The Gateway Gardener September 2023

• Provides one full year of protection against listed insect pests, including flat-headed borers such as Emerald Ash Borer.

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

• Available in 16 oz., 32 oz., 1- and 2.5 gal. concentrate.

Infested ash trees near Ballwin

SEPTEMBER 2023

Volume 19, Number 5

Founded in 2005

by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver

Publisher and Editor

Robert Weaver

Columnists

Abby Lapides

Sugar Creek Gardens

Steffie Littlefield

Edg-Clif Winery

Jennifer Schamber

Greenscape Gardens

Scott Woodbury

Cacalia Design & Wilding

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

With our publishing schedule calling for a 3-month Summer Edition, I feel like a schoolboy again working on the September issue. It brings the whole back-toschool feeling flooding back, so much so I feel the urge to run out and buy #2 pencils, erasers, 3-ring binders, some Elmer’s glue, and a 64-ct. box of Crayolas®. For gardeners, though, September is backto-garden time, requiring a different supply list including fresh potting soil, coolweather veggie plants, fall annuals, and those perennials, shrubs and trees that we’ve always wanted to try.

Fall is for planting, as is often said, and it’s also a great time to solve problems and correct mistakes in the garden. There are quite a few plants that have been mainstays for years, but have proven to be problematic, either invasive or just flawed in performance. Now’s a great time to correct those issues, and Abby Lapides offers up a few suggestions beginning on page 4.

Fall is also time to bring those houseplants indoors that may have vacationed on the deck or patio for the summer months. Doing so may bring them into closer quarters with the family’s fur-babies, so it’s a good time to make sure they are safe for pets (and children) to be around.

Samantha Zale celebrates Houseplant Month on page 8 by exploring the topic of houseplant safety, and offers suggestions for keeping your furry friends safe and healthy. We also offer a short guide with tips for bringing plants indoors for the winter.

Finally, Fall is harvest time for many of our favorite

fruits. For many of us, it wouldn’t be fall without a family trip to the local orchard for collecting apples, peaches and other favorite fruits. But on page 12, Scott Woodbury says we shouldn’t limit ourselves to these foreign fruits, when so many delicious options for pies, jams and snacking can be discovered on the branches of many of our own native trees and shrubs. Not all of them ripen in the fall, but it is a great time to plant them in our own landscapes.

So, your homework assignment is this: Sharpen up your #2 pencil, grab your Spiderman or Barbie spiral notebook, and create your own garden center shopping list of new perennials, trees and shrubs to add to your garden. Fall is for Planting!

Good Gardening!

Plant This Instead of That

by Abby Lapides

Many popular plants from years past may not be the best choices for today’s landscape. Check out some great alternatives to these outdated landscape plants.

Burning Bush ChokeBerry/Possumhaw

One of the most popular and iconic fall shrubs, the fire-red burning bush can be found in many St Louis landscapes. But did you know many consider it a noxious weed? Instead of planting this aggressively spreading invasive, try the gorgeous native chokeberry or possumhaw viburnum. Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, stuns in autumn with deep maroon foliage. But spring also displays its beauty. A flurry of white flowers appears in April all over this petite

Chokeberry

Proven Winners

shrub. The flowers give way to black berries, that while edible, are so astringent it’s best to leave them for the birds. If you need a little larger shrub look for the possumhaw viburnum. Like the chokeberry with its showy fall color and pretty flowers and berries, the possumhaw can reach 6-12’ tall making it a great alternative to a burning bush privacy hedge.

‘otto Luyken’ LaureL Dwarf winterBerry

The previous winter did a number on the laurels. Everywhere I went this spring I saw dead laurels and talked to many unhappy gardeners. With their showy flowers, evergreen foliage, and great size there’s nothing quite like an ‘Otto Luyken’ laurel. While you could substitute with either a boxwood or an inkberry to get that evergreen foliage, I suggest something a little more fun. Try a dwarf winterberry like ‘Little Goblin’! Growing about 4’ tall and wide, ‘Little Goblin’ fits that petite size of ‘Otto Luyken’, but instead of

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.

leaves, it provides bright red berries in winter. The berries on this showy nativar bring excellent color to the garden and feed those hungry songbirds that stick around in winter.

‘BraDforD’

CaLLery Pear sweet Bay magnoLia

Beloved for so many years for its abundance of white flowers, the ‘Bradford’ callery pear tree was ubiquitous with St. Louis springs.

cont’d.on next page

Winterberry

‘Little Goblin’

Sweet Bay Magnolia

Proven Winners

Ann Lapides

But we now know this beauty was a monster-in-waiting. As it was abundantly planted, it began to cross-pollinate creating offspring that have become a menace to our Missouri woodlands. Every year the Missouri Prairie Foundation does a callery pear “buy back” program, participants get a free noninvasive tree for every callery pear cut down. My favorite alternatives to these nuisance trees are the gorgeous sweet bay magnolia for sun and serviceberry for shade.

‘May Night’ ‘Blue By You’ Sage

In recent history one of the most popular perennials for a sun garden was ‘May Night’ sage. With bright blue flowers and the ability to thrive in drought, it was no wonder why. But ‘May Night’ can flop once it gets too tall. ‘Blue By You’ is just as pretty if not more than ‘May Night’ and it stays upright with stunningly large flowers throughout the entirety of its long bloom time. Winner of a top national award, All America Selections, for its beauty and ease of care.

BamBoo switCh grass ‘totem PoLe

Need some tall, upright privacy? Instead of the horrendously aggressive running bamboo try one of the great tall grasses like ‘Totem Pole’ switch grass. This tall grass forms an upright column of steel blue foliage and powdery blue stems. In early fall, the top of the clump explodes with golden seed panicles beloved by goldfinches. Its tall height and narrow width are perfect for areas where height is needed, but space is an issue.

If you are ever unsure about what to plant, contact your favorite garden center or the Missouri Botanical Garden. Local experts can help you choose the right plants for the St. Louis area.

Darwin Perennials Walters Gardens

Gardening 101

Furry-Friendly Houseplants

by Samantha Zale

September is Houseplant Month! Bringing plants into your home is very beneficial to your mental and physical health. It is exciting to hear about people coming by their garden centers to get their weekly, sometimes daily, plant fix! Many houseplants can help to purify the air. Plants also provide visual interest to an otherwise potentially dull space with many different textures, colors, sizes and shapes. With the ability to bring so many plants into your house, the next step is to learn a little more about how to keep the furry family members safe.

Before bringing plants into the home, it is important to consider the safety of our furry friends, like cats and dogs. Some plants have a level of toxicity to pets if ingested that may only cause mild to moderate stomach (GI tract) upset. There are, however, specific plants to avoid because of the pollen, the seeds or even the entire plant. If pets get into these plants, they can decline very rapidly. Watch out for lilies (peace, Asiatic and daylilies), hibiscus, and cyclamen specifically because of the pollen! The entirety of sago palms is toxic due to its chemical composition. The beans of the castor beans are particularly toxic because they’re easy to get a hold of, but the entire plant does contain a level of toxicity. Others to watch out for are jade, sansevieria, hydrangea, oleander and monstera.

Garden Tour & “Paint U City”

Plein Air Festival

Music in the Gardens Gardens of Musick and Meridian neighborhoods

Sunday, October 1, 2023 • 1-5pm 5-7pm Reception and Art Show and Sale following the tour.

Tickets: $20

For more information and to purchase tickets go to: www.ucityinbloom.org

The good news is there are a lot of options that are safe for our pets. One of my favorite pet friendly plants is Hoya. In particular, the ‘Krimson Queen’ & ‘Krimson Princess’ Hoya varieties are very tough, have a unique leaf color (variegation), flower with a sweet chocolate scent and have a lot of visual interest due to their vining and trailing nature. The hoyas that I’ve had over the last few years have been able to tolerate minimal watering in the winters as well as a fairly cold environment. A few other examples of pet-friendly houseplants are spider plants, orchids, African violets, haworthias, ponytail palms, parlor palms, bromeliads, tillandsia (aka air plants), calatheas, peperomias and pileas. There are so many textures and color combinations with these plants that you really can’t go wrong.

With all this being said about pet-friendly & non-pet-friendly plants, that does not necessarily mean that your options are limited. The main thing is that you remain mindful of what your pets have access to. For example, by keeping an eye on your pets, keeping doors closed to areas that they can’t be in unattended, or by strategic placement of the plants, such as having hanging plants. If your pet is particularly curious, then you need to be sure to get pet-friendly species!

One of the biggest considerations when having plants, either inside

123rf.com

or out, is knowing what you’ve got. The main reason for this is should there be a problem, say a neighbor child or even your own pet ingest a toxic plant, then you can provide that valuable information to the appropriate people. Next is knowing who to call if this does happen to your pet. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA poison control 24 hour emergency hotline at 1 (888) 426-4435. Do your research—ASPCA.ORG is a valuable resource. Make sure you do your due diligence to see if any special fees are required for service or any other applicable tips.

With wintertime quickly approaching, don’t be afraid to talk to the folks at your local garden center for more detailed information on houseplants, their care, winterizing techniques and for recommendations especially if you have fury family members!

Pet-Friendly Houseplants

Below is a partial list of common houseplants commonly considered non-toxic and safe around children and pets.

Hoya

African Violet

Calathea

Orchid

Spider Plant

Parlor Palm

Ponytail Palm

Air Plant

Pilea

Peperomia

Bromeliad

Haworthia

Staghorn Fern

Cast Iron Plant

1-888-426-4435

Bringing Your Plants Indoors for Winter

September is Houseplant Month, and a time when it’s prudent to start thinking about bringing your outdoor houseplants inside. Here are a few points to consider when doing so:

• Different plants have different tolerances to cold. As a general rule, get your plants indoors before night temps drop below 45 degrees F.

• Trim back if necessary. This also makes it easier to move larger plants.

• Debug your plants before bringing them inside. Check leaves, including undersides, for aphids, scale, spidermites, etc. Submerge the rootball/pot in a bucket of soapy water for several minutes to chase out ants and other soil dwellers.

• Once inside, cut back on watering and fertilizer. Plants will grow less in winter and require less of both.

• Place plants in areas where they will get as much light as possible for the requirements of individual types of plants.

• Keep an eye on plants, and isolate any that show signs of insect pests or other problems.

--Ed.

Samantha Zale is a Content Creator for Greenscape Gardens, and also manages Front Desk Operations and Customer Support.

Back in my mother’s day, it was common for gardeners to divide their perennials and either increase their density in the garden or share them with friends and neighbors. Pass-along plants, they were called. I’ve frequently described the “conga line” of plain green-leaved hostas the lined the borders of most of my mother’s garden,

by Robert Weaver

and they all likely originated from the same plant, which probably came from someone else’s garden.

Not only is dividing perennials a great way to increase your plant inventory, but it’s beneficial for the health and beauty of the plant as well. Many perennials get crowded over time and will begin to decrease in vigor, resulting in less

abundant flowering and sometimes stunted growth and disease.

So, add to your garden (or a friend’s) by dividing your perennials--Here’s how!

Pick Your Plants

Not all perennials are good candidates for division. Plants like hostas and daylilies with soft, fleshy roots are easy

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Don’t have a convenient pickup spot near you, or the rack is empty when you get there? Just complete this form and mail it with $24 for postage and handling to the address below. You will receive 7 issues (a one-year subscription) beginning with the next issue.

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to divide. Others with tap roots or brittle roots do not respond well to dividing, so do your research. A quick Google search will provide lists from several sources of plants that take division well and those that don’t. University of Missouri Extension, University of Illinois Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden are excellent resources.

How Often to Divide

Plants will often tell you when they’re getting crowded, either through reduced flowering and general vigor, or just through appearance as they start to take over the garden. Some will benefit from division every year or so, while others take some time to recover and are best not disturbed more frequently that every 4-6 years. Again, information is available online or from your favorite garden center professional if you don’t have previous experience with particular plants.

When to Divide

The general rule is to divide spring/summer flowering plants in the fall, and fall-flowering plants in the spring. Most ornamental grasses are warm-season growers, and so are best divided in the spring leading into the summer. Again, research specific plants or ask your nursery pro if you’re unsure.

How to Divide Perennials

• Plan to divide when at least 4-6 weeks remain before a killing frost.

• Make sure plants are well-watered in the days leading up to dividing.

• Choose an overcast day, cooler if possible.

• Dig up the plant using a spade or gardening fork

• Separate the plants into two or more pieces depending upon their size. Each section should have a generous crown with ample roots. Tease the root apart if possible, but in most cases you can be rather ruthless and just slice the rootball in sections with a sharp spade or knife. Some people use two garden forks back to back inserted into the rootball center, then prying the sections apart.

• Divisions may be replanted immediately or kept moist and cool for several days. Plants prone to disease or rot should be allowed to sit out for a few days for the wound to callous. Sometimes a fungicide dust can be applied to the wound as well.

Home-Grown Delicacies: Part II

text and photos by Scott Woodbury , except as noted

where begins

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scotland 1850-1894

Intensely sweet banana flavor and silky mango texture are the hallmarks of pawpaw fruits, or hillbilly mango (Asimina triloba). Half the people I chat with steer clear of Missouri bananas—another of the vernacular names for the fruit of this understory tree with a tropical appearance. The other half are

Children gathering and cleaning gooseberries for a gooseberry cobbler. Photos above and below courtesy Cliff White.

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants

crazy for them—they can’t get enough.

I used to pass when it came to pawpaw, until Jen Sieradzki at Shaw Nature Reserve shared this simple recipe for pawpaw ice cream. Start with 2 cups of pawpaw pulp, which comes from about 10 fruits, minus the skin and seeds. The fruits are really easy to process with a knife and large spoon: split in half and scoop out the contents. Pawpaws are ripe when soft like a peach. The real trick is harvesting them. They are ripe in August and September. I like to look up and shake tree stems. The fruits move differently than the leaves, and when ripe, they come down with a thud, even on top of you, so be careful. Fruits can vary in size. For this recipe, use the fresh fruit, or, freeze the pulp for later use.

Next, add 3/4 cup of sugar to the pulp and blend in a food processor. Then stir in 2 cups of whole milk and 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Put this mixture in the freezer for two hours to chill, then place in an ice cream maker. Best ice cream ever! Now I am mad for pawpaws and pawpaw ice cream.

Pawpaw trees are easily grown at home. Forrest Keeling Nursery is a good source for plants. Plant at least two or three seedlings for successful fruit production, because, like apple trees, they require cross-pollination.

Another delicacy I can’t get enough of is plum jam made from wild plum (Prunus americana) or big fruit plum (P. mexicana)

Scott Woodbury was the horticulturist at Shaw Nature Reserve for 30 years and stepped down from that position in June 2022. He continues to work on contract for Shaw Nature Reserve to carry out native landscaping education and has launched his own business called Cacalia: Native Garden Design and Wilding. Find suppliers of native plants, seeds, and services at the Grow Native! Resource Guide: www. moprairie.org.

Big fruit plum fruits are a little bigger than those of wild plum, and easier to process. Start by planting at least three trees near each other. They fruit well on alternate years, and production is better with multiple trees. A few years later (ta-dah!) gather the small, tart fruits in late June and July when they begin to fall naturally from the trees. Simmer 3 pounds of fruits in two cups of water for about cont’d. on next page

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 St. Louis. 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 MO63122. Give us your order by Tuesday before a sale, or pick from the selection at the market. Sept. 2 & 9; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shaw Nature Reserve, 307 Pineton Loop, Gray Summit MO 63039. Event: “2023 Fall Wildflower Market,” Sept 8, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. www.shawnature.org.

Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center, 7295 MO-94, St. Charles, MO 63304.

Event: “Monarch Madness Pollinator Festival,” Sept 16, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Missouri Pollinator Network (Facebook page) St. Louis Community College - Meramec, 11333 Big Bend Rd, St. Louis, MO 63122, Event: “Native Plant Sale,” Thursday, Sept. 21, 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. www.moprairie.org

Roeslein & Associates, Inc., 9200 Watson Road, St. Louis, MO 63126, Event: “Native Plant Sale,” Thursday, Sept. 28, 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. www.moprairie. org

Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd. St. Louis, Mo 63110. Event: Best of Missouri Market, Oct 6, 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.; Oct 7, 9: a.m. - 5 p.m. (members 8-9 a.m.); Oct 8, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The author’s wife. Abigail, enjoying these home-grown delicacies, mulberries.

Paw paw fruit ready for picking.

15 minutes, enough to soften the skins.

Remove the fruits from the hot water (save the water), cool, and pit them. Return the pitted fruits back to the water, add 1 pound of sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, remove from heat, cool, and seal in jars. You can keep opened or unsealed jars in the fridge for several months. Try the same recipe with Missouri gooseberries or golden currents, both of which are very tart.

Don’t tell my friends and family, but I have never loved their baked persimmon treats. I’ve been served cookies, crumbles, cakes, muffins, and bars, which, to me, resemble day-old bagels rather than tender, flaky, moist bakery delights. That is, until the late Maxine Schuler served me persimmon pudding from the Field of Greens cookbook by Annie Somerville. Ooo la la! English puddings are cakes baked in a water bath under foil. They come out incredibly moist and flaky, like Boston brown bread. Low temperature and long bake time are key, along with a breathtaking dollop of butter and a few dashes of rum. You will need to secure a food mill (Foley’s for example) for easy pulp processing. Persimmon pulp lasts in the freezer for years.

This recipe may entice you to plant a persimmon grove in your own backyard. They are so easy to grow, and are very tall and narrow, squeezing into the tiniest of urban gardens. Try an improved female variety of native persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) with larger fruits and fewer seeds. Keep in mind that persimmons are dioecious,

NEED A SPEAKER?

Master Gardener Speakers Bureau volunteers are available to speak to garden clubs, church, civic and other groups. Choose from 53 programs, including A Dark Side to Winter Damage, Backyard Composting, Soil Preparation, Daylilies, Orchids, and more.

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

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

the male and female flowers are on separate trees. If you plant native seedlings, plant at least four or five, as you won’t know if they are male or female for five or more years.

The best fruits to eat fresh are serviceberry, red mulberry, black raspberry, blackberry and strawberry.

Serviceberries (Amelanchier arborea) and red mulberry (Morus rubra) are easy to grow and are prolific fruiters. Deer, birds, and squirrels also like to eat them, so you will have competition. Both eventually grow so tall that the fruits are difficult to reach. You might invest in an orchard ladder.

Native blackberries (Rubus spp.) are much lower to the ground, but have wicked thorns, so invest in some thick denim clothing and leather gloves to harvest in July. It’s worth the effort; if you disagree, there are thornless blackberry varieties.

Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is also dioecious, so it’s important to avoid propagation by division. You may end up with a garden full of male plants, as I did years ago. It’s best to find seed-grown starts, to ensure a healthy balance of male and female plants, and good berry production. Shop for this one in late May when plants are in fruit. You can handpick more female plants (just a few male plants will do) to maximize production. Rabbits love strawberries.

A book could be written about this final entry, because American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) has become the number-one berry crop in Missouri. Its clusters of deep purple berries are processed into tasty, medicinal syrups, cordials, wine, and fancy cocktails. They are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, which are known to help boost your immune system, so a teaspoon a day will keep the doctor away. Andy Thomas, at the University of Missouri Southwest Research Station in Mt. Vernon, has been tinkering with elderberries for 25 years. He recently received a $5 million grant to explore production from Wisconsin to Oklahoma and Missouri. They are looking for more efficient ways to harvest the tiny berries, and are busy telling the world about the wonders of this mighty native plant.

That said, Anita Chastain, a retired Montessori guru of Creve Coeur, Missouri already got the message at an early age in Europe. She grew up on batter-dipped, fried elderberry flower clusters, a delicacy she looks back on fondly from her childhood.

Whether you’ve long been dreaming about edible plants or discovering them for the first time, you can grow and enjoy them, season after season in the sanctuary of your own backyard.

Life is short, get gardening y’all!

Note: These resources on native edibles are intended as general information only. As with any foods, there is a potential for allergic reactions when consuming native edibles. Always seek the advice of a health professional with any questions about touching or eating any plant matter.

Big fruit plums.

Golden currants

Upcoming 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 Winter issue (NovemberFebruary) is October 1st.

How to reach us:

Mail: PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122

Email: info@gatewaygardener.com

FUN FOR KIDS

Sept. 9th

9am—St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Children’s Garden Club

FREE. Greenscape Gardens & Gifts, 2832 Barrett Station Rd., Manchester, MO, 314-821-2440. Pre-registration is required on the St. Louis County website at https://tinyurl.com/yc3v3pfj or by calling 314-615-4386.

Oct. 7th

9am—St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Children’s Garden Club. FREE. Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center. 2651 Barrett Station Rd., Manchester, MO 63021. Preregistration is required on the St. Louis County website at https://tinyurl.com/ yc3v3pfj or by calling 314-615-4386.

CLASSES, SALES AND OTHER EVENTS

Now through Sept. 26th

Brightside St. Louis Bulb Sale. Now is the time to order your Brightside bulbs. Visit www.Brightsidestl.org to view bulbs and submit an order or print out a mail-in order. Or call (314) 7724646 before Sept. 26th. Orders will be available for pickup Oct. 6th and 7th, and shipped orders will ship week of Oct. 2nd.

Sept. 8th

3-7pm—Fall Wildflower Market. Talk to native plant experts and shop from a wide selection of native plants suitable for all conditions. Cash and checks, some vendors take credit cards. Shaw Nature Reserve, Hwy. 100 & I-44, Gray Summit, MO. For more information visit missouribotanicalgarden.org.

Sept 9th

10am-2pm—Native Plant Sale. World Bird Sanctuary. Hosted by Missouri Prairie Foundation. 125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd., Valley Park, MO.

Sept. 9th

9am-5pm—Gateway West Gesneriad Society Annual Show & Sale. Horticulture-Design Exhibits / Educational Culture Info/Supplies. African violets, Espiscia, Kohleria, Sinningia, Streptocarpus and more! Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110. Info at metrostlouisavc@gmail.com. FREE with Garden admission.

Sept. 16th

Fall Festival. Passiglia’s Landscape, Nursery & Garden Center, 1855 Hwy 109, Wildwood. Call 636-431-4061 or visit passiglia.com.

9am-4pm—Monarch Madness

Pollinator Festival. It’s a fun, familyfriendly event where Missourians of various ages can help catch, tag, and release monarch butterflies as they make their journey south to Mexico. We’ll have experts who can provide information on these butterflies and other pollinators in our region. Expect retail vendors, including food truck(s), and educational and craft stations. Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center, 7295 Highway 94 South, St. Charles, MO. FREE admission.

Sept. 16th—Oct. 14th

Demonstration Garden Tours. The St. Charles Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Gardens are offering tours in September and October. Twenty-one different gardens, can be viewed in a general tour of all, or tours of specific gardens focusing on trees, lawns, natives, pollinators, bulbs and herbs. Register for a tour at www. stcharlescountymastergardeners.com

Gardens are located at University of Missouri Extension Office, 260 Brown Rd., St. Peters.

Sept. 16th, 10am—Turfgrass

Management

Sept. 20th, 10am—Herb Garden

Sept. 23, 10am—Native plants for the Home Landscape

Sept. 24th, 1pm, Oct. 4th, 9am, Oct. 7th, 11am, Oct. 9th, 10am—Garden Stroll

Sept. 27th, 10am, and 30th, 10:30am— Butterfly and Pollinator Habit

Sept. 30th & Oct. 2nd, 9am—Bird

Gardening

Oct. 7th & 11th, 10am—Cottage Garden

Oct. 4th & 14th, 11am—Meet Our Trees

Oct. 14th, 10am—Bulb Garden

Sept. 21st

3:30-6:30pm—Native Plant Sale

Missouri Prairie Foundation. St. Louis Community College, 11333 Big Bend Blvd., St. Louis, MO.

Sept. 22nd-24th

3-5pm Fri., 9am-5pm Sat., 10am-2pm

Sun.—21st Annual Northern Midwest ZNA Koi Show & Pond Expo. The event will be held at Timberwinds Nursery in Ellisville, MO and is open to the public with free admission. There will be raffles, attendance prizes, koi judging and speakers on various topics of ponding and gardening Saturday, along with the judges’ talk and tour of the tanks on Sunday. Show koi will be removed from tanks for transport home on Sunday at noon. Koi, goldfish and pond & garden-related vendors will be open all three days. Show schedule is available on www.nmzna. net and www.gatewaykoiandpondclub. org. Come enjoy the beautiful living jewels of Japan! Fun for the whole family! Outdoor event-rain or shine! Gateway Koi and Pond Club hosts monthly educational meetings and fun events. Check us out on the website above and on Facebook! Or call 314276-9461.

Sept. 23rd

Wildwood Days. Passiglia’s Landscape, Nursery & Garden Center, 1855 Hwy 109, Wildwood. Call 636431-4061 or visit passiglia.com.

Sept. 24th

Trees and Shrubs for Home Landscapes. Passiglia’s Landscape, Nursery & Garden Center, 1855 Hwy 109, Wildwood. Call 636-431-4061 or visit passiglia.com.

Sept. 28th

3:30-6:30pm—Native Plant Sale

Missouri Prairie Foundation. Roeslein & Associates, 9200 Watson Rd., St. Louis, MO.

Oct. 1st

1-7pm—U City in Bloom Garden Tour and Plein Air Festival. Tour is from 1-5pm followed by an art show, reception and sale from 5-7pm at University City Community Center, 975 Pennsylvania Ave. 63130. Tickets $20. For further information contact Judy Prange at judyprange@outlook.com. Visit UCityinBloom.org.

Oct. 6th-8th

Noon-8pm Friday, 9am-5pm Sat. and Sun. (8-9am Sat. members only)— Best of Missouri Market. Handmade artisan and craft items, and food, mostly from Missouri artists and producers, including native plants from Missouri Wildflower Nursery. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw, St. Louis.

The 21st Northern Midwest ZNA Koi Show hosted by Gateway Koi and Pond Club

ST. LOUIS KOI SHOW

& POND EXPO

SEPTEMBER 22, 23 & 24, 2023

Fri. 3-5pm, Sat. 9am-5pm, and Sun. 10am-2pm

TIMBERWINDS NURSERY 54 CLARKSON ROAD

ELLISVILLE, MO 63011

Free event. Rain or shine. For more info visit www.nmzna.net, www.gatewaykoiandpondclub.org or call 314-276-9461.

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