM.org/bloom

#slamartinbloom

Art in Bloom is supported by

14

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

Jan. 21 1pm—Tropical Houseplants 101.

Horticulturist Mike Hellman, a local indoor plant enthusiast with over 30 years of experience, will discuss the care and benefits of indoor plants.

Rolling Ridge Nursery, 60 N. Gore, Webster Groves, MO. RollingRidgeNursery.com. st

10-11am—String Garden Make-N-Take Workshop.

Create your own moss ball string garden to take home. $20.00 supply fee. Please call 636-2396729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com.

Jan. 25th Illinois First Detector Program See page 10-11 for details.

Jan. 28th 10-11am—Beta Fish Bowl Make-N-Take Workshop.

Create a classic betta fish and plant bowl combination to take home. $25.00 supply fee. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

Feb. 3rd 11am-3pm—American Red Cross Blood Drive. Come anytime during these hours and help save lives by donating blood. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

District of MO. Free and open to the public. Community of Christ Church 830 Kirkwood Rd., Kirkwood, MO. February 4th 8am-noon—Perry County Master Gardener Symposium.

Classes for gardeners. Choose 3 from 7 offered. Vendors of local products on site. Registration $10. For information or to register call U of MO Extension, (573) 5474504. Perryville Higher Ed. Center, 108 S. Progress Dr., Perryville, MO. Feb. 4th through Mar. 26th 9am-5pm—Annual Orchid Show: Where Wild Things Grow. Features 500 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. Beaumont Room at Missouri Botanical Garden.

Feb. 7th 10am—How Did This Plant Get Here? Learn about origins of our native, invasive and cultivated plants. Gain an appreciation for why we select the ornamental plants we sell. FREE class.

Kirkwood Gardens, 2701 Barrett Station Rd., St. Louis, MO 63021. KirkwoodGardens.com.

Garden members).

Feb. 10th-12th 29th Anniversary Midwestern Herb and Garden Show. See pg. 10-11 for details.

Feb. 11th 10am-3pm—Preseason Gardening Expo. See page 1011 for details.

Feb. 15th 1pm—Soil Basics. Learn about traits of Missouri landscape soils, how we use them, abuse them and manage them. FREE class. Kirkwood Gardens, 2701 Barrett Station Rd., St. Louis, MO 63021. KirkwoodGardens. com.

Feb. 23rd 6pm—Shaping Your Plants: Learning to Prune Properly.

Learn about the best methods, tools, and timing for pruning various trees, shrubs and perennials.

FREE class.

Kirkwood Gardens, 2701 Barrett Station Rd., St. Louis, MO 63021. KirkwoodGardens.com.

Feb. 23rd-Mar. 30th 2pm and 7pm--Gardening Seminars. Each Thursday a different topic is discussed.

Join the fun! Today’s topic: The Pollinator Buffet with Natives and Cultivars, plus “What’s the Buzzzzzz?” Pollinators in Your Garden and For Your Health.

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

Feb. 24th-26th Art in Bloom. See pages 6-7 for details.

March 1st Gateway Green Industry Conference. See pages 10-11 for details.

March 3rd-4th 5:30-9pm Fri., 9am-4pm Sat.—Partners for Native Landscaping. See Page 10-11 for details.

March 9th-12th Bookworm!

A Standard Flower Show. See Page 10-11 for details.

Feb. 9th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Greenhouse Propagation of Native Plants. This class will rd th introduce the basic propagation Feb 3 -4 that involve 2:30-4:30pm Fri., 10am-3pm methods scarification, Sat.—Artistic Endeavors. A stratification, soils, containers, standard flower show with 24 timing, floral design arrangements and fertilization and basic insect over 40 plant exhibits. Also 3 management. Class held at Shaw educational exhibits depicting: Nature Reserve Greenhouse kinetic floral designs, Are black area. Session includes hands& white colors? and abstracting on tours and demonstrations. participation plant materials for flower Audience arranging. Presented by the encouraged. Registration is Greater St. Louis Council of required by visiting online at Nationally Accredited Flower www.shawnature.org or calling Show Judges of the East Central (636) 451-3512 x0. $17 ($14

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

15

Just waiting around for winter to be over? Well Stop! Start planning your lush spring lawn and garden now!

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