The Gateway Gardener May 2016

Gateway Gardener

MAY 2016

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

for k Loo terfly t Bu Guide

EE R F g e th enin rd Ga ide!

Ins

NEW Perennials for Pollinators!

Colorful Blooms for Shade Summer Garden Tour Guide Invasive Plants FREE Courtesy of:

MAY 2016

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LET’S GET OUTSIDE Longer days and warmer weather are filling our days with joy and flowers.

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The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

MAY 2016

Volume 12, Number 4

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 Molly Rockamann EarthDance Farms 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.

MAY 2016

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From the Editor

hen I first started getting my hands dirty and dabbling in gardening a couple decades ago, one of the greatest attributes one could bestow upon a plant was, “Bugs don’t chew on it.” Of course, you’d want it to be pretty, too, but if the leaves remained hole-free, that was definitely a gold star for its resume! Over the years, we as gardeners and landscapers have fairly successfully adopted that criteria, to the point where, in a typical suburban landscape, there’s hardly a plant anywhere where an insect can find a meal.

And if they can’t chew on a leaf or sip some nectar or harvest some pollen, then they disappear, and with them go the songbirds whose young rely on their protein, and, in the larger agricultural picture, many of our own food crops that count on their pollinating rounds.

So, as regular readers will know, we and the gardening industry have been encouraging people to plant more native plants as well as native cultivars and non-natives that attract insects that pollinate and that birds feed upon. This is the second consecutive issue featuring “pollinator plants” as our cover story, though the

focus in this issue is on newer cultivated varieties of perennials Steffie Littlefield suggests that have butterflies aflutter and bees abuzz (pg. 16). Our regular “native” columnist Scott Woodbury frequently touts the pollinator popularity of natives, and does so again in this issue’s edition encouraging biodiversity in the garden (pg. 12).

In this month’s column, as in others, Scott refers to the reigning godfather of the movement to plant suburban landscapes with bugs in mind, Doug Tallamy.

Doug is an entomologist and professor at the University of

On the Cover...

Plants can be pretty and productive, as with this marsh milkweed cultivar Asclepias incarnata ‘Cinderella’. The cultivar of a Missouri native, it not only blushes with profuse pink blossoms in summer, it is a magnet for butterflies and other pollinators. See more pollinator pleasing plants on page 14. (Photo courtesy Walters Gardens, Inc.)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Invasive Plants 6 Gardening with Raised Beds 8 Long-Blooming Shade Plants

The Gateway Gardener™

10 12 14 17 18 19 19 20 22 24 26 28 30

Delaware, and author of the book Bringing Nature Home. In the past few years, Doug has been a frequent guest on the St. Louis area gardening lecture circuit.

Most recently he spoke to a sold out room in Edwardsville, Illinois.

If you missed that chance to hear him, you have another when he’ll speak at a free symposium in Columbia, Missouri, next month.

See page 24 for a few details and some background from one of his converts, Bill Ruppert. I am another, and having heard Doug speak four times, now, I still plan to attend, as his message is always fresh and inspiring—even a fifth time!

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this month, why not keep in mind the plight of those mother (and father) birds out there trying to feed their young this spring.

And don’t be afraid to give Mom a plant with a few holes in its leaves!

Good Gardening!

Green Homes Festival Biodiversity in your Garden Perennials for Pollinators Know the Pros Notes on Permaculture JT’s Fresh Ideas May Harvest List Mosquito Season Rose Rosette Disease Bringing Nature Home Garden Tour Guide Dig This Upcoming Events

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Invasive Plants

by Barbara Perry Lawton

O

ver a decade ago, the Missouri Department of Conservation Published “Plants That Won’t Stay Put,” listing over a dozen exotic plants that were invading many of our ecosystems.

Recently the Missouri Prairie Foundation spearheaded an initiative called the Missouri Invasive Exotic Plant Species Task Force (MIEPSTF) to network with a number of state agencies and industry groups in both agriculture, horticulture and natural resources to identify today’s worst invasive offenders Runaway callery pears and honeysuckle and to discuss appropriate responses. The dot the roadside landscape in many parts group has identified several newer culprits of our region. that didn’t appear on that earlier MDC list, are what we want for our world. A healthy including Oriental bittersweet, Callery/ ecosystem is sustainable. Its various elements Bradford pear and Johnson grass. are in balance and are capable of continually You should be aware of what a healthy reproducing themselves. ecosystem is. When nature is in balance, that Native plants—and animals, too—developed is, the plants and animals—and people— in close relationship to their environments. are in healthy relationships with their Exotics, alien organisms from other underpinnings and climates, we call it a environments, have been brought here both healthy ecosystem. And healthy ecosystems accidentally and intentionally. Some plants and seeds, originally from Asia and Europe, came here hitchhiking on ship’s cargo.

Others, originally brought here for valid reasons, turned out to be environmental nuisances. Multiflora roses, Japanese

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honeysuckle and Bradford pears, imported to be ornamental and landscape assets, turned out to succeed to a fault and became what we call invasive, taking over roadsides, vacant fields, forest fringes and anywhere these aggressive invaders can bully their way to advantage. To be sure, most nonnative plants that we have imported—tulips, originally from Asia, are a prime example— have remained valuable assets and have not spread aggressively.

Gardeners will have the greatest success if they landscape and garden with proven and native plants. They should avoid seed mixtures as many of these contain seeds of invasive species. Only buy plants or animals from reputable dealers. Please avoid transporting plants or animals into or out of the United States or between different ecosystems.

The accompanying list of ten invasive plants are among the worst in invading natural areas and suppressing native plants in our region. Learn to identify and control them.

Unfortunately, they appear to be on the increase in Missouri and other areas.

To learn more about invasive plants, you can contact the Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Prairie Foundation. Be sure to follow herbicide directions carefully—these are potentially dangerous materials.

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

It is well with my soul A Grow Native! Top 10 List FEATURED CATEGORY:

INVASIVE PLANTS

Invasive Plants on the Increase • Invade Natural Areas, Suppress Native Plants

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NATIVE PLANT NAME Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) Bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) Callery/Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) Johnson grass (Sorghum hapalense)

HEIGHT

SUN

50–80'

Shade

8–10'

Shade

CONTROL METHOD* Dig out or treat cut stumps with herbicide.

Treat cut stumps with herbicide.

Dig out, cut tall stems & spray leaves in winter.

Pull or dig out or treat cut stumps with herbicide.

6"–80'

Shade

8–12'

Shade

20–50'

Sun

Treat cut stumps with herbicide.

10–15'

Sun

Treat cut stumps with herbicide.

1.5–2'

Shade

10–15'

Shade

3–4'

Sun

5–7'

Sun

Pull seedlings when in flower.

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Dig out or spray leaves in winter.

Spray leaves in summer before bloom.

Spray leaves in summer before bloom.

*Be sure to use the appropriate herbicide for control of specific plants, and always follow product directions.

The Missouri Invasive Exotic Plant Species Task Force (MIEPSTF) is an initiative of the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program, spearheaded in 2015 as a multi-agency, multi-industry networking and advocacy group to bolster statewide efforts to identify and control the invasive plant species that severely impact native biodiversity. Representatives from the fields of conservation, agriculture, botanical science, ecological services, plant production, horticulture, landscape services and design, and arboriculture make up the MIEPSTF. The MIEPSTF reviews, discusses, and recommends educational and regulatory action related to managing non-native invasive plant species negatively impacting Missouri’s natural communities and built landscapes. To learn more, visit www.grownative.org.

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

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.

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MAY 2016

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O

Raised Beds for Easier Gardening!

ne of the most frustrating things gardeners face in the St. Louis area is clay soil. It is gooey in the spring and solid in the summer. For some reason weeds don’t have an issue developing in it, but fruits, vegetable plants and landscape ornamentals loathe it.

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You can dramatically improve your soil by mixing in compost.

Plants breathe through their roots. So the spongier and Your Mother’s lighter your soil is, the better Day Headquarters! plants can breathe and grow.

Fluffy soil makes it easier for roots to spread and water The Area’s Best to reach them. However the Selection of Trees & downside of turning your soil Shrubs with New into a sponge is that water can Stock Arriving Daily be trapped around the roots for too long which will cause your plants to drown.

Raised beds not only make gardening easier--it’s more fun!

no more compacted clay soil around your plants. The boxes allow extra water to drain out the bottom and even discourage rabbits from raiding your tasty garden.

You can tailor the soil and compost amount in each box to the type of plants you’re growing in it. Your bed can be fancy Raised bed gardening is the or plain and built with all sorts of materials such as railroad Herbs & Perennials answer to all this! To build a ties, lumber, concrete blocks or stones to name a few. raised bed all you have to do is create a box (or multiple) that It is vital that raised beds are filled with fluffy and light soils 2 Locations sits on the ground and fill it with because not only do your plants grow better but well drained 3401 Hampton Ave. garden soil. You can buy pre- soils also don’t rupture your containers by expanding when St. Louis, MO mixed garden soils from area wet or frozen. The more compost the better! Talk about 314-781-2314 material supply companies making gardening easy!

5926 Old State Rd. such as St. Louis Composting.

This article was provided by St. Louis Composting. You can Imperial, MO With raised bed gardening contact them at 636-861-3344 regarding their SLC Raised 636-464-2314 there is less bending over, www.bayergardenshops.com less weeding, less tilling and Bed Mix as well as other soil mixes, compost and mulch.

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Bayer’s Garden Shop Imperial, MO 63052 (636) 464-2314 www.bayergardenshops.com Passiglia Nursery Wildwood, MO 63038 (636) 458-9202 www.passiglia.com

Kirkwood Gardens Kirkwood, MO 63122 (314) 822-9644 www.kirkwoodmaterial.com St. Peters Hardware & Rental Alton, IL 62002 (618) 466-6931 www.stpetershardware.com

Sappington Garden Shop St Louis, MO 63126 (314) 843-4700 www.sappingtongardenshop.com Valley Park Elevator & Hardware Valley Park, MO 63088 (636) 225-7100 www.valleyparkelevator.com

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MAY 2016

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Beyond Ferns!Long-Blooming Shade Plants

By Abby Lapides Elliott

When I think big color for a shady spot, I think hydrangeas, but either the old fashioned bigleafed varieties would never reliably bloom, or the better-suited smooth hydrangea only came in white. ‘Incrediball Blush’ smooth hydrangea’s giant blush-pink flowers crush these issues.

This brand new variety’s sturdy stems ensure no flower-flop in your shade garden, and basketball-size blooms are sure to wow.

Moreover, its tolerance of both wet or drier spots make ‘Incrediball Blush’ excellent for use in a rain garden.

New perennial varieties come out every year, but one of my all-

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‘Incrediball Blush’ Hydrangea

time favorites is the yellow corydalis. Firstly, it thrives on neglect. Plant it in a shady spot that gets some moisture and walk away. This perennial will bloom and bloom and bloom all summer long and, if particularly happy, will reseed. Don’t worry though--this little guy gets only about 8” tall and wide so it won’t choke out your other plants. I’ve seen this plant thriving under tables at the nursery, under decks, in a spot only shaded by a rose bush--just about anywhere with shade.

Proven Winners

B

ack in the Dark Ages of shade gardening, the only way to create a dynamic shady garden was through foliage texture and color. Today, throw those antiquated ideas away and join us in the Renaissance of shade gardening with these longblooming shade plants.

We all love coral bells and foamy bells (heucheras, tiarellas and heucherellas). Their semievergreen foliage comes in just about every color out there, but it was always known more for its foliage than its flowers.

Well, that changes right here.

‘Berry Timeless’ coral bell and ‘Pink Fizz’ foamy bell present blooms that equal their excellent foliage – making them the bell of your shade-garden ball. Heuchera ‘Berry Timeless’ ‘Berry Timeless’ rosy pink, hummingbird-loving flowers bloom all summer. And unlike your usual coral bells, whose petals fall off the stems once spent, the flowers dry onto the stems with a deep lipstick red – making them a welcome, late-staying guest for your

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Colorful Combination Containers See Our Large selection of Carefully Selected Flowering Annuals & Accent Plants for Shady or Sunny Locations.

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The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Corydalis lutea

Lenten Rose ‘Spanish Flare’ check, check! Lenten rose checks off all the boxes. Did I mention evergreen? One of the earliest blooming perennials, Lenten rose Foamy Bells usually opens around late February, but in milder winters you can see them sometimes as early as Christmas. Ingenuity in breeding ‘Pink Fizz’ has given us just about every colored flower you can imagine-shady shindig. Mint green leaves with a silvery overlay are just the from bright clear white all the way to deep dark black. A few of my favorites are the brand-new ‘Spanish Flare’ whose pale yellow icing on top. flowers with deep magenta centers glow in the shade, the classic ‘Pink Fizz’ foamy bells’ name comes from the masses of white ‘Ivory Prince’ which puts out more blooms than you can champagne pink flowers that look like frothy bubbles floating in count, and ‘Pink Parachutes’ whose speckled foliage complements the air. ‘Pink Fizz’ also claims excellent foliage. Charming silvery the mauve-pink flowers. pink leaves with deep wine red veining are intensely lobed, making With these long-blooming beauties you can finally have the shade this perennial an excellent, effervescent addition to your garden. garden you want and deserve.

With new sterile flowers, fringed-leafed bleeding hearts have become a must-have for any shady garden in the last decade– Photos courtesy Walter’s Gardens, Inc., unless noted. blooming in whatever color you wanted, so long as it was pink or white. Now, through some magic to rival Merlin, we have a brand new yellow variety named ‘Sulphur Hearts’. Banana yellow, puffy hearts bloom in arching clumps for months on end. Its bluegray ferny foliage is distasteful to rabbits and deer.

Long blooming? Deer and rabbit resistant? Drought tolerant? Check, Abby Lapides Elliott is owner and a speaker at Sugar Creek Gardens Nursery.

She has degrees from the University of Missouri, and is a member of the Landscape and Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis. You can reach her at (314) 965-3070.

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MAY 2016

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Green Homes Festival

T

June 4th Missouri Botanical Garden

he 15th annual Green Homes Festival returns this year to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening, Cohen Amphitheater, and its surrounding gardens and grounds. Blending this popular event into the Garden’s blooming walkways will highlight the connections between plant-based green-living ideas and solutions to energy, water and waste issues. Festival attendees completing an event “passport” will get a free gift! This event is hosted by the EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Presented by Ameren Missouri and sponsored by many local partners, this year’s festival features over 40 exhibits and demonstrations by the region’s leading sustainability focused businesses and organizations. Attendees can talk one-on-one with a wide range of experts about their specific interests and project ideas, and learn more about home improvement and healthy homes in the beautiful environment of the Kemper Center, itself a living display of nature’s sustainable processes in action. Experts will also share a variety of plant-based ideas and resources that will demonstrate ways to

save water, be healthier, and protect the environment while conserving household budgets. Ameren Missouri will showcase a variety of energy efficiency programs that help homeowners and businesses reduce their energy costs and get cash back.

More than 40 sustainability-themed exhibits and demonstrations by local businesses and experts will offer information about solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable energy systems. Explore the NatureScaping area to learn ways to grow a livelier, healthier environment in your own backyard using native plants. Exhibits in this area will feature water-saving RainScaping options, backyard biodiversity resources to restore wildlife habitat, and more. Guided tours focusing on the Center for Home Gardening’s demonstration gardens sustainability components such as compost area, bee yard, and rain barrels will also be available.

A roster of interactive “Presentations to the People” from 10am-3:30pm will cover useful topics such as keeping backyard chickens; solar electricity and solar technology; NatureScaping resources, composting at home and more. Enjoy local food vendors, featuring healthy treats and beverages. Bring your reusable bottle and get free water refills. Recycling and composting will reduce the festival’s “waste-line.”

The Green Homes Festival is included with Missouri Botanical Garden admission of $8 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under. St. Louis City and County residents enjoy free admission on Saturday before noon and are $4 thereafter. Missouri Botanical Garden members are free. For general information, visit www. mobot.org/greenhomesfest, or call (314) 577-5100 (toll-free, 1-800-642 8842). The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd.

The EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden promotes sustainability through environmental education and improving the built environment, providing green resources for homeowners, businesses, the green building industry, kindergarten through 12th grade schools, colleges, universities and other audiences. Learn more about the Garden’s sustainability efforts at www.mobot.org/ewc or call the EarthWays Center at (314) 577-0220.

NEED A SPEAKER for your Garden Club or Group?

Master Gardener Speakers Bureau volunteers are available to speak to garden clubs, church, civic and other groups.

Choose from over 50 different programs, from Aromatherapy to Winter Damage, Birds in the Garden, to Soil Preparation, Daylilies to Orchids.

Explore the complete list of topics at www. stlmg.org. Look for the Speakers Bureau tab in the top margin.

(A $50 fee funds Master Gardener programming in our community.)

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The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

© 2016, All rights reserved.

Plants don’t get to choose, but you do.

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If you grow your own, grow with Osmocote®.

MAY 2016

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Naturally Natives Make Your Yard a Haven for Biodiversity text and photo by Scott Woodbury

N

ow would be a great time to reduce your turf grass footprint and add native plants to your yard. Perhaps you need to extend a shady flowerbed to encompass a tree trunk for easier mowing. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), star tickseed, (Coreopsis pubescens var. pubescens), and palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis) work well in part shade. Low, wet areas are also difficult to mow, so why not plant them with native wet-loving perennials like marsh milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa), and fox sedge Carex vulpinoidea).

Have you been wanting to “unsquare” your yard? Lay a garden hose FREE

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down on the lawn to shape new or existing planting beds. Leave the hose out for several days and play with various curves until you are satisfied. When you are happy with the new design you can remove the grass many ways. Dig it up with a sharp, straight-edge shovel, rent a sod-cutter, solarize with plastic, or carefully spray with an herbicide like glyphosate. It’s your choice, but do remember to not bite off more than you can chew.

If you have gaps in an existing sunny flowerbed, native annuals like Helen’s flower (Helenium amarum), red whiskers (Polanisia dodecadra), or Palafox (Palafoxia callosa) may do the trick. These plants also have long bloom times and a candy-apple attraction to pollinators. Many of the plants in our neighborhoods are attractive to humans but not to insects and many other beneficial creatures.

For instance, Annabelle and blue hydrangeas, daylily, and hosta come to mind. Why not replace a few each year with similar natives such as wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), copper iris (Iris fulva) and little-flower alumroot (Heuchera puberula)?

Meet us at I guarantee that this will create Shaw Nature Reserve movement in your garden. Here’s Saturday, May 7 th why: 9am-4pm

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Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, writes that in the

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The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants lower 48 United States there aren’t many places left that can support wildlife. Farmland (about 40%) is locked into plantings of corn, soybean, cotton, artichoke, citrus, timber, or cattle, depending on where you live . Original, undeveloped habitat

“If the only thing moving in your yard is a lawn mower, then it’s time to plant a native garden.” — Rochelle Whiteman, WIld Ones Member (about 5%) will remain intact with support from taxpayers and support of conservation groups—but more land to support and increase native biodiversity is needed. Developed land (about 55%) is what remains. This is where we live, work, play, worship, shop, learn, and are laid to rest. This is the only part of our country where significant change can still happen, and it is happening big-time right now. I see birds, bees, amphibians, and butterflies moving into gardens full of native plants. Native gardeners find monarchs laying eggs on marsh milkweed. They find birds nesting in rusty blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum rufidulum).

They even get tadpoles in small urban water gardens planted with pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), arrow alum (Peltandra

A Grow Native! Top 10 List FEATURED CATEGORY:

Plants That Attract Abundant Wildlife The native plants on this list were selected by Scott Woodbury, Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve, based on his observations and many years of experience, and represent a variety of plant types that support insects and other wildlife—herbaceous, woody, wildflowers, and even a sedge.

NATIVE PLANT NAME

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

American spikenard (Aralia racemosa) Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum (Aster) oblongifolium) Bradbury beebalm (Monarda bradburiana) Eastern Blazingstar (Liatris scariosa) Marsh milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) Palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis) Prairie pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

HEIGHT

WILDLIFE ATTRACTED

3–5'

Bees, moths, flies, spiders, wasps, bugs, birds

2–4'

Fall butterflies, bees, wasps, winter birds

18–24" 3–5'

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

If you plant them, they will come!

Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and songbirds that is!

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Butterflies, bees, winter birds

18–24" 1–3"

Copious spring flies, bees, wasps

10–15'

The saying “Plant native and they will come” has never been more important. About half of our migrating birds are in steep decline. Monarch butterflies and a host of other butterfly and bee species also are in trouble. Those are reasons why native plants are flying off the shelves in garden centers. In addition, they are beautiful and adapted through time to thrive in our region. So what are you waiting for? Go native! To find a native plant sale in your area and a Resource Guide of vendors of native plants and native plant services, visit www.grownative.org.

Butterflies, bees, birds

Monarchs and other butterflies, bees, bugs, birds Moths, butterflies, bees, flies, wasps, birds, mammals leaves early Moths,loses butterflies, birds

3–5'

virginica), or fragrant water lily (Nymphaea odorata).

40–50'

Moths, butterflies, birds

12–18"

Fall butterflies, bees, flies, wasps, winter birds

Visit Forrest Keeling’s all-new Habitat Headquarters in Elsberry.

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

Forrest Keeling Nursery forrestkeeling.com

MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

in the back yard to the back forty!

13

New Perennials with a Common Focus - Pollinators

by Steffie Littlefield

I

am so excited about all the new plants for 2016! Most all of them are great to add to your garden for attracting and supporting a good pollinator environment. Another element that is attractive to me is the wonderful new colors of blues, purples and rose that these

They are easy to grow, robust plants that love full sun and are excellent re-bloomers as well as heat tolerant.

Ball Seed

Salvia ‘Lyrical Rose’

Salvia ‘Lyrical Blues’

plants will contribute to the well branched with sturdy, mounding habits. Their deeply home garden. toned, eye- catching appeal One that is a must-have is provides long-blooming color Salvia ‘Lyrical Blues’ or from spring into summer in the ‘Lyrical Rose’. These meadow garden. These upright plants sages are very hardy perennials, will grow 22-24” tall and wide.

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14

www.davidsansjapanesemaples.com www.davidsansgranite.com

Granite Sculptures

Hand-made in China for your Asian Garden, at home or in a business setting. Lanterns, benches, animals, people, mailboxes, fountains, tables and more!

NEW! Mileage Reimbursement up to $35 w/ minimum purchase.

Call David to pre-register!

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Walters Gardens, Inc.

Ball Seed

Monarda ‘Balmy Lilac’ is a must try for 2016! Just what I’m looking for is a bee balm that

Penstemon ‘Pocahontas’ is a native cultivar with dramatic burgundy-red foliage that emerges in the spring. In early summer, clusters of tubular pinkish lavender blossoms with red stems are highlighted

Brin

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MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

15

Walters Gardens, Inc.

Walters Gardens, Inc.

is early flowering, upright, yet compact with bold deep lilaccolored flowers. This dwarf variety will bloom in late spring to summer, is deer and rabbit resistant, as well as powdery mildew resistant. In the full sun it will grow on 10-12” tall by 8-10” wide and needs regular weekly watering.

Allium ‘Blue Eddie’ is a has striking deep pink flower great plant for a rock or spikes that rise just above the herb garden. This compact, deep green foliage. The circular clumping allium was named shaped clump grows only 18for its attractive, swirling of 22” tall and can spread up to bluish grey/green foliage that 30” across. The blooms have resembles swirling eddies of a sweet, honey, mint scent water. The 1.5” rounded clusters Allium of light lilac flowers rise above the stems in late summer into ‘Blue Eddie’ fall. These little allium grow against the waxy deep green, in part sun to full sun and only burgundy-colored foliage. The reach only 8-12” tall and wide foliage stays lush throughout the and attract butterflies. summer. This long-blooming This new Agastache ‘Rosie Agastache perennial is humidity tolerant Posie’, also know as hyssop or ‘Rosie Posie’ and drought resistant once hummingbird mint, produces established. ‘Pocahontas’ will non-stop color from early grow 3’ tall by 24-30” wide. summer into fall. ‘Rosie Posie’ cont. on next page Prefers loose, well-drained soil.

Penstemon is a tried & true plant that is great for beginners! It is Your beginning to a great for cut flowers, attracts hummingbirds, bees and beautiful outdoor spaceh butterflies, and songbirds feast on the seed in fall and winter.

This is happy in full sun to part shade.

Saturday, June 18th, 2016 9 am to 4 pm

Locations in Clayton, Ladue, University City areas Self-guided tour of residential gardens.

Sun, shade, wet & dry plus butterfly / bird-friendly sites.

Cost: $15 / person at garden center* $20 / person online www.stlouisaudubon.org/NPT

* Retail garden centers Bowood Farms Garden Heights Nursery Greenscape Gardens & Gifts Sugar Creek Gardens Proceeds benefit tour organizers.

St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program and Wild Ones — St. Louis Chapter.

3-4’ tall and 1-3’ wide. It prefers and attract butterflies and to be grown in medium to moist hummingbirds. Agastache loves soil. Use in full sun borders, full sun but is drought tolerant beds and mass plantings where once established. It will also Cinderella will attract birds, tolerate areas that may be a bit bees and butterflies all summer long. moist.

Another new cultivar I want in my garden is Asclepias ‘Cinderella’. It is a beautiful milkweed with glowing reddish pink flowers and its refined foliage adds to its appeal. The vanilla-scented flower heads measure 2” across and rise on the long, lush leaves throughout the summer. Cinderella grows Asclepias ‘Cinderella’ 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.

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Look for these and other ferti-lome products at your favorite independent nurseries and garden centers.

For plant care and information on over 8,000 plants, visit www.fertilome.com

16

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Walters Gardens, Inc.

St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour

cont. from previous page

W

About the Butterfly Insert

e hope you will find and enjoy the beautiful 4-page insert within the pages of this issue of The Gateway Gardener featuring common butterflies found in our region and the Pollinator Plant Pantry of easy-to-grow annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs that attract them.

This is the first edition of what the St. Louis County Parks Department hopes will be an evolving and growing list of ALL common pollinators in our region and plants that will help them prosper and benefit our gardens and crops.

This brochure focused on butterflies and the garden plants that are easiest to grow, easiest to care for and maintain, and in general, will be the most “neighborly” of garden plants. Future editions plan to broaden the scope to include pollinating bees, moths, flies, and other insects, while also broadening the Plant Pantry to feature other pollinator attractors that may challenge the home gardener a little more.

If your copy of the magazine doesn’t contain the brochure, you can find it online at www.issuu.com/thegateway gardener.

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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...

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

A Little History…

Born from an obsession for horticulture that literally overgrew her home, Ann Lapides opened Sugar Creek Gardens in 1990 at the Kirkwood Farmer’s Market with just a garden umbrella, cash box and a few hundred plants cultivated in her backyard and basement.

As a young mother Ann saw an opportunity to open a business while still caring for her three small children. In 1991 Henry and Anne Lonnemann invited Ann to open her nursery on their property in Brentwood, Mo., which had previously been operated as Lonnemann Betz, a perennial plant nursery. In 1994 Sugar Creek moved to Woodlawn Avenue in Kirkwood, where the original greenhouses were built to grow cut flowers for the 1904 World’s Fair (and rumor has it the house was a speakeasy during Prohibition).

Ann’s daughter Abby Lapides Elliott joined Sugar Creek full time in 2008 after years of working after school and during breaks. Abby’s passion for plants took root as she watched her family grow their perennial business from a stall at the local farmer’s market to the nursery it is today.

You’ve GOT to See…

…one of the largest selection of perennials, native Missouri plants, shrubs and annuals anywhere, plus quality and expertise that’s as rare and unusual as some of their 2,000 varieties. Sugar Creek offers free garden consultations, landscape design services and lectures on any and everything related to plants.

What’s New for 2016!

Long-blooming shade plants, perennials that produce cut flowers all season, a pink ‘Incrediball’ Hydrangea, tropical, exotic-looking plants that survive our zone, along with an extensive Missouri native plant collection that includes rare, hard-to-find natives. Sugar Creek’s continuing commitment to sourcing locally grown plants and plants that excel in our climate provide you with selections that that will look beautiful all season long and give your neighbors something to talk about.

Proud Member of...

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

Like us on Facebook for coupons, updates and specials!

2701 Barrett Station Rd. • St. Louis, MO 63021 www.kirkwoodgardens.com • 314-966-4840 MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

StLouisLandscape.org

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

17

The Cornucopia Corner

From a Farm in Ferguson...Notes on Permaculture

By Molly Rockamann

Permaculture is an agricultural and social design system that mimics nature to set up flows of energy, space, and materials that self-generate and sustain themselves. From time to time we ask Molly Rockamann to share her experience incorporating permaculture principles into the practices on her farm in Ferguson, EarthDance Organic Farm School. Scaled down to the home landscape, many of these practices can be applied in your garden.

Design: From Pattern to Details

O

perating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm can be mind-boggling sometimes. With a roster of 92 field crops and 23 tree crops, there’s an infinite number of details to consider, plan for, record, and track.

From taking an inventory of our seed to calculating the bed spacing required for each desired yield, to recording the sale of each, there are a lot of moving parts. Therefore, it’s essential that we first take a step back and look at some overarching patterns of our production before getting into the nitty gritty of what gets planted where, and how much, and when.

differently if we want to replenish our aquifers and make our soils more drought-ready. By creating 3 foot wide berms the length of our fields, with a swale or shallow ditch on the uphill side of each, we are slowing down the flow of water when it rains, channeling the water across the landscape, and letting it slowly sink into the ground.

Paddocks Initially we created the berms just 40 feet apart, but then realized that the planting areas that were thus created between the berms were too narrow and challenging to maximize our production within. Larger tracts would allow for crop families to be planted together more easily, translating to Field Contour & Planting Pattern easier crop rotations. So we did away with every other berm, First, we look at our basic field layout. We have four main creating 80 ft wide paddocks; field length was determined by sections of the farm that are tillable, all with a gentle slope the pre-existing road, so the length varies from 100 ft to 220 of about 1%. To minimize erosion, it makes sense to create ft. beds in line with the natural contour, perpendicular to the slope. This creates our bed pattern for the fields. Such a Take these three big-picture components into account first seemingly small, perhaps even obvious choice makes a when designing your landscape - contour of available planting huge difference for decades to come - determining whether area, flow of water, and the size and spacing of beds. By your waterways will fill with silt or continue to flow, and how setting up the overarching patterns of your landscape in a way that prevents erosion, restores groundwater, and maximizes much topsoil loss your land may experience. efficiencies, you’ll be mimicking nature and therefore setting Water Flow your property up for success without the ‘uphill’ battle.

A few years ago, after considering the prevalence of extreme weather conditions (drought + flood) farmers face, we decided to undertake the project of creating berms and swales across the fields to maximize the use of rainwater on the property.

Molly Rockamann is the Founding Director In order to make the most use of water on your property, of EarthDance, a non-profit that operates an you’ll likely want to (1) slow down the flow, (2) spread it out, Organic Farm School on the historic Mueller and (3) let it sink in. This is counter to what most builders do, Farm in Ferguson. EarthDance Organic which is move the water away from the building as quickly Farm School offers year-round farmas possible, funnel it into directed containment (think gutters based education for beginning growers and eaters of all ages. To learn more, visit www. and downspouts), and send it on to the stormwater sewer earthdancefarms.org. system through impervious channels. We have to think 18

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

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

May Harvest Here are some fruits and veggies you might find in the garden or your local farmers’ market this month:

Asparagus Beets Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Cherries Cucumbers Gooseberries Greens Herbs Kohlrabi

Get a Dose of Nature No Measure. No Mess.

Easy dose Auto fill cap

Leeks Lettuce Onions Peas Potatoes Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Squash Tomatoes Turnips

Jt’s Fresh Ideas Baked ChiCken Parmesan with riCotta and sPinaCh

1 ½ pounds chicken cutlets, cut in half coarse salt and fresh black pepper 1 ½ cups buttermilk 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving 2 - 24 oz. jars of Arrabbiata sauce 1 cup ricotta cheese, preferably fresh 2 packed cups baby spinach leaves, stems removed 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced 12 oz. whole grain spaghetti Fresh chopped basil for serving

Preparation Instructions Season the chicken cutlets on both side with salt and pepper. Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and add the chicken, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour to as long as overnight.

In a large shallow dish combine the seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan. Grease a large baking sheet or roasting pan with olive oil.

Preheat oven to 400˚ F. Remove the chicken, one piece at a time from the buttermilk, allow excess to drip off then dredge in the bread crumbs using your fingers to pat the crumbs on. Place on baking sheet.

Repeat until all the chicken is coated.

Bake about 20 minutes until golden and just cooked through. Meanwhile make stacks of the spinach leaves and slice lengthwise into thin ribbons (chiffonade). Add the ricotta to a small bowl and mix in the spinach ribbons.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Top each cutlet generously with sauce, then a generous

MAY 2016

courtesy www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com

Ingredients

spread of ricotta followed by a layer of mozzarella. Return to oven about 10 minutes or until cheese is hot and melted. Or you can turn the broiler on for a minute to brown the cheese.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti according to package directions in plenty of salted water to al dente. Drain and toss with the sauce.

Serve cutlets over the spaghetti with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and parmesan cheese.

Recipe courtesy of : www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com Please share some of your favorite recipes with us.

You can e-mail us at: info@gatewaygardener.com.

Enjoy this after a hard day’s work in the garden!

Happy Planting!

The Gateway Gardener™

Jt

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Mosquito Season

I

By Edward M. Spevak, Ph.D.

B

LOVE THE EARTH!

B A C K YA R D A B U N D A N C E !

T!

MEET CHICKENS!

M O W L E S S ! C E L E B R AT E

EARTH’S BOUNTY! PET THE BUNNIES!

E POISON FREE! SUPPORT P O L L I N ATO R S !

W A T E R S MA R

20

BORS! ENJOY

2016 Sustainable Backyard Tour

GH

with a misuse and t’s gardening over-reliance of season again pesticides to control and that means pests even though beautiful flowers, these issues had bountiful produce, been noted over a gorgeous and harddecade earlier. working bees, fluttering butterflies So how best do we Left to right, Aedes albopictus, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, and the buzz of control this nuisance? and Aedes Aegyptyi. Photos courtesy VectorBase.org. mosquitoes.

That Just like in one’s can we learn to live with their including the endangered white last one is what fringeless orchid (Platanthera garden we need to practice causes many to reach for an existence.

Integrated Pest Management insecticide, call their city There are more than 3500 species integrilabia), that depend on (IPM) approach. Spraying Health Department or run of mosquitos found worldwide mosquitoes for pollination. insecticides or community mosquitoes are inside and hide. It raises the with around 175 species found However, truck fogging for adult question of many, “What good in the United States and 50 in known for carrying diseases. mosquitoes should be only one are mosquitoes?” Which then Missouri. Mosquitoes are a The most common and most small component of mosquito reminds me of the quote by Aldo major component in ecosystems important mosquitoes from control.

Spraying broad Leopold “To keep every cog serving as food for a variety a human disease perspective spectrum insecticides relies and wheel is the first precaution of aquatic invertebrates, in this area are species of on the chemical contacting of intelligent tinkering.” But dragonflies, fish, salamanders, the genus Culex, Anopheles the mosquito to kill it. Culex (marsh where do the “cogs and wheels” frogs, lizards, birds and even quadrimaculatus and Anopheles mosquitoes of mosquitoes fit into the other species of mosquitoes. mosquito) and the introduced are usually active from dusk “ecosystem of things” and how There are also several plants, Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger until dawn. However, Aedes mosquito). Potential diseases transmitted by these species is active during the day when B E I N S P I R E D ! P R O T E C T T H E P L A N E T ! M E E T Y O U R N EI in Missouri include West Nile beneficial insects, such as bees, virus, St Louis encephalitis are active, making day spraying and heartworm, though the problematic. probability of contracting any of One of the most important these diseases is very small. The aspects of a mosquito control carrier for the recent outbreak of program should focus on the the Zika virus is Aedes aegyptyi, removal of water sources a more southern species rare in creating the larval habitat.

Shortly, after a blood meal a Missouri.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that female looks for a place to Sunday 11 a.m.

“If we walk in the woods, we lay her eggs (100 to 300 in June 12 to 4 p.m. must feed mosquitoes.” It is this her lifetime). If conditions are feeding that makes mosquitoes right these eggs hatch in one to FREE! more of a nuisance pest. This two days and in less than two A grassroots, community production, nuisance is due only to the weeks emerge as new adults. the 6th annual Sustainable Backyard Tour females. Both male and female Anopheles mosquitoes lay their is a self-guided tour of private backyards adult mosquitoes feed on nectar eggs in open standing water. and organic gardens throughout St. Louis City as their primary food source Culex and Aedes will lay their and County showcasing bees, chickens, rain but when a female requires eggs in more confined spaces gardens, composting and more. additional protein to produce that may hold water, e.g., rain Create your own customized route. eggs she needs a blood meal. It barrels, cans, gutters, flower is this behavior that people try pots and trays, tires, bird baths Addresses and to control. However, “Mosquito and pet bowls that have not been map available online in June.

Control” and “fogging” should cleaned for a while. Emptying not be synonymous in our these containers of any standing modern world. Rachel Carson water is the most effective www.SustainableBackyardTour.com in her classic work Silent mosquito control as many Spring pointed out the problems species do not travel very far The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

from where they emerge. If the water cannot be removed you can control larvae using bacterial larvacide compounds, such as Bti, that are applied directly to water where mosquito larvae are found, killing the mosquito larvae without harming other organisms. Before applying the larvacide you should see if there are larvae present to avoid wasting money and product.

your success and increase your enjoyment of the outdoors. If you are interested in working with your community to improve their mosquito control two excellent resources are available from the Xerces Society, “How to Help Your Community Create an Effective Mosquito Management Plan” and “Ecologically Sound Mosquito Management in Adult removal along with Wetlands” (http://www.xerces. possible identification of org/pesticides/). species in your area for Finally, when out in the garden better management can be you can limit your exposure to accomplished using CO2- mosquitoes by wearing long baited light traps. There are a sleeves, light colors and using number of these on the market an appropriate insect repellant. and some include an additional However, it should be noted that chemical lure to increase their research has found that some effectiveness. Many of these people are just more attractive traps have been found to be to mosquitoes than others. Just very effective but they can also ask my wife. be very expensive.

Edward Spevak, Ph.D., is the Effective mosquito control Curator of Invertebrates at the depends on knowing what St. Louis Zoo. species you have and what their biology is in order to maximize

To Grow a Better Garden, Shop Where You See The

Ted Bergman

Symmetry Landscaping

Mark Brakhane

Pleasantview Landscaping

Bob Call

Longfellow’s Garden Ctr.

Jeff Coffey

Jeff Coffey’s Landscaping

Cynthia Collins Hartke Nursery

Mike Curran

What’s the Buzz?

Mizzou Botanic Garden invites you to celebrate National Pollinator Week with a Native Pollinators Dinner and Fundraiser and a Native Pollinators Symposium!

SummerWinds Nursery

Steve Dorrell

Carson’s Nursery

Janet Dueber

Longfellow’s Garden Ctr.

Susan Ehlenbeck

MO Dept. of Agriculture

Doug English

Kristopher Fuller

Sandra Hillermann McDonald Hillermann Nursery & Florist

Aaron Jung

Horticultural Impressions

Michael Mills

Glenn Kristek Joe Krygiel

Wickman Garden Village

Gregg Larsen

A. Waldbart & Sons Nursery

Wickman Garden Village Baxter Gardens West Gregg Larsen Landscaping

Roland Lenzenhuber Forest Lawn Nursery

John Logan

Logan Landscape Design

Alice Longfellow

Longfellow’s Garden Center

Nikki Pettit

James Prinster Don Sherman

Hillermann Nursery & Florist

Arlene Trombley

SummerWinds Nursery

Jim Van Valkenburg Sherwood’s Forest

Donald Walls

Eric Lovelace

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Kim Lovelace-Young

Matt Hagemann

Henry McCormick

Staci Hentges

Rain Miljan

Hillside Landscaping Springfield Greene County Parks

Full Features Nursery & Landscape Center Dowco Enterprises

Anne McKinstry

McKinstry Plant Sales

Forrest Keeling Nursery

Hartke Nursery

David Wehmeyer

Hillermann Nursery & Florist

Carson’s Nursery

Longfellow’s Garden Ctr.

Native Pollinators Dinner and Fundraiser

6 p.m., June 19, 2016 The Great Room, Reynolds Alumni Center $50 per person | Cash Bar | Auction items with guest speaker Gary Nabhan

Native Pollinators Symposium

8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., June 23, 2016 Monsanto Auditorium, Bond Life Sciences Center with guest speakers Doug Tallamy, Roy Diblik and others More information at gardens.missouri.edu

Missouri Certified Green Industry Stars are professionals tested and proven to excel in a specialized Green Industry field.

You can trust them to help you grow a better garden!

The Missouri Certified Green Industry Star program: • Raises standards for Green Industry Professionals • Helps consumers identify Certified Green Industry Horticulture Professionals • Encourages professional development in the industry To locate and shop with a Missouri Certified Green Industry Star, consult our Membership Directory at:

www.mlna.org MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

21

Rose Rosette Disease--An Update

by Diane Brueckman

R

100 meters of your garden and whenever possible remove and destroy them. Plant only RRV free roses. If a rose get the RRV is an disease, look up-wind of your emaravirus, garden for diseased plants. a newly The virus Monitor weekly and eliminate described has become a symptomatic plants as soon as type of virus major problem you see them. In Tennessee & spread by for our roses other high-pressure areas they the eriophyid due to the manage the disease with only mite, a In 2013, a rose conference was microscopic mite that lives in proliferation of Rosa multiflora, 2-4% loss of plants a year. organized by Star Roses and the the leaf axils of the rose. This an introduced species that is How can the average gardener Garden Rose Council.

This tiny mite has an 8-day life cycle highly susceptible to the virus. prevent or combat the disease conference brought together and has the ability to lay an At one time it was thought the and limit the mite population? growers, breeders, landscapers, egg a day. This is a wingless virus might control the spread At the Tennessee Test Garden, plant researchers, bio-control critter that depends on wind to of Rosa multiflora but that was managed by Dr. Mark Windham, corporations, botanical gardens travel. It can only cover about not successful for a number of a barrier of ornamental grass is and various regulatory agencies. 100 meters a year. Mites are reasons I will not explain here. planted up wind of the roses to The American Rose Society thought to survive only 8 hours One of the strategies to exclude catch the mites as they blow supported the efforts with two without a host. The virus cannot the disease from your garden is in. Do not plant your roses too grants to fund some of the survive without a host because a to check for any wild roses or close together and plant nonresearch. A great deal has been virus is an incomplete organism diseased roses growing within rose companion plants amongst ose Rosette Disease and Rose Rosette Virus are perhaps the greatest challenges to modern rose culture. In 2011 it was determined the disease was indeed a virus caused by the eriophyid mite. Until recently little was known about the virus or the vector that infected the roses.

accomplished in the last few years.

and must have a host to live.

Symptoms of the disease develop in 30 – 146 days.

Parkview Gardens Florist & Greenhouses

Open Mon - Fri 8:30-5:30 Sat 9-5 Sun (Through June 26) 11-3

We grow Fabulous Flowers in our own Greenhouses!

1925 Randolph Street St. Charles, MO 63301

(Opposite Blanchette Park)

22

636-946-7641 www.parkviewgardens.com/

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

the roses to catch the mites (mite manufacturer’s directions for & disease are rose specific). proper application.

Never use a blower to clean-up the rose beds. If you have been in a garden with the disease change your clothes before you go to an uninfected part of the garden (mites can travel on clothing). Prune you roses in fall or late winter as mites overwinter on the roses. Also, spray the roses with dormant oil in winter and use sunspray oil or neem oil in summer – follow

On the positive side, it is safe to replant roses where you have removed a diseased plant.

Neither the mite nor the disease will survive more than 8 hours without a host plant. I would wait maybe a week to replant just as a precaution. Also, I have heard some miticides have proven effective against the mite. I am still looking into that.

SYMPTOMS of Rose Rosette he earliest symptoms of rose rosette disease include a red pigmentation of the underside of leaf veins followed by sharply increased growth of vegetative shoots, which are typically more succulent than normal and colored in various shades of red. Leaves often become deformed, crinkled, and brittle with yellow mosaics and red pigmentation. As the disease progresses, leaves become very small, petioles are shortened, and most lateral buds grow, producing short, intensely red shoots. The disease causes the plant to be exceptionally susceptible to freeze damage. Symptoms on cultivated roses are typically less severe than on multiflora rose. Cultivated roses show symptoms of thickened, succulent stems and a proliferation of thorns. Symptoms can mimic some forms of herbicide damage.

Courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Gardening Help, www. mobot.org.

T

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

Your one-stop shop for

Mother’s Day!

Terrariums • Tools • Trees & Shrubs • Flowers Gifts • Customer Combo Pot Arrangements 60 North Gore • Webster Groves (314) 962-3311 www.rollingridgenursery.com

MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

23

Bringing Nature Home

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enjoyed involvement with the early beginnings of a native plant education and marketing program that became known as “Grow Native!.” Serious interest in native plants was beginning to emerge but availability of nursery-grown natives was quite limited.

The Grow Native! program cultivated a highly collaborative effort to raise public awareness and interest in native plants while at the same time encouraging the production of Our native flowering dogwood, Cornus canadensis, frames the a responsibly grown supply. iconic dome of Mizzou’s Jesse Hall.

Arranged appropriately in the with an emphasis in ornamental landscape, native plants could perspective. landscape plants and design, be quite attractive! As the 2000s Looking back to what I learned followed by my early years of progressed, I realized another in college while earning an practice, my perspective today mindset changing moment – I agriculture degree in horticulture realizes a former narrow view of experienced a Doug Tallamy selecting plants for the designed lecture based on his book, landscape. In the early years, I Bringing Nature Home. Wow, learned that landscapes should native plants are much more be attractive (color, texture, form) and good design should accommodate human protection from basic environmental impacts (creating cool shade with trees, using evergreens to deflect the cold winds of winter).

While immersing myself with a student project to develop a mini-botanic garden back in the late 1970s, a student colleague piqued my interest to consider Doug Tallamy inclusion of Missouri native than pretty plants – native plants as part of the garden’s plants are an integral part of a design. At that time, using native life supporting natural system. plants in a designed landscape Without native milkweed plants, was a radical concept–I had Monarch butterflies would cease horticulture professors who to exist; baby songbirds would questioned why we desired starve without caterpillars to plant “weeds” behind the dependent on mighty native Agriculture building.

The oak trees; and other members more I read and learned about of the wild animal community, natives, I realized an increased including native pollinators, fascination about their value to would be impacted by the loss the built landscape–I had caught of habitat and food. Since the native bug. experiencing my very first Fast forward to 1999 when I Tallamy presentation, I have David Massey

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any readers may have seen the Gateway Gardener article in the April 2016 issue on the Pollinator Buffet plants recommended for attracting and supporting native pollinator insects to the garden. As the article explained, native bees and other pollinators are under stress, due to habitat loss, climate extremes, etc. To further explore and encourage discussion of this topic, the Mizzou Botanic Garden, comprising the entire University of Missouri campus landscape in Columbia, Mo., is hosting a very special educational event this coming June. More later about this event, but let me first share a personal historical

by Bill Ruppert

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

personally benefited greatly by attending four additional lectures–each contributing to a whole new perspective for me to experience and comprehend the natural and built landscape.

Northwind Landscape Design Division; Christine Nye, Shedd Aquarium of Chicago; and Mike Arduser, a now retired, former Missouri Department of Conservation natural history

2016

Native Pollinator Symposium June 23, 2016 Columbia, MO

Readers of this article have a wonderful opportunity to personally experience “Bringing Nature Home” when Doug Tallamy keynotes a free “Native Pollinator Symposium” at the University of Missouri on Thursday, June 23, in Columbia.

The Tallamy message will be further supported by other presentations by Roy Diblik,

Home-Grown Sun Perennials Hostas and Ferns

biologist. Come join us for a highly informative day! For more information, gardens. missouri.edu.

Bill Ruppert owns and manages the St. Louis office of National Nursery Products, a horticultural sales and marketing company, and is the current Chair of the Friends of Mizzou Botanic Garden board.

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40+ sustainable living exhibitors and experts Energy-efficient products and services Plant-based ideas to save water, be healthier, and connect to nature Renewable energy systems: wind, geothermal, and solar Green living skills presentations and demos Enjoy local foods and beverages FOR KIDS • Recycled art projects and games • Solar car races and solar oven s’mores

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The Gateway Gardener™

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Garden Tours to Enjoy, Inspire and Educate This is the season when gardens shine in our region, and you’ll find many garden tours scheduled for May and June. Many feature the beautiful flower gardens of garden club groups and communities; but three tours in particular are uniquely themed and feature gardens for other reasons than beautiful ornamental flower beds. And another is a once-in-a-blue-(hosta) moon opportunity. Touring these gardens is not only enjoyable visually, it might help inspire you to garden in a whole new way!

The 6th Annual Sustainable Backyard Tour June 12th 11am-4pm

St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour June 18th 9am-4pm

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free, self-guided event, the Sustainable Backyard Tour opens the gates to private yards and gardens throughout St. Louis City and County. Now in its sixth year, the one-day tour serves to encourage and inspire. It’s the “I can do that” tour! Sites showcase best practices for plant selection, waste reduction, conservation and more. From lawn alternatives, imaginative uses for recycled materials, natural beekeeping, and growing fruit and veggies, to rainwater harvesting, composting and renewable energy production, it’s all here. The number of hosts varies each year, but there are always more than 20 to choose from as you design your own route, based on location and interests closest to you.

Maps will be available at sponsors and select public library branches beginning in June, as well as at the Green Homes Festival on June 4th at the Missouri Botanical Garden. For details and locations see the website: www.sustainablebackyardtour.com.

The tour is free, but by registering to attend you will be entered into a drawing for prizes, including a solar gadget bag donated by local solar installer EFS Energy. The tour is made possible in part by Slow Food St. Louis, St. Louis Earth Day, St. Louis Jefferson Solid Waste Management District and the Wm. A. Kerr Foundation with additional support from local businesses, including Greenscape Gardens, Kitchen House Coffee, Larder & Cupboard and Rainwater Harvesting Supply Co., among others.

Community partners include the Audubon Society of St. Louis, St. Louis Beekeepers, EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Prairie Foundation/Grow Native!, and Revitalize St. Louis. Media partners include The Gateway Gardener and The Healthy Planet.

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he St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home program and the St. Louis chapter of Wild Ones Native Plants, Natural Landscapes group have teamed together to showcase some of the area’s best examples of uses of native plants in home landscapes for beauty, sustainability and improved wildlife habitat.

The self-guided tour features residential native plant gardens in various communities, including Clayton, Ladue and University City. The gardens display uses of natives in various conditions from sun to shade, dry sites to wet, and for various benefits like attracting butterflies and birds, managing rainwater, or just adding beauty to the landscape. The Gateway Gardener is proud to be a media sponsor of this tour. Tickets are $15 from participating garden centers including Bowood Farms, Garden Heights Nursery, Greenscape Gardens & Gifts, and Sugar Creek Gardens; $20 purchased online. For more information or to register for the tour, go to www.stlouisaudubon.org/NPT. The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Gateway to the Gardens Hosta Garden Tour June 17th-18th 7:30am-1:30-pm

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n conjunction with the American Hosta Society’s National Convention to be held in St. Louis this summer, the St. Louis Hosta Society members are hosting a 10-garden tour of some of the area’s spectacular hosta gardens. Though a part of the convention events, the tour is open to the public as well. Among the ten gardens on tour you will find a garden set on a steep two acre hillside with hostas growing beneath majestic oaks. There is a one-acre garden filled with hostas and companion plants reflecting a strong Asian influence throughout rocks, lanterns and a Bonsai collection. Also featured is a collector’s garden with over 750 hosta cultivars into a mix of gorgeous flowers cover 1/2 acre plot with a surprise around every corner. Among the hundreds of hostas, daylilies, annuals, and specialty plants in each garden, you will find waterfalls and ponds that enhance the landscape. All are spectacular places to enjoy and visit for the day.Tickets for the tour are $50. For information call (314) 961-7163 or visit StLouisHosta.org.

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16th Pond-O-Rama Pond and Garden Tour June 25th-26th 9am-5pm

he St. Louis Water Gardening Society’s 16th annual tour will include over 40 private gardens owned and maintained by Society members.The gardens are located throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including in Illinois. This self-guided tour is arranged each day by geographic location. More details about tour sites will be coming in the June issue of The Gateway Gardener.

This event, each year, is the only time St. Louis Water Gardening Society members—as a group—open their gardens to the public.

In addition to their water features, most of our hosts are avid gardeners who maintain beautiful landscapes filled with perennials, annuals and shrubs. Our hosts are available and delighted to share information and answer questions about their gardens, their water features, their fish, and the history of their unique spaces. If you are thinking of adding a water feature to your own garden—or you simply enjoy beautiful landscapes and a weekend filled with beauty—this is the tour for you!

www.slwgs.org;, or at numerous garden centers and other outlets around the region. Tickets covering both days of the tour are $15.

Everyone over age 18 will require a separate ticket.

Here are a few other upcoming tours we’ve been informed of as of our deadline. Check them out and look for complete details in this or next month’s Upcoming Events Calendar!

May 14th & 15th, St. Genevieve Garden Walk, 800373-7007 June 4th-5th, 22nd Annual Hermann Garden Tours and Plant Sale, 800-932-8687 or www. hermanngardentours.com June 12th, New Town Garden Tour, Email terristeffes1117@gmail.com June 26th, Bittersweet Garden Club Annual Garden Tour, Jefferson City, MO, BittersweetGardenClub. com

Mother’s Day is Coming Sunday May 8th!

The tour ticket booklet provides the location, addresses, descriptions and driving directions. For more information, call (314) 995-2988.

Tickets are available by mail order from the Society’s website, MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

27

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News The Boone Country Garden Club (BCGC) recently undertook their second project for the Salvation Army in O’Fallon, MO. The Salvation Army grounds house the start of five raised garden beds, which BCGC completed, fixing the frames, layering in a newspaper and a topsoil/compost mix, followed by planting a spring vegetable crop. Accompanying the raised beds are five potted herb gardens. In addition, they refreshed the foundation plantings from their first project in 2014. After the spring crops fade, a committee from BCGC will return to plant summer vegetables. These gardens will help provide fresh produce for the Salvation Army transitional housing residents and food pantry recipients.

Student Plants Pollinator Garden

Amanda Leemann, a sophomore at Parkway South High School recently helped plant a pollinator garden at Queeny Park as part of an English class “Change the World” personal project and in celebration of Earth Day Week. “I wanted to plant a garden because I have always been fascinated with butterflies,” says Amanda,” and I have especially loved monarchs since a very young age. I included pollinators with ‘Amanda Leemann the project as well because they’re in peril due to global human actions, and I wanted to spread the word about their importance and help them out.”

The garden is one of many gardens planned by the St. Louis County Parks in conjunction with its Project Pollinator program, a collaborative initiative with the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, the Parks Department, St. Louis County Library system and other organizations, including support from Greenscape Gardens & Gifts and Sherwood’s Forest Nursery and Garden Center. Amanda also assisted in planting a garden at the Butterfly House to 28

commemorate the Project Pollinator Kick-Off earlier in the spring.

City Greening Planting

Group

Donates

Tree/

Kirkwood in BLOOM members celebrated Earth Day recently by contributing and planting a landscapesized Wildfire black tupelo tree (Nyssa sylvatica `Wildfire’) to commemorate Kirkwood’s annual Arbor Day tree planting in association with the city’s Earth Day Festival. The Arbor Day tree planting event is produced by the Kirkwood Urban Forestry Commission and hosted by Downtown Kirkwood Special Business District.

The Wildfire black tupelo, a cultivated selection of a canopy tree species native to areas south of the Missouri River, is left to right: Tim Griffin, Mayor Elect, highly adaptable to City of Kirkwood; Donna Poe, Executive Director, Downtown Kirkwood Special urban landscape Business District; Bill Ruppert, Foundconditions.

The er/Coordinator, Kirkwood in BLOOM; tree’s new foliage in Deb Lavender, Representative, Missouri emerges to reddish House of Representatives/90th District; purple, transitioning Nancy Luetzow, Councilwoman, City of Kirkwood; Art McDonnell, Mayor, City to deep green of Kirkwood; Dave Slane, Chair, Kirkduring the summer wood Urban Forestry Commission. months, and returning to striking red in autumn. The small fruit produced by the black tupelo is a highly desirable food source for songbirds and rarely appears on the ground, thus making the tree a desirable street tree.

A special component of Kirkwood’s 2016 tree planting was the recent removal of a callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) tree, commonly referred to as “Bradford pear”, from an area located adjacent to black tupelo planting site. The callery pear appears on the Top Ten List of the most invasive exotic plants on the increase in Missouri as published by the Missouri Invasive Exotic Plant Species Task Force, an initiative of the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program. For more information about invasive exotic plants in Missouri, visit www.moinvasives.org.

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Bill Burckhalter photo

Garden Club Plants Veggies for Salvation Army

find out how trees reduce stress - www.TREESWORK.org MAY 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

Trees Work_Rural Missouri 9.875x13.5 Ad_05_2013.indd 1

5/16/13 7:50 AM

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Upcoming Events Meetings, Classes, Entertainment and More Updates to this information are often posted on our online events calendar at www.GatewayGardener.com, so check there for the latest details.

Give us the details of your upcoming gardening, lawn or landscaping event and we’ll add it to our website and include it in our next issue. Deadline for printing in the July/August issue is June 1st.

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

Fun for Kids May 7th 9am—Children’s Garden Club-Annuals and Vegetables. FREE, no reservations required, everyone welcome. The Children’s Garden Club is designed to educate and bring delight in gardening to children with projects they do themselves.

Compliments Wiethops Greenhouses, held at Jefferson Barracks Victory Garden at Ordnance Building.

10am-2pm—Hillermann’s First Saturday Kids - See the opening of the All American Selections (AAS) Vegetable Garden and help do the planting at 10:00 am. Learn about vegetable gardening and get a FREE vegetable plant to grow at home! Kids, decorate a large Floral Mum to give Mom for Mother’s Day from 11am -2pm ($5 supply fee) and make a Mother’s Day Card for FREE. Call to RSVP for the Kids’ Mum activity. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

9am-noon— “Make It for Mom” Kids’ Planting Session. Come in and plant a pot of colorful annuals for Mom, Grandma or both! Cost per pot is $15.00. Parkview Gardens Florist & Greenhouses, 1925 W. Randolph Street, St. Charles, 636-9467641, ParkviewGardens.com.

Plant Shows, Sales and Tours May 6th 7 -11am— The Twenty-Five Gardeners’ Plant and Bake Sale. Perennials (including a variety of hostas), trees and shrubs, and plants started from seeds. Club members on hand to assist with selection and gardening questions. Across from Post Office on Columbia Street, Downtown Farmington, Missouri. 573-756-6991.

May 7th 7am-noon—Central Missouri Master Gardeners 19th Annual Indoor Plant Sale. Jaycee Fairgrounds, Jefferson City, MO. 30 varieties of tomatoes,

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vegetables, peppers, herbs, natives, perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, container arrangements, garden art, and special Mtothers Day arrangements.

CentralMissouriMasterGardeners.org.

8am-noon—Lakeview Garden Club Plant Sale. Large selection of reasonably priced plants and baked items. Proceeds benefit schools, senior centers, parks and Habitat for Humanity homes. 244 Lakeview Acres Dr. in Collinsville, IL. 8am-1pm— Huge Plant Sale Event.

Webster Groves Women’s Garden Association will offer great prices and Master Gardener advice on truckloads of donated perennials from local gardens plus nursery grown annuals & herbs. Also featured: Member-designed container gardens. Bake Sale, Silent Auction and a Rolling Ridge gift certificate raffle.

First Congregational Church of Webster Groves, 10 W. Lockwood (corner of Elm and Lockwood).

8am-12—Mississippi Valley Garden Club Annual Plant Sale. Great selection of healthy plants for sun and shade. Plants are provided by club members. Alton Wood River Sportsmen’s Club, 3109 Godfrey Rd, Godfrey, IL. 8am-2pm—Flora Conservancy Plant Sale. 5600 Clayton Ave. All proceeds benefit the Flora Conservancy of Forest Park, a not-for-profit volunteer group that partners with the City of St. Louis Parks Department to landscape and maintain plantings throughout Forest Park.

9am-noon—Four Winds Farm Garden Club Plant Sale. Member raised perennials and herbs that are tried and true for this region. Parking Lot at the Dog Museum, Queeny Park,1721 South Mason Road.

daylilies, succulents, cacti and many other plants. Raffle. Lunch available.

5137 Glade Chapel Road, Hillsboro, MO. Call Jo at 636-296-9306 for additional information.

other programs throughout both days.

9am-3pm—Missouri Prairie Foundation Plant Sale. A wide variety of choice native perennials, grasses, sedges, vines, shrubs, and trees supplied by Papillon Perennials will be available outside the entrance to the Town & Country Whole Foods Market, 1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive, Town and Country. Don’t miss this great sale! A portion of the proceeds will benefit the prairie conservation work of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

May 1st 1-3pm—What about your Mother’s Quilt? Ann Hazelwood, certified quilt appraiser and author of the Colebridge Community fiction series shares her knowledge and care advice on quilts. Bring your quilt. Ann will also have her books available. Parkview Gardens Florist & Greenhouses, 1925 W. Randolph Street, St. Charles, 636-946-7641, ParkviewGardens. com.

9am-4pm—Spring Wildflower Sale.

Native wildflowers, ferns, trees and shrubs for home landscapes brought to you by Shaw Nature Reserve and local native plant nurseries. Shaw Nature Reserve, Gray Summit, MO, at I-44 and Hwy. 100. (636) 451-3512. Admission Free for members, $5 ($3 Seniors) non-members.

Members only preview, May 6, 4-7:30pm.

May 3rd 6-7:30pm—Field Trip to Maplewood Richmond Heights’ School Gardens. MRH District Gardens, 7539 Manchester Rd., St. Louis, MO 63143.

Melissa Breed-Parks, head of the MRH school district’s extensive educational garden program will lead a tour of district’s permaculture-inspired edible schoolyards.

She will discuss garden-enriched learning and youth leadership in the garden. Part of the EarthDance Organic Farm School class series. Cost $20. Register at http:// www.earthdancefarms.org/what-we-do/ classes-2/.

Noon-3pm—Mid-Illinois and Southern Illinois Iris Society Show. Entries accepted from 8-10am, judging 10amnoon. For entry information, call (618) 698-5424. Our Lady of the Snows, Guild Center, on Hwy. 15 in Belleville.

May 14th 9am-5pm—West County Daylily Club Sale. Missouri Botanical Garden, Ridgway Center.

9am-5pm—Gateway Rock Garden Society Sale. Missouri Botanical Garden, Ridgway Center.

9am-noon—Mason Ridge Garden Club Annual Plant Sale. Longview Farm Park, 13525 Clayton Road in Town & Country, MO. Cash or checks, only please. Arrive early for best selection! Contact Claire Chosid at 314-479-3156 or claire@chosid. us.

May 14 -15 10am-4pm Sat., & Sun.—The Ste. Genevieve Master Gardeners Garden Walk and Plant Sale. $7 per person or $6 for groups of five or more. No reservations required.Tour public and private gardens in historic Ste. Genevieve. Plant Sale begins at 9am Sat. 10am Sun. Farmers Market (Sat. 7am-noon), garden merchandise, specials at area shops and restaurants, and other activities. Purchase tickets at Ste Genevieve Welcome Center, 66 South Main St. 800-373-7007. th

9am-noon—Kirkwood Garden Club Plant Sale. Kirkwood Train Station area.

Members provide plants from their gardens and answer gardening questions. Proceeds provide scholarships to horticulture students at St. Louis Community CollegeMeramec.

9am-1pm—O’Fallon Garden Club Annual Spring Plant Sale. Intersection of Highway 50 and Lincoln. Sun and shade perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables plus garden-themed craft items. Several Master Gardeners will be available to answer gardening questions.

9am-1pm—Plant Sale. Annuals, perennials, herbs, butterfly and pollinator favorites, gifts for Mom and more. Bethel United Methodist Church, 17500 Manchester Road in Wildwood MO. 636458-2255.

9 am to 3 pm – Kress Farm Preserves 18th Annual Plant Sale. Featuring native perennials, annuals, vegetable plants,

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9am-5pm—Greater St. Louis Dahlia Society Sale. Missouri Botanical Garden, Ridgway Visitors Center.

May 28th-29th 9am-5pm—Rose Society of Greater St. Louis Show/Sale/Festival. Missouri Botanical Garden, Orthwein Floral Display Hall. Sale 9am-5pm on the 28th. Show and Festival noon-5pm and 29th 9am-5pm.

Program on Miniatures & Miniflora Roses at 2pm on the 28th; Rose Rosette Disease at 2pm on the 29th. Children’s activities and

Classes, Lectures and Events

5:30pm—Plants That June Loves Best.

June Hutson, Supervisor of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Kemper Center Home Demonstration Gardens, will share with you the plants she loves best. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. May 4th 5-7:30pm—Make and Take Container Party. Experts available to help you put together fabulous pots. Bring a container to plant or purchase one. Talk at 5:30 on Dazzling Containers for Entrance Ways, Patios and Gardens. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. May 4-8th Stark Bros. 200th Anniversary Mother’s Day Celebration and Sale. Stark Bros.

Garden Center 11523 Highway NN, Louisiana, MO. May 4th and 12th 5-7pm—Potting Night. Bring your pots and pot your containers. Staff will help you pick out the right plants for your pots. Soil is FREE for pots 10” in diameter and under and the soil price is discounted for larger pots. Parkview Gardens Florist & Greenhouses, 1925 W. Randolph Street, St. Charles, 636-9467641, ParkviewGardens.com.

May 5th 5:30pm—Colorful Combinations for Shade Gardens. Explore the everexpanding selection of shade plants.

Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

May 6th 9am-5pm—National

Public

The Gateway Gardener™ MAY 2016

Gardens

Day. Part of a nationwide celebration of public gardens, visit the Better Homes and Gardens website at BHG.com/freegarden and click “Get Coupon” to download an exclusive voucher valid for two free general daytime admissions to Missouri Botanical Garden. www.nationalpublicgardensday. org.

May 7th 10am—Salsa Saturday and Make-nTake Salsa Garden. Join in the fun and festivities with Cinco de Mayo! Salsa gardens ready to go as well as many other edible container gardens. Handouts will be available on how to grow edibles in small spaces and containers. Grilled veggie samples in the Monarch Café from 11am-1pm. $25 supply fee. Call to RSVP. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com.

May 8 1-3pm—Mother’s Day at Parkview.

Bring Mom into shop in the greenhouses and listen to wonderful classical piano performed by LHS student, Joshua Fruend.

Parkview Gardens Florist & Greenhouses, 1925 W. Randolph Street, St. Charles, 636946-7641, ParkviewGardens.com. th

May 10th 6-7:30pm—Save the Veggies! Pest & Disease Management. Saint Stephens Church, 33 N. Clay Ave, Ferguson, 63135.

Farm Manager Matt Lebon introduces you to the methods and thinking organic farmers use to tackle problems of pest and disease. Part of the EarthDance Organic Farm School class series. Cost $20.

Register at http://www.earthdancefarms. org/what-we-do/classes-2/.

5:30pm—Sumptuous Succulents.

Discover the exotic succulent beauties that require little care yet inspire and amaze.

Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

May 11th Sips, Souls & Strolls. Enjoy wines and hors d’oevres as you walk the grounds of St. Louis’ most historic cemetery and arboretum. Hear stories of famous and infamous St. Louisans from master guides. Hosted by Friends of Bellefontaine Cemetery. Tickets available at www. bellefontainecemetery.org/events.

5:30pm—Curb Appeal. Creative ideas to make the most of your home’s appearance.

Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

May 12th 5:30pm—Shrubs for Foundations, Screening & Gardens.. Learn the best varieties for these uses. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

1-4 pm—Native Plant School: Spring Flowering Perennials and Grasses.

Showy and useful landscape plants that bloom in spring and how to garden with them. $15 ($10 Garden members).

Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw

MAY 2016

Nature Reserve. For reservations or more information, call (636) 451-3512 or visit www.shawnature.org.

May 14th 10:30am—Painting Your Garden with Perennials. Gather valuable information on creating your own “masterpiece” as experts share perennial plant ideas to accent your gardens. Parkview Gardens Florist & Greenhouses, 1925 W. Randolph Street, St. Charles, 636-946-7641, ParkviewGardens.com.

10am-2pm—Pollinator Gardening & Monarch Café Event. Bring the kids for a FREE make a Bumblebee Puppet activity.

Presentation on “Monarch Butterflies and the Quail Forever Program” at 10am “Pollinators and Attracting Them” at 11am.

FREE designs, seeds and other handouts while supplies last. Buy a pollinator kit and receive a FREE Pollinator Garden T-shirt. Plant a pollinator kit and register your pollinator garden for the Washington in Bloom 100 Pollinator Garden Challenge.

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

11am–2pm—Missourians for Monarchs.

Stop by and visit with Mary Carey, a Missouri Department of Conservation Master Naturalist to talk about how to create a rest stop for the Monarch butterflies in your yard. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636-798-2555.

6–10pm—Night Blooms Music in the Garden at Frisella Nursery. An evening of music in the garden with local musician Pat Malloy. Enjoy dinner and drinks

by Café Angelina for a relaxed evening outdoors. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery. com/events, 636.798.2555.

May 17th 6-7:30pm—Preserving the Harvest. Saint Stephens Church, 33 N. Clay Ave, Ferguson, 63135. A class on the many ways that fruits and veggies can be transformed into tasty treats with a much longer shelf life. This overview of dehydration, pickling, fermentation, and freezing will teach you the basics of at home food preservation. Attendees will receive recipes and handouts for continued learning. Part of the EarthDance Organic Farm School class series. Cost $20.

Register at http://www.earthdancefarms. org/what-we-do/classes-2/.

5:30pm—Gardening for Wildlife. Learn the Missouri native plants, other food source plants, that will provide an inviting home for butterflies, bees, birds and other creatures. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

May 19th 5:30pm—The Ultimate Hydrangea Guide. Kim Reiss, President of the St. Louis Hydrangea Society, discusses the top choices for sun and shade. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

May 21st 2016 Franklin

The Gateway Gardener™

County

Master

Gardener’s Symposium. East Central College Training Center in Union, MO. Registration form on $25 for 4 classes, door pries, free pollinator and milkweed seeds. 15 different classes to choose from.

Registration deadline May 1.

Forms available at Hillermann’s Nursery, Washington Library, or online at extension. missouri.edu/franklin. Contact Karen Leslie at (573)459-2454.

9am-1pm— Silk Painting Class. Learn about resist and draw our designs. Then the fun begins with applying the dye!

You’ll be amazed at what you can do. You may want to bring plastic gloves and wear old clothes. Supplies will be provided.

Register early as space is limited. $20 non-refundable deposit. Cost: $60.

Contact Rose Monzyk 636-239-5423 rose. monzyk@gmail.com.

3:30-5:30pm—Taste & Tour. EarthDance Farm 233 S Dade, Ferguson MO 63135.

5-7pm—Cross Pollinator Party, A Gathering of Like-Minded Individuals.

Members of plant societies and garden clubs of the St. Louis area gather to mingle and answer questions with gardeners interested in joining a group. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

May 21st-22nd 9am-5pm—Chinese Culture Days.

Annual celebration features a Grand Parade with 70-foot dancing dragon, authentic regional cuisine, t’ai chi and acrobatics. Special tours in the Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden (the Chinese Garden) focus on the symbolism of many plant species and architectural details.

Please note: No trams, free hours or early morning walking hours on signature event weekends. Missouri Botanical Garden.

May 22nd 10:30am-Noon— Native Planting for Pollinators Class. EarthDance Farm 233 S Dade, Ferguson MO 63135.

May 24th 6-7:30pm—Starting from Scratch: Methods of Propagation. EarthDance Farm, 233 S. Dade Ave. Ferguson, MO 63135. This on-farm class will demonstrate the many ways that plants can be grown.

Learn about seeding, making cuttings,

transplanting, dividing, and other common methods. Part of the EarthDance Organic Farm School class series. Cost $20.

Register at http://www.earthdancefarms. org/what-we-do/classes-2/.

5:30pm—High Style—Clematis for Beautiful Havens of Vibrant Color.

Discover the longest and heaviest blooming Clematis, plus pruning and maintenance techniques. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

May 26th 5:30pm—Colorful Shade Gardens. Learn how to create a shady retreat with the ever expanding selection of shade plants. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

May 28th and June 4th 10am—Garden Stroll with Ann Million.

Class takes place at Ann’s extraordinary garden in Crestwood. Sugar Creek Gardens. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070 for reservations and directions.

June 4th 8:30-Noon—St. Louis Urban Gardening Symposium. Featuring a series of 40-minute workshops led by experts in their respective fields to help gardeners learn how to plan, plant and care for a neighborhood or home garden.

Registration/check-in from 8:30-9. $10/person (fee waived for qualifying Neighbors Naturescaping participants.

Register online at BrighsideStL.org or call (314) 400-2115. Brightside Demonstration Gardens, 4646 Shenandoah Ave., St. Louis.

1 – 2pm—Beginning Bonsai. Learn to create and care for your own bonsai with Brian and Milt Ciskowski of Cass Bonsai in Edwardsville, Illinois. Brian and Milt are renowned in their field for their knowledge and insight of Japanese culture and design. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636.798.2555.

10am—The Beautiful Herb Garden. Join members of the St. Louis Herb Society as they share the herbs that are tasty as well as pretty. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

PLACE ORDER BY MAY 31ST

SAVE $20

• 100% Organic • Perfect for Flower & Vegetable Gardens, Overseeding and Topdressing Lawns, Soil Improvements • You must call us (we do not call you) and place order by May 31st • One coupon per person • Not valid with any other offer • Includes Delivery

(636) 978-2120 www.emeraldviewturffarms.com 1722 Hwy. 79 • O’Fallon, MO 63366

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Get inspired this Spring to grow something DELICIOUS

Special thanks to Hunters Ridge Berry Farm and Cheryl Hughey for the use of their photos grown in our compost.

Visit St. Louis Composting’s six area locations for the largest selection of STA-certified compost, mulch products and soil blends.

BELLEVILLE, IL

5841 Mine Haul Road 618.233.2007

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO Schaefer Road Visit11294 us online at www.stlcompost.com 314.423.9035

VALLEY PARK, MO

ST. LOUIS, MO

39 Old Elam Avenue 636.861.3344

560 Terminal Road 314.868.1612

PACIFIC, MO

FLORISSANT, MO

18900 Franklin Road 636.271.3352

13060 County Park Road 314.355.0052

Celebrating 25 years in business in 2016!

Visit us online at www.stlcompost.com

ENRICHING THE SOIL NATURALLY SINCE 1992