The Gateway Gardener October 2016

Gateway Gardener

OCTOBER 2016

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Tree Time!

Oaks, Beeches and More

Amaryllis for the Holidays Vegetable Harvest Guide Success with Natives FREE Courtesy of:

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Gateway Gardener

From the Editor

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

OCTOBER 2016

Volume 12, Number 8

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists

Barbara Perry Lawton Garden Book Author and Garden Writer Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional Abby Elliott Nursery Professional Jennifer Schamber Nursery Professional Scott Woodbury Native Plant Specialist

Printing: Breese Publishing, Breese, IL The Gateway Gardener® is published 9 times/year by Double Dig Communications, Inc. to promote enjoyable, successful gardening and livable landscapes in the St. Louis greater metropolitan area. The magazine is distributed free to the public at designated garden centers, nurseries, garden gift shops, lawn equipment rental, repair and sales establishments, and other locations supporting sound gardening, lawn and landscaping practices.

S

ometimes it seems like our trees are under assault. The muchpublicized emerald ash borer has caused communities and homeowners to preemptively remove hundreds of ash trees from public and private lands.

Summer storms in our region devastated huge trees all over town, including many in my little neighborhood. And as I walk the dog, I’m disturbed by the many dead and diseased big oaks and maples I see. I wonder, sitting on the back porch and looking west through the familiar canopies that have framed and filtered my sunsets for decades, how that view might change over the next few years. And less selfishly, how the cumulative disappearance of those and other stately trees will add to the increasing stresses upon our planet.

vegetable garden harvest can take place at least 9 months out of the year. Most people know when tomatoes are ripe, but first-time growers of other veggies are often flummoxed as to when to harvest. I ran into my own issues last year with my first watermelon crop.

I documented that experience in the editor’s note on page 12, introducing what I hope readers will find to be a helpful harvest so much more. Yet, given the guide. Check it out, and feel cost of removing a dead 80free to yank it out and save it for foot oak tree—even worse if seasons to come. It’s the center that tree fell on your house—I spread so it should snap right can understand a homeowner’s out! reluctance to replace it with another. Yet I hope you will, There’s much more to discover or at least consider another in this issue. It’s time to pot up large shade tree. Barbara Perry Amaryllis for the holidays (page Lawton writes about oaks and 10), time to enjoy fall festivities related beeches on page 4. And with the family (page 21) and Steffie Littlefield weighs in on time to close down the rose other native trees— large shade garden (page 18). And more! trees as well as medium and Good reading, and… smaller ornamental trees—on Trees, it is often said, are the page 6. October is a perfect Good Gardening! lungs of the earth. But more time to plant a tree. I hope a few than that, they are the water people will think big! filters, soil protectors, sun guards and food providers for October is also harvest season, insects, songbirds, and other though in a well-rounded wildlife. They are all that and

On the Cover...

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.

by Robert Weaver)

“Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower,” wrote Albert Camus. This scene along the Meramec River a few years ago certainly illustrated the role trees play in brightening the fall landscape. Read more about the beauty and value of trees on pages 4-7. (Photo

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Oaks and Beeches 6 Don’t Forget the Trees 8 Mulch: Your Tree’s Best Friend

OCTOBER 2016

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10 Plant Amaryllis Now for Holiday Blooms 12 Vegetable Harvest Guide 14 Success in the Native Garden 16 Cover Crops 16 JT’s Fresh Ideas 16 October Harvest List 18 Closing the Rose Garden 20 Dig This 21 Fall Family Fun! 22 Upcoming Events

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Oaks and Beeches

by Barbara Perry Lawton

O

Robert Weaver

aks, and their close relatives, beeches and also chestnuts are, to say the very least, impressive trees with awesome vital statistics and great presence in history and folklore.

Drive through any forest in our part of the world and you will see massive oaks, the backbone of temperate forests throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Their acorns, cups each containing one nut, are a major source of food for wildlife.

furniture, cabinets, floors and barrels. The bark of cork oak has long been used for many purposes, including corking wine bottles and making the finest of bulletin boards.

There are some 800 to 1100 species in eight genera according to current botanical wisdom. Most are oaks. A family characteristic is their inclination to cross pollinate.

Some oaks cross breed so easily that it’s a wonder that the species remain as distinct as they do.

They are in the family botanically Post Oak known as Fagaceae. The name is derived from the Latin fagus, In tree lore, the oak is king, so which means beech. This is a titled in Ireland and Britain because of its endurance and strength. large and important woody family of the Northern Hemisphere. In Scandinavia the oak has long been the tree of the thunder god, A number of species have great economic value as timber for Thor. Throughout the classical world the oak was regarded as the Tree of Life. The ancient Druids are long associated with oak

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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It is the many native American oaks that dominate our Midwestern forests—they comprise more than sixty percent of our timber.

We have major two groups of oaks, the white oak group and the red oak group. The white oaks are by far more numerous. Their lobed leaves are rounded whereas the red oak leaves are bristletipped. White oaks have bark that is brownish or light gray and generally somewhat flaky. Red oaks have bark that is darker gray, brown or even black. White oak acorns mature in one year and are sweet. Red oak acorns take two full seasons to mature and are bitter. As mentioned BALLWIN earlier, oaks are strongly inclined NURSERY to hybridize. Thus, in Missouri, & LANDSCAPE CO. with its 19 species of oaks, there Family-owned since 1958 are many recognized naturally MUMS occurring crossbreeds.

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The favorite and also one of the most commercially valuable of our many oaks is the white oak. One-Stop Shopping The white oak in Missouri is most & Over 3 acres of importantly used for making Nursery Quality Shrubs, Trees & Evergreens distillery barrels. It grows in American Beech a variety of environments and Sod • Perennials when located on some of our Bedding Plants & Baskets forests. It is said that many of the early Christian churches were better soils, will attain great size.

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5

Don't Forget the Trees!

Small Trees

by Steffie Littlefield

T

Pawpaw

here are essentials in garden and landscape planning that are frequently overlooked by the average homeowner when deciding what improvements to make to their property. Planting trees is one of them.

However, trees should be the first item to consider because unlike other improvements, they cannot be ordered ready made or installed at mature size. I also want to emphasize the importance of using native trees because of their hardiness, support of the ecosystem and

Fringetree generally because we have such a wonderful selection available to us in the Midwest. When starting the research for this article I wanted to narrow your search to just a few really good native trees, and I find myself reminded of how many types of great trees we have. So here are 18 to consider.

The most important consideration in choosing a tree is its mature size and how it fits on the property site. When there are overhead utility wires or nearby structures the trees to be considered should be smaller.

When looking for trees under 30’ consider the native fringe tree, amazing in the spring with its fragrant flowers and in the fall with creamy yellow foliage; the Washington hawthorn with abundant flowers and beautiful red fruit late into winter; or a pawpaw that produces sweet edible fruit. If the property already has large oaks, cottonwoods or sycamores as in many of our older

Flowering Dogwood neighborhoods, then we should look for trees that will thrive under their shady branches.

Top picks for these areas include serviceberry, flowering dogwood and redbud. Serviceberry is covered with fragrant flowers in spring, smaller airy foliage in the summer, and features sweet berries eaten by humans and birds and brilliant leaf colors in the fall. Our elegant flowering white dogwood is a classic favorite in the spring, and also has great fall foliage and red berries. And the easy-to-grow redbud wakes up the forest and home landscapes in the spring with thousands of purple/red flowers.

Around a home and garage it’s best to keep trees in the mid size so as not to cause property damage in the future. There are so many decorative choices it’s hard to list them all.

My favorites for decorative flowers/fruit are red buckeye, with huge pinkish red flowers in the spring, yellowwood draped in showy white flowers early summer, hop hornbeam with its unusual hop-like flowers and fruit, and the persimmon with large edible fruit and interesting bark (a female tree is required for fruit, with a male somewhere in the neighborhood—or choose a male if you don’t want the fruit). For trees in the mid-size range with spectacular fall color, sassafras, black gum and sourwood are the winners in this category.

In the open area of the yard and along our

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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The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2016

Med Trees Large Trees

Red buckeye

Bald cypress

streets it is important to plant larger trees for shade and weather protection. These trees add the most value to property and make our neighborhoods more inviting. The issue for many homeowners is the length of time it takes for most trees to grow. For a larger tree that doesn’t take a generation to grow plant tulip popular with yellow and orange spring flowers and the willow oak with its unusual thin leaves and perfect growth habit. Many residential areas need plants to help take up ground water and that thrive in wet soils for part of the year.

This is easy to accommodate in our area since we have river birch with its peeling decorative bark, red maple with its fire red fall colors, and

Sassafras

Black gum

Red maple

Willow oak

bald cypress for a fine texture in the landscape and a straight and wide trunk.

Adding trees to our landscapes is as important as building walls and a roof for our home.

These are only a few easy-to-grow and diverse native trees for Missouri and Illinois.

Take a stroll in our beautiful parks or at Shaw Nature Reserve and experience these and many more lovely trees, and find a place for them at your home.

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All photos by Robert Weaver, except bald cypress, courtesy Missouri Botanical Garden Plantfinder (John Smelzer), and willow oak, curtesy flickr.com, John Winder.

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Mulch: Your Tree’s Best Friend!

Courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

M

ulching is one of the most valuable things a homeowner can do for a tree’s health. Mulch conserves moisture and improves growing conditions. But if mulch is applied too deeply or the wrong material is used, it actually can harm trees and other plants. Check out these tips and you’ll be on your way to improving your tree’s health and appearance.

Proper Mulching Check soil drainage in the area to be mulched. Determine if there are trees or plants that may be affected by the type of mulch. Most organic mulches work well in most landscape situations. Some plants may benefit from mulches such as pine needles or bark that acidify the soil. Apply a 2-4” layer of much over well-drained soils. Use a thinner layer on poorly drained soils. The wider the mulch ring, the greater the benefit. Mulch out to the edge of the tree’s drip line if possible.

Do not pile mulch against the tree trunk! Pull mulch back several inches from the trunk so the base and the root crown are exposed. The mulch ring shape should resemble a doughnut, not a volcano.

Organic mulches are preferred to inorganic materials. They should be well-aerated and composted. Inorganic mulches, such as decorative stone, lava rock, pulverized tires, and geotextile fabrics are useful in high traffic areas, but are not recommended for mulching around trees.

Benefits of Mulching • Helps maintain soil moisture!

Evaporation and the need for watering is reduced • Protects the trunk and surface roots from mowers and string trimmers • Helps control weed and grass • Insulates the soil surface, keeping it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer • Makes lawn maintenance easier • Creates a well-cared-for appearance Don’t Over-Mulch!

Over-mulching your tree or piling it against the trunk can create a lot of problems. Too much mulch can: • Promote excessive moisture and root rot • Cause inner bark tissue to die • Lead to insect and disease problems • Create habitat for rodents that chew bark and girdle the trunk • Cause imbalances in the soil pH • Become a matted barrier that prevents the penetration of water and air.

Learn more about mulching and tree care at mdc.mo.gov/trees-plants.

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9

Plant Amaryllis Now for Holiday Blooms

by Abby Elliott

W

hen I see the extravagant flowers of Amaryllis, the holiday spirit grabs hold. Follow the guide below, and you can have these cheerful flowers ready for Christmas or whenever you want them.

Amaryllis bulbs bought in fall from you local garden center are ready to be potted. Choosing a good Amaryllis bulb is very similar to choosing an apple. Look for firm bulbs without much bruising or “mushy” spots. Although every Amaryllis is beautiful, I have my favorites: double flowering ‘Elvas’, pure white ‘Christmas Gift’, the classic ‘Red Lion’ and unique ‘Exotic Star’. Amaryllis like cozy pots and not too much water – usually a 6-8” pot is perfect size for the bulb. Use a good potting mix and keep the top 1/3 of the bulb above soil level. Amaryllis prefer sunny spots, ideally from a south-facing window.

Amaryllis ‘Christmas Gift’

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To enjoy blooms for Christmas, it is said you should plant your bulb sometime between October 16th and November 20th. To me that seems like a lot of room for error, but don’t worry – you can speed up or slow down the growing process as you like.

Amaryllis grow faster in warm spots and slow down in cooler spots. To speed up bloom time, place on top your fridge for a couple days – it’s usually pretty warm up there. If it’s growing too fast, put it by a drafty window, but be careful, they don’t like temperatures below 60⁰F while setting up flowers.

Usually the stalks grow 12-16” tall, and, when they’re close to blooming, the large “bud” will open up and reveal 4-5 flower buds that open one to two at a time. Each flower lasts about a week; the whole stalk will bloom for about 4-5 weeks. For Christmas blooms I recommend starting your Amaryllis around October 16th. If you start your Amaryllis then, and it takes the short 6 weeks to bloom, you will have flowers from late November into late December. If it takes the full 10 weeks, the

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flowers will start to bloom around Christmas. Most Amaryllis send up multiple bloom stalks in succession. Don’t assume the show is over once the first stalk has finished.

Amaryllis make excellent houseplants. To keep your plant after the flowering extravaganza ends, follow these easy steps.

Cut back the spent flower stalks, but not the foliage. Let your Amaryllis stay in a bright window all winter, and keep moist.

Fertilize once a month with a liquid house-plant food. Once frost danger has passed, usually around April 15th in St. Louis, bring your Amaryllis outside. It can stay it in its container or be planted in the ground. Amaryllis prefer sunny spots and welldrained soil.

Amaryllis ‘Exotic Star’

If you want Christmas blooms, in early August, dig up the bulb from the garden, or take the potted bulb indoors. Next, place the plant in a cool, dry, and dark room; a closet or basement both work well. At this time, the foliage should die back naturally; it can also be cut back. Then, leave it alone for at least 8 weeks.

After that, the bulb is ready to start blooming again. Follow the blooming instructions as if you just bought it from your local garden center. If you’re not too particular about blooming time, just be sure to bring it in the house before we get a frost - typically around October 15th.

With a little effort, you can enjoy the big payout of gorgeous Amaryllis blooms exactly when you want it.

Photos courtesy Netherland Bulb Company.

Amaryllis ‘Red Lion’ g Brin

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df a s i h

or

Amaryllis ‘Elvas’ 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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When Should I Harvest My Garden Vegetables?

Ed. Note: Last year, with my grandson as inspiration, I grew watermelon for the first time. After watching the vine grow, and excitedly discovering the first nascent melon, we returned to the garden frequently to watch it grow and grow. No siblings developed, but around the 4th of July, determining our lone melon to be of proper size, we severed its vine and brought it to the kitchen. Imagine our great disappointment when we sliced it open to discover snowwhite flesh! This year, armed with more information, more patience and a more productive vine, we enjoyed several delicious, home-grown and RIPE beauties. I hope you’ll find this information useful in avoiding similar mistakes, and use it for your next harvest season!

Oh—and I would add one bit of additional information to that provided here: be sure to note from the seed packet or research online the “Days to Harvest” guidelines for your specific crop and variety, and document your planting date. If you don’t have the seed packet information, a general guideline (Extension Guide G6201 Tables 1 and 2) is available from the University of Missouri at http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6201-2#Table1. Armed with that ballpark data, you’ll have a good idea of when to start expecting ripe produce, then use these tips to help hone in on a successful harvest!—RW

Y

ou put your time and energy into growing tomatoes, greens, zucchini, and other vegetables from seed. So of course you want to harvest them at their absolute best. But it’s not always easy to know when that is.

Well, here’s some help! Home Garden Seed Association members make it their business to taste and describe varieties they sell, comparing the flavors and textures. Picking at peak flavor is essential! They have compiled the following harvest guide to give gardeners some characteristics to look for when getting ready to harvest their favorite veggies. The cumulative wisdom of HGSA seed experts might just increase your appreciation for the food you grow.

Tomatoes, in most cases, should

Green Beans are tender and tasty

Chard and Kale are best when

Eggplants have a nice, reflective sheen when they are at their peak of readiness. Size and color are not necessarily indications of maturity, as varieties come in a full range of both.

As fruits get older the skins get tough and dull and the flesh bitter, so harvest them as soon as they achieve their

be slightly soft when squeezed, and fully colored. But there are exceptions.

Large heirlooms can be prone to cracking, and are best picked before they have completely turned color.

They’ll continue to ripen after harvest.

Similarly, cherry tomatoes crack if left on the vine too long, so pick them just before they are perfectly ripe.

Tip: Tomatoes Lose flavor when refrigerated. Fresh tomatoes will keep for a week or so on the countertop. \ the leaves are young and tender, though the plants themselves need not be young. Harvest baby leaves for salads or, as plants become sturdy, cut the outer leaves regularly, making sure not to damage the growing tip. Leaves can be continually harvested until frost, or well into the winter in mild areas.

Tip: Both chard and kale are biennial plants, and will flower and produce seed in their second growing season.

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when they are long, slender, and crisp, before the seeds form lumps in the pods.

If you leave the beans on the plant for too long they will become tough and stringy, so pick often.

Tip: Harvest beans every other day to keep your plants productive.

smooth, glossy finish.

Tip: Cut rather than pull the fruits to avoid damaging the plants.

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Melons should be harvested fully

ripe. Look at the skin color: the flesh between a cantaloupe’s netting will turn from green to tan, and the netting will become well defined. Honeydews develop a yellow blush on their ivory rinds. Watermelons turn dull when ripe, and the tendril closest to the fruit

Lettuce can be planted thickly

in a wide row and cut with scissors repeatedly when the tender young greens reach 4 inches tall. Or it can be grown to head-size. Either way, always harvest lettuce before plants start to elongate and “bolt” (send up a flower stem). This causes the flavor to become

shrivels.

Tip: Smell the blossom end of the fruit. Cantaloupes will have a sweet smell when ripe.

bitter.

Tip: Morning is the best time to harvest lettuce, as the leaves will be crisp.

Peppers are most flavorful when they turn red, orange, yellow, or whatever their mature color is, although many people enjoy them green. Clip (don’t pull) fruits from the plants when they are firm and full-sized. If you choose to let them ripen fully, check them daily, as peppers deteriorate very quickly after reaching maturity.

Tip: To increase total yield, pick peppers green early in the season; the plant will continue to set fruit.

Summer Squash is better when it is small, so there’s nothing to be gained by growing behemoths.

Zucchini and yellow crookneck squash are at their most tender when no bigger than 4 to 6 inches; round zucchini, 3 to 4 inches. Patty pan squash is best at 3 inches or smaller.

Tip: Summer squash is often harvested at the baby stage, with the flowers still attached.

Corn is ready for picking when

the silks turn brown (but have not dried out yet), and the husks are still green. Feel the end of the ear. If it feels rounded or blunt rather than pointed, it is completely filled out, and ready for harvest.

Tip: If you’re not sure your corn is ready, prick a kernel with your fingernail. Juice should be milkywhite.

Beets will tell you when they are

ready to be harvested; their shoulders will protrude from the ground. Pull the roots small (1½ inch) or medium-sized (about 3 inches), depending on your preference. Don’t leave them in the ground too long in hot weather, or the texture will suffer.

Tip: Beet greens can be harvested sparingly while roots are in the ground.

Winter Squash is sweetest

when fully mature. When it is ripe, the rind becomes hard and is no longer shiny. Test it with your fingernail—if it can be scratched but not punctured, it is mature. Cut the squash with pruners, leaving a short handle, and let it cure in a warm space for 10 days before storing

in a cool, dry place.

Tip: Some types of winter squash, such as Butternut, can be stored for 6 months or longer.

The Home Garden Seed Association promotes gardening from seed, an easy, economical and rewarding way to garden. For more information and helpful tips, visit ezfromseed.org, the source for this article and photos.

Cucumbers should be harvested

green and firm. Even lemon cucumbers should be picked when light green with just a blush of yellow. Bigger is not better; cucumbers develop a bitter taste as the seeds mature. Harvesting size depends on the variety. Slicing cucumbers are generally smooth and glossy when they’re ready, picklers may have prickles.

Tip: When you snip, leave a bit of stem attached so your cukes will be less prone to rotting in storage.

OCTOBER 2016

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Naturally Natives Success Involves Right Plants, Intentional Design, plus Weeding, Watering & Mulching text and photos by Scott Woodbury I strive every day to shape gardens to fit into our neighborhoods, our yards and minds. S. Woodbury.

pass all municipal sniff-tests.

Some examples of plants that keep a tidy appearance include littleflower alumroot (Heuchera parviflora) and Indian pink (Spigelia marylandica). Their use along with time-tested gardening practices of cluster planting, weeding, watering and mulching (and a helping of creativity) has led to many success stories and some awardwinning gardens.

To say that all native plants are weeds is a half-truth. True, there are many native plants that are overly aggressive like golden Alexander and rough-leaved goldenrod. Their use (especially in the hands of underfunded or “fair-weather” gardeners) has led to the failure and removal Cluster plantings usually have of a number of gardens I have 3-5 of the same kind of plant in known. But there is a flip The beauty of Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature side; there are many awesome Reserve. doesn’t happen by chance, but rather through the labor an area about the size of a dinner table (15 square feet). So an 8 x native plants that stay put, are and designing eye of a dedicated staff.

20 (160 square feet) flower bed beautiful, support wildlife and may have 8-10 different kinds of plants depending on if you repeat clusters. Repetition adds interest especially in long narrow flower FREE beds. I like to repeat star sedge (Carex radiate) in the front of a Pollinator Palette Plant With Each Purchase! border or feathery bluestar (Amsonia ciliata var. filifolia) in the back of the border. One shrub will take up one whole dinner table.

Shrubs add height and shape to the bed like beautyberry (Calicarpa Americana) (mounded) or leatherwood (Dirca palustris) (eggshaped). They also can add winter interest with berries and branch structure. Clustered plantings also tend to be easier to keep weeded because you can see what is supposed to be where.

Bring Conservation Home

Paint Your Garden Masterpiece from our Pollinator Palette!

A colorful collection of beautiful garden plants that attract, feed and provide shelter to bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

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

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• Dreaming of your own wildlife sanctuary?

• Fascinated by hummingbirds, butterflies or creepy/ crawlies?

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

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

www.stlouisaudubon.org/BCH

The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2016

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants The definition of a weed is a plant that is in the wrong place. Tree and vine weeds that invade from the neighborhood can wreak havoc in your garden and might be difficult to identify.

They may attract wildlife and weed cops but rarely attract happy neighbors. Watch out for seedlings of silver maple, boxelder, tree of heaven (exotic invasive), bush honeysuckle (exotic invasive), catalpa, pin oak, wild grape, trumpet creeper and others. I recommend removing seedlings that sprout up around the original plantings. Seedlings allowed to grow wherever they may will lead to a weedy-looking garden.

Successful gardens are fun to be in. Build a pathway that leads to a hidden nook with trickling water that attracts both people and birds.

Create a patio shaded by a pergola covered with Virginia creeper and watch the woodpeckers devour all the berries. Construct raised beds to grow your favorite herbs, native annuals and blazingstar (voles eat blazingstar when planted in the ground). Find just the right ceramic container or start a collection and plant them with whatever interests you. Right now we have horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) and water plantain (Plantago cordata) in two cobalt blue containers and a big vessel full of water and arrow arum (Peltandra virginica).

When gardening in small places avoid plants that spread unless you need a groundcover. If you are gardening in small places, seek out plants that fit in small spaces. Like finding the perfect couch or shirt, it is important to get the right size plant. Below is a list of native plants for small to average gardens. These plants are clumpforming, have slow to moderate growth rates, are compact and perform well when properly mulched, watered and weeded.

3-6 inches: Sun: rose verbena, prairie pussytoes (dry), rock pink 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.

(dry). Part shade: dwarf crested iris, oak sedge, cedar sedge (dry), Robin’s plantain, trailing bush-clover, barren strawberry, wild ginger, woodland stonecrop 6-14 inches Sun: fall glade onion (dry), star sedge, prairie dropseed, prairie alum root, copper iris, Gatinger’s prairie clover (dry), prickly pear cactus (dry). Part shade: James sedge, littleflower alumroot, American alumroot, Pennsylvania sedge, false rue anemone, dittany (dry), Christmas fern, wild sweet William 14-24 inches Sun: fox sedge, yellow wild indigo, annual Helen’s flower, feathery bluestar, finger coreopsis, purple prairie clover (dry), slender mountain mint, slender bush clover, Missouri evening primrose, butterfly milkweed, spider milkweed. Part shade: Bradbury beebalm, Jacob’s ladder, indian pink, palm sedge, maidenhair fern, bellwort, wild geranium

Dig Deeper.

Visit GatewayGardener.com for More on Gardening with Native Plants!

A Grow Native! Top 10 List FeATured CATeGory: Top Performing Native Plants

Attractive • durable • Long Lived • Compact • Attract Pollinators NATive PLANT NAme

3

American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius) Blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis)

4

Copper iris (Iris fulva)

5 6

Indian pink (Spigelia marylandica) Little-flower alumroot (Heuchera puberula)

7

Oak sedge (Carex albicans)

8

Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa) Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolopis) Wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

1 2

9 10

HeiGHT 3–5' 2–3' 2–3' 18–24"

uNique quALiTy Purple berries in fall, pink flowers in summer.

Lavender flowers in fall.

Hedge alternative.

Blue flower spikes spring.

Peony alternative.

Rain garden plant with red flowers.

1'

Woodland plant with bright-red flowers.

Compact for small gardens.

Fall-blooming.

8–12"

Mini version of prairie dropseed.

1–2'

Rain garden groundcover.

2'

18–24"

Fine-textured clump-forming grass.

3–5'

Compact shrub for sun or part shade.

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

OCTOBER 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

15

The Cornucopia Corner

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

C

over crops benefit vegetable gardens in a variety of ways. Most obviously they improve soil fertility and garden production. But they also suppress weed growth, improve soil drainage, reduce water runoff and soil erosion. So after you’ve harvested your last tomato for the season, consider putting the garden to bed with a blanket of cover crops!

Cover Crops for More Productive Gardens

Traditional winter cover crops suitable for fall planting in Missouri and Illinois gardens include field rye, winter oats and wheat. Legumes such as peas, white clover, crimson clover and sweet clover are planted in the early spring, and are particularly beneficial, as they fix nitrogen from the air, storing it in their roots, then releasing it as they decompose for garden plants to use. Be sure to buy inoculated clover or spread inoculant on the soil for best results.

To plant cover crops, simply clear the garden of weeds and debris, broadcast the seed and lightly rake and water the soil. Keep soil slightly moist until germination occurs.

In the spring, mow the tall foliage, then lightly cultivate the live plants into the soil. Grasses should be killed before they grow larger than 6”; legumes should be killed when they start to bloom.

Jt’s Fresh Ideas PumPkin Chili

1 ¼ lb ground round 1 medium Sweet onion 1 red bell pepper 3 clove garlic 2 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp dried oregano 1½ tsp ground cumin 3 c sweet pumpkin or butternut squash 1 can black beans 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 can low-sodium beef broth 1 ¼ tsp. Kosher salt 1 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper ⅓ c Chopped fresh cilantro Sliced fresh jalapeños

Chipotle Sour Cream

1 container sour cream 1 tsp minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 2 tsp fresh lime zest 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Preparation Instructions Cook beef in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon. Cook onion and next 2 ingredients in drippings for 7 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 2 ingredients and cook 1 more minute. Stir in pumpkin and next 5 ingredients.

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Courtesy: www.countryliving.com

For the Chili

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Stir in cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with jalapeños and Chipotle Sour Cream.

Chipotle Sour Cream: Stir together sour cream, chipotle, lime zest, and lime juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of : countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes

Please share some of your favorite recipes with us.

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

I hope you “Fall” in love with this dish!

Enjoy!

Jt

In a season when nearly everything is brown and crispy, why not cheer up your garden with a carpet of green this winter. The soil will thank you!

October Harvest

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

Vegetables Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Cucumbers Eggplant Garlic Greens Herbs Horseradish Kohlrabi Lettuce Okra Onions Peas Peppers Popcorn Potatoes

Pumpkins Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Squash Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Turnips

Fruits

Apples Blueberries Canteloupe Grapes (wine) Nectarines Pears Plums Raspberries, red Watermelon

The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2016

find out how trees protect our water - www.TREESWORK.org OCTOBER 2016

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17

Closing Down the Rose Garden

by Diane Brueckman

N

be disappointed if you don’t get hips. Along with limited deadheading, do not do any pruning until the roses shut down for the winter. The idea here is to encourage the roses to store energy in the roots for next spring.

ot so long ago the rules for closing down a rose garden for the winter were all but carved in stone. I am not suggesting that we cast the old rules aside, but many of the new roses are less prone to winter kill than our old favorite hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras.

Fertilizing with organic fertilizers low in nitrogen is OK but don’t give your roses any high nitrogen quick Some advice stays the same. release fertilizers such as All modern rose bushes 12-12-12. In fact, when I get benefit from a gradual shut ready to cut back and clean down of growth and flower up the beds, I work in my production as they go into “chicken soup” for an early winter. To achieve that goal, spring boost. You don’t want you should limit deadheading to encourage new growth to pulling off the petals of spent roses and letting your roses form hips. Forming hips that won’t have time to harden off before winter, which tells the plant the season is ending and the plant will put would waste energy needed for spring growth. out fewer blooms. Not all modern roses form hips so don’t I prune my hybrid teas, floribundas and grandiflora roses after we have had several frosts and the roses are no longer growing. The dead or diseased canes should come out and the long canes are cut back to about 18 inches, or if the plants are small I cut back about 1/3. This is done to enable the mulch cover to protect the bud union and the lower canes of the rose from the freeze/thaw temperatures PROTECT YOUR ASH FROM BORERS! we have during our winters. The shorter canes are also less likely to be loosened in the soil by strong winds. h As ld ere, a er s h !

Em rer i ouis Bo t. L S

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• Easy to apply as a soil drench around trees--no spraying necessary.

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My winter prep also includes stripping off the leaves on the plants and cleaning all debris from the beds. Spraying the plants with a horticultural oil and insecticidal soap will also smother disease spores and overwintering insect eggs that may be on the plants. The oil will also help prevent desiccation from drying Looking for winter winds. I cover the

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The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2016

prepared plants with about 8 to 10 inches of mulch when we have had a couple of nights in the 20s and there is frost in the ground.

Here is where the rules change. Many roses are listed as winter hardy, for example the Easy Elegance®, many of the Kordes roses, and the Knock Out® roses. More and more, you are finding own-root roses available including hybrid tea, floribundas and grandifloras. These roses don’t have a bud union to protect. My rule: first year I follow the old rules but after they are established (a year in the ground) I don’t cover them. I treat them as I do my climbers and shrubs, which is to cut back enough for wind protection (climbers I tie firmly to their supports). Give the beds a good layer of mulch after you clean up the fallen leaves. I do not strip the leaves until late winter when I freshen the beds.

Own-root roses need to be treated on an individual basis.

Some of them will be winter tender and you might want to cover them every year. Look at the hardiness zone for your roses and treat accordingly. Either way, when an own-root rose dies back to the ground, what comes up from the roots is the rose you planted, not root stock. Covering these roses may bring them through winter more vigorous than when they are not covered.

In late winter, on a warm day cut back the roses and climbers. You don’t want to cut the canes when they are frozen because they might shatter, causing more damage.

Refresh the mulch after you clean up the leaves and pull whatever weeds come out easily. You can work some organic fertilizer into the soil under the mulch.

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.

57 years of Growing with you!

Changing with the seasons...

All That’s Fall!

Lawn • Perennials • Trees & Shrubs • Bulbs • Colorful Annuals • Pumpkins and More!

60 North Gore • Webster Groves (314) 962-3311 www.rollingridgenursery.com

OCTOBER 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

19

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Pollinator Park Pulls into Station

MaryAnn Fink

A group of volunteers pitched in on September 19th to plant the “Pollinator Junction,” the area’s first “Pollinator Pantry Park” at the St. Louis County Parks and Recreation’s Museum of Transportation in St. Louis County.

Volunteers included SLCP staffers and Museum of Roland Lenzenhuber of Forest Lawn Nursery and St. Louis County T r a n s p o r t a t i o n plus Parks staffer Sharon Hoyt install a volunteers, St. Louis Master mammoth sweet bay magnolia.

Gardeners and members of the Wild Ones Natural Landscapers local chapter. Roland Lenzenhuber of Forest Lawn Nursery also donated time and equipment for large tree installations. In addition to the volunteers, several businesses, organizations and individuals donated plants and financial support, including Hillermann Nursery & Florist, Shaw Nature Reserve, Forrest Keeling, Papillon Perennials, Madelyn Kester and Wild Ones.

The Pollinator Junction park will not only beautify the grounds of the museum, but will also serve as an outdoor classroom/observation opportunity for students and visitors to the facility, according to MaryAnn Fink, project coordinator for Project Pollinator, a St. Louis County Parks and Recreation program in partnership with Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, the St. Louis County Library System, and other partners. Tours will begin in March 2017, and onsite educational programs will be an included option to admission on scheduled dates.

has once again been published in a national gardening magazine. Her article on red bud trees appears in the current (September/October 2016) issue of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society. The article describes some of the results of plant breeders to introduce new cultivars of red buds with varying improved features. The magazine is not available at newstands, rather only to members of the AHS. To learn more about how to join, visit http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/gardeningpublications/the-american-gardener/september-october2016-issue. You can also read the article Barbara wrote for us on red buds in our March 2016 issue at issuu.com/ thegatewaygardener.

The garden was designed to show homeowners how beautiful and “neighbor-friendly” a pollinator garden featuring native plants can be. Primarily Missouri native plants were selected from a list compiled as part of the Parks Department’s “Pollinator Pantry Program”, an educational outreach effort aimed at expanding food sources for pollinators by planting gardens in public spaces and educating homeowners and businesses how they can do so as well. The garden’s “palette” is designed to attract all of Missouri’s major pollinators, and includes host plants for over 20 of the most common butterflies in the St. Louis area.

Local Author Featured in National Magazine

Barbara Perry Lawton, our own regular contributor, professional garden writer and garden book author, 20

Robert Weaver

Arborists “Saluting Branches” at Jefferson Barracks

Area arborists and tree care specialists rallied at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on September 21st to participate in the national “Saluting Michael Garrett of Trees, Forests & Branches” Landscapes. service day.

Across the nation at 36 national cemeteries in 27 states, tree care companies and individuals donated time, equipment and man hours for a day of tree removals, deadwooding, thinning and canopy raising work. Locally, at Jefferson Barracks Cemetery, more than 40 individuals from 10 different tree care companies and organizations spent the day working on the grounds as an honor to the nation’s veterans and to help keep the cemeteries safe and beautiful for visitors. Participants included crews from Gamma Tree Experts, Hudson Tree Service, Reliable Landscape & Tree Care, Trees, Forests & Landscapes, the City of St. Louis Forestry Department, Clipper Tree Service, JP Tree Service, ArborDave Tree Care, Richmond Heights Forestry Department, and arborist Brad Bohrer. According to Justin Matlock of sponsoring Rainbow Treecare, it is estimated that $30-50,000 in services were provided during the day.

The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2016

Fall Family Fun

O

ctober is a great time to enjoy a wide variety of activities with the family. Of course, it’s the time of year when many area garden centers and farmers’ markets dress themselves up for the harvest season, offering pony rides, mazes, wagon rides, tractor trains and more! And of course, they’re great places to stock up on seasonal plants and decorations to make your fall fantastic!

In addition, there are some specific fall family fun events and activities to take advantage of this October. Here are a few: Oct. 1 , 9am For the Garden by Haefners 6704 Telegraph Rd. Lemay, MO st

painting rock paper weights, planting seasonal containers, and more.

October’s project will be to decorate your very own pumpkin! Of course there’s much more for kids to do before and after the project. There are goats to feed and pet, a straw fortress to explore, and much more.

Children’s Garden Closes With a Celebration!

T

October is always fun, with past projects including decorating pumpkins and making straw wreaths. This month, the subject is…SPIDERS. Participants will have the opportunity to create their very own spidery Halloween decoration.

Hillermann’s First Saturday Kids

H

Oct. 1st, between 11am and 2pm Hillermann Nursery & Florist 2601 E. 5th St. Washington, MO

illerman’s Nursery & Florist is always kid friendly, but especially so on the first Saturday of each month, when families are invited to bring in the kids anytime from 11am-2pm for a different, seasonal activity, such as making seasonal wreaths, making binoculars,

OCTOBER 2016

The Gateway Gardener™

October 29th-30th, 9am-3pm Missouri Botanical Garden 4344 Shaw Blvd.

St. Louis, MO

The Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden is closing for the season. But don’t cry; it’s a celebration! Visit the Pot-A-Plant station to learn how to grow and care for edible plants in your garden this winter. Select a pansy or rosemary to pot and take home. Each plant includes special tips to help you care for your new winter-hardy plants. Dig into your natural curiosities and discover the patterns, shapes, and details that are in your favorite leaf, flower, seed or rock. Make a nature-inspired pendant to wear, hang in your window or on your holiday tree.

Investigate how and why leaves change colors and document the stages of nature in a nature journal you create. Learn how Missourians kept food ready-to-eat year-round in the days before refrigerators and freezers.

Go spelunking in their cave and learn about “Nighttime Superheroes.”

Find out how bats use their super senses to fight their super villains. Share Henry Shaw’s love of birds by making a yummy snack for them as they prepare for their winter migration. Get a bird’s-eye view at live native creatures from the World Bird Sanctuary. Discover what makes spiders special by making a human-sized web with help from staff members in the Nature Explore Classroom.

Enjoy live music from Emmy award winning educators and entertainers Jan and George Syrigos as WildHeart performs from 11am-3pm with songs that inspire kids of all ages to explore nature. Finn, the Children’s Garden friendly frog mascot, will roam the garden and greet visitors at 11am Saturday and 1pm Sunday. Don’t forget to visit with volunteers while getting some snazzy Finn-tastic cheek art. Come play, learn, and grow!

Hillermann Nursery & Florist

St. Louis County Parks and Recreation

he St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department has been calling to order the Children’s Garden Club each month for 17 years. On the first Saturday of each month, kids are invited to a different location: in recent years rotating between area garden centers including Greenscape Gardens, Sherwood Forest Nursery and Garden Center, Chesterfield Valley Nursery, For the Garden

by Haefner’s, Wiethop’s and Sappington Garden Center, with other hosts like Baisch & Skinner and the Museum of Transporation taking turns. The activities are free, thanks to the hosts mentioned above, plus The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, St. Louis County Library, Missouri Botanical Garden, the East Central District Federated Garden Clubs of America, GrowNative!, Jost Greenhouses, and the Parks Department. Activities are seasonal and feature projects like flower arranging, planting annual combos, exploring pollinators and plants, and of course holiday-related decorating projects.

Cost is $5 for children ages 3 to 12. Adults are included with general Garden admission. St. Louis City and County residents are free on Saturdays from 9am to noon.

21

MBG Heather Osborn

St. Louis County Parks Children’s Garden Club

Upcoming Events mini pumpkin! Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS

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

Give us the details of your upcoming gardening, lawn or landscaping event and we’ll add it to our website and include it in our next issue.

Deadline for printing in January/ February issue is December 1st.

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

GARDEN CLUBS AND PLANT SOCIETY MEETINGS Interested in Joining a Garden Club or Plant Society? We have meeting dates, locations and contact information on more than 50 area garden clubs on our website at www.

GatewayGardener.com. Don’t have access to the internet? Just call us at (314) 968-3740, or write us at PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122, and we’ll get the information to you.

So share your joy for gardening and join a garden club or favorite plant society today!

FUN FOR KIDS Oct. 1 9am—Children’s Garden Club.

St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Children’s Garden Club.

FREE. Haefner’s For the Garden.

6704 Telegraph Rd. st

11am-2pm—First Saturday Kids.

Bring the kids to play in the garden and enjoy a FREE activity - Plant a

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Sept. 30th-Oct. 2nd 25th Annual Best of Missouri Market®. “First Look Friday” Sept. 30th, 6-9pm. Enjoy an early chance to shop and dine at the Best of Missouri Market. Sat. and Sun. 9am-5pm: Over 130 regional food producers and crafters offer fresh produce, baked goods, fresh and dried flowers, herbs, handcrafted items, baskets, wooden toys, custom jewelry and more. Live music and a Kids Corner with cow milking, pumpkin decorating and barnyard animals. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Outdoors under tents, rain or shine. $12 adults (ages 13 and up), $5 children (3 to 12), $5 members, no charge for member children. Buy tickets in advance online at www.mobot.org.

Please note: No trams, free hours or early morning walking hours on signature event weekends. Part of the American Arts Experience.

Visit www.mobot.org for more information.

Oct. 1st 10am—Flower Bulb Basket Make-N-Take. Enjoy a workshop in making a Layered Spring Flowering Bulb Bushel Basket. Your basket can sleep outdoors through winter.

Come spring it will be a colorful spring flower garden that you can place anywhere. $25 supply fee.

Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, www.hillermann.com.

10-11am –Winter Gardening Indoors Workshop.

Many gardeners don’t want to hang up their trowels for the winter or at least want to keep the flow of homegrown produce going, even if it is a trickle. Learn what you can grow indoors successfully for winter production and how you can get a jump-start on next year’s growing.

The Carriage House, 3815 Bell Ave, St Louis, MO 63108. Register online at GatewayGreening.org/

events.

60. N. Gore, Webster Groves, MO.

Oct. 1st and 8th 10am—Fall to Winter, Transitional Container Gardening. Learn how to use evergreen perennials and shrubs, along with seasonal ornaments to have your pots looking gorgeous all the way till spring. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

Oct. 5th 7pm–Urban Sustainability Series: Is Solar Right for You? Learn how to assess the realities of producing energy with the sun, taking into consideration your location, budget and expectations. Presented in collaboration with The Sustainable Backyard Tour. Headquarters, St. Louis County Libraries.

11am-12:30pm—Fall Flower Arrangements. Join Lara Trudell of Fleurette Design for some innovative ways to use annual and perennial cut flowers from the yard in beautiful fall arrangements for your home. Reservations required. $35 per person. Cost includes all materials to create your own fall arrangement. Frisella Nursery, f r i s e l l a n u r s e r y. c o m / e v e n t s , 636.798.2555.

Oct. 6th 7-8pm –Pest Control for Organic Gardens Workshop. Join us as the Lewis & Clark Library Branch to learn about environmentally friendly pest control for organic gardens. FREE. 9909 LewisClark Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63136.

GatewayGreening.org/events.

Oct. 8th 9am-2pm—U City in Bloom Bulb Sale. Tent is located at 6630 Delmar next to Craft Alliance. Pre-order online at www.ucityinbloom.org

by October 3rd for best selection and pick up orders day of sale.

The UCB Bulb Sale supports efforts to plant hundreds of new bulbs annually in the public flower beds in the community. For additional information, call (314) 973-6062.

9am-2pm—Autumn Herb Gathering. Vicki Lander, from Flower Hill Farm, will talk about using herbs for beauty and display at 10 am. Amanda, Canete, from Elements Herbology, will speak on herbs for healthy living at 12 noon. Learn about the 2017 Herb of the Year-cilantro, the plant and coriander, the seed. Presented by the Webster Groves Herb Society and hosted at Rolling Ridge Nursery,

5:30pm—Botanically Inspired Pumpkins. Discover a botanical twist to pumpkin decorating, using a mix of fall-inspired paints and decoupage techniques incorporating botanicals from some of our favorite plants to design pumpkins for both indoors and out. $15 per person.

Cost includes all materials to design one pumpkin. Additional pumpkins will be available for purchase.

Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery. com/events, 636.798.2555.

6-10pm—Night Blooms—Music at the Garden. Enjoy a relaxing fall evening of music with local musician Nathan Drake. Enjoy dinner, wine and local craft beers served up by Caffè Angelina.

Reservations required for groups of 6 or more. Frisella Nursery, f r i s e l l a n u r s e r y. c o m / e v e n t s , 636.798.2555.

10-11:30am – Building Healthy Soils. Learn how to improve your soil using no-till techniques, amendments, water retention and nutrient retention while learning the basics of soil structure! FREE. The Carriage House: 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.

GatewayGreening.org/events.

10-11am – Youth Garden Institute: Keeping Momentum Through the Winter. Join us to learn how to keep your school garden’s momentum growing through the winter by using the winter garden as a learning space and inspiration!

FREE. The Carriage House: 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.

GatewayGreening.org/events.

The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2016

Oct. 9th Noon-5pm—“GoodBye, Summer and Hello, Fall” Small Standard Flower Show.

Presented by the Sprig and Twig Garden Club. The show is a part of the Florissant Old Town Festival in the Florissant Senior Center at 621 Rue St. Francois in Florissant.

Admission is Free. Also look for the Plant Sale booth in front of the Senior Center building.

2-3pm—Practical Pruning.

Whether you are a seasoned gardener, or just want to pick up a few new techniques on the general maintenance of your existing landscape, join Tom Mee for a grower’s perspective that is sure to keep the entire landscape trimmed and looking great! He will give both a broad-brush approach to maintaining your trees and shrubs, and also a detailed account on how to maintain the more challenging plants in the landscape. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/ events, 636.798.2555 Oct. 13th 7-8 pm –Herb Care and Usage.

Learn grow, use, and preserve herbs so you can enjoy them throughout the fall and winter! FREE. St. Louis County Library Headquarters Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63131.

1-4pm—Native Plant School: Fall Flowering Perennials and Grasses. $15 ($12 Garden/SNR members). Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. For reservations or more information, call (636) 451-3512 or visit www. shawnature.org.

Oct. 14th 6-10pm—Farmers’ Formal. A benefit for EarthDance Organic Farm School. Meet St. Louis’ top local chefs and their favorite farmers as you graze on their exquisite food, sip on local libations and bid on one-of-a-kind auction items.

Preview and bid on auction items before and during the event. Union Station 1820 Market St., St. Louis.

Contact EarthDance Farms for ticket pricing, EarthDanceFarms. org.

Oct. 15th 10am-noon—Wine Making. Learn how to make your own wine with

OCTOBER 2016

Harvey Jasper at this multi-session class. If you have some experience you are welcome to come learn new tips and share your knowledge with fellow participants. Class Schedule: Oct. 15 - Stabilizing and Clarifying; Nov. 12 - Filtering & Back Sweetening; and Dec. 10 Bottling. $5.00 per session. Attend all or as many of these sessions as you like. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, www.hillermann.com.

10am—Preparing Your Garden for Winter. Learn useful tips and techniques that will benefit your plants come spring, such as the important timing for pruning roses, shrubs and perennials to keep them in maximum blooming form. Learn the varieties that should be cut back and covered, and the others that should be left alone. Mulching and composting, along with other garden care will be discussed. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

10am—Arboretum and Nursery Tour. Forest ReLeaf offers free, monthly arboretum and nursery tours featuring over 25,000 trees, demonstration rain garden, wild flower garden, greenhouse and arboretum with over 150 native species and cultivars. Tours are held the 3rd Saturday of the month, 10:00 am, at Forest ReLeaf’s CommuniTree Gardens nursery, 2194 Creve Coeur Mill Road, Creve Coeur Park, Maryland Heights. To learn more about Forest ReLeaf go to moreleaf.org.

10am-4pm—Great River Road Chestnut Roast. Taste fresh roasted chestnuts and other delicious foods of the fall harvest. Arts and crafts, fun activities for the kids, fresh food, local vendors, demonstrations and entertainment. Forrest Keeling Nursery, 88 Forrest Keeling Ln., Elsberry, MO. (573) 898-5571.

10- 11am. – Recycling in the Garden: Root Cellars. Learn how to create a root cellar our of upcycled materials with Perennial STL. FREE. Bell Garden: 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.

GatewayGreening.org/events.

11am-noon—Defining Your Outdoor Space. Join Tom Mee &

The Gateway Gardener™

Anthony Frisella as they explore structural landscape design concepts that will transform a yard into a beautiful outdoor space.

Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery. com/events, 636.798.2555.

Oct. 16th 2-3pm—Preserving and Displaying Fall Botanicals. A fun workshop on preserving pressed botanicals and different ways of displaying them as art around the house. Reservations required. $30 per person. Cost includes all materials to create your own fall display. Frisella Nursery, f r i s e l l a n u r s e r y. c o m / e v e n t s , 636.798.2555.

Oct. 19th 6:30-7:30pm – Pints ‘n’ Plants: Be a Farmie. Learn about the EarthDance Apprenticeship Program! $5 suggested donation.

Urban Chestnut Bier Hall – the Grove, 4465 Manchester Ave, St. Louis 63110. GatewayGreening. org/events.

Oct. 20th 10-11am –Pest Control for Organic Gardens Workshop. Join us as the Thornhill Library Branch to learn about environmentally friendly pest control for organic gardens! FREE. 12863 Willowyck Dr. St. Louis, MO 63146. GatewayGreening.org/ events.

Oct. 22nd 10am and 1pm—Concrete Leaf and Hypertufa Make-N-Take Workshops. Attend one or both of these fun classes with JoAnne: Leaf Making Make-N-Take (10am) Make a concrete leaf for cool decor at your home. $25.00 supply fee.

Hypertufa Make-N-Take (1:00 pm) - Make a planting container that looks like textured concrete, but is actually lightweight. $25.00 supply fee. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

Oct. 23rd 2-3pm—Noteworthy Fall Plants.

Learn about some favorite fall plants from shade trees and shrubs that provide brilliant fall colors to evergreens and grasses that add texture to the fall landscape.

Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery. com/events, 636.798.2555.

Oct. 24th 7pm–Urban Sustainability Series: Garlic Gardening. Learn how to grow, harvest and enjoy some of the hundreds of varieties of garlic with a wide range of flavors..

Presented in collaboration with The Sustainable Backyard Tour. Grand Glaize Branch, St. Louis County Libraries.

Oct. 26th 10-11am–Composting 101. Join Gateway Greening at the Samuel C. Sachs Library Branch to learn about composting – how to, what to, and when to! FREE. 16400 Burkhardt Pl. Chesterfield, MO. 63017.

GatewayGreening.org.

Nov. 5th 10am—Holiday Plants—Growing Tips for Colorful Displays.

Discover the most beautiful holiday plants, with the best colors and forms. In this session you’ll be inspired with fun and creative ways to use them in centerpieces and arrangements. You’ll learn proven tips for growing, making flowers last, and propagation. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

Nov. 6th 2-3pm—Stark Beauty: Appreciating Winter Landscapes.

A hands-on talk exploring the plants that shine during these cold, gray months. Frisella Nursery, f r i s e l l a n u r s e r y. c o m / e v e n t s , 636.798.2555.

10-1pm – Harvest Fair: Join Gateway Greening and the Bell Avenue neighborhood at their annual harvest fair! This potluck event is open to the public and will include fun games for the whole family. FREE! Bell Garden: 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108.

GatewayGreening.org/events.

23

FOR THE GREENEST LAWN ON THE BLOCK TOP DRESS WITH STA-CERTIFIED COMPOST

AFTER AFTER

BEFORE

BEFORE

Top Dressing will reduce water consumption and increase nutrients in your soil.

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

BELLEVILLE, IL

VALLEY PARK, MO

5841 Mine Haul Road 618.233.2007

39 Old Elam Avenue 636.861.3344

560 Terminal Row 314.868.1612

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO

FLORISSANT, MO

PACIFIC, MO

11294 Schaefer Drive 314.423.9035

13060 County Park Road 314.355.0052

ST. LOUIS, MO

18900 Franklin Road 636.271.3352

Visit us online at www.stlcompost.com

Step-by-Step Guide to Top Dressing: - Core aerate the lawn, concentrating on the most heavily trafficked sections.

- Apply a ½ inch layer of Field and Turf compost, using the Ecolawn Top Dresser - Smooth the surface using a rake or weighted drag mat to break down soil plugs and backfill holes - Spread grass seed, lightly rake, and water – making sure all seeds are covered with soil/compost layer to guard against winter damage - Water as needed, keeping the soil moist until seeds germinate