The Gateway Gardener April 2022

Gateway Gardener

APRIL 2022

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Seen Around Town

Beauty Abounds in the 314

Berries in Patio Pots Wilding the Home Garden Eco-Garden Product Guide FREE Courtesy of:

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Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

APRIL 2022

Volume 18, Number 2

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists Diane Brueckman Rosey Acres Abby Lapides Sugar Creek Gardens Steffie Littlefield Edg-Clif Winery Jennifer Schamber Greenscape Gardens Scott Woodbury Shaw Nature Reserve

Printing: Breese Publishing, Breese, IL The Gateway Gardener® is published 7 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.

F

From the Editor

irst of all, let me just say how wonderful it is to see the Upcoming Events calendar on the back pages filling back up with in-person events this month!

Zoom has done a good job getting us through the last couple of years, but I doubt I’m alone in yearning for the return of plant sales like the Spring Wildflower Market and inperson events like Earth Day in Forest Park. Of course there are still quite a few virtual events worth checking out, too. But it’s spring! Time to get out and see what’s growing on!

And with that in mind, Abby Lapides has been roaming around the city and taking notes on her observations. On page 4, she reviews some of her “wow” sightings from the past year and shares them with us.

Jennifer Schamber pulls us back closer to home with some new thoughts about growing berries. I remember in my early gardening days coming back from Michigan with a blueberry shrub and dreams of stepping out in the backyard for a fresh handful of blue fruit. Sadly the bush died within a couple of years

without fulfilling the dream.

Blueberries, I discovered, like acidic, well-draining soil, neither of which it was receiving in its new home with me. Of course soil can be amended, but Jennifer describes a much simpler solution: grow them and other berries in pots! Learn more on page 8.

Much easier to grow at home in any soil are native plants. Because of their wild, sometime unkempt nature, native plants have often been relegated to the backyard. But, as Scott Woodbury argues in this month’s article, maybe it’s time to relax our standards a bit and allow for a little more wildness on display in front yards as well. (And

On the Cover...

Colorful floral displays abound in spring and summer around St. Louis, including this riotous planting atop Art Hill by the Art Museum.

Read about more beautiful plantings around town on page 4. Photo by Ann Lapides.

for those who still want to keep a well-groomed look in their front-yard native garden, a couple resources are available from our advertisers.

Missouri Wildflower Nursery’s catalogue rates plants from 1-4 based upon their height, showiness, tameness and other characteristics that either do or do not make them suitable for a well-groomed front garden.

Greenscape Gardens also publishes a Native Plant Guide that offers similar guidance.)

Read more on page 14.

As always there’s much more (including Steffie Littlefield’s rundown on page 16 of plant sales and events that have returned to in-person gatherings…bringing us back to the opening sentiments of this letter, and making this as good a place as any to close and say…)

Good Gardening!

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Seen Around Town 8 Berries in Patio Pots 10 Of All The Galls 12 Eco-Garden Product Guide 14 Wilding the Home Garden 16 Plant Sales and Workshops 18 Opening the Rose Garden 19 Gardening With Children 20 Dig This 22 Upcoming Events

Seen Around Town

By Abby Lapides

S

the Art Museum in Forest Park hosts one of the most dynamic gardens in St. Louis. Expect to see arrangements of flowering plants that rival the paintings inside. While there was a riot of flowers displayed, two that stood out were rose campion The stunning Lehmann Rose and foxglove beardtongue. Rose Garden located inside Missouri campion, Lychnis coronaria, Botanical Garden delights in produces masses of deep rose spring with displays of roses, flowers over silver foliage and bush clematis, sages and the stems. The intense flowers highlight–huge white flowers and shimmery foliage create of ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ a wonderful two-toned effect peony. In 1856 ‘Duchesse de that is perfect in a mixed flower Nemours’ came on to the world garden, like displayed at Art stage and has been a headliner Hill, or can be used in mass for ever since. Highly regarded a striking effect on its own. The for its wonderful fragrance, Highlights of the mixed flower garden that has adorned the top of lesser-known native, foxglove this dependable beauty blooms Art Hill include this beautiful rose campion, Lychnis coronaria. beardtongue, Penstemon cobea, profusely year after year. produces extremely showy Not just the best sledding hill in town, Art Hill by the entrance to violet blooms on tall stems. These plump flowers have a fleeting blooming period, but that makes the flowers even more precious. t. Louis is a city that loves gardens. Starting at the Arch grounds and moving west, exemplary plantings are everywhere. Learn about some of the exciting displays and top plants seen around town.

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One of most striking ornamental trees – ‘The Rising Sun’ redbud, Cercis canadensis, demands attention. Planted at the southeast corner of Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis Hills, it delights cont’d on page 6 Abby Lapides 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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cont’d. from page 4

Peony ‘Dutchess de Nemours’at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Lehmann Rose Garden. all season. In spring the iconic purple buds open. After blooming, a rainbow of green, yellow, and orange leaves appears in an obre effect. The intricate color lasts through summer and into fall.

Perfect for shading small gardens, smoothing the corner of a house or used as a focal point. The clean gardens of Ascension enhance the beauty of this delightful tree. When finished viewing this perfect specimen, walk to Francis Park to enjoy the lily ponds and mosaic art.

The author poses by the ‘Rising Sun’ redbud at Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis Hills. the Reserve’s most exciting display can be seen—the indian pink, Spigelia, flowering. Once there, travel to the Whitmire Wildflower Garden to experience the red tubes with yellow stars flowering in overwhelming droves. A hummingbird magnet, you’ll usually see many diving around the robust display.

Need a break from the hustle and bustle of St. Louis? Travel west When experiencing the on I-44 to Shaw Nature Reserve. While the early blooming daffodil extensive train collection at the fields are worth a visit, I’m partial to visiting in early summer when Museum of Transportation the flowers might be overlooked.

But it’s hard to ignore blazing stars when in full bloom. Stately YOUR ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR stalks of purple flowers bloom Indian pinks blooming profusely in summer attracting butterflies at the Shaw Nature Reserve’s in droves. These can be viewed Whitmire Wildflower Garden. while walking down the hill to the miniature train station, and be sure to take a few minutes to enjoy this delightful example of a glade garden.

NATIVE BE AUTY

Using these world-class gardens for inspiration can bring some exciting and gorgeous results to your own yard.

All photos by Ann Lapides, except Indian Pinks, courtesy Walters Gardens, Inc.

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The Sweet Life: Berries in Patio Pots Text and Photos by Jennifer Schamber

T

here’s no denying the fact that the best tasting fruits and vegetables are the ones we grow in our own yard. Anyone who was lucky enough to grow up with grandparents who had a garden always knew they’d be in for treat every summer when grandma would open the garden gate for her grandkids to pick and eat as they pleased. These types of memories are priceless, but for many people seem like a far reach to try to re-create for their own families. But with a bit of know-how, even someone with a small amount of space can take part in the magic of growing food. A fun way to start is to grow berries in pots!

Strawberries,

blueberries

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and raspberries are some of the easiest berries to grow in pots. In fact, a lot gardeners in the St. Louis-area have more success growing blueberries in pots than in the ground because of the dense clay soil in our yards. Look for varieties that don’t tend to get very large, like Peach Sorbet Blueberries and Raspberry Shortcake. Gardeners in the St. Louis area can grow these in a large pot that can be kept outdoors year-round, as long as they follow some basic guidelines. First, find a large, frost-resistant, preferably terra cotta pot. It should be a minimum of 14” wide, but the bigger, the better. Next, it is important to use a high quality, acidic, porous potting mix, as opposed to a heavy, soil mix. Most berries (especially blueberries) prefer acidic, loose soil so that their roots are less prone to rot issues. A soil amendment called Turface® can be used to help create more porosity in the mix (it is also really great to use if the plants are being planted in the ground). Looser potting mixes also don’t expand as much during winter freezes, so the pots are less likely to crack. Ensure that the pots are always draining properly, especially in the winter. Berries benefit from feeding with an acidic organic fertilizer, like Espoma’s Holly-Tone or Berry-Tone (both of these products have identical ingredients, so

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you can use either of those for other acid-loving plants like hollies, azaleas, magnolias and hydrangeas). It is best to give them an early spring feeding, and then a late spring feeding 45-60 days after the initial application. It is always a good idea to test the pH of the soil to ensure that your berries are growing under optimal conditions.

Berries do best planted in mostly sun, so place your pots where they can receive at least 6 hours of sun daily. The larger the pot, the less often they will need to be watered, but plan to water the pots about twice a week, less during the rainy season, and more often during dry spells. In the first year, you can expect a few berries, but your yield will grow every year. Don’t plan on having one huge harvest all at once, patio berries tend to ripen just a small handful at a time. Oftentimes, one plant can give you a tasty treat every day for a month straight. But be ready to share with the robin in your yard, if you don’t want to share, plan to cover the fruit as they begin to ripen with a net. The robin will only help herself when she knows the fruit is ready. Of course, other wildlife, like deer would enjoy a taste as well, so be prepared to either place the pot in a safe spot or cover with a net.

Aside from watering and feeding, be ready to prune any dead branches as they arise and plan to selectively trim branches after they are done producing fruit. This will help to make them denser and fuller. If it is a very dry Fall season, it is always a good idea to be sure to give the berries a good watering before the hose is put away for the season. Blueberries have beautiful fall color, which puts on a nice little show until the plant goes dormant for the winter.

Other berries, like blackberries, could be grown in pots for a year or two, but most of them will outgrow the limited space in a pot

and are best planted in the ground.

In large pots, you may enjoy a plant for 5-8 years when the conditions are ideal, and possibly even longer. By plugging in a few annuals and herbs around the outside of the pot, it can be ornamental as well as purposeful. So enjoy the sweet life, and plant some berries in pots The author’s daughter Alice prepares to this spring! enjoy some freshly picked berries.

Jennifer Schamber is the General Manager of Greenscape Gardens, and plays leaderships roles in the Western Nursery & Landscape Association, GrowNative! and the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis. She has earned Green Profit Magazine’s Young Retailer Award, and Greenscape Gardens was named the National Winner of the 2015 “Revolutionary 100” Garden Centers by Today’s Garden Center Magazine.

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Of All The Galls! text and photo by Wendell Phillips Berwick

the larvae reach maturity, the horned galls grow small horns. An adult wasp emerges from each horn and another life cycle of wasps begins.

A

recent nemesis to the urban forests in our region has hatched their horny little heads; The Gouty Gall and the Horned Oak Gall. The Pin Oaks learned to live with them for the first few years, yet increasing infestations year after year begin to ‘girdle’ twigs constricting important transpiration, leading to decline and death in some cases.

Over wintering may happen in twigs, branches, and leaves.

Rake and destroy all infested twigs and leaves. Watering during dry periods and organic fertilizing maintain health and longevity. Try to save all pruning for during dormancy. Otherwise trim only deadwood, saving Once a mystery until not that long ago, we know that in early spring a tiny wasp of removal of live growth for late summer, fall, and winter the cynipidae family emerge from woody stem galls. The pruning. females lay eggs on the veins Other than natural predators that do feed on the wasps, of the oak leaf buds. Male are injection tools available to area arborists. Micro WORM CASTINGS and female wasps emerge there injections have only recently become available as controls, from these tiny, blister type and but effectiveness is still being studied, and requires repeat galls on the leaf vein about treatment every two years, so cost over time would have to WORMS midsummer. Mated females be weighed against removal and replacement of the tree. deposit eggs in slits they Natural Organic Additionally, the treatment does not get rid of existing make on young oak twigs.

Fertilizer galls, it only kills the larvae inside the galls. Fertilizer or The next spring swellings trimming are still being recommended to maintain the best on the twigs enlarge over health possible for the tree but are not controls for the galls. the next two or three years.

The galls provide protection, Wendell Phillips Berwick is a certified Tree Surgeon/ food, and shelter for the Arborist/Consultant, and owner of Living Tree Care Inc. MidAmericaCompost.com 678.316.7554 developing larvae. When

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World Outdoor Emporium St Charles, MO & Wentzville, MO www.woe.rocks.com Greenscapes Garden & Gifts Manchester, MO www.greenscapegardens.com

Haegele Nursery & Garden Center St Louis, MO www.haegelenursery.com Sandy’s Back Porch Garden’s Belleville, IL www.sandysbackporch.com

Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center Ballwin, MO www.sherwoods-forest.com

OK Hatchery Feed & Garden Store Kirkwood, MO (314) 822-0083 Schmittel’s Nursery Maryland Heights, MO www.schmittelsnursery.com Sugar Creek Kirkwood, MO www.sugarcreekgardens.com

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2022 Eco-Garden Product Guide Effinger Garden Center 720 South 11th St. Belleville, IL 62220 (618) 234-4600 EffingerGarden.com

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

Eco-Friendly Growing Containers Enjoy plants grown in containers that are 100% compostable, petroleum-free and sustainable.

Perfect for gardeners who are trying to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic products.

Garden Heights Nursery 1605 S. Big Bend Blvd.

Richmond Heights, MO (314) 645-7333 GardenHeights.com

Hillermann Nursery & Florist 2601 E. 5th Street, Washington, MO 63090 636-239-6729 www.hillermann.com Smart Pots The original patented aeration container. Using these fabric planters stops root circling, creates excellent drainage, and helps plants thrive. Smart Pots are extremely durable & weatherproof, environmentally responsible, lead & BPA-free,

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

Seed Starting Containers Ready to start your own garden?

Our seed starting trays and pots are biodegradable and made from 100% recycled plastic! Stop by the Garden Heights store to find all your eco-friendly seed-starting supplies for your spring garden, including organic seeds and soil to start your garden off right!

Planthaven Farms 6703 Telegraph Rd. Oakville, MO (636) 272-5005 O’Fallon and Olivette, too!

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and made in the U.S.A. Available in many sizes.

Pine Straw Mulch Try something new! Pretty and functional. Organic and renewable. Prevents erosion, suppresses weeds. Maintains soil moisture.

mosquito traps are chemical free and use dual band LED UV light to attract flying insects.

Bamboo Cutlery An eco-friendly alternative to plastic dinnerware. Easy to travel with and clean, washable and reusable.

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Manchester, MO 63021 (314) 821-2440 GreenscapeGardens.com Native Plant Guide Designing a yard with native plants is a great way to attract beneficial insects and animals into our lives. Don’t miss our free “Native Plant Guide” that not only helps narrow down the right plant selection, it also helps make sure that the plants are readily available for purchase.

O.K. Hatchery 109-115 Argonne Kirkwood, MO (314) 822-0083

Epoch Rain Barrels

Save rainwater from running into the storm sewers or flooding low spots, and save water later by using it in the garden. Made from repurposed high-quality foodgrade container drums that would otherwise go to refills. Sizes from 17 gallons to 55 gal. Other more decorative styles also available, such as Algreen Wicker barrel shown here.

Zicks Great Outdoors 16498 Clayton Rd. Wildwood, MO (636) 458-1445 ZicksGreatOutdoors.com

Pine Straw Mulch and EcoFriendly Trees At Zick’s we prefer pine straw

over hardwood mulch for many areas of garden beds. It holds on hillsides and retains its color better. And trees help reduce the greenhouse effect. They provide shade and absorb CO2 and other dangerous gases and replenish the atmosphere with oxygen We have both at Zick’s.

and aeration, to provide your plants the nutrients they need when they need it.

Chalily Ponds & Gardens 14430 Manchester Rd. Manchester, MO 63011 (636) 527-2001 Chalily.com

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Naturally Natives Wilding the Home Garden

Scott Woodbury

by Scott Woodbury

I

t doesn’t take long to find a yard in most neighborhoods that seems to have gone wild. Wild in the sense that it does not have the tidy trademarks of a conventional garden. No clipped bushes, no big blocks of crisp emerald lawn with neatly trimmed edges along the sidewalk. No perfectly oval Bradford pears or statuesque ornamental grasses.

April hath put a spirit of in everything. ~ WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

In the wild yard, lawns are diminished while wildflowers and grasses dominate. At times they may grow wide, flirting with the sidewalk edge. They also grow densely together, in loosely defined groupings (if any at all). A diverse array of plants bloom in spring, summer, and fall, all without mulch. Their owners keep dried seed heads and grass leaves standing through winter, and in spring, cut them back tall with considerable stubble.

To the untrained eye, this landscape looks uncared for. It lacks the familiar touches to which we have become accustomed. Like most people my age (which my fifteen-year-old son says is “just old”), my sense of garden place was honed by conventional garden practices. Weed-free lawns, straight hedges, and ornamental plants

CONNECT NATURE

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 30 years. He also is an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! program.

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resistant to pests (ie: beetles, bugs, ants, aphids, butterflies, moths, wasps, sawflies, bees and hoppers). What I experienced in my early horticulture career led me to believe that wild gardens like these were too wild for tame suburbs.

Now when I see a wild garden, I see it differently. Naturally fallen tree leaves laying in a garden bed strikes me as normal, because that’s where luna moths and wooly bear caterpillars over-winter in simple gardening practices. The birds we enjoy in spring depend cocoons. When I see holes chewed in plant leaves, I hope to spot on it, as we depend on the ethereal calls of songbirds to help wash the caterpillar that chewed them, so I can see positive evidence of away those late-winter blues. Happy wild gardening! my attempts to wild the yard. When I take a walk and encounter a plant reaching into the sidewalk, I take notice. It slows me down and draws me in, as if the plant was tapping me on the toe to say, “Hey human, slow down, enjoy the poppy mallows.” I want to Missouri Wildflowers meet this owner someday and say thanks.

To me, these are worthy trademarks of fine gardening. These practices work for wild gardens and they can work in tidy conventional gardens too. After all, humans aren’t the sole beneficiaries of a garden. We could promote more insect diversity by changing a few

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Meet us at one of these locations in the St. Louis area. Give us your order by Tuesday before a sale, and we will bring it to the location.

Kirkwood Farmer’s Market, 150 East Argonne Dr. Kirkwood MO 63122. Give us your order in advance, or pick from the selection at the market. April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; May 21, 28; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, 11715 Craigwold Rd. Kirkwood MO 63122. Event: “Native Plant Workshop and Sale” https:// mdc.mo.gov/events April 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

St. Louis, Location to be announced, Check website for updates. Event: “Native Plant Fair/Sale - Partners for Native Landscaping” partnersfornativelandscaping.org, or www.mowildflowers.net April 10, check website for time.

Shaw Nature Reserve, 307 Pinetum Loop Rd Gray Summit, MO 63039. Event: “Spring Wildflower Market;” General Public: Free admission. May 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members preview sale: Friday, May 6, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

ST. LOUIS CHAPTER stlwildones.org

APRIL 2022

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15

Robert Weaver

Scott Woodbury

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants

The Cornucopia Corner Plant Sales and Workshops are Back!

By Steffie Littlefield

T

he best ways to learn about gardening is to experience it and to have first-hand interaction with gardens and gardeners. After all the lock downs and lock outs, this is the spring to make the effort to attend many of the Spring Plant Sales/Swaps and workshops/ lectures. The first weekend in May is considered “GO” day for gardening with Mothers Day being that Sunday. It’s a good time to plan a few excursions Shaw Spring Wildflower Sale. with gardening and plant sales in mind.

One fabulous place to learn about native plants and purchase many different varieties is at the Shaw Nature Reserve Spring Wildflower Market. This is an amazing opportunity to talk with growers and volunteers about the different plants and gather information from local gardening groups as well as purchase plants. This for me is a “go-to” event for native shrubs and trees, which Forest Releaf and Forrest Keeling Nursery will bring to the market. The top growers of native plants, including Missouri Wildflower Nursery and others, will also have a huge variety of perennial plants and some really great information as well as staff to answer questions or point you to the right plants for your individual needs. This event is Friday May 6th from 3-7pm for Missouri Botanical Garden members and Saturday from 9-1pm for the general public.

A new event this year will be held in the area close to our winery, “Washington County In Bloom” Flower Festival and plant and seed swap. Who doesn’t love a great swap event? There will be various workshops on container gardening, home gardening, medicinal plants, cooking with herbs, and separating and dividing perennials.

I am pleased to participate as a speaker along with experts

from University of Missouri Extension, Lincoln University, and the Washington County Partnership. This event is from 10am-5pm on Saturday May 7th with the plant swap being in the noon time slot.

The Butterfly House Pollinator Plant Sale is going to be in person on April 23-24 from 10am-4pm at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. Here is a wonderful opportunity to learn about plants that attract our butterflies, bees and other native pollinators and support Project Pollinator, our community gardening initiative. There beautiful demonstration gardens really showcase the plants they sell.

Another epic community plant sale is produced by the St. Louis Herb Society and features culinary and medicinal herbs for your garden. Here is a chance to meet the herb society members and learn more about this essential area of gardening. MOBOT Member preview is Project Pollinator Sale at the Sophia M. April 28th, 5-8pm and Sachs Butterfly House. the public sale on April 29th, 9-5pm and April 30th starting at 9 going to noon, or as long as supplies last.

Other resources for workshops are Seed St Louis with spring workshops including a class on perennials for the garden and orchard April 7th at 6pm, and another on Seed Saving and Plant Steffie Littlefield is a St Louis area horticulturist and garden designer.

She has degrees from St. Louis Community College at Meramec and Southeast Missouri State and is a member of Gateway Professional Horticultural Association, Missouri Botanical Garden Members Board and past president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metropolitan St. Louis. She is part-owner of Edg-Clif Winery, Potosi, MO. www.EdgClif.com, and teaches a class on viticulture at SLCC-Meramec.

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Breeding on April 28th at 6pm. They are also having a plant sale featuring vegetable starts May 7th at 9-12.This will be at the Bell Garden, 3815 Bell Ave. U City in Bloom is sponsoring Plant Sale and Party Friday April 29th-Sunday May 1st, at the Heman Park Community Center and will feature annuals and perennials. The Webster Groves Garden Club Annual Plant Sale is April 29-30 at the Webster Community Center, 33 E Glendale Rd. And the Webster Groves Herb Society hosts a plant sale on April 30th. These are all very popular events benefitting the area’s gardening organizations.

(More information about these and other events and sales can be found in this issue’s Upcoming Events calendar on pages 22-23.)

Whether you are looking to start a new garden this spring or just wanting to fill in a wellestablished garden site, community plant sales and workshops are the best way to learn more about gardening from those Webster Groves Herb Society Plant Sale. who actually do it.

We have all gotten into using the on-line resources the last two years.

But now is the time to get out and meet your fellow plant lovers and see the plants and their gardens YOUR TREES DESERVE THE BEST CARE in person. There are many Facebook groups now for those interested in swapping plants and sharing durable but in some cases rare plants. Research the ones near you and join. But don’t just stay home and binge the pretty pictures, go visit these gardens, Tim Gamma – B.S. Horticulture parks and wild-plant reserves.

Board Certified Master Arborist Tom Gamma Find area restaurants that grow ISA Certified Arborist their own produce and visit their P R U N I N G F E R T I L I Z AT I O N P L A N T I N G S P R AY I N G T R I M M I N G R E M O VA L gardens. Every visit you make 314-725-6159 you will learn something new Insured gammatree.com and make new friends.

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APRIL 2022

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Opening the Rose Garden

by Diane Brueckman

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id-April is the safest time to start uncovering your winter protected roses. Look for leaf buds swelling on the canes exposed above the mulch.

Do not despair if you a see lot of black canes with no obvious new growth. The severe cold in February killed many canes down to the mulch but you will find growth below the mulch.

When I get ready to open up my garden, I start with the hardiest roses, usually my shrubs, and prune them first. The last roses Pruned and properly “stressed” canes of a climbing rose at Missouri Botanical Garden.

I work on are the hybrid teas.

I thin out the main canes of climbers to the best three or four and take out the oldest canes and any damaged canes. Main canes (those coming from the bud-union) should not be cut but bend them along their support, either a trellis or fence. Once you determine which canes you are keeping prune the lateral canes (those coming off the main canes) to 3 or 4 bud eyes. Stressing the main canes along the support will encourage the side shoots to produce blooms. If the canes are allowed to grow straight up you will only have blooms on the ends of the canes. Tie the canes securely to their support.

Shrubs such as Knock Out roses can be pruned in March but it is not too late to prune them now.

Take out old growth especially if it is crossing through the center of the plant. I know some shrubs are sold as no maintenance but all plants benefit from a yearly cleaning up.

Air circulation is improved and the overall appearance of the plant is much better.

The once blooming Old Garden Roses should not be pruned until after they bloom. If you had some die back over the winter you can cut that out of the bush but otherwise wait until after they 18

bloom before pruning. After they bloom only cut back 1/3 of the height.

When you start on the modern roses, do the hardiest first. Ownroot roses have fewer problems with winter kill than the budded roses, but the method is the same if they were covered. I have had some die back to the ground but they almost always come back because the roots are true to the rose you planted. I watch them for a few weeks and low and behold they start to come up. The lesson here is do not dig them up right away.

Budded roses are a different story, if the bud-union dies the rootstock will produce a different rose most likely ‘Dr. Huey’ a pretty red rose but not what you planted. Carefully pull the mulch away from the bud-union. Prune out any crossing canes as well as canes that are diseased or damaged. Leave some excess mulch piled near the roses in case of a late freeze so you can quickly recover the bud-unions and basil shoots (the new canes coming directly from the bud-union). New growth especially basil shoots are very susceptible to extreme cold when exposed to cold before they harden off.

After everything is uncovered, it is time to fertilize the roses. I use strictly organic fertilizer. I like the idea of feeding the soil as well as the plants. Using organic matter keeps the pH of the soil well in the range roses like (a pH of 6.3 to 6.8 is ideal but 6 – 7 also works). My mulch is once ground tree trimmings which contain brown and green material. The tree services are happy to dump their trimmings in my yard. If I have more than I can use, I let it compost for a year. There are also many organic fertilizers on the market to choose from.

The final step to opening the garden is to spray with a fungicide.

As the weather heats up and the humidity increases it is best to get the fungus before it gets you. The first disease in spring is powdery mildew, a neem oil spray will knock it out. Neem oil also helps with blackspot.

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.

The Gateway Gardener™ APRIL 2022

Gardening with Children

What’s Your Type? (Soil, That Is)

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ive any child a bucket and trowel, in a garden, and they will inevitable dig deep into the soil. Add a watering can to this party and you have yourself a mud pie. Besides being fun, making mud pies can help you learn about soil.

Soil is simple. There are 3 mineral ingredients: sand, silt, and clay. (A mineral is simply a rock that has worn down over time, and sand, silt and clay are just different sizes of rock remains.)

These amounts determine the soil type.

The best soil for gardening is a mixture of these three types and a healthy dollop of organic matter—that’s things like decomposed leaves and sticks--that crumbles when you squeeze a clump into a ball. But the best soil for mud pies is a sticky clump that flattens out in a firm, clumpy pancake, indicating a large amount of clay.

What’s your soil made of? Let’s find out! You will need these items: a jar, soil, 1 T of dish soap, water, a ruler, marker, and tape. First, sink your shovel carefully into the soil. If you have gone deep enough, you’ll notice the different colored layers of soil. Topsoil will be the first layer you see, about 12-24 inches down (though if you live in a newer subdivision, it could be an inch or less). It is just under the grass and held together by their roots. For this exercise we are focusing on the soil just below the roots of your grass. Fill your jar up 1/3 of the way with your soil sample. Once collected, dump out soil, break up the bigger bits and remove rocks and twigs the best you can. Then, put the soil back in jar, fill the jar up with water, and add a 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Place a tight lid on the top of the jar and then shake the jar unit your heart is content. Find a quiet spot for your experiment to rest.

After a minute or so you will notice a first layer forming at the bottom of the jar. Mark this layer with a strip of tape and label it “Sand”. After a few hours, revisit the experiment and APRIL 2022

The Gateway Gardener™

label the new layer “Silt”. The finest layer of soil is the “Clay”. This layer will be on the top of the sand and silt layers and will take up to 48 hours to settle in place.

Once all three layers are marked on your jar, take a ruler and measure the height of the soil sample. If you have about 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay, you have what many gardeners say is just about perfect soil! Congrats! If you live in Illinois, your sample may come close to this. In Missouri, soils will generally have a LOT more clay!

Now that you’re done, pour out all the water and make a “delicious” mud pie!

(Just kidding—don’t eat it!)

Information and photo for this article was compiled by Valerie Scolarici.

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Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News BCH Celebrates 10-year Anniversary

Bring Conservation Home (BCH) is an innovative program of St. Louis Audubon which, for the past 10 years, has been effectively connecting people with nature and, as a result, encouraging the creation of native plant and animal habitat throughout the St. Louis region.

Since 2012, more than 1,500 homeowners and stewards of public spaces have requested and received guidance from BCH’s one staff member and a small but enthusiastic army of wonderful volunteer habitat advisors in developing native plant landscaping for the benefit of birds and other wildlife. This unique gardener-to-gardener model of teaching has proven to be a congenial means of helping novices and experts alike, enabling those just getting interested in ecology to take a big leap forward while also offering fresh ideas to those already experienced in the world of native plants.

In addition to imparting basic information, technical assistance, and encouragement, BCH also provides recognition for accomplishment through a progression of achievement levels. Many homeowners have committed to a “Healthy Yard Pledge” -- to reduce pesticide use, conserve water, protect water quality, remove non-native invasive plants, and plant more native species to support birds and other wildlife on their property. They can actively pursue BCH’s Silver, Gold, or Platinum status as evidence of their growing expertise.

BCH also works closely with other conservation organizations and presents annual educational events, including native landscaping workshops, a native plant garden tour, and a native plant sale.

If you would like to learn more about the BCH program or become a member, visit stlouisaudubon. org. (From the St. Louis Audubon Society’s Tale Feathers newsletter.)

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Brightside St. Louis Turns 40

Hard to believe St Louisans have been enjoying those cheerful daffodils along area highways for 40 years now! Of course Brightside St. Louis is so much more than just the highway daffodils. They clean graffiti, pick up litter, help green St. Louis by supporting community gardens and public plantings, and so much more.

Originally named Operation Brightside, the organization was founded in 1982 by Mayor Vince Schoemehl and campaign chairman G. Duncan Bauman, the then publisher of the St. Louis Globe Democrat. It was the response to a 1981 survey that was conducted in which St. Louis residents felt the number one problem facing the city was the fact that it was dirty.

Volunteers were required to sign up ten additional volunteers who would then each be required to sign up ten more volunteers. The eventual 100,000 volunteers would be both the brains and brawn for the effort that would start the cleaning and greening of the gateway city, filling trash bag after trash bag of litter and debris. The group’s original slogan was “Good neighbors teamed up to clean up St. Louis” – a phrase that stuck around until the recent rebranding efforts.

As part of its anniversary celebration, Brightside St. Louis has big goals, including completing 400 neighborhood clean-ups, engage 4,000 volunteers, plant 40,000 each of daffodils, marigolds, dianthus and celosia, and remove 40,000 sq. ft. of graffiti.

If you would like to help, visit their website at brightsidestl.org to learn about volunteering or donating.

The Gateway Gardener™ APRIL 2022

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Upcoming Events Craigwold Rd., Kirkwood, MO. visit mdc.mo.gov/events for details.

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 June issue is May 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!

April 10th Native Plant Fair/Sale. Partners for Native Landscaping. Check mowildflowers.net for time and location.

April 23 -24 10am-4pm—Butterfly House Pollinator Plant Sale. Learn about plants that attract butterflies, bees and other native pollinators, while supporting Project Pollinator. Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, 15050 Faust Park, Chesterfield, MO. rd

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April 24th 2-5pm—St. Louis Hosta Vendor Day. Hostas and companion plants and garden items from Avalon Acres and Hostas on the Bluff for sale, plus vendors for equipment, paper art, and baked goods. Open to the public. FREE entrance. Crestwood Community Center Gym, 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, Crestwood.

April 28th-30th 5-8pm Fri., 9am-5pm Sat., 9am-noon Sun.—St. Louis Herb Society Herb Sale. Presented by The St. Louis Herb Society and the Horticulture Division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, featuring herbs of the Mediterranean.

The in-person sale will be held under a garden tent on the East Plaza behind the Linnean House. Over 6,000 herbs and native pollinator plants including more than 125 varieties. Members of The St. Louis Herb Society will be on hand to answer questions and give advice on selecting, planting, growing, and using herbs. Missouri Botanical Garden East Plaza.

GARDEN TOURS, PLANT SALES AND SHOWS

April 29th-30th 8am-6pm Fri., 8am-noon Sat.—The Webster Groves Garden Club Plant Sale. Webster Groves Recreation Center, 33 E. Glendale Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119. On offer will be locally grown sun and shade-loving perennials and natives collected from private area gardens. Experienced member gardeners will be on hand to counsel shoppers concerning plant selection and care.

April 9th 10am-2pm--Native Plant Workshop and Sale. Powder Valley Conservation Center. 11715

April 29th-May 1st 5-7pm Fri., 9am-1pm Sat., 11am1pm Sun.—U City in Bloom Plant Sale and Party. Opening night party

FUN FOR KIDS April 2nd 9am-Children’s Garden Club. It’s Spring! Planthaven Farms, 6703 Telegraph Rd., 63129.

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features a chance to mingle with other gardeners and enjoy food and beverages, while getting first dips on plants for sale. Reservations required.

Sale continues through Sunday. All proceeds benefit U. City in Bloom.

Heman Park Community Center.

April 30th 9am-1pm—Ascension Lutheran Church Plant Sale. Choose from a colorful section of fresh, locally grown pre-ordered annual flowers, vegetables and hanging baskets.

Pre-sales are required for our choice of these plants prior to April 13.

Shop for additional annuals flowers, perennials, vegetable that will brighten your landscapes or give to Mom for Mother’s Day. Please visit ascensionstl.com/plants for complete details and to download the order form. Proceeds benefit our youth activities. Event is held at Word of Life Lutheran School 6535 Eichelberger St. 63109 near Francis Park in South St. Louis.

8:30am-noon—Webster Groves Herb Society Plant Sale. First Congregational Church of Webster Groves 10 S. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves 63119. Check or credit only.

Free parking. Wonderful variety of herbs, your one stop shopping place.

Check out our Herb list at Wgherbs. org that will be available at the sale.

We will be following Covid numbers to keep everyone safe so sale may be inside or outside.

9am until sold out--Olivette in Bloom Native Plant Sale. Master Gardeners will be on hand to assist with your native plant and tree selections and answer questions on native plants and offer general gardening advice for your garden. Olivette City Center, 1140 Dielman Road.

8am-1pm--Lincoln County Master Gardener Plant Sale. Lincoln County Extension Center, 880 W. College, Troy, MO. May 6th-7th 3-7pm Fri. (members only), 9am-1pm Sat.—Spring Wildflower Market.

Shop from a wide selection of Missouri native wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, vines, sedges and trees suitable for all conditions and grown by local nurseries in the region. Talk to native plant experts and enjoy beer,

wine, spirits, cheese, honey, crafts and more. Shaw Nature Reserve.

May 6th-7th 9am-2pm—Franklin County Master Gardeners Plant Sale.

1115 Clocktower Plaza parking lot in Washington, MO. Mother’s Day plants, giant patio tomatoes, garden plants, herbs, garden books, tools and misc.

May 7th 8am-noon—Mississippi Valley Garden Club Plant Sale. AltonWood River Sportsman’s Club., 3109 Godfrey Rd, Godfrey, IL 62035. We will have many perennials and gently used gardening items. Experienced gardeners available for assistance.

9am-noon—Seed St. Louis Summer Plant Sale. Behind the Carriage House building at 3815 Bell Avenue in St. Louis. Summer vegetable seedlings, edible perennials, seed packets, plus Seed St. Louis t-shirts and stickers.

8:30am-12:30pm--Webster Groves Women’s Garden Association Plant Sale. Home-grown perennials for sun and shade, natives, preplanted pots for Mother’s Day. First Congregational Church in Webster Groves (Lockwood and Elm Ave) parking lot rain or shine; Credit, Debit or Check accepted, Following CDC guidelines. Master Gardeners on hand to help with plant and garden questions. Profits raised to support local schools and community organizations Every Saturday in May 8am-noon—Friends of the Market Community Garden Plant Sale.

Offering garden plants on a first-come basis. 28 Suburban Ave., Ferguson, MO 63135 (next to Ferguson Farmer’s Market).

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS April 3rd Noon—Proven Winner Plants.

Our favorite annuals, perennials and shrubs, and what’s new for 2022.

Effinger Garden Center, 720 South 11th St., Belleville, IL. (618) 2344600.

The Gateway Gardener™ APRIL 2022

April 5th 2pm—Virtual Program: Homegrown National Park.

Presented by Partners for Native Landscaping and coordinated through St. Louis County Library’s Adult Programming. Jean Ponzi, EarthWays Center of Missouri Botanical Garden, explores the potential of creating a cumulative “national park” by improving the nature-rich qualities of individual yards and community spaces.

Registration required. Participants will receive Zoom information via email immediately after registering. Go to partnersfornativelandscaping.org for more information or to register.

April 6th 7pm—Virtual Program: Gardening for Backyard Wildlife. Presented

by Partners for Native Landscaping and coordinated through St. Louis County Library’s Adult Programming. Erin Shank, Missouri Department of Conservation, explores how small yards in urban and suburban environments can offer important habitats for wildlife from migratory songbirds to subterranean invertebrates. Learn how to support biodiversity in your backyard.

Registration required. Participants will receive Zoom information via email immediately after registering.

Go to partnersfornativelandscaping. org for more information or to register.

April 7 6pm—Perennials for the Garden and Orchard (Virtual Zoom Class).

Learn about favorite perennial fruit and nut producing trees, shrubs, vines th

APRIL 2022

and cane fruit. Dean Gunderson, Director of Education at Seed St. Louis, will also discuss some of the best perennial vegetables and herbs you can grow in your garden. Register from a link at SeedStl.org. FREE. April 9 10am-noon—Seed Starting and Spring Gardening. Part of the East St. Louis Garden Workshop Series.

FREE. Jones Park Greenhouse, 1200 N. Park Dr., East St. Louis, IL. Hosted by U. of Illinois Extension Madison-Monroe-St. Clair.

To register, visit go.Illinois.edu/ EastStLouisGardenWorkshop. th

April 10th noon—Vegetable and Herb Gardening. Easy tips for success.

Bring your questions and a friend.

Effinger Garden Center, 720 South 11th St., Belleville, IL. (618) 2344600.

April 13th 4-5pm—Grow Native! Webinar: Intro to Beetles with Betsy.

Learn about the fascinating natural history, habitat needs, and general identification of the major groups of beetles in the lower Midwest. The webinar, held via Zoom, will be 45 minutes including a question and answer session. The webinar will be recorded, and sent to all regitrants as well as posted to the YouTube channel.

FREE. Register at MoPrairie.org.

Camping available. Camp Manitowa, Cedar Point. Makanda IL. Contact makandamushroomfestival@gmail. com or text 618/521-1383 for information.

April 23rd-24th 11am-5pm both days—St. Louis Earth Day Festival. Earth Day is back with great food, music and activities. Learn about sustainable products and practices from local businesses and organizations. Visit Earthday365.com for details.

April 28th 6pm—Seed Saving and Plant Breeding (Virtual Zoom Class).

Learn about the easiest crops to save seeds, the basics of saving seeds, and the basics of selecting your own varieties. Register at the link at SeedStL.org.

April 29th National Arbor Day at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. Free trees to visitors, along with planting and care instructions. Supplies offered

may be on a limited basis. Bring your questions about trees and gardening.

Two walking tours through the Arboretum at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Each tour will be about 1.5 hours long, walking on moderately flat terrain, less than one mile in length.

Tour registration is required: https:// bellefontainecemetery.org/events/ All activities will be at the entrance at 4947 W. Florissant Ave., St. Louis, MO 63115.

May 7th 10am-5pm—Washington County in Bloom Flower Festival. Seed and plant swap. Craft and Plant booths, 5 expert speakers presenting workshops, food trucks and more.

Forshana Farm, 16270 W. State Highway 8, Potosi, MO. Visit WashCoFlowerFestival.com for more info.

April 22nd-24th Makanda Mushroom Festival.

Educational sessions, wellness workshops, foraging hikes, cooking demo, juried artisan show, live music and more. Tickets on Eventbrite.

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