The Gateway Gardener July/August 2017

Gateway Gardener

JULY/AUGUST 2017

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes he nd T s Mis ctus a ale t ’ Don aw Ca and S Sh how y r Hen ulent S 8-9 c July Suc

Spectacular Succulents

Hot Container Plants for St. Louis Summers

Let’s Take a Garden Tour Native Asters Tomato Problems and Prevention

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July 8-9, 2017

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Gateway Gardener THE

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Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

JULY/AUGUST 2017 Volume 13, Number 6

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Matt Even Gateway Greening Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional Abby Elliott Nursery Professional Jennifer Schamber Nursery Professional Scott Woodbury Native Plant Specialist

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

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

ast month, Mary and I were enjoying an anniversary lunch on the outdoor dining area at Billy G’s restaurant in Kirkwood, and I pointed out the hanging baskets decorating the space.

Rather than displaying the usual summer annuals, these baskets were beautifully designed with tropical succulent plants. A few days later, Jennifer Schamber submitted her article (page 6), and I discovered she (or members of her crew at Greenscape Gardens) had designed and installed those very baskets. What a great idea for the steamy summers of St. Louis! As Jennifer points out in her article, succulents make great container plants for homeowners and outdoor restaurants—I’ll let her explain why. If you want to learn more about succulents, including their cacti kin, you’ll see many of those Jennifer recommends at the Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Show at Missouri Botanical Gardens coming July 8th-9th.

The peak season for garden tours is June, and since I was so busy helping my son Chris and his wife, Lisa, welcome new twin boys into the world last month, I missed all the tours, including the every-three-years St. Louis Garden Tour. So I

was happy Steffie Littlefield provided a report for us on page 4. Fortunately, the opportunity to view some great gardens— and other attractions—is not completely behind us. August 26th is the annual Home Grown Farm Tour, and Field Dinner, with a new “Fete” added this year featuring around 20 vendors introducing visitors to local products of all kinds. See our Upcoming Events calendar for more info. And a minitour season of sorts returns in September when cooler weather invites us back into the gardens.

Two especially are on our radar.

The St. Louis Audubon Society and Wild One’s St. Louis Chapter’s annual Native Plant Garden Tour is September 16th.

Previously held in the early

On the Cover...

Succulent plants like these on our cover love St. Louis summers, and make great, hardy container plants for outdoors or indoors. These were created by Greenscape Gardens for Billy G’s Restaurant. Read more on page 6.

(Photo by Robert Weaver)

summer, organizers moved it to early fall this year to show off a different season of native plants.

Look for many of the asters Scott Woodbury mentions in his article on page 10. Then on September 24th, I’ll be checking out the U City in Bloom Biennial Garden Tour and Plein Air Art Competition, which includes, we’re told, a mysterious gnome inhabiting a whimsical fairy garden. See ads for both tours in this issue for early registration opportunities, and check our calendar in the September issue for reminders about these and other upcoming events.

For now, since my Mother always warned me not to wish away my life, I’ll enjoy midsummer, and consider adding some heatloving succulents to my deck containers next year.

Good Gardening!

Ed note: It is with sadness we learned at deadline of the passing of Barbara Perry Lawton, one of our founding contributors and a treasured garden writer. We’ll have more on Barbara and her contributions to our readers and gardeners everywhere in September.

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Let’s Take a Garden Tour 6 Recipe for Succulent Success 8 Tomato Diseases and Prevention 10 Amazing Asters 11 Top 10 Native Asters 12 Summer Rose Tips 13 St. Louis Hort History-Ritter Greenhouse 14 Upcoming Events

Let’s Take a Garden Tour Text and photos by Steffie Littlefield

T

his year one of my favorite events took place, The St Louis Garden Tour sponsored by the Missouri Botanical Garden and many friends and businesses.

This is a once-in-3-years selfguided tour of seven spectacular gardens across the St. Louis community. Since the summer of 1986, the Garden has hosted a tour of some of the loveliest private gardens giving St. Louis garden enthusiasts an 1 opportunity to experience a wide variety of landscape styles. The 2017 Tour offered an amazing selection representing everything from traditional to eclectic, artistic to rustic, grand to intimate.

Visiting these types of garden tours is the best way to become inspired and learn new ideas to add to your own garden projects.

paths lined with collections of hostas, daylilies, specialty boxwoods and possibly one of the largest collection of conifers in the Midwest. At every turn there was a perfect combination of perennials, evergreens and garden ornaments (photo 3). Waterfalls and babbling streams cascaded over ledges of natural rock edged by perfectly managed groundcovers layered with woodland and native plants while unique cedars, false cypress and even dwarf spruces framed the scene. Truly, one of the best horticultural collections in a private garden.

Now, I am already on sensory overload and my pulse is racing as I rush to a fabulous new garden planted where the evil honeysuckle once ruled the land. These brave homeowners fought the battle and The adventure started with a garden that was lovingly honed from won. Their reward is a beautiful shaded valley now thriving with an unlikely setting with a very steep hillside, a storm water culvert native plants surrounding an expansive rustic stone outdoor living and a view of the UMSL campus. Yet, here were found meandering room. And that was just the new part of the garden…I also loved the collection of hydrangeas and vegetable garden.

Just when I was sure I had seen the best gardens on the tour, we arrived at the Estate Garden. Like walking into a postcard of a French Chateau, but this one has 6 golf tee boxes, a lake, and a magnificent collection of trees on over ten acres. Oh, I turn around and there is also the most charming cottage garden with cutting flowers, vegetables and espaliered fruit trees. From here, I entered the woodland garden (photo 2) with its 8 specimen Japanese maples, hosta collection and huge blooming bottlebrush buckeyes.

Cool.

Once again one of the best gardens was really the smallest garden

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feel of the space that now houses large art and sculpture, multilevel entertaining spaces, as well as trees, vines and bamboo.

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What can be that unique about a garden in the Lafayette Park area?

Start with dividing the mundane space into pockets of entertaining and play spaces, add Italian-looking stucco walls, throw in a native prairie-style planting and a pond filled with water plants, add raised vegetable and herb beds and trees, shrubs and vines with loads of color and height variation.

Is this really in the city, it seemed so private? That’s creative planning.

Did I mention how gracious all the homeowners were to allow hundreds of people to with soothing music, gentle water feature, bird- and bee-attracting tromp through their private perennials, boxwood hedges and well-placed garden accents. This spaces? Every host went appealing landscape wrapped around this charming home and out of their way to provide made you feel like exploring its every nook and cranny. In a small the best garden tour ever garden every plant counts and this dedicated gardener didn’t miss with hours and hours of a leaf, just perfect! weeding and trimming, What garden tour would be complete without an historic home in and, on the day, welcoming Webster Groves? Who can resist a larch tree dating to the 1904 handshakes and charming World’s Fair? Combine that with massive borders of gorgeous smiles for all the volunteers At each location a beautiful floral azaleas, a perfect butterfly garden of native plants and lush, almost and the public. Well once arrangement was displayed, tropical-looking, perennial borders. complementing the garden design. again I will dream about the fascinating and lovely features of these gardens as I look forward The next stop really took to future garden tours. everyone by surprise. When I 3 came through the plain black Steffie Littlefield is a St Louis area horticulturist and garden door in the old brick wall, I found designer. She has degrees from St. myself in an oasis of a garden Louis Community College at Meramec surrounded by three story brick and Southeast Missouri State and is walls that had once been a movie a member of Gateway Professional theatre (photo 1). The space has Horticultural Association, Missouri been transformed into an open Botanical Garden Members Board and atrium with an old Louisianapast president of the Horticulture Costyle pool house to one side of op of Metropolitan St. Louis. She is a full-size swimming pool. The part-owner of Edg-Clif Winery, Potosi, steel structure that once held up MO. www.Edg-Clif.com. the roof lends to the industrial

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Recipe For Succulent Success Jennifer Schamber

By:

Ingredients: • Container with good drainage potting mix specially formulated for succulents and cacti • An assortment of succulents with contrasting colors, texture and form (consider using hardy succulents, many will overwinter outdoors in containers) Optional: pebbles or moss for topdressing Directions: Fill container with potting mix and arrange the plants in desired formation. Place larger growing plants toward the center (the thrillers), the medium-sized plants (fillers) around those, and the low trailers (spillers) around the edge. Place contrasting colors and textures next to each other. If displaying indoors, a drain hole isn’t necessary, but special attention must be given to not overwater. A pipette is a useful tool to help prevent overwatering.

Place the pot in a well-lit room or outdoors in sun or shade. If a succulent container has been indoors during the winter, allow it to acclimate to the outdoors before placing in direct sun to avoid sun scorch. Bring indoors before the first prediction of freezing temperatures or frost (above 40°F is preferred by most tropical succulents). Allow potting mix to dry slightly between waterings to avoid root rot. If plants are indoors, lightly water every two weeks, outdoor water needs vary by location and weather conditions, but weekly watering or twice weekly may be sufficient.

Donkey’s Tail (Sedum morganianum)

Blue Chalk Sticks (Senecio serpens)

Sedum ‘Lemon Ball’

String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

Variegated Jade (Portulacaria afra ‘Variegata’

Echeveria

Paddle Plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora)

bellefontaine after hours Explore beautiful gardens and rich history at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. Horticulturists and Master Guides will be on hand to introduce you to the cemetery's Mausoleum Row. Light refreshments will be provided.

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bellefontaine cemetery and arboretum ◆ 4947 w. florissant ave. ◆ saint louis mo 63115

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Laura Caldie

s er’ lent f i n JenSuccuicks P Top lant P

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long with great food and excellent service, locally-owned restaurants like Billy G’s in Kirkwood, Joey B’s in Manchester, and the Corner Pub & Grill in Valley Park, have perfected the recipe of a wonderful dining experience by creating relaxing ambiance for their guests on their outdoor patios. A highlight of these spaces is the usage of large, tough and versatile succulent hanging baskets and containers. These popular and busy restaurants need plants that require low maintenance (don’t need deadheading and constant watering) and aren’t messy (nobody wants to have to pick petunias out of their soup!)

T h e s e baskets pieces, as on webHouzz.

interesting and stylish also serve as conversation they are very much trending sites like Pinterest and Billy Practical and sophisticated, G’s succulent plants are being seen in bride’s bouquets, planted in centerpiece bowls and serving as place markers at wedding receptions, taking the place of traditional flowers. The lure of succulents Jennifer Schamber is the General Manager of Greenscape Gardens, and plays leaderships roles in the Western Nursery & Landscape Association, GrowNative!, the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis and the Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis. She has earned Green Profit Magazine’s Young Retailer Award, and Greenscape Gardens was named the National Winner of the 2015 “Revolutionary 100” Garden Centers by Today’s Garden Center Magazine.

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for brides is not only their beauty, but the cuttings can be given to friends and family as gifts that can last forever, unlike shortlived cut flowers.

If perennial succulents are used, Bar r they can be rooted and replanted e Corn rill in the garden.

Most perennial G d succulents, like Hen & Chicks (Sempervivum) an and many sedums can survive outdoors in containers, provided the pot has good drainage. Overall, succulents are the secret ingredient to great spaces and special occasions.

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The Cornucopia Corner With Tomato Diseases, Prevention is Key!

By Matt Even

G

Robert Weaver

fusarium wilt. Both diseases ardeners, do not creep from the bottom, older focus on diseases growth of the tomato plant to themselves, be the top. This creates stunted keen on disease prevention. growth, sunscald on fruit, While it’s always important defoliation, and stress to the to know what’s happening plant. Instead of attempting to to your vegetable garden, diagnose diseases, prevent even with a trained eye, it them from happening in can be difficult to distinguish the first place with some one disease over another. gardening best practices.

Take time to learn about diseases during your Prevention is key “gardening career”, but first learn the basics of disease Resistant Tomato prevention. Trust me, it will Leaf mulch makes an excellent mulch for the vegetable garden.

Varieties go a long way.

You can compost it yourself or buy it from compost and supply Select adapted varieties facilities such as St. Louis Composting or Kirkwood Materials. that are disease resistant Tomato diseases in Missouri to ailments that we combat are common, and fungi love our long, humid summers. in the St. Louis region.

University of Missouri Extension Some of the main culprits that you find in the garden throughout the season include Fusarium Wilt, Fusarium has a list of tomato varieties that are resistant to a host oxysporum sp. (soil-borne fungus), and Early Blight, of diseases, and recommends growing techniques for disease prevention in our area.

Alternaria sp.

Early blight is a fungus that typically spreads by old plant debris being left in the garden. Identifying factors include circular dark spots that eventually enlarge to concentric rings surrounded by a yellow area on leaves. Unlike early blight, yellowing on one side of the plant or leaves often identifies

Mulch!

As summer sets in, mulch, mulch, and…mulch. My favorite is leaf mulch, or leaf mold (half decomposed leaves), which retains moisture, prevent weeds, and keeps soil from splashing on the bottom leaves of plants. Typically, 2’’-3’’ inches of good mulch spread on your garden bed is what you want to aim for.

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Tips for Growing, Buying and Cooking Fresh, Locally Sourced Food for Your Table garden beds reduces the chance of diseases spreading from the soil to our tomatoes.

Pruning and Sanitation Many indeterminate tomato varieties will require pruning Watering Techniques for healthy and vigorous fruiting. Make a habit of sanitizing Low and slow. If possible, water at the base of tomato plants your shears when pruning a single plant, or moving from and attempt to reach deep into the root system. This takes one plant to another. The same goes for cutting away visibly time; let water soak into the soil without washing away unhealthy parts of the plant. Without sanitizing your tools your topsoil. Moisture that penetrates deep into layers of properly, it is possible to spread harmful diseases around soil encourages dense and strong root systems, making the garden. tomatoes more drought-tolerant and resilient.

Use a 1:10 ratio of household bleach to water, or, 70% isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle to disinfect your tools.

July/August Harvest

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

Vegetables

Squash (summer) Sweet Corn Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Turnips

Artichoke Beans Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Eggplant Garlic Herbs Horseradish Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Okra Onions Peas Peppers Popcorn Potatoes Pumpkins Radishes Rhubarb

Fruits

Apples Apricots Blackberries Blueberries Canteloupe Gooseberries Grapes (Wine) Nectarines Peaches Pears Plums Raspberries, red Strawberries Watermelon

Matt has worked on organic farms from Northern Minnesota to Austin, TX, and has been growing food since he decided to put his Sociology degree to good use. The past 6 years, he has lived in St. Louis working as an Outreach Manager and Educator for Gateway Greening, helping to start urban agriculture projects across the region.

You can reach Matt at (314) 588-9600.

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Naturally Natives Amazing Asters

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text and photos by Scott Woodbury

sters are to monarchs what krill are to whales.

For millennia monarchs and whales have honed migration routes over great distances and through historic feeding grounds in order to accomplish one basic thing: produce offspring. Monarchs in the central United States followed a Willow-leaved vast ribbon of tallgrass prairie and Aster savanna full of asters that once stretched from Canada to Texas.

Like ancient celestial clockwork, monarch migration commences with the first aster blossoms in August and ends in early October.

Unfortunately prairie and savanna today exists in paltry scattered patches in preserves, railroad corridors and roadside edges. It’s hardly a monarch buffet because monarchs need lots of asters, much like whales need tons of krill. One does not exist without the other, which explains why whales and monarchs are in trouble.

bring it back to what matters

I wish we could make more krill, but we can make more asters. We can buy them and plant them at home. We can encourage their use in city parks and at church. We can tell friends and neighbors this amazing monarch and aster story and about the natural history of the prairie and savanna.

There are things we can still do to make our world better.

In late summer and fall, flowering asters brim with nectar, the sweet food that fuels the monarch migration. True there are other plants like goldenrod and blazingstar (close relatives to aster) that feed hungry monarchs, but none are as ubiquitous as asters. For better or worse they are now referred to scientifically as Symphyotrichum. So much for a modern progression toward more user-friendly devices.

First to bloom is purple aster, Symphyotrichum patens (Aster patens), in late August when monarch migration begins. Clumpforming purple aster grows in dry prairies and savannas, so it is a good choice for landscaping in part shade and dry slopes. Next is southern prairie aster, Eurybia hemispherica (Aster paludosus), New England a sun-loving prairie plant that slowly spreads into small colonies Aster with large purple flowers. New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, blooms in August and September, is tall and a little weedy in gardens. Still it is one of the best aster species for butterflies. Ditto for its big-bro, the glossy-leaved aster, Symphyotrichum puniceum.

During peak migration sky-blue aster, Symphyotrichum oolentangiense and smooth aster, Symphyotrichum laeve, both

Proud contributor to the Parkway Southwest Middle/Circle of Concern Community Garden.

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.

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

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The Gateway Gardener™ JULY/AUGUST 2017

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants blue-flowering asters, are in bloom. Deadhead sky-blue aster because it spreads aggressively from seed. Smooth aster grows best on well-drained soils. I would welcome it to spread from seed if it could but it is a shy performer when you don’t have rocky soil. Last year I observed eighteen monarchs on a small patch of willow-leaved aster, Symphyotrichum praealtum in my yard. I think society would do well to follow suit with a willow-leaved aster in every park, church and cemetery from Canada to Texas.

Want less grass to mow, plant a little patch of willow-leaved aster.

Yes, they are a suckering perennial that spreads quickly in full sun and poorly drained soil, but they form dense, low-maintenance colonies that are easily kept in place in the middle of mowed grass.

make excellent perennial hedges.

When I wrote that asters are ubiquitous, I meant that some of them show up everywhere. Commonly referred to as DWA’s, short for “darn” white asters (because they are hard to tell apart), these plants are a nuisance in most gardens and farm fields. Their seeds spread on the wind, sprout everywhere and rapidly grow into flowering plants in a single season. This group of asters is in part why north St. Louis has remarkably high bee diversity (160 plus species), greater than any other known Midwestern city according to Gerardo Camillo, biology professor at St. Louis University. Of the 24 aster species, nine are white-flowering and not typically cultivated because it spreads aggressively from seed. Of those nine, At the tail end of monarch white heath aster, Symphyotrichum pilosum, is the most common migration, aromatic aster, and weedy. It has hairy stems and leaves with flowers that smell Aromatic Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, like butterscotch and is clump forming. I weed out all but a few in Aster comes into bloom. Because there the garden because it smells so nice and is an awesome pollinator are few other plants blooming in plant especially for monarchs.

October and early November, it is an insect magnet. Not so Urban decline is a mixed box of chocolates. The best chocolate lies many monarchs, but plenty of in the resiliency of native asters and the insects they attract. Most skippers, moths, bees and wasps cities have them, neighborhoods in transition. A hundred years ago find their last taste of nectar they thrived with people. Today they thrive with wildlife, and with there. Every lover of asters and your help planting showy native asters, they can be beautiful as garden insects should have one. It is low growing, topping out at well. two to three feet, depending on soil fertility. They are mounded and

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A Grow Native! Top 10 List

10 Locations in Ballwin, Chesterfield, Manchester and Town and Country

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TOP 10 NATIVE ASTERS FOR HOME LANDSCAPING

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Colorful flowers for late summer • Food for migrating monarchs Note: The genus Aster has been split into three new genera, Eurybia, Ionactis, and Symphyotrichum.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NATIVE PLANT NAME Aromatic aster

HEIGHT SUN/SHADE UNIQUE QUALITY Sun/pt.

Dry to average soil. Blooms 2-3 ft. shade late. Mounded.

Flax-leaved aster Ionactis linariifolius Glossy-leaf aster S. puniceum New England aster S. novae-angliae Purple aster S. patens Prairie aster S. turbinellum Sky-blue aster S. oolentangiense Smooth aster S. laeve Southern prairie aster Eurybia hemispherica Willow-leaved aster

8-10 in.

Pt. shade

4-6 ft.

Sun

3-5 ft.

Sun

Symphotrichum oblongifolum

S. praealtum

2-3 ft.

3-4 ft.

Sun/pt. shade Pt. shade/ sun

3 ft.

Sun

2 ft.

Sun/pt. shade

1-2 ft.

Sun

3-5 ft.

Sun

Requires acidic rocky soil.

Tolerates flooding. Rain gardens.

Average to moist soil.

Tolerates clay.

Prefers dry acidic soil.

Dry to average soil. Part shade.

Dry to average soil. Spreads from seed.

Well-drained dry soil.

Best in well-drained soil. Slow suckering.

Average to moist soil. Fast suckering.

Bring Conservation Home

Note: This list was created by Scott Woodbury, based on his many years of experience and observations as the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. The plants on this list are not in ranked order.

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

JULY/AUGUST 2017

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™

A St. Louis Audubon Society Community Partnership

11

Summer Tips for the Rose Garden

by Diane Brueckman

J

Liquid fertilizers are a quick burst of nutrients but do not last long because the plants take them up so quickly. Do not apply the liquid fertilizers during the heat of the day or on days the temperature gets into the high 80s or 90s.

Nauedom Yaempongsa, 123rf.com

uly is a tough time in the garden. Usually, the rain is sparse and the heat and humidity are barely tolerable. Your roses are feeling the same pain you are. Keeping the roses looking good and the gardener reasonably comfortable is the challenge. I like to get out early in the morning or in the cooler evening hours to work in the garden. The roses like to be well hydrated and the best time to do that is early in the morning, especially if you use overhead watering. One inch of water per week is the minimum requirement for roses. When the temperatures get into the 90s, 3-4 inches is not too much. It is better to water deeply once a week than to water a little every day. During a very hot dry spell give the roses a second watering during the week.

Spraying your roses is difficult in the heat. This is another chore that needs to be done in the coolest part of the day or in the evening hours.

It is very important that the roses are well hydrated before you spray to prevent burning the foliage. I like to time my spray for the day after I water or after a substantial rain (an inch or more). You can also use a granular systemic product that is applied to the soil and taken up by the plant. On the positive side when the temperatures are in the high 90s black-spot spores are killed by the heat, so you may not need to treat for black-spot during very hot weather. Good garden hygiene is also useful in preventing disease. Check your roses regularly and take off any leaves that show signs of disease and destroy them.

Try to deadhead regularly. Regular deadheading

not only encourages more bloom but also gives you a chance to see any problems that may be developing. Some signs of trouble to look for are drooping or bent buds, or if the first leaves below the bud dry up and become crispy. Removing these “blemishes” is often removing a “bug” that has laid an egg in the bud or leaf petiole thus preventing further damage to your rose. While deadheading, look for weak growth or crossing canes that could start rubbing neighboring canes. Removing some of these canes will open your plant up for better airflow, which helps to prevent fungal diseases.

When using a chemical fertilizer keep the product away from the bud union and off the leaves because it may burn the plant. Use a balanced fertilizer like 12-12-12. Avoid fertilizers with a higher nitrogen number than phosphorus and potassium. Too much nitrogen will cause excessive green growth, which will encourage disease and insect damage. Look for slow-release nitrogen, although the slow release is controlled by moisture and heavy rains may cause the nitrogen to release quicker than you expect.

Roses are heavy feeders and appreciate a steady supply of nutrients. Liquid fertilizers are good. I like the organic fertilizers, Diane Brueckman is a retired rosarian such as Monty’s, with Missouri Botanical Garden, fish oil, or kelp, or and currently owns Rosey Acres in you can use one of Baldwin, Illinois. You can reach her the chemical liquid at (618) 785-3011 or droseyacres@ fertilizers such as egyptian.net.

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Offer expires 8/30/17.

2701 Barrett Station Rd. St. Louis, MO 63021 www.kirkwoodgardens.com 314-966-4840 12

My preference is a dry organic fertilizer worked into the beds. Organics that feed the soil make nutrients more available to the plants. The plants take up the nutrients when they are ready for them. The nutrients will not wash out as quickly because they are reacting with the soil.

Other advantages of organics are they tend to keep the pH of the soil stable and you are less likely to burn the plants.

Kills All Types of Weeds and Grasses

NEW! KILL-ZALL® 365 Weed and Grass Killer • New formulation gives total vegetation control for up to one year! Use on non-crop areas such as fencerows, driveways and around buildings.

• Gallon or 32 oz Super Concentrate

Look for these and other Hy-Yield products at your favorite independent nurseries and garden centers.

For plant care and information on over 8,000 plants, visit www.fertilome.com

The Gateway Gardener™ JULY/AUGUST 2017

St. Louis Hort History Edited by Robert Weaver

R

Ritter Greenhouse: Locally Grown for 50 Years

itter Greenhouse is celebrating 50 years of supplying the St. Louis area with locally grown vegetables, herbs and premium quality annual and perennial plants. This second-generation, family-owned and operated wholesale greenhouse business was started by Larry and Jennie Ritter as Ritter Produce in 1966.

They purchased eight acres in Bridgeton, Missouri and began farming in the Missouri River Today’s Ritter team, including Christine Ritter Mason and Scott Bottoms, eventually leasing an Mason, fourth and fifth from left. additional 20 to 30 acres to farm.

They supplied lettuce, cabbage, spinach, dill, parsley, carrots, beets, great customer service. Ritter summer and winter squash, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, Greenhouse LLC has a total of and turnips to local grocery stores for several years.

44 Greenhouses, 3 acres under

The Flood of ‘73.

In 1973, with the Missouri River rising to eventually inundate all eight acres of greenhouses, Larry moved all the starter plants to higher ground in the front yard outside their home. Neighbors saw them there and began asking to buy them. This changed the

company’s future and for the next 22 years, Larry and Jennie and many of their seven children grew and sold vegetables and an ever-increasing line of spring and fall bedding plants.

Larry was very involved in the St. Louis Vegetable Growers Association and the St. Louis Flower Growers Association.

Ritter’s flooded again in 1986 Larry with his “crew” in and 1993—the “Year of the Big 1972.

Flood”—but with the help of all the other local growers, Ritter’s was again able to move their entire mum crop to another location and continue to operate.

landscape companies in the area.

The green industry had changed, but the Ritters’ passion for growing had not.

Larry Ritter passed away in 2014, but left behind a more than capable team, and today, daughter Christine Ritter Mason, her husband Scott, their children and the Ritter team continue that growing passion as Ritter Greenhouse LLC, supplying St. Louis and surrounding areas with premium quality annual and perennial plants, Nature’s Source Plant Food, and

plastic.

A large focus at Ritter Greenhouse is promoting the green industry and cultivating growers, who are invested, experienced and excited about the green industry. They have partnered with the local Larry Ritter horticulture programs to hire students and give them experience. At Ritter Greenhouse, their mantra is “hire for character and teach the skill.”

In 2017, after a year of extensive trials, they began a new era, or depending how you look at it, returned to an old one. Ritter Greenhouse is now in the hydroponic basil business with the intention of expanding to other herbs, greens and fruiting vegetables in the future. They have partnered with two local distributors and plan on expanding into the grocery market soon, while continuing to supply premium quality plants to St. Louis and surrounding areas. At Ritter Greenhouse, it is all about ROOTS; how they started, what they are growing and where they are going. They look forward to the next 50 years.

In 1995, they decided to focus all their efforts on the greenhouse operation and started Ritter Greenhouses Inc. They were supplying most of the independent garden centers, hardware stores and JULY/AUGUST 2017

The Gateway Gardener™

13

Upcoming Events Meetings, Classes, Entertainment and More!

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

Give us the details of your upcoming gardening, lawn or landscaping event and we’ll add it to our website and include it in our next issue. Deadline for printing in October issue is September 1st.

and join a garden club or favorite plant society today!

ticket information and other details.

Missouri Botanical Garden.

FUN FOR KIDS

June 30th-July 2nd 2-5pm Fri., 9am-5pm Sat., 9am-3pm Sun.—North American Lily Society Show. The Lily Show display is free and open to the public for viewing at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel, 191 Westport Plaza. After enjoying the Lily Show on Saturday morning at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel, visitors can drive to the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG). Included in admission to the MBG is a lecture by Dr. Peter Zale, renowned modern-day plant hunter and current Curator and Plant Breeder at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Dr. Peter Zale will speak on “Lily Species Around the World and in Cultivation”. The lecture will be on July 1, 1:30-2:30pm in the Shoenberg Auditorium at the MBG.

July 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th 10-11am—Summer Kids’ Camp.

Make a Floral Arrangement (July 5th, $10), Make a Mini Garden (July 12th, $15), Make a String Garden (July 19th, $10), and join the Kids Healthy Living Summer Series (July 26th). Supply fee is per child. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, www.hillermann.com.

July 8th 9 am-Children’s Garden Club. Fun in the Garden. FREE. Chesterfield Valley Nursery, 16825 N. Outer Rd., Chesterfield. Hosted by St. Louis County Parks and Recreation.

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

Aug. 5th 9 am- Children’s Garden Club.

Project Pollinator. FREE. Greenscape Gardens, 2832 Barrett Station Rd. Call 314-821-2440, GreenscapeGardens. com.

GARDEN CLUBS AND PLANT SOCIETY MEETINGS

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS

Interested in Joining a Garden Club or Plant Society? We have meeting dates, locations and contact information on more than 50 area garden clubs on our website at www.GatewayGardener. com. Don’t have access to the internet?

Just call us at (314) 968-3740, or write us at PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122, and we’ll get the information to you. So share your joy for gardening

Now through August 13th Garden of Glass: The Art of Mitchell Smith. Experience the Garden’s Climatron® conservatory like never before as it blooms with 30 larger-thanlife fused glass works of art by Craig Mitchell Smith. All summer long, see colorful glass orchids, orange blossoms, dandelions and more flourishing amid the lush, tropical setting of the Climatron. Visit Mobot.org for hours,

NEED A SPEAKER for your Garden Club or Group?

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

Choose from over 50 different programs, from Aromatherapy to Winter Damage, Birds in the Garden, to Soil Preparation, Daylilies to Orchids.

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.)

July 1st 11am-5pm—Daylily Daze.

See hundreds of blooms on display, inside, and share the space with daylily experts and enthusiasts. All attendees can vote for their favorite blooms to win People Choice honors and awards will be given to exhibitors at 4:30pm. Organizers expect to display over 400 blooms both on and off-scape, in addition to the ones that will be blooming outside in the renowned Jenkins Daylily Collection at MOBOT. Missouri Botanical Garden Ridgway Center.

10am—High Impact for Small Spaces. Learn about the ideal shrubs, trees and perennials, along with ideas to create a sense of uniqueness for your small spaces. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

July 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th, Aug. 1st, 8th, 16th, 22rd and 29th 10am-Noon—Herbs & Heirlooms Tuesdays. Connect with some of the oldest friends of mankind: herbs. Drop in to explore the culinary, sensory, beauty and uses for the herb featured each week. The first 150 participants will pot an herb to take home and receive a plant profile sheet with care tips and ways to use your new plant.

Missouri Botanical Garden in the Herb Garden, weather permitting. Included with Garden Admission. No registration is required. For more information, visit www.mobot.org.

July 6th, 20th and Aug. 3rd 5:30-7:30pm--Bellefontaine Hours. Explore beautiful

14

After gardens

and rich history. Horticulturists and Master Guides on hand to introduce you to Mausoleum Row. Light refreshments provided. $15 per person, $10 for Friends of Bellefontaine.

BellefontaineCemetery.org/calendar or (314) 381-0750. Bellefontaine Cemetery andArboretum.

July 8th 10am—Herb Make-N-Take Workshop. Learn about the benefits of herbs and create your own make-ntake herb garden. $30.00 supply fee.

Please call 636-239-6729 to register.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

July 8th-9th 9am-5pm—Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale.

Choose from a wide array of cacti and succulents shown and sold by the area’s top growers, including thousands of rare specimens and starter plants priced from $2. Cactus Society members will be on hand to answer questions and give plant care advice. Missouri Botanical Garden, Beaumont Room.

Entry included with Garden admission. www.hscactus.org.

July 9th 10am—Long Blooming Shade Perennials for Exceptional Color.

Discover the showiest, longest blooming, heaviest producing shade perennials available. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

July 12th 7-9pm--Native Trees: a Distilled Tale. Part of the 2017 Tap Root Series presented by the Missouri Community Forestry Council. Gary Hinegardener, Proprietor of Wood Hat Spirits discusses how he makes spirits out of native trees and shrubs. Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest, Maplewood. $10 donation requested.

July 13th 1-4 pm—Native Plant School: Gardening for Wildlife. Learn what you can plant that will look good in your home landscape and bring birds and butterflies to your yard.

Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. $17 ($14 Garden members). Joseph H. Bascom House at Shaw Nature Reserve. For reservations or more information, call (636) 4513512 ext. 0 or visit www.shawnature. org.

July 15th

The Gateway Gardener™ JULY/AUGUST 2017

9-10am –Gateway Greening Demonstration Garden Tour. Learn about some of the growing techniques used in St. Louis urban gardening.

3841 Bell Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108. $5 Suggested donation.

10-11am –Compost Bin Construction Workshop. Learn how to build a 3-bin compost bin with Garden Program Manager Dean Gunderson. Gateway Greening Carriage House, 3815 Bell Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108. $5 Suggested donation.

July 15th 10am—Leaf Making Class. $25 supply fee. Please call 636-239-6729 to register. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

July 15th and 29th 10am—Maintaining Perennials and Rejuvenating Your Summer Garden.

Learn aggressive pruning techniques that will help you achieve strong, more compact plants and many more blooms in your garden. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

July 19th 6:30-7:30pm–Pints ‘n’ Plants: Permaculture. Permaculture is the practice of designing to mimic natural patterns and relationships, working with nature not against it. Jason Gerhardt of Real Earth Designs will talk about how to implement these principles in an urban environment.

Urban Chestnut Bierhall in The Grove.

4485 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. $5 Suggested donation.

July 22nd and Aug. 26th 10am-2pm—Webster Groves Herb Society Display. Missouri Botanical Garden. Free with Garden admission.

July 24th 9am-5pm—Henry Shaw’s Birthday.

Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw’s 216th birthday celebration. Admission is free for all visitors. Missouri Botanical Garden.

July 29th 8:30-9:30am–Gateway Greening Urban Farm Tour. Come tour the largest urban farm in a US downtown, and learn about how we grow 8 tons of food per year on 2.5 acres. 2200 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63103. $5 Suggested donation.

10-11am–Right Tool for the Job Workshop. Using the right tool for the job is the first rule of working harder not smarter. Outreach Manager Matt Even will cover the best tools for urban growers. Gateway Greening Urban Farm, 2200 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63103. $5 Suggested donation.

JULY/AUGUST 2017

August 2nd-6th Noon-11pm—Washington Town & Country Fair. Several events are scheduled of interest to gardeners and flower lovers. Aug. 2nd-3rd, Noon-11pm, Flower, Houseplant and Garden Produce Show. Aug. 4th-6th, Noon-11pm, Fairy Garden & Flower Design Show. Aug. 4th, 9-11am, “Learn to Make a Flower Design”. Pre-registration required for class, bring a flower clipper, other supplies and flowers provided. Call (520) 237-9151. Washington Missouri Fairgrounds, Exhibitor Building, 201 Grand Ave., Washington, MO. Events are FREE with Fair admission.

August 5th 10-11am–Herbs Workshop. Herbs are high value garden crops. Learn the essentials of growing, harvesting, and preserving so that you can enjoy your herbs all year round. Gateway Greening Demonstration Garden, 3841 Bell Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108. $5 Suggested Donation.

10am—Hot Summer Survivors.

Discover the best, long blooming hybrid perennials, shrubs, and grasses along with the toughest wildflowers for St. Louis summers. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

1-2:30pm–Preserving Perfect Picks.

Join Brigitte Zettl of Crown Valley Organics and learn how to extract the medicinal properties of plants, and observe first-hand how to prepare canned delights like melon rind preserves and fermented cucumber.

Saint Louis Science Center Grow Exhibit. 5050 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110. $5 Suggested Donation.

8am-noon—Mid-Ilinois Annual Iris Sale. West Coast and member-grown iris rhisomes. Color historics and fancy moderns. Caseyville Township Senior Center, 10001 Bunkum Rd., Fairview Hts. IL. Aug. 5 -6 9am-5pm—Greater St. Louis Iris Society Show and Sale. New cultivars and old favorites are shown by the area’s top growers, who are on hand to give plant care advice and share information about their organization.

Missouri Botanical Garden, Ridgway Visitor Center. Included with Garden admission. www.mobot.org. th

th

Aug. 8th 10am—Let’s Make a Terrarium.

We’ll provide all the supplies along with an experienced terrarium tutor to guide you through the process. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. Reservations required, $45

The Gateway Gardener™

supplies fee. Call (314) 965-3070.

Aug. 12th 10am—To Prune or Not to Prune.

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) 965-3070.

10am—Mini-Garden Make-N-Take Workshop. Mini Gardens are a fun way to create a miniature landscape in a container. Create your own Mini Garden to take home. $30.00 supply fee. Please call 636-239-6729 to register. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

August 16th 6:30-7:30pm–Pints ‘n’ Plants: Edible Perennials. Most of the foods that we grow to eat are annual, But there are several perennial plants - plants with the lifespan of several years to decades - that we often overlook.

Gateway Greening Garden Manager Dean Gunderson highlights the benefits of perennial crops. Urban Chestnut Bierhall in The Grove. 4485 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. $5 Suggested donation.

August 19th 10-11am–Cold Frame Construction Workshop. Learn how to build cold frames for the garden with Garden Program Manager Dean Gunderson.

Gateway Greening Carriage House, 3815 Bell Ave., St. Louis, MO 63108. $5 Suggested donation.

9am-5pm—Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Association Sale.

Choose from a wide array of new cultivars and old favorites from the area’s top growers, who will be on hand to give plant care advice and share information about their organization.

Proceeds benefit the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Aug. 19th and 22nd 10am—Best Fall Gardening Tips.

Discover which varieties are flowering along with the garden practices that

will produce the longest-blooming, heaviest producing plants and more.

Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

August 20th Noon-5pm—The Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Annual Orchid Auction. Missouri Botanical Garden in the Beaumont Room. Hundreds of orchids at great prices. Silent auctions and sale tables. Free parking. For more information, please contact Tom & Judy Evans at 314.878.4055 or tom@ judyandtomevans.com.

August 26th 9-10am–Urban Ag Infrastructure.

Learn about what makes an urban farm a functional farm with former Farm Manager Rachel Deffenbaugh.

2200 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63103. $5 Suggested donation.

Aug. 26th 10am—Naturally Beautiful Gardens With Missouri Native Plants.

Learn about Missouri native plants and techniques needed to create and maintain a lovely native plant garden.

Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

Home Grown Farm Tour, Fete and Field Dinner. This year there are 8 Washington County farms and venues to visit and the all new Farm Fete with up to 20 vendors with local products at Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard. The Field Dinner start at 5:30 with local cheeses and homemade sausages and of course Edg-Clif wine cocktails. Call Debby at 573-438-8555 for dinner reservations.

Aug. 29th 10am—Spread the Wealth, Propagating Perennials. Learn the basics of plant division, stem cuttings, along with other techniques of plant propagation. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

U City in Bloom

Biennial Garden Tour & Plein Air Art Competition Gardens of U Heights #1

Sept. 24

Artists at work, Plein Air painting by Zhen Xu

, 2017 • 1 – 5 p.m.

Sunday, Reception following on the 5th Floor, City Hall Tickets: $18 in advance $20 day of event on City Hall Lawn Call: 314-973-6062

15

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