The Gateway Gardener March 2019

Gateway Gardener

MARCH 2019

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Compassionate Gardening

Habitat for People and Wildlife

Lawn Alternatives Garden Worthy Native Willows Smart Gardening is FUN Gardening!

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Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

MARCH 2019

Volume 15, Number 2

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

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

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

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From the Editor

eople who have followed this magazine and this column know that my interest in gardening came by way of an introduction to prairie and thus the native plants associated with that biome. And yet, as I began my horticultural studies and implementation, they led me first into a more traditional way of gardening that shaped my home landscape with the typical power players, mostly exotic, found throughout most urban and suburban neighborhoods.

It wasn’t until I lost a couple of adjacent trees and gained a patch of sunlight a few years into my gardening life that I scratched my itch for an exclusively native “prairie” garden. As I’ve told people many times, as it matured, I was amazed at how much “fauna” this postage stamp of “flora” attracted. Bees, butterflies, and birds made the native garden vibrate with activity to a degree I’d never witnessed in my traditional landscape.

I wasn’t bright enough to make any larger ecological connections to that phenomenon at the time, but in recent years, other people have. You’ve read in past issues about Doug Tallamy and his book, Bringing Nature Home, in which he argues the case for planting more native trees and shrubs to

Goldfinches harvesting seed from a cup plant in our “Petite Prairie” garden. Cup plant has since been expunged from the garden for bad behavior, but the birds still flock to other less weedy natives.

feed the caterpillars and insects that in turn feed our diminishing songbird population. This month, there will be a few opportunities to meet some others. On March 8th, Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener, will join native plant experts from GrowNative! and St. Louis Audubon Society for a “mingle” and presentation at Powder Valley Nature Center. Meanwhile, you can read more about her book’s message in Jennifer Schamber’s article on page 6. On March 22nd, GrowNative! is presenting speaker Thomas Rainer, co-

On the Cover...

Gardening with native plants may reward you with unusual visitors like this clearwing, or hummingbird moth, attracted here to Monarda fistulosa, or beebalm. Read about other benefits of compassionate gardening on page 6 (photo by Nancy Lawson).

author of Planting in a Post-Wild World, a plan to create more sustainable landscapes. And on March 29th-30th, Wild Ones, St. Louis Audubon Society and other partners are hosting their annual Native Landscaping Workshop featuring a keynote address by Larry Weaner, author of Garden Revolution, a treatise on “how our landscapes can be a source of environmental change.” See our Upcoming Events calendar for details on these and other programs taking place this month.

In another nod toward landscape sustainability, Abby Lapides offers up some suggestions for lawn/turf alternatives on page 4. Some tolerate traffic, while others are simply pretty spacefilling groundcovers. All require fewer chemical and water inputs than traditional turf lawns, and worth consideration for some homeowners whose families have outgrown the backyard play area.

After this winter, I think we’ll all be happy to welcome March and whatever green and flowering forms she offers up.

Good Gardening!

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Lawn Alternatives 6 Compassionate Gardening 8 Garden Worthy Willows 10 Be a Certifiable Gardener 12 Honeysuckle Sweep Month 14 Smart Gardening is Fun 16 A Rose World Legend 18 JT’s Fresh Ideas 18 Grow Something New 20 Dig This 22 Upcoming Events

Lawn Alternatives

By Abby Lapides

An excellent groundcover for shady areas is ‘Green Sheen’ spurge. Growing about 8” tall, glossy foliage forms a dense carpet of dark green that looks perfect all year long. ‘Green Sheen’ thrives in dark shade and the deer and bunnies don’t bother it. It is best planted where there is low foot traffic.

The green sea of a well-kept lawn adds a sense of serenity to the yard, however harsh chemicals and time spent on upkeep can ruin this tranquility.

Low maintenance lawn alternatives are key to keeping you and your lawn Zen.

Loriope “NoMo’

the Pennsylvania sedge, Carex pensylvanica. It grows about a foot tall and wide with wispy green blades that lay on the ground like a delicate carpet.

Another Missouri native sedge Also known as oak sedge, it is with a similar appearance is

One plant that may be the perfect alternative to turf grasses is ‘NOMO’ creeping lily turf. ‘NOMO’ is the compact sister of traditional creeping lily turf that’s been a staple groundcover for many happiest when in the company years. ‘NOMO’ reaches only of oaks. Grows in part to full 3-6” tall and forms thick lush shade and will slowly spread lawns that need no mowing and through rhizomes. can withstand children and dog Hortech

Sedges are a great place to start when looking into plants that give the feel of a lawn.

The Missouri native bristle leaf sedge, Carex eburnea, is perfect for those shady spots around trees where almost no turf grass will grow. Hair-like green blades grow 6 to 12” tall and wide in just about any shady spot, and will thrive and spread via rhizomes if in richer soils. Tolerates light foot traffic.

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If you have a hot and dry spot that the sprinkler isn’t hitting, look to sedums to give a lush carpet without much water. Sedums come in all different colors and heights. My favorites for a low growing lawn alternative are the golden yellow ‘Angelina’ or the vibrant red ‘Wildfire’.

Sedums play well together so plant a few in the same area to

Creeping phlox or moss phlox is a staple for early spring gardens.

Its complete carpeting of bright colors when blooming brings a joy like no other. While I adore the flowers, I’m more interested in the tough green foliage that grows in just about any sunny spot with good drainage. The low semi-evergreen foliage forms a dense green carpet that can tolerate some foot traffic.

It looks fabulous when spilling over retaining walls or planted on a hill. I wouldn’t replant my whole yard with creeping phlox, but it would be an ideal choice for a sunny slope or near

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Instead of tearing out your hair trying to figuring out what fungal disease is infecting your grass or attempting to kill the myriad of weeds infesting your lawn, plant some groundcovers and return to the joy of gardening.

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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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MARCH 2019

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Compassionate Gardening In A Conventional World

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by Jennifer Schamber, Photos by Nancy Lawson except as noted

he foundational success of our country can be primarily attributed to the vast richness of our natural resources.

From fertile farmlands to plentiful hardwood forests to diverse wildlife, the list goes on and on. But one could make a solid argument that our success has been built on the exploitation of human beings, natural resources and wildlife. This painful truth is so engrained in our culture, that we now have this notion that nature was meant to be conquered, and that it is our right to do so.

We have become so disconnected from the natural world, that we have forgotten that our place on earth wasn’t intended to be the destroyer of nature, but to be the ones to protect and defend it for our future offspring. Oftentimes these actions against nature are not intentional, we just tend to overlook potential consequences for the sake of a conventional and convenient lifestyle.

This concept can help explain why we continue our fight against nature in the way we manage our landscapes and outdoor spaces.

The quest for what we perceive as perfection has caused a lot of damage, from negatively impacting soil health to decreasing the population of many insect and bird species. As more studies reveal the direct correlation between our disconnection with nature and a decline in human wellness, we are now coming to terms with the fact

Nancy Lawson reports that hummingbirds frequently visit this fountain by her patio.

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The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

Nature has always been so generous to us. We can plant some seeds in soil and without much more than some sun, water and a little nourishment, we can grow an array of plants that can feed our families, provide us with shelter, make our homes beautiful and give us air to breathe. Nature is an exponential giver, but how much more can it give without getting much back in return? Our Great spangled frittilary and pearl crescent butterflies share compassion for nature will be the key for the future success and nectar at a Joe pye weed flower. happiness of human beings, and that the success of future generations cannot rely on exploitation. now is the time to learn how to We need to rethink our expectations and look for ways to re-engage turn this compassion into action. ourselves with the natural world.

Don’t forget, on March 8th you In Nancy Lawson’s book, The Humane Gardener, she offers can “mingle” with Nancy and solutions for how we can embrace nature within our landscaping the compassionate gardeners practices and work toward creating partnerships within the living from GrowNative! and St. systems that surround us. Some of her guiding principles include Louis Audubon Society (see planting a wide diversity of native plants in the landscape, nurturing the March 2019 issue, pg. 9, as healthy habitats for beneficial animals and insects, removing well as Upcoming Events in this hazards (like pesticides), “letting go” and allowing nature to be issue). Nancy will also give a the guide, and allowing for regeneration of soils through natural presentation on this topic, and composting and decay. A simple example of creating balance with sign copies of her book.

Nancy Lawson nature might be allowing clover to grow as a turf alternative it is a food source of choice for rabbits and it can help divert their attention from other plants. Another approach may be instead

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Bumble and carpenter bees find a common attraction at this evening primrose.

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.

MARCH 2019

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of continually trying to grow grass in acidic, shady conditions, consider encouraging moss to grow in the area. One of the easiest ways to be a humane gardener is to “leave the leaves” at the end of the growing season rather than raking. Leaving dead debris is not only beneficial for the soil, it is essential for many insects and can serve as a natural insulator for surrounding plants and roots. In turf areas, you can just mow/mulch leaves into the grass for “free” fertilizer!

Naturally Natives Garden Worthy Willows text and photos by Scott Woodbury except as noted “Between the ranch house and the house we live in is the singing creek where the willows grow. We have conversations, and there I do dabble my toes beside the willows. I feel the feels of gladness they do feel”.

Opal Whitely, “The Singing Creek Where the Willows Grow”

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here is perhaps no native plant more ubiquitous than willow, especially black willow (Salix nigra). It comes up in house gutters, garden beds, low farmers’ fields, roadside ditches, pond margins and every creekside gravel bar in the eastern half of the United States. Why house gutters? Their seeds are like Whoville specks flying on the wind in late spring (see Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who). They produce millions and millions of fluffy airborn seeds that may fly for miles. Those that land on disturbed wet bare soil or gravel, sprout immediately and grow fast. Salix literally means “jump” in Latin. There is no need for a cold winter to break seed dormancy. Seedlings grow rapidly to stabilize creek and river edges that get scoured from spring rainstorms; nature’s living Band-Aid.

Prairie Willow

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But as useful as black willows are in healing damaged creeks, they are thought of as weeds in the landscape. They grow quickly to thirty feet, which is too large for most gardens.

Fortunately there is prairie willow (Salix humilis), a small clumpforming shrub that grows about five feet tall with branches that extend horizontally as the plant grows. It has a slow-to-moderate growth rate and will form a small colony over many years. When pruned every other year, plant height may be reduced. It blooms in early March, coinciding with the emergence of early-season bees and flies that are hungry for its abundant pollen and nectar. It also is the favorite food of mourning cloak and red admiral butterflies

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 6, 13, 20, & 27, and May 4; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pre-orders can be picked up 4-6 p.m. Fridays.

Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63110.

Event: “Meet Me Outdoors in St. Louis.” www.missouribotanicalgarden.org April 6 & 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Town Square Pavilion, Illinois (US 51 North) & Main (Hwy 13), Carbondale IL. Sierra Club Native Plant Sale. www.sierraclub.org/illinois/shawnee or Carla: 815-263-8173. May 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Opening day at our Brazito (Jefferson City) location is March 16.

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Heart-leaved willow The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

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Shaw Nature Reserve, I-44 & Hwy 100, Gray Summit, MO 63039.

Event: “Shaw Wildflower Market,” www.shawnature.org. May 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Member’s preview sale Friday, May 10, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants whose caterpillars feed on the leaves in summer. It is an upland willow species, growing in dry prairies and a good choice for difficult low-maintenance dry landscapes. It may be grown as a low hedge or mass, as it tends to grow outward more than upward, like ‘Gro Low’ aromatic sumac. It also grows densely with a profusion of slender stems, eliminating weeds effectively.

resembles a weeping willow. Its juvenile yellow branches are flexible and move in the wind. To train one into a tree, remove all but one to three of the most vigorous stems and limb it up (remove lower side branches and sprouts) to a desired height during the first three to five years of growth. It is both flood and drought tolerant.

For gardeners, that is key because weeping willows suffer from There are eco-types of prairie willow that grow much taller so look drought. To grow as a screen, cut it back to the ground annually to for the low-growing form of prairie willow from Shaw Nature form an impenetrable clump of stems and leaves eight to ten feet Reserve called the ‘Brazil’ strain (discovered near Brazil, Missouri) tall and wide. Carolina willow is a fast-growing species. at the Spring Wildflower Market on Mother’s day weekend.

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.

Heart-leaved willow Heart-leaved willow (Salix eriocephala) grows wild in wet woodlands, wetlands and along creeks. In gardens it thrives in sun or part shade and clay soils, wet or dry. The variety growing in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden grows similarly to the ‘Brazil’ strain of prairie willow but is slightly bigger, growing six to eight feet tall. Branches grow laterally and root at the edges as the plant expands outward at a slow to moderate rate. Butter-yellow flowers emerge in spring from reddish flower buds and stems. It has the showiest buds, flowers and stems of the Missouri willow species and has potential for cut-flower use.

Sand-bar willow (Salix interior) is a showy shrub for landscaping with the potential to reach eight feet in height and greater in width, making an excellent screen. It is twiggy and dense in form, eliminating weeds effectively. Sand-bar willow has showy narrow drooping leaves that are very long, dark-green and narrow, kind of like vanilla beans hanging down from the stem.

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Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana) will grow into a twenty-foot tall and wide tree that MARCH 2019

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Be a Certifiable Gardener

By Robert Weaver

If you are crazy about gardening for wildlife, there are several local opportunities to let your friends and neighbors know you’re certifiably passionate about making your garden wildlife friendly! Of course there are national programs, such as Monarch Watch (MonarchWatch.org), Million Pollinator Gardens (MillionPollinatorGardens.org), and National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat (NWF.org) to name a few that will issue garden signs and certificates for qualifying gardens. But there are also several home-grown groups encouraging gardeners to grow native plants, provide habitat for birds and other wildlife, and attract and feed butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Here are a few.

Bring Conservation Home certified at several levels, so butterfly—friendly habitats, and St. Louis Audubon Society even if your landscape isn’t the offers an opportunity to register

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his is a habitat restoration program in which you can invite trained advisors to tour your landscape, after which they will create and submit a report of recommendations and rate your landscape using several criteria, including existence of invasive species, native plants, bird and wildlife attracting amenities like water sources, birdhouses, and other assessments.

Homeowners can qualify to be

perfect wildlife habitat, you can your garden in its “Milkweeds qualify. Certified gardens will receive a certificate, with the option to purchase a yard sign.

Visit StLouisAudubon.org for details.

Milkweeds for Monarchs City of St. Louis

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he City of St. Louis Sustainability Office encourages city residents for Monarchs: The St. Louis to plant pollinator—and Butterfly Project” initiative. To specifically, monarch get to the website, just Google

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“St. Louis, Monarch, Milkweed, Register” and that should get you to the registration site.

Gardens aren’t certified per say and no certificates or signs are available, but gardens registered at the St. Louis site will also be included in the national Million Pollinator Garden effort as well as the St. Louis network.

not only home landscapes, but schoolyards, commercial landscapes, roadside greenspaces…even balcony container gardens! Just show that you have provided the essential elements of wildlife habitat: food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise

young, and follow sustainable gardening practices, and you qualify! Go to confedmo.org, go to Programs/Outreach/ Certify Wildlife Habitat.

The certification actually is through the National Wildlife Federation, so technically it’s not local, but fees do help

support the organization.

local

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So, if you’d like to register your garden with a greater network or share your garden’s habitat value with passers by, check out these programs.

Pollinator Pantry Gardens St. Louis County Parks Department

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he Pollinator Pantry program is an outreach education effort of the St. Louis County Parks, promoting an

appreciation of all pollinators and their habitats through education and the creation of healthy, safe and nurturing pollinator gardens. You can certify your garden simply by completing a form available at www.gatewaygardener.com/ pollinators/certify-your-garden.

Certified Wildlife Habitat Conservation Federation of Missouri

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his certification program casts a wide net, certifying

MARCH 2019

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Visit www.espoma.com/video to see our inspirational videos.

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Honeysuckle Sweep For Healthy Habitat

By Allison Brown Restoration Outreach Coordinator Missouri Botanical Garden

A hill in Kirkwood Park before and after a “honeysuckle hack” crew did their work in 2017. hroughout March, BiodiverseCity STL calls all concerned citizens to help remove invasive bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Local organizations and community groups will be hosting honeysuckle removal events at public sites throughout the greater St. Louis region. These volunteer dates are a great opportunity to understand this invasive species issue, and learn how to effectively deal with it - as you help clear honeysucklechoked areas.

This semiannual initiative, launched in the Spring of 2016, is energizing volunteers to join together in an effort to control bush honeysuckle to promote and protect biodiversity. In 2018, over 750 volunteers spent 2,275 total hours clearing over 30 acres of bush honeysuckle. Bush honeysuckle is one of the first plants to leaf out in spring, making it an easy target for volunteers to identify.

You can make a difference - as an individual, or with your neighborhood, school, workplace, or faith-based group! Adults and youth are needed! To join the Honeysuckle Sweep, visit www.

BiodiverseCitySTL.org for a list of events, and information about bush honeysuckle.

Last spring, the Trial of Bush Honeysuckle took this issue into The Old Courthouse, with historic, impressive, and humorous results!

Check www.woodworms.net for public video viewings of this educational event.

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Smart Gardening is FUN Gardening!

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by Steffie Littlefield

tropical plants for the pots on any of the people I patio and annuals to highlight assist in their gardens, them. Get creative here and treat enjoy doing the work yourself to a special plant for the themselves. Gardening is one largest container. It will give you of their hobbies or recreational pleasure all summer. activities. It can be strenuous and even considered a workout Caution---Save the redo bed for a to weed ones own garden, time when questions can be asked trim the bushes and dig up and and you can really learn about transplant perennials and shrubs. the choices available. These My grandmother said that “every are plants that will mature over new garden spends its first two many years and be an important years in the wheel barrow”, part of your landscape. You referring to the fact that it might might write some names down take several attempts to get the and go home and look them up right plant in the right place and to see more pictures of them as have it not just look satisfactory mature plants. Take the time to but for the plants to be happy as do the homework or get some well. It has been my goal to help professional advice. You will garden owners and enthusiasts also want to find complementary to find homes for the plants they love and to have those homes perennials to plant in combinations to make the area showy in be well suited to the needs of the plants. I like to call this “Smart different seasons.

Gardening” and that it will lead to gardening being more fun.

This is where many gardeners will fail the first or second time The excitement of spring brings all of us to the nurseries to look at mainly because they saw a tree or some shrubs in bloom at the all the new fresh plants. The garden centers are filled to the brim nursery and had an impulse to purchase them, and then made a with bright colors, flowers, lush foliage and interestingly shaped home for them just because they looked good in a pot. But will plants pushing our senses to overload. How can we decide on what these plants thrive in the dry shade you needed to redo? Many times to buy, how can we stick to our list, how can we remember our these lovely plants end up in the wrong place. It’s a sad story…. plans for the garden this season? Yes shopping is almost the most The moral of the story is of course to plan your visit to the garden fun, but it can lead to bad purchases, frustrating experiences and center. Yes have fun with the new annuals, vegetables and even the more plants in the “wheel barrow.” So here is my strategy to get the exciting new tropical plants for pots. When it comes to investing most enjoyment out of spring gardening and avoid hard gardening in hardy plants like trees and shrubs take your time, learn about the choices, see what is thriving in your neighborhood, make notes later.

At home divide your garden into areas or sections, determine what about the light, moisture and soil conditions in the area you are your needs or desires are for these individual areas. Take pictures planning to redo. Consider the whole picture and the whole year when combining perennials with your shrubs and trees. Think and make a list, such as: about adding spring blooming bulbs later in the fall, so remember annuals- 20’ border, morning sun, a splash of to allow room for these accents. This may take a little work now, color, maybe red but it will mean less replanting and moving of unhappy plants later. vegetables-3’x8’ bed, tomatoes, peppers, Smart gardening is fun gardening! eggplant, herbs redo NW corner bed by sidewalk, shade, dry, evergreen 6 pots on patio in sun, entertaining area, low maintenance

Now spend about an hour either on-line or walking/driving in the neighborhood to see things you like, find colors, sizes, shapes.

Take pictures or print these.

Finally head to the garden center allowing enough time to at least work on purchases for 1-2 areas. Give yourself time to shop, enjoy the displays and time to talk to the sales staff about your projects.

Do the easy ones first, annuals and vegetables, try something new, it’s only for one year anyway. Then if time allows, investigate 14

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.Edg-Clif. com.

The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

Here’s to the tickle of grass between your toes, games that can be played with a drink in hand, and a fireworks display of amazingly colorful blooms.

MARCH 2019

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A Legend in the World of Roses

by Diane Brueckman

David Austin’s first marketed selection, ‘Constance Spry’.

David Austin passed away December 18, 2018, at his home in Shropshire, England. He was 92 years old. David grew up on a farm in Shropshire. As a school boy, he discovered a magazine called “Gardens Illustrated” in the school library. From there he developed a passion for plants. His teacher and a family friend, who ran a nursery down the road from the family farm, encouraged David’s interest for plants, especially for hybridizing new and better garden plants. Needless to say, Dad was not thrilled with David’s interest in flowers, but David’s passion won the day. On his 21st birthday, David’s sister gave him a copy of A.E. Bunyard’s book Old Garden Roses. Roses became his focus from then on.

His good friend and mentor, Graham Thomas, introduced ‘Constance Spry’ through his nursery in 1961, when other plant professionals said his roses would never be accepted by the rose growing public. These were lean years for the Austins. It wasn’t until the 1983 Chelsea Flower Show with the introduction of ‘Graham Thomas’, a stunning yellow and very fragrant rose that the English Roses finally took off. In the coming years the David Austin English Roses won many awards.

In 2007 David Austin was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), an award given for distinguished achievement in his area of expertise. On receiving the award, he said “Every day, I marvel at my good fortune to have been able to make a life out of breeding roses. My greatest satisfaction is to see the pleasure my roses give to gardeners and rose lovers.” Over the years he received many more honors.

David never stopped dreaming. He and his team increasingly focused on breeding for disease-resistance. They also bred English Roses for cut flower production. In 2004 Austin cut roses became David started to collect roses, all old garden roses. He never cared available year-round through florists, to the delight of brides for the modern roses but being fair minded, he thought he should worldwide. give the new roses a chance in his garden. Although he never His wife Pat, an accomplished artist, helped throughout the early embraced the Hybrid Tea, he did see the improvement in color years and created the beautiful sculptures that grace the Austin rose gardens in Albrighton. variation and the fact that they had repeat bloom.

Most hybridizers at the time (1950s) were mainly interested in the perfect bloom: high pointed bud opening to a perfectly rounded bloom with a moderate number of petals and a novel color. The canes needed to be strong to support the large blooms. The fragrance and diversity of bloom shape were lost in the process and the bush lost its graceful shape. Another problem was developing with the intense desire for the perfect bloom: the plant was more susceptible to disease.

The gardens are the finest in the world, featuring the new English Roses as well as the Old Roses that inspired David Austin. I can say from personal experience the garden and nursery are breath taking.

The dream that culminated in David Austin Roses has been left in good hands with David Austin, Jr. at the helm. We can look YOUR TREES DESERVE THE BEST CARE forward to many more new Although David did not select then for disease resistance, using introductions from Mr. Austin’s Old Garden Roses crossed with the more modern roses did longtime team. bring back some disease resistance, but his goal was fragrance, Photos courtesy David Austin diversity in bloom form and a graceful bush. He found the myrrh Roses. fragrance when he selected ‘Constance Spry’, a climber that Diane Brueckman is a retired rosarian only bloomed once. Myrrh had Tim Gamma – B.S. Horticulture Board Certified Master Arborist with Missouri Botanical Garden, disappeared from all modern Tom Gamma and currently owns Rosey Acres in ISA Certified Arborist roses.

Another achievement 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 Baldwin, Illinois. You can reach her S P R AY I N G T R I M M I N G R E M O VA L in his breeding program was at (618) 785-3011 or droseyacres@ realizing it took two crosses to 314-725-6159 egyptian.net.

Insured gammatree.com get the repeat bloom trait.

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The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

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17

The Cornucopia Corner

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

Grow Something New in 2019!

Text and Photos Courtesy Angela Adler

Summer wouldn’t be the same without our favorite garden-fresh tomatoes, peppers and zukes, but maybe 2019 is the year to try something a little more unusual in your garden palette. Here are a few suggestions from the local gardens of the seed experts at SeedGeeks. They all do very well in St. Louis conditions, but are not widely grown. Give ‘em a try!—Ed. Note Malabar Spinach

and compact, which also makes it a perfect choice for When you’re craving greens container gardening. The vines also love the St. Louis heat! from the garden, but it’s the Easy to grow from seed. We recommend direct sowing when heat of summer, Malabar temperatures are 65-75 degrees. These also do best when Spinach is the perfect choice! supported by a trellis or post.

While not a true spinach, this Edible Flower Mix vining plant produces deep This delicious and beautiful garden mix contains a blend green leaves that have a of Borage, Calendula, remarkably “spinach-like” Chives, Cilantro, Cornflower, flavor, especially when Dianthus, English Daisy, harvested small. The leaves Johnny Jump-Up, Lavender can be eaten raw in salads Hyssop, Lemon Mint, or cooked. Our neighbors are from India and they grow this Nasturtium and Pansy. spinach to fry the leaves and use as a chip. We’re anxious to They’re full of nutrition and try them in our new air fryer this year! The vines are beautiful fun! We don’t usually think

Jt’s Fresh Ideas

Cauliflower riCe risotto with Peas and asParagus Ingredients

1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 4 cups cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen) ½ lb asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen) salt and pepper 3 tbsp dry white wine or water 3 tbsp GO VEGGIE Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese 2 tbsp GO VEGGIE Lactose Free Parmesan 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Heat the oil in a small pan set over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook 1-2 minutes, until softened.

Add the cauliflower rice, asparagus, and peas; season with salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the wine (or water) and continue cooking until the vegetables are cooked through.

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of flowers as a food source, but they’re actually very high in antioxidants and also contain vitamins A, C and E. Their flavor can range from spicy and peppery, like nasturtiums and calendula, sweet and mild like borage, which also has a slight cucumber flavor, to slightly minty like johnny jump-up and lemon mint beebalm. They make a beautiful addition to salads, a garnish for desserts, or in teas and fancy cocktails. Our Edible

Push the vegetables to one side of the pan; add the cream cheese to the other side. When the cream cheese is melted, stir to combine. Stir in the parmesan and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If desired, top with additional parmesan.

Recipe and photo courtesy of: www.healthy-delicious.com

Please share some of your favorite recipes with us.

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

So happy Spring is just around the corner!

Enjoy...

Jt The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

Flower mix blends both cool and warm season annuals and perennials, so whether it’s early spring or mid-summer, you’ll always have something in bloom. We recommend scatter sowing directly into a garden bed or large container and gently watering in. Seed should be no deeper than 1/8”.

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Teddy Bear Sunflower Who doesn’t love sunflowers?

But not everyone has the space needed for 12’ Mammoths, which makes this adorable dwarf variety a perfect solution! Teddy Bear sunflowers are unique because of their cheery “puffball” heads and smaller stature; growing to only about 2-3’ tall. They make great borders along walkways and kids absolutely love them. This was our most popular & best-selling seed last year! These require full sun, but they’re drought tolerant, not picky about soil type and are exceptionally easy to start from seed. Can be started indoors and transplanted, or outdoors when temperatures have reached at least 70 degrees.

Starting Seeds..Indoors our Outdoors?

S

ome new gardeners may wonder why some seeds are started indoors while others can be directly sown in the garden. There are two considerations, warmth requirement and time to harvest. The University of Missouri Extension publishes a Vegetable Planting Guide (G6201)—Google it—that, among other things lists the number of days between planting and harvest of commonly grown veggies. Tomatoes, for example, like warm soils and air temps, and take up to 90 days to produce ripe fruit. So, while you could wait and plant directly in the garden in May or June and still have time for a late harvest, most people like to enjoy tomatoes much sooner than that, so either start seeds indoors where they can be coddled with warming mats and grow lights, or choose 6-pack or quart plants already started.

Cool season crops like lettuce and spinach not only like cooler temps and soils, you can harvest in just a month or so, so they are perfect for direct sowing in the garden.

In our area, many cool-season crops can be planted in March ahead of our average last frost date of April 20th.

Warm-season crops should be planted after that date, and more safely around May 10th-20th according to MU Extension.—Ed.

Angela and Marc Adler are the founders and owners of SeedGeeks, a St. Louis based heirloom seed company focused on the benefit and preservation of heirloom seeds, seed saving, & sustainable living. Visit www. seedgeeks.com for more information.

Follow SeedGeeks on Instagram at @ seedgeeks MARCH 2019

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The deadline to register to share your backyard as a Tour Host is May 1, 2019.

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19

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News STLCC Horticulture Program Coordinator Wins Award Jerald Pence, coordinator of the Horticulture program at St. Louis Community College – Meramec, has been chosen to receive the 2018 John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award.

Established in 2012 by the League for Innovation in the Community College, Jerald Pence the award is named for John E. and Suanne D. Roueche as a tribute to their outstanding contributions and leadership in higher education. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify excellence in community college teaching and leadership.

Pence was nominated by Janet Walsh, academic dean for the College. In her nomination letter, Walsh noted that Pence “is an exceptional faculty member … works with community partners, has updated the [horticulture] program to ensure students get the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in entry-level positions, and worked with the staff to create an award-winning outdoor laboratory.”

Pence is a valued member of the STLCC faculty and has been with the College for 25 years. He was recognized last month during the League for Innovation in the Community College’s Innovation Conference in New York City.

In Memorium John J. Jost, “Jake”, a long-time member of the regional green community, passed away on January 29, 2019.

Jake was born and raised in south St. Louis, graduated from Harris Teacher College and earned his PhD in botanical taxonomy from Washington University. Life and career opportunities took him to Fredericktown, Missouri, Dublin, Georgia and Homestead & Lake Worth, Florida; his final home was in Des Peres, Missouri. He served in the Korean War and was involved in many civic and industry 20

organizations, including Bedding Plants, Inc., Society of American Florists, Society of Economic Botany, International Society of B o t a n i c a l Ta x o n o m i s t s , Ohio Florists Association, American Society for Horticultural John “Jake” Jost S c i e n c e , International Plant Propagators, American Nurserymen Association and Greater St. Louis Flower Growers Association.

Early years were spent working in various nurseries.

He and his wife owned and ran a floral shop and landscaping nursery business.

While living in Georgia he was involved with an organization that helped educate disadvantaged men on running their own greenhouse business by providing real world experience.

Early, Jake primarily grew seasonal blooming crops like Easter lilies and poinsettias that were shipped around the nation. He also worked for various chemical companies on ways to better the ornamental greenhouse industry, also authoring several articles for industry publications.

In 1984, Jake and his sons began growing perennials, groundcovers and unique woody ornamentals. Jost Greenhouses is now run by his sons and has grown and expanded to 2 locations to serve the wholesale landscaping community in the St. Louis area and surrounding states.

Jake is survived by his wife, 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

Orchards Help Feed Urban Communities In 2017 Gateway Greening’s Community Projects Manager Dean Gunderson began researching ways to add orchards to the organizations base of community gardens. He discovered The Giving Grove, a Kansas City-based organization that helps do just The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

that, bring community orchards to food insecure neighborhoods. Gateway Greening became an affiliate of the group, and together, the organizations have now installed 23 orchards a r o u n d the region.

To w a r d this effort, Gateway Greening also partners with Forest ReLeaf of Members of the Central Reform CongregaMissouri, tion planting a fruit tree. which offers space and staff to grow an inventory for the Giving Grove orchards.

Central Reform Congregation is the site of one of those orchards, recently featured in the Giving Grove Annual Report. CRC is located at a synagogue in St. Louis. With help from the program, CRC turned a barren landscape into a productive food providing space with vegetable gardens and a Giving Grove orchard consisting of 4 fig bushes and 10 fruit trees.

All food is donated to food pantries.

MARCH 2019

The Gateway Gardener™

Spring is here!

Fresh plant material arriving all month long!

15% OFF Your FIRST Plant Purchase of 2019! with coupon

(limit one plant per customer. Not valid on plant installation.)

Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-3:30pm

314.966.4840 KirkwoodGardens.com

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Upcoming Events CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS

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 May issue is April 1st.

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

FUN FOR KIDS March 2 9am—Children’s Garden ClubIndoor Plants and Succulents.

FREE, no reservations required, everyone welcome. Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center, 2651 Barrett Station Rd., (314) 966-0028. nd

10-11am—First Saturday Kids.

Bring an air plant aquarium. $15.

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

March 7th-10th Children’s Garden Club at the Home and Garden Show.

Visit Booth #435 for children’s gardening activities. Builder’s Home & Garden Show, America’s Center, St. Louis.

April 6th 9am-Children’s Garden Club.

Planthaven Farms, 6703 Telegraph Rd., St. Louis 63129.

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Now through March 24th 9am-5pm—Annual Orchid Show. Features 500 blooming orchids from one of the world’s premier orchid collections. The Orchid Show is the only time of year when a vast, rotating selection of orchids from the Garden’s collection is available for public viewing. Orthwein Floral Display Hall at Missouri Botanical Garden.

March 1st-3rd Art in Bloom. The St. Louis Art Museum’s annual festival of fine art and fresh flowers. Open to the public every day at 10am. Museum members can come early at 8am on Friday, March 1st and March 2nd. Touring the galleries is free, but tickets are required for some programs. Go to slam.org/bloom for more information.

March 1st-31st Honeysuckle Sweep Month— Area conservation organizations join together to spotlight invasive bush honeysuckle and the need to remove it so that large swaths of land can become productive areas for native habitat, recreation and enjoyment. To that end, organizations will host public events and volunteer removal days.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/z2deqb3 for information.

logs with mushroom spawn and will be provided with basic instructions for growing these mushrooms.

Inoculated log and oyster mushroom “quick kit” provided.

Registration $30. $10 extra for a second log. Call 618-653-4687 or email mccullyheritage@gmail. com. Registration deadline Feb. 22 for March 2nd class, March 8th for the second class. McCully Heritage Project, Kampsville, IL. www.mccullyheritage.org.

“desirable vs. weeds”, and how a more humane approach can be put into action in our landscapes.

She’ll be joined by GrowNative! plant professionals in a mingle before the presentation. Light appetizers and soft drinks provided. $10 registration fee, advance registration required at http://stlouisaudubon.org/mingle/ index.html. Powder Valley Nature Center, 11715 Cragwold Rd., Kirkwood, MO.

March 3rd 2019 Weekend Gardener.

Attend sessions on a variety of topics including vegetable gardening, gardening with natives, flowering shrubs, and much more. Informative program for beginning gardeners and more advanced gardeners. Registration information is available on our website: http://web.extension. illinois.edu/mms.

March 9th 9:30-10:30am—Beginning Perennial Gardening. Learn how to design successful perennial gardens that will suit the existing conditions of your own yard. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070 for reservations.

1pm—Learn about Siberian Iris.

Guest speakers are Siberian Iris experts and hybridizers Shafer and Sacks from Joe Pyeweed Gardens in Massachusetts. Mobot CBEC room 125 on Shaw at the corner of Kingshighway across from O’Connell’s. Sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Iris Society and the Kirkwood Iris Society.

March 2nd 8am-noon—Hillermann Nursery and Florist Career Fair. Join us at this event to fill out an application and get an interview with one of our managers. Applications are also available at our location during open hours. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, (636) 239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

March 7th-10th Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: A Standard Flower Show. That’s the theme for this year’s edition of the annual flower show and competition, held at the Home Builders Show in America’s Center, St. Louis.

The deadline for entries is February 28th. Flower Show boot is #229. For complete rules and regulations, GatewayGardener. com/flower-shows/rules.

March 2nd and 16th 10am-noon—A Fungus Among Us: Mushroom Production for the Home Gardener.

This beginner’s workshop will cover growing shiitake and oyster mushrooms for the home gardener.

Participants will learn to inoculate

March 8th 5pm—Nurturing Backyard Habitat. Guest speaker Nancy Lawson, author of The Humane Gardener, will discuss how traditional gardening divides the natural world into false categories of “beneficial vs. pests” and

March 12th and 16th 9:30-10:30am—To Prune or Not to Prune. And the Right Way to Do it. Learn the correct timing and techniques to prune the various Hydrangea cultivars and other shrubs for maximum blooming.

Rejuvenating tired old shrubs will also be discussed. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070 for reservations.

March 13th Gateway Green Industry Conference. Attend sessions on a variety of topics including native plants, diseases and pests in the landscape, and landscape design.

Informative program for advanced gardeners and people working in the horticultural industry. Call 618344-4230 for more information or register online at http://web. extension.illinois.edu/mms/.

March 14th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Garden Hardscaping: How to Plan Walls, Walkways and Shaded Seating Areas. Bring your questions, comments, photos, drawings, and plant specimens for discussion. Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations.

Audience participation

The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2019

encouraged. $17 ($14 Garden members). Shaw Nature Reserve in the classroom behind the Joseph H. Bascom house. Register and pay online at ShawNature.org, or call (314) 577-9526.

March 14th 6:30pm—Project Pollinator Anniversary Celebration.

Celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Project Pollinator, a joint initiative promoting an appreciation of all pollinators through education and creation of pollinator gardens. Learn why pollinators are important and how you can make a difference.

Light refreshments will be served. Adults. Call 314-9943300 with questions. St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis.

own seeds for your kitchen garden.

RSVP to events@frisellanursery. com.

up for the workshops. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

March 19th and 23rd 9:30-10:30am—Spring Gardening Tips. Guest speaker Karen Collins, author of Karen’s Garden Calendar, offers tips for early spring gardening. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070 for reservations.

10:30-11:30am—Ask the Plant Doctor Q&A. Master Gardener Jan Gown, a member of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Answer Service team, will be available to answer your questions. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE.

March 22nd 7:30am-noon—Natives by Design: Layered Landscapes.

Featuring keynote speaker Thomas Rainer and Doug Peterson, plus buffet breakfast and exhibitor displays. Presented

by GrowNative! Leclaire Room at Lewis and Clark Community College, NO Nelson Campus, 600 Troy Road, Edwardsville, IL, 62025. Registration closes March 11th, go to www.grownative.org for information or to register. $30.

March 26th 9:30am—Colorful Combinations to Light Up Your Shade Garden.

Explore the ever-expanding selection of shade perennials, shrubs and annuals that will keep your shady garden full of color spring to frost. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE.

breakout sessions to be announced.

Native plants for sale, and vendors from various organizations on hand to answer questions about native gardening and related topics. Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Creve Coeur, MO. More information to follow. For registration and more information, visit www.stlouisaudubon.org/ PNL2019.

April 2nd and 4th 9:30-10:30am—High Impact for Small Spaces. Discover landscape ideas to maximize the impact for smaller gardens and yards. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070 for reservations.

March 29th-30th March 16th 10am-3pm—Equipment Demo Partners for Native Landscaping.

Days. Join us to check out all our Keynote presenter is Larry Weaner, lines of outdoor equipment. Testlandscape professional and author drive and find the mower that is March 23rd of Garden Revolution: How our right for you and check out all the 8am-noon—Spring Kick-off at landscapes can be a source of handheld power tools we offer to Hillermanns. Kick off spring environmental change.

Other make your outdoor jobs a breeze. with this fun and learning event Learn more about our brands at Hillermann’s! Informational T H E PA RT N E R S F O R for spring for products will be including, ECHO, EGO, STIHL, booths Partners Native Landscaping Partners for Native Land ...present and workshop ...present a reception and workshop for Joina reception us at 11:00 in the for homeowners Exmark, Toro, and Cub Cadet. available. featuring Diboll, President featuring Neil Diboll, President of Pra forNeil a Tomato & Pepperof Prairie Nursery Hillermann Nursery & Florist, greenhouse and Starting Heather Holm, author of($10.00 Pollinators of Native Plants and Heather Holm, author of Pollinators o Workshop 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. Seed Reception and Talks Fri., March 3, 2017 5:30-9pm Reception and Talks Fri., March 3, 2 supply fee for containers, materials com. featuring author Workshop of “Garden Revolution” Workshop Sat. March 4, 2017 9am-4pm Sat. March 4, 2017 and seeds). Join us for a Stepping at Danforth Plant Science Center at St. Louis Community College - Meramec Campus at St. Louis Community College - Mera 11am—Seed Starting.

Seed Stone Workshop at 1:00 in the Saturday’s Workshop and resources Saturday’s Workshop offers informat greenhouse ($20.00 offers supply information fee). starting for the kitchen garden. $15 on how to landscape with on how to landscape w includes all materials to start your Call us at 636-239-6729 to sign

NATIVE WORKSHOP LANDSCAPING

LARRY WEANER

FRI MAR 29 | 5:30 - 9pm | $25 native plants for greener com Lecture and Reception

native plants for greener communities.

NEED A SPEAKER for your Garden Club or Group?

Breakout sessions on...

Refreshments included.

• Gardening for Wildlife • Designing Native Gardens • Maintaining Native Gardens • Developing Rainscaping Features

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

SAT MAR 30 | 9am - 4pm | $30 Homeowner’s Workshop with keynote address by Larry Weaner

Breakout

• Gardening • Designing • Maintainin • Developing

Also...

• Hear about Organizations • Hear about Workshops about Gardening for Wildlife, Designing with Natives, ChooseRegister from 53forprograms, including A one or both-but Hurry!

Register one or both-but Hurry!

• Discover Upcoming Events • Discove Landscape Maintenance, andfor more.

Dark Side to Winter SpaceDamage, is LimitedBackyard Space is Limited • Meet Other Native Gardeners • Meet O Resources, native plant sale, self guided tours, and book signing.

Composting, Soil Preparation, Daylilies, • Purchase Missouri Wildflowers • Purcha Boxed lunch included. Register Online at Register Online at

Orchids, and more. www.stlouisaudubon.org/PNL2017

Workshop at Explore the complete list of topics at St. Louis Community College - Meramec www.stlmg.org.11333 LookBigfor theBlvd Speakers Bend Kirkwood, MO 63122 Bureau tab in the top margin.

For more info call 636-451-3512 x6078

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

MARCH 2019

The Gateway Gardener™

www.stlouisaudubon.org/PNL2017

Cost: Workshop at St. Louis Community CollegeMar - Meramec is required. Registration open through 25th.

Friday $20 WithAdvanced Appetizerregistration Buffet 11333 Big Bend Blvd www.stlouisaudubon.org/PNL2019 Kirkwood, MO 63122 Saturday $15 With Lunch For more info call 636-451-3512 x6078

Cost: Friday $20 Saturday $

Partner Organizations...

Presented by The Partners for Native Landscaping:

23

Spring is here!

It’s a great time to add nutrient-rich compost for a better planting season and a more beautiful yard.

Compost improves soil structure, helps retain moisture and protect plants.

Ask your landscape contractor to spread STA-Certified Compost for your next project. Or visit one of our six area locations for the largest selection of STA-Certified Compost, Mulch Products and Soil Blends.

VALLEY PARK, MO

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39 Old Elam Avenue 636.861.3344

18900 Franklin Road 636.271.3352

560 Terminal Row 314.868.1612

13060 County Park Road 314.355.0052

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5841 Mine Haul Road 618.233.2007

11294 Schaefer Road 314.423.9035

Visit us online at www.stlcompost.com