Naturally Natives Naturalizing Native Plants Under Trees text and photos by Scott Woodbury
Wood poppies, Jacob’s ladder, Virginia bluebells, blue-eyed Mary, and wild sweet William.
Missouri Wildflowers Nursery 9814 Pleasant Hill Rd Jefferson City MO 65109 www.mowildflowers.net mowldflrs@socket.net 573-496-3492
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. Plants purchased at events away from the nursery cost 10% more, which covers sales tax and shipping. This costs less than having them shipped UPS from the nursery. 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 3, 10, 17, 24, and May 1, 22, 29; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Shaw Nature Reserve, 307 Pinetum Loop Rd, Gray Summit, MO 63039. Event: “Shaw Wildflower Pickup-Up www.shawnature.org. May 8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. No Friday sale this year. Opening day at our Brazito (Jefferson City) location is March 21. Our retail “store” (outdoor sales area) is open for you to make selections. You can also send a pre-order and pick it up at the nursery. Please practice physical distancing and wear a mask when you arrive. We can ship your order! We ship plants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays all year. UPS usually delivers the next day in Missouri and to the middle of surrounding states. Shipping charges apply.
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f you are struggling to grow lawn under the shade of trees, then maybe it’s time to unleash a patch of woodland wildflowers. Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica), wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), woolen britches (Hydrophyllum appendiculatum), yellow violet (Viola pennsylvanica), wild sweet William (Phlox divaricata), roundleaf groundsel (Packera obovata), and columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) are all spring-blooming species that work well naturalized beneath the high branches of oak, sweet gum, or black walnut trees. Because many spring wildflowers go dormant by summer, mix in sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum), or Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) to fill in gaps that appear mid-season and provide structure. Shrubs, including smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), beautyberry 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.
The Gateway Gardener™ MARCH 2021
