The Gateway Gardener June 2015

Gateway Gardener

JUNE 2015

THE

速

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

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Gateway Gardener

From the Editor

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

June 2015

Volume 11, Number 5

Founded in 2005 by

Robert Weaver & Joyce Bruno

Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists

Barbara Perry Lawton Garden Book Author and Garden Writer Connie Alwood Master Gardener Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Mara Higdon Gateway Greening Michael McVey Irrigation and Lighting Professional 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 monthly 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.

M

y gateway drug to gardening was the coneflower. Prior to my serious gardening days, as a young(er) freelance writer, I was sent on assignment to interview a guy restoring a prairie in northeast Missouri. A late-afternoon walk through part of the prairie opened my eyes to a new world of native wildflowers and grasses, but it was a scene the following morning that tripped the trigger. Driving in pre-dawn darkness, we arrived at a nearby field, and as we began walking through it, the sun arose to reveal an ocean of pale purple coneflowers surrounding us as far as one could see. I was smitten with coneflower fever.

To this day, the coneflower in its various forms remains my favorite garden flower, though it hasn’t always rewarded me in return. After several failed attempts to grow the pale coneflower (E. pallida) I may have finally discovered the secret in a patch I started last year in a limestone gravel pit. It seems to be thriving this spring!

As for purple coneflower, plants grown in my full-sun prairie garden seem to succumb as often as not to aster yellows, a disease that causes deformation and requires immediate rogueing. I’m wondering now if the answer lies in Scott Woodbury’s article this month (page 8) suggesting the plant is really more at home in light shade. As a result, some seedlings I

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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.

grew overwinter have a new home in a shadier spot in the landscape.

We’ll see…

Another plant that has eluded success in my garden over the years is clematis (excepting the sweet autumn clematis that I can’t kill). Still, I got a new variety this spring, a trial plant from Proven Winners called ‘Pink Mink’. I hope Barbara Perry Lawton’s article on pruning and caring for clematis (page 4) will help me achieve a different result.

For many gardeners, success in the garden means non-stop blooming!

For those of us who focus primarily on perennials, it can be a challenge to plan a garden featuring sequential color throughout the season. Abby Elliott’s article on “Unexpected Rebloomers” (page 6) makes the job much easier by recommending perennials that

Woodbury)

Think coneflowers are for sunny gardens only?

Think again! Here they enjoy the light shade with other colorful natives like royal catchfly and wild bergamot. See more about coneflowers as shady characters on page 8. (Photo by Scott

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Pruning Clematis 6 Unexpected Rebloomers 8 Purple Coneflower

11 12 14 16 16 18 20 21 22

promise repeat performances.

And Steffie Littlefield introduces us to some new crape myrtles on page 14, which do yeoman’s work tackling the color assignment in late summer.

And now that I’ve exposed the failures of my own gardening history, I’ve nothing more to hide, so I invite you to visit my home garden, aka “The Gateway Gardener World Headquarters Garden,” which will be among those featured on two garden tours this month, the Sustainable Backyard Tour on Sunday, June 14th, and the 1st Annual St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour the following Saturday, June 20th. See the details in their ads on page 9 and 23, or in the Upcoming Events section. And though my little “bubbler” doesn’t qualify me for the Pond-O-Rama tour, The Gateway Gardener is a media sponsor (as it is of the previously mentioned tours), so don’t miss it on June 27th-28th as well! (See their ad on page 20.)

In between all the tours, Happy Father’s Day! And…

Good Gardening!

Know the Pros Summer Rose Care New Crape Myrtles Rhubarb JT’s Fresh Ideas Light Up Your Landscape Celebrate the Pollinators Dig This Upcoming Events

Pruning clematis

by Barbara Perry Lawton

Which Clematis Is It?

O

ne of gardening’s great challenges is pruning clematis, if you listen to many of the experts. Gardeners may shy away from growing clematis because they fear that pruning properly is too complicated. Don’t let that fear keep you from enjoying one of the most beautiful of all perennial vines.

Although clematis will be more productive, bearing clouds of flowers, if you follow a regime of regular trimming and pruning, you aren’t going to kill the plants by not pruning. An important cultural rule of thumb for successfully growing clematis is one I heard many years ago: Clematis will thrive if you grow it with hot heads and cool feet. In other words, grow the vines in sunny locations but be sure to provide something to shade the root area.

As with all nursery stock, be sure to save the labels—the growers want you to succeed. They will provide succinct surefire information about growing the plants. Clematis experts do recommend a first-year practice that most gardeners find hard to follow: In order to have your clematis develop into bushier more beautiful plants over their lifetimes, cut back the vines to a mere five inches in the late winter or early spring of their first year. This will encourage vigorous root growth. You won’t get flowers on the early-bloomers during that first year but the sacrifice is worthwhile.

Clematis vines grow swiftly and, since they can’t support themselves very well, will need some help, a trellis, a bit of hand guidance if they are to perform as you wish. Clematis vines will climb handily over shrubs and small trees. Since they cling to supports with only their petioles, they’re easy to pull down if you want to prune or change the vines directions. Or you can let them wander over a hillside. It’s your garden so you set the rules.

America’s perennial expert, Allan Armitage, grows clematis vines over every shrub in his garden. As he says, “It’s difficult to beat the hybrid vines for color and vigor.”

4

• Group Two. Clematis vines that bloom in late spring to mid-summer don’t need pruning except to tidy them up after bloom. Old scraggy plants can be cut back nearly to the ground though you may lose or delay the current season’s bloom.

• Group Three. Prune these late summer and fallblooming clematis vines as far back as a foot from the ground in late winter or when buds begin to swell in early spring. You can prune the very vigorous cultivars all the way back.

C. jackmanii

C. ‘Princess Diana’

Plant Delights Nursery, www.plantdelights.com

C. Alpina ‘Stolwijk Gold’

Walters Gardens, Inc.

C. ‘Nelly Moser’

• Group One. These earlyflowering clematis vines don’t need much more than a light trim. Once they finish blooming, cut back stems that lack flowers or are too long. Old overgrown plants can be cut back nearly to the ground, but don’t do this more than every three years or so. Most clematis in this group aren’t reliably hardy in our region.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder/Glenn Kopp

Walters Gardens, Inc.

To categorize clematis, simply note when they bloom—early in the growing season, mid-season or late summer and fall. As you can see, you really don’t have to do much pruning.

Barbara Perry Lawton is a writer, author, speaker and photographer. She has served as manager of publications for Missouri Botanical Garden and as weekly garden columnist for the PostDispatch. The author of a number of gardening and natural history books, and contributor to many periodicals, she has earned regional and national honors for her writing and photography.

Barbara is also a Master Gardener and volunteers at MBG.

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JUNE 2015

© 2015, All rights reserved.

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5

Unexpected Rebloomers!

by Abby Elliott

Anemone ‘White Swan’

I

t’s all about that bloom.

Great foliage is fun.

Edibles can be a treat.

But if there’s one reason I had to choose why I garden, it’s all about that bloom. Nothing beats that first pop of color in spring after a long winter. Yet all too often, beautiful blooms will last for only a few fleeting days and leave you flowerless for the

rest of the season. It doesn’t have to be that way. Through excellent breeding we now have plants that provide petal power throughout the spring and summer months.

No plant better exudes non-stop petal power more than Anemone ‘Wild Swan’. Starting in May, bright white flowers open every day. In early morning and evening, flowers nod making the blue striping on the back of the petals noticeable. It’s no surprise that ‘Wild Swan’ won the 2011 Plant of the Year at the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s one of my absolute favorites.

Like ‘Wild Swan’, Shasta Daisy ‘Freak!’ begins flowering much earlier than traditional shasta daisies. Frilly white petals surround a bright yellow center beginning in May. It will rebloom all summer and will produce until the season’s first frost. It is also dwarf, reaching only about a foot tall.

Shasta Daisy ‘Freak’

Many perennial varieties will rebloom if you cut them back after the initial bloom. One of my favorites is the Dwarf Astilbe ‘Little Visions in Pink’, reaching a petite 16” tall with beautiful, pink flowers. I also like the hardiness of ‘Little Visions in Pink’. Not only do rabbits and deer stay away, but it also handles light and is more drought tolerant than other types of astilbes.

Astilbe ‘Little Visions in Pink’ Repeat-blooming German Iris is not the newest kid on the block, but often goes overlooked.

Coming in almost all flower colors, these repeaters bloom in spring like a traditional German Iris and then rebloom in the fall until a hard frost. One of my favorite varieties, ‘Speeding Again’ has beautifully ruffled deep violet-blue flowers with

Iris ‘Speeding Again’

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white highlights extremely fragrant.

that

are

There have been reblooming daylilies out for a while now.

Every gardener is pretty familiar with ‘Stella d’Oro’. What makes ‘Lacy Doily’ Hemerocallis exceptional is that it is a double petaled, repeat-blooming daylily.

Coral-pink double flowers with yellow accents begin blooming in June and will keep blooming into September. It will rebloom stronger if deadheaded. Foliage can be evergreen in mild winters.

‘New Dawn’ climbing rose is an heirloom rose that’s been around for many, many years.

It’s still one of the best you can get. Dusty pink to white

double-petaled flowers give a big show in late spring. It will free flower until we get frost, if left to its own devices. When deadheaded, though, it will wow over and over again like that first spring bloom. This is a vigorous climber-- its canes can grow up to 15 feet.

Repeat or perpetual blooming perennials and shrubs are the gardener’s dream, I know they’re mine. Selecting some of these plants can give big color in small spaces without having to replant every year.

Photos courtesy Sugar Creek Gardens Nursery except: Anemone ‘Wild Swan’ photo courtesy Walters Gardens, Inc.

Abby Lapides Elliott 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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Naturally Natives Purple Coneflower is a True Woodland Queen!

Text and Photos by Scott Woodbury basket. Yes bumblebees have these to carry their pollen, nectar and spit. Who would have thunk it? Purple coneflowers are also visited by skippers, brush-footed butterflies, bee flies, sweat bees, mason wasps, syrphid flies, fireflies and the predators who love to eat them…hummingbirds and praying mantises. The world is so full of a number of things.

June 15-21, 2015 is National The centerpiece in June is purple Pollinator Week. Don’t forget coneflower, Echinacea purpurea to pull up a beanbag chair for with its sweet scent of rose, a front-row seat at one of the purplish ray petals and orange disc flowers full of nectar and pollen. greatest feeding frenzies on earth. And it’s right in your own Its nectar is loved by butterflies and bumblebees alike, though the backyard. hairy buzzing bees are doing most of the pollinating. Turns out, smooth-slender butterfly legs aren’t as effective as stout hairy bee A common misconception about purple coneflower is that they are legs at catching pollen. It also helps if you have a hind leg pollen sun-worshiping prairie dwellers. Not so. In nature they grow in the woods, open woods that is, or savannas where the trees are widely June is the month for garden tours. Gardens are fresh, unscarred by summer drought and many showy native plants are in full glorious bloom. American aloe, Missouri evening primrose, lance-leaved coreopsis, purple poppy mallow, mountain mint, butterfly milkweed, wild bergamot, and royal catchfly to name a few.

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NATIVE PLANT NAME American aloe (Manfreda virginica) Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) Star tickseed (Coreopsis pubescens) Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata) Royal catchfly (Silene regia) Slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) Hoary skullcap (Scutellaria incana) Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

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JUNE 2015

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants the St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour, a self-guided tour of 10 residential native plant gardens in central St. Louis County. For more information go to www.stlwildones.org.

Dig Deeper.

Visit GreenGardeningStL.com for More on Sustainable Gardening spaced, limbs are high and only patchy-filtered sunlight reaches the ground floor. That’s why I like to call it queen-of-the-woods. In older neighborhoods like Webster Groves, gardens with trees like these have what is called high shade. Purple coneflowers thrive in this environment. Gold finches devour purple coneflower seeds in late summer but a few seeds are missed and sprout the following April. Seedlings develop quickly and are easily transplanted in May or June.

Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for more than 20 years.

On June 20th from 9am to 3pm, Wild Ones St. Louis and the St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home will be hosting

St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour

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Various Locations in Brentwood, Clayton, Glendale, Kirkwood, Webster Groves and more

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www.stlwildones.org 9

Dig This! (continued from page 21) native wildflower garden on the property of the West St. Louis County museum.

Kirkwood Pollinator Garden Update

In our hurry to grab a photo for the article in our May 2015 “Dig This” section, we provided our own Monarch Waystation sign to take a picture of the pollinator garden at Kirkwood’s Train Station, which hadn’t at the time of printing received a sign. Unfortunately, we photographed the wrong garden. The Monarch Waystation and Pollinator See Roses By

Open House Saturday June 6th

Noon-5pm Stroll our Rose Gardens, which Include Many of the Roses We Sell.

Garden is actually the garden to the west of the train station. Now with the appropriate signage in place, including an informative plant list of species found there, displayed attractively on a cedar post milled by Kirkwood arborist Bill Spradley of Trees, Forests and Landscapes, we provide a correct picture of the garden and informational signage. The garden was planted by Kirkwood citizens Karen Goellner and Zoe Perkins during Kirkwood Living Green’s 2015 Earth Day Celebration, and some plant materials were provided by Greenscape Gardens.

(Call or email for directions)

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Know The Pros!

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Summer Rose Care

By Diane Brueckman

I

temperature rises to the high 80s during the day and does not drop below 750 at night you must spray for black-spot. Spray before you see signs of disease. Once the telltale blackspots appear the plant is infected. The blackspots are from the spores getting ready to spread the infection. Check with you favorite garden center for products to use. There are some systemic fungicides that can be applied to the soil that will work. If you are spraying do it in the The great thing about deadheading is it forces you to take a good coolest part of the day either early morning or evening. look at your bushes. One of the first rules of deadheading is to cut Disease can be prevented or at least reduced by some simple to an outside facing bud-eye at a five leaflet leaf. Make sure there strategies. One I mentioned earlier in this article is by keeping the are 2 five leaflet leaves on the cane, this will give you the best center of the plant open, allowing good air circulation. Another bloom. Just cutting the spent bloom off at the top of the cane (at important strategy is to keep your beds clean by removing any a three leaflet leaf) will result in smaller blooms. If you left some diseased leaves from the plant as well as the ground in the beds. marginal canes on the plant in spring, now is the time to remove This includes the disease resistant roses which may develop a little them. The idea is to keep those hybrid teas open in the middle (no disease. If you remove the bad foliage it can’t infect other nearby canes crossing through the center of the plant). As you prune look roses. for holes in the center of the cane. These holes are caused by cane How you water also influences the disease pressure. Roses need at borers and chances are they are still in the cane so prune to a good least 1 inch of water a week, more if it is hot. Overhead watering clean white pith. Pith is the center core of the cane. is fine as long as the plants can dry off in less than 6 hours, that’s n spring, there is always the rush to get our roses uncovered, fed and sprayed. If you are like me, when the roses are up and growing you relax and move on to the other gardening chores. Before you know it the roses have had their first flush of bloom. Summer is upon us, the disease pressure is on, the bugs are everywhere and deadheading needs to be done. Now is the time to give those beauties a summer makeover.

I have written a lot about the no-spray disease-resistant roses how long it takes for the spores to infect the plant. Black-spot but I am sure most of you have many of the older more disease must have standing water on the leaves in order to germinate. It is prone roses. What that means is you will need to spray. When the also best if you do a deep watering once a week. Many sprinkler

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systems are set up with short watering cycles several times during the week, fine for turf, but roses need the water to penetrate to the whole root zone.

After the first bloom is also the time to feed the roses. There are several ways to feed your roses. Roses are heavy feeders but you can overdue nitrogen. Quick release nitrogen will encourage lots of lush green growth creating a feast for insects as well as being a target for disease. When using chemical fertilizers chose one with an N-P-K ratio with the nitrogen being a lower number than the P number. I like to use organic fertilizer because it is slower to release the nitrogen and usually has the secondary and micro nutrients which are so important for healthy roses. If you are partial to using liquid feed such as Miracle-Gro, apply it early in the day to avoid burning the foliage. There are also organic liquid feeds but again apply early in the day.

Diane Brueckman is a retired rosarian with Missouri Botanical Garden, and currently owns Rosey Acres in Baldwin, Illinois. You can reach her at (618) 7853011 or droseyacres@egyptian.net.

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Adorable New Crape Myrtles

by Stephanie Littlefield

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ooking for something colorful, long blooming, but doesn’t have thorns and doesn’t grow twice as big as the description? I want to suggest the new Princess Series of dwarf crape myrtles named after enthusiast Dow Whiting’s grandchildren, Holly Ann, Kylie Grace, Lyla Jane and Zoey. This series features a smaller more compact version of a St Louis favorite, crape myrtle. These darlings range in size from 18 to 48 inches tall by 30 to 36 inches wide. They are profuse bloomers and come in a variety of colors with flower clusters in cherry red, magenta and rose pink with an extended bloom time from midsummer until fall.

Crape myrtles have always been popular throughout the

So let your inner sparkle out with the Princess Crape Myrtle Series.

Princess ‘Holly Ann’ southern United States. More recently they have been found to be hardy in our area and can be found lining the entrances to driveways or as specimens in the landscape. The winter of 2013-14 tested crape myrtles in our region, and some plants that

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had reached heights of 12-15’ or more died back to the ground and had to start over again.

Should that kind of winter occur again, dieback to the ground may be a risk, but especially with these dwarf varieties, the loss is only temporary.

Princess Kylie Features magenta blooms that cover this mounding dwarf crape myrtle from summer until fall. Kylie grows 2- to 3-foot tall with a 2- to 3-foot spread. It’s disease resistant, heat and cold tolerant and prefers sun. Ideally used in the landscape as a focal point, in borders, massed plantings or in containers.

Princess Lyla This dwarf variety boasts rose pink blooms with deep green foliage in summer that turns to gold in fall. Lyla reaches a height and spread of 18 to 24 inches. Like Kylie, this myrtle variety is also disease resistant, heat and

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plants in a rustic rock border among dwarf conifers. When renovating perennial borders, these smaller, long-blooming shrubs can fill large voids with less maintenance. A backyard pool needs bright flowers to decorate the landscape during the heat of the summer and

crape myrtles are one of the few easy-to-grow options. With their Southern heritage, they are not damaged by heat and sun.

However, they do perform best when given adequate water, which is needed to produce the large abundance of flowers.

They grow rapidly and reward

the gardener for minimal care.

These little Princesses can make your garden dreams come true.

Photos courtesy Nursery.

Greenleaf

Princess ‘Zoey’ cold tolerant and right at home in beds, containers and mass plantings.

Princess Holly Ann With vibrant cherry red blooms, this mounding dwarf crepe myrtle blossoms from summer to fall. It also features deep green foliage in summer, but has purplish-red growth in fall. Reaches 4-5 feet tall with a 2-1/2 to 3-feet spread. This disease resistant, heat and cold tolerant shrub is just the thing for garden beds, containers and mass plantings.

Princess Zoey Features red and pink flowers from summer through fall above dark green leaves that turn reddish-purple in fall. This hardy little beauty is a moderate grower that reaches 4- to 5-feet tall and 3-feet wide.

Perfect for mass plantings.

Dwarf crape myrtles are great additions to the front landscape combined with traditional boxwoods or as colorful accent

Steffie Littlefield is a horticulturist and garden designer at Garden Heights Nursery. She has degrees from St. Louis Community College at Meramec and Southeast Missouri State and is a member of Gateway Professional Horticulturist Association and past president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metropolitan St. Louis.

JUNE 2015

The Gateway Gardener®

15

The Cornucopia Corner Rhubarb

By Mara Higdon

T

he best tasting vegetable I’ve ever had is rhubarb! A close relative to sorrel, rhubarb has a unique tart flavor that brings back memories of my grandmother’s kitchen. Sugared up and used in pies and desserts, rhubarb is a fairly easy vegetable to grow. And, it packs a lot of vitamin C and dietary fiber. Often, bakers will pair strawberries with rhubarb to complement the tartness with a touch of sweetness. Rhubarb is a fabulous-looking plant that for the most part is free of disease and pests. Plant a few crowns and you’re set for the next 10-15 years.

Rhubarb is a cool season, winter hardy perennial plant that grows from crowns. Rhubarb forms large leaves on top of long, thick 1to 2-½-inch-wide stalks. Originally from the mountainous areas of China, rhubarb needs temperatures below 40oF to stimulate buds and kick start spring growth. Crowns should be planted in early spring. You will need to purchase rhubarb crowns since seed does not grow true to type. Shoots and leaves will appear and continue to grow if temperatures remain below 90oF. Once Missouri’s extreme heat sets in growth will slow and the plant may even seem dormant. As summer fades the growth will resume.

2015 CLEMATIS OF THE YEAR

Space your crowns 24-48 inches apart and keep the rows about 36 inches apart. Rhubarb loves soil rich with organic matter so add composted manure to the planting bed. Plant them about two inches into the ground, firm them in and water immediately. Don’t harvest the first year as the leaves are building up stores for the following year. If a flower stalk is produced cut it off. The second year you can harvest the leaf stalks by cutting stalks gradually or all at once. The leaves, which contain oxalic acid, are poisonous and can be disposed of in the compost pile. Never fear! The oxalic

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Jt’s Fresh Ideas courtesy www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/chicken-and-asparagus-skillet-supper/

ChiCken & AspArAgus skillet supper

Ingredients

A continuous profusion of blossoms appear June-September. It can be trained as a climber, or grown as a shrubby, weed-smothering ground cover with no support.

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8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 3 slices bacon, coarsely chopped ½ cup chicken broth 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed 1 small yellow summer squash, halved crosswise and cut in ½” strips 4 green onions, cut in 2” pieces

Preparation Instructions Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

In 12” skillet cook chicken and bacon over medium-high heat 12 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Carefully add broth; cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink (180˚ F).

Meanwhile, in microwave-safe 2-quart dish combine asparagus, squash, and 2 Tbsp. water. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Cover with vented plastic wrap. Cook on 100% power (high) 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring once. Transfer to plates. Drizzle cooking liquid; top with

chicken, bacon, and onions. Makes 4 servings.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Please share some of your favorite recipes with us.

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

Get creative with all the seasonal veggies our local growers have to offer!

The Gateway Gardener®

Jt JUNE 2015

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

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds

2015

New Location!

Victoria Rhubarb acid will break down quickly in the decomposition process.

Side dress your rhubarb with composted manure in the spring and fall and they’ll give back with more vigorous growth. If they start looking a little crowded, thin by splitting the crowns down the center with a sharp shovel. I like the red variety, Crimson Red, for color in the garden and in my pies, but the green varieties (Victoria and Riverside Giant) are such tremendous producers.

Mara Higdon is the Program Director at Gateway Greening, Inc. They focus on community development through gardening throughout the St. Louis area.

You can reach her at (314) 588-9600 x22 or by email at mara@gatewaygreening.org.

June Harvest

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

Vegetables

Asparagus Beets Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers Eggplant Garlic Herbs Horseradish Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Okra Onions Peas Radishes Rhubarb

JUNE 2015

Spinach Squash (summer) Sweet Corn Tomatoes Turnips

The Gateway Gardener®

Fruits

Apples Apricots Blackberries Blueberries Canteloupe Cherries Gooseberries Nectarines Peaches Plums Raspberries Strawberries Watermelon

Saturday, June 20 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Butterfly House in Faust Park

www.mobot.org/ greenhomesfest Free festival admission!

70+ sustainable living product and service exhibitors Energy-efficient products and services Plant-based ideas to save water, be healthier, and connect to nature Renewable energy systems: wind, geothermal, and solar Green skills presentations and demos Enjoy local foods, shopping, and live music FOR KIDS: • Recycled art projects and games • Solar car races and solar oven s’mores • Paint an eco-mural on a Metro bus Fun Pass purchase includes entry to the Butterfly House’s Tropical Conservatory and the St. Louis Carousel

Presented by:

S o p h i a M . S a c hs

a division of In Faust Park • 15193 Olive Blvd. • Chesterfield, MO 63017 (636) 530-0076 • www.butterflyhouse.org

17

Light Up Your Landscape

by Michael McVey

S

wire, connections, and labor to install them. If we’re talking professional grade lighting, an LED fixture will cost a fair amount more up front than a halogen fixture.

o you’ve got a great yard and garden that you’ve worked hard to make nice. You want to enjoy it as much as possible don’t you?

But what happens at night? All your efforts get lost in the dark.

Perhaps you’ve been thinking about adding lighting to extend your enjoyment of your space.

Here are some of the options available and the pros and cons of each.

Essentially, you’ll have three options: solar lights, low-volt incandescent or halogen, and low-volt LED lights. While there are positive things about all the options, I think one stands out above the rest.

Most solar lights would lose on durability however. Many are made of plastic or thin metal and break easily. And although solar fixtures have been getting better over the years, they just don’t last very long. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t.

Any professional grade fixture should last for many years.

Some of them even come with manufacturer’s warranties of up to fifteen years and even lifetime.

Solar lights are definitely the winner on cost. These are relatively inexpensive to purchase; there are no transformers or wire needed; and the installation is simple. Either of the low-volt options will cost more due to the additional costs of the transformer,

Ease of installation varies greatly between the three options. Solar is by far the simplest for reasons already discussed. An LED lighting system is generally much simpler to install than a halogen lighting system. The biggest difference is due to the energy draw

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JUNE 2015

output but might only consume between 4W to 20W. Light color is also something to consider. The “Color Temperature” is measured in Kelvins. A 2700 Kelvin bulb will give a warm light with a slight yellow hue. A whiter light that might be considered a “daylight” equivalent would be 3000 Kelvin. Anything 3500 Kelvin and up will have a bluish color to it. This is where many solar fixtures fall. Most people don’t find this color to be very warm or inviting.

When LED fixtures first started coming out about 10 years ago, they had this blue tint to them. Technology has evolved dramatically however and you can now purchase LEDs in either 2700 or 3000 Kelvin depending on your preference.

I think a profession grade low-volt LED lighting system will give you the most bang for your buck. You get a powerful light source that is nearly indistinguishable from a standard bulb. It has a much longer life, a lower cost of operation, and an easier installation. And by the fixtures. The higher the total wattage is on a wire run and the that simplified installation will generally offset the higher fixture longer the run is from the transformer to the lights, the greater the cost versus a halogen system. And while all these options may be voltage drop. As voltage drops, the lights will get dimmer. This available for a do-it-yourself project, professional installation will can be counteracted by using a bigger gauge wire or by placing ensure a great look for a long time to come! fewer lights on one wire. Either of these makes for more work, more material and more cost. LED lights with their low power Photos courtesy Kichler Lighting,www.kichler.com. usage are a superior choice because you can use more fixtures and place them farther out without as much concern for voltage loss.

Michael McVey has 10 years of experience Finally, perhaps one of the most important factors is how does in the Irrigation and Landscape Lighting it look? The light output from a solar fixture is a small fraction industry. He currently works for Horstmann of what you get from a low-volt system. They are more of a Brothers Landscaping in Overland, MO. decorative element rather than a truly functional light source. A You can reach him at michael.mcvey@ halogen-based system will typically use bulbs that range from 20W horstmannbrothers.com or 314-432-0880. up to about 75W. LED systems achieve the same level of light

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19

Celebrate the Pollinators

National Pollinator Week at The Zoo--June 15-21

O

ne out of every three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators. Honeybees, bumblebees and other insects, birds and small mammals pollinate over 90 percent of the planet’s flowering plants and one third of human food crops.

Pollinator Conservation

During this week, the Saint Louis Zoo’s Monsanto Insectarium will host keeper chats and demonstrations on attracting bees to gardens, identifying different types of bees, beekeeping and more. Cafe Kudu will offer daily specials featuring food provided by pollinators.

A highlight of the week is the “Pollinator Dinner” on Tuesday, June 16 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Guest speaker for the evening is Mace Vaughan, Pollinator Conservation Program Co-Director for the Xerces Society. His talk will focus on how bees, butterflies and other pollinators are

St. Louis Zoo

June 15-21, 2015, has been declared “National Pollinator Week” to recognize the importance of pollinators for the health of ecosystems as well as our own survival.

A Half-Black bumblebee does its part pollinating these tomato blossoms. leading the way to a more sustainable future on the farm. Attendees will receive milkweed plants for their gardens to support pollinators and the endangered Monarch migration.

The evening kicks off at 6 p.m. with a honey tasting, informational booths and cash bar serving honey bourbon, honey beer and hard cider. The farmto-table-inspired gourmet dinner buffet includes salads, sides, main courses, dessert and mead prepared with Pond-O-Rama ingredients provided Pond and Garden Tour by pollinators, such June 27 & 28 as strawberries, blackberries, apples The St. Louis Water Gardening and walnuts, a variety Society’s 15th annual tour will of vegetables, honey and more. be the most spectacular garden

tour of the summer. Tickets are just $15 for both days! Garden club and group discounts are available.

For ticket locations, call (314)995-2988 or visit our website, www.slwgs.org Garden club and group discounts available.

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Reservations are $31.50 for adults and $20 for children ages 12 and under.

Reservations can be made by calling (314) 646-4897 by noon on June 10. Advanced registration required.

See menu and more information at www.stlzoo.org/ P o l l i n a t o r D i n n e r.

Proceeds benefit the Zoo.

The activities of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Native Pollinator Conservation include surveys of native bee populations, education and outreach programs, producing the first guide to the Bumble Bees of Illinois and Missouri with the University of Illinois, and developing additional bee field guides. Bee surveys are being conducted in the St. Louis area to examine bee diversity and abundance and identify possible areas of conservation concern. Zoo researchers are also surveying bee populations in Forest Park’s restored prairies in cooperation with Forest Park Forever and St. Louis Parks Department. The Center is collaborating with Missouri Department of Agriculture, Missouri Department of Transportation and the Xerces Society to develop Pollinator Roadside gardens within Missouri and is working with Gateway Greening and other community garden groups to help them develop best pollinator practices and educate the public about the importance of protecting pollinators.

There are over 20,000 species of bees in the world and 425 species of bees in Missouri alone, according to Ed Spevak, Curator of Invertebrates at the Zoo and Director of the Center for Native Pollinator Conservation.

“Many of the more than 4,000 native bees in North America are actually far better pollinators than honey bees for crops like alfalfa, clover, tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, squashes and more,” said Spevak. “But more importantly, they are invaluable to the functioning of many habitats and to the birds and other animals that feed on the seeds, nuts and fruits from the labors of these pollinators.

Unfortunately, a number of native bees are disappearing. Everyone from local homeowners to farmers to conservationists can help the bees as well as other pollinators by growing a wildflower garden, protecting habitat and reducing our use of pesticides and herbicides.”

The Saint Louis Zoo’s website now offers directions on how to build bee nesting boxes, in addition to tips on how to plant pollinator gardens and identification guides for Missouri and Illinois bees. For more information, visit www.stlzoo.org/pollinators.

For ticket JUNE 2015 The Gateway locations, Gardener® call (314)995-2988

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Memorial Honors Armed Forces

On June 7th at 2pm, the Old Trails Historical Society will dedicate a Blue Star Memorial Marker at its Bacon Log Cabin site at 687 Henry Ave. in BallThe Bacon Log Cabin win, MO. Funding for the marker and special landscaping were made possible by the Forget Me Not Garden Club of the East Central District Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri in cooperation with the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Additional landscaping of a flowering dogwood, the Missouri State Tree, was donated

by SummerWinds Nursery in Ellisville, Missouri.

The Blue Star Memorials were first conceived after World War II to honor veterans. They were later changed to honor all of our Armed Forces and became a project of the National Federated Garden Clubs. Members enthusiastically support it as a way to honor service men and women throughout history.

The public is invited to join the groups as they pay tribute to the men and women of our U. S. Armed Forces.

Researcher Studying City Ordinances Affecting Sustainable Landscaping

Has your native garden run up against the Weed Police? Is your community anti-chicken? If you’ve had these or other negative run-ins with local community ordinance issues that impede sustainable gardening practices, researchers at Saint Louis University and The Sustainable Backyard Tour want to hear from you. Angela Myers, a student in the Urban Planning and Development graduate program in the Center for Sustainability at Saint Louis University, in cooperation with Terry Winkelmann, founder of the Sustainable Backyard Tour, is collecting personal stories and examples of municipal policies’ effects on sustainability yard practices. These reports, in combination with a database of St. Louis City and County ordinances, will form the basis of a study JUNE 2015

The Gateway Gardener®

exploring how the language of ordinances encourages or discourages sustainable practices.

“As an urban planning student, I am interested in the ways municipal policies affect all residential practices; my research will focus more specifically on the urban ecology side of it, but overall, the [positive/negative] effect ordinances have concerning these matters is far reaching for all types of yard sustainability practices,” says Myers.

Many municipal ordinances and subdivision association laws discourage sustainable, or “green” activities, such as growing native plant species, keeping bees, chickens or hanging laundry, according to Myers. Myers is compiling and researching cases in which ordinances or residents’ understanding/ interpretation of laws prohibits sustainable or “green” lifestyle practices such as homesteading and wildlife gardening. If you are battling outmoded ordinances or have been prohibited from employing a “green” practice in your yard, send an email to: yesforsustainableyards@gmail.com Subject Line: Un-sustainable Ordinances.

Garden Dedication Honors Cindy Gilberg

A group of friends, family and associates of the late Cindy Gilberg, a longtime writer, educator, designer, native plant enthusiast and contributor to The Gateway Gardener who passed away in 2014, gathered Cindy’s husband and daughter, at the Museum of Doug and Becca Gilberg, unveil T r a n s p o r t a t i o n the memorial at the Museum of recently to dedicate Transportation garden. a plaque honoring Gilberg and her contributions to the native wildflower garden at the Museum and to native plant and sustainable gardening practices throughout the region. Cindy worked with Master Gardeners, St. Louis County Parks staff and volunteers, and members of area garden clubs to create a beautiful (Continued on page 10) 21

Upcoming Events PLANTS SHOWS, SALES, AND GARDEN TOURS

Meetings, Classes, Entertainment and More!

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

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

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

GARDEN CLUBS AND PLANT SOCIETY MEETINGS Interested in Joining a Garden Club or Plant Society? We have meeting dates, locations and contact information on more than 50 area garden clubs on our website at www.GatewayGardener.com. Don’t have access to the internet? Just call us at (314) 968-3740, or write us at PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122, and we’ll get the information to you. So share your joy for gardening and join a garden club or favorite plant society today!

FUN FOR KIDS June 6th 9am—Children’s Garden Club. Plant A Colorful Annual Combo. FREE, no reservations required, everyone welcome.

The Children’s Garden Club is designed to educate and bring delight in gardening to children with projects they do themselves.

Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center, 2651 Barrett Station Rd. 11am-2pm—Hillermann’s First Saturday Kids. Bring the kids to play in the garden and enjoy a FREE activity.

Make a gift for Father’s Day. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, (636) 239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

June 2nd Noon-4:30pm—Boone Country Garden Club Flower Show. Themed “The Wedding”, featuring stunning flower arrangements and selected specimens in a horticulture collection.

Sugar Creek Winery, 125 Boone Country Lane, Defiance. Admission is free. For more information, email boonecountrygardenclub@gmail.com or follow updates on Facebook and Twitter.

June 6th 9:30am-4:30pm—“Collection of Color” ECD 2015 Garden Tour. Experience the intimate charm and elegance found in the wonderful gardens of the ECD Members. Cost $20.00 prior to Tour and $25.00 day of Tour. Tickets available by contacting: Jackie Reynolds at 314-9685004 or jreynolds452@charter or find us on Facebook Events under: “East Central District Garden Tour 2015”.

8am-noon—Highland Garden Club Plant Sale. Lots of perennials, grasses and more. Korte Recreation Center parking lot. Highland, IL More Info call 618-4069177.

9am-3pm—Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Garden Tour. Seven gardens plus Master Gardener plant sale, containter garden raffle, and gardening demonstrations at Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House in Edwardsville. $12 in advance, $15 day of tour. Children under 10 free. Contact (618) 344-4230.

10am-4pm—Gardens in Bloom Garden Tour. Eight gardens in the Belleville/ Swansea, Illinois, area. $10 tickets can be purchased in advance $12 day of tour. Call (618) 344-4230.

June 6th-7th 9am-5pm— 21st Annual Hermann Garden Tour and Plant Sale. Two Tours in 2015: the popular Town Tour, a walking tour of gardens in downtown Hermann, and the Country Tour, a driving tour to country gardens. Separate $10 ticket for each tour includes visits to at least four private gardens and the Garden Demonstration Area. Town & County Garden Tour Combo Ticket for $15. Also Special Ticket By-Reservation-Only Luncheon/Silent Auction on June 5th. Visit the Hermann Garden Tours website at www.hermanngardentours.com for up to date events, ticket prices, and photographs.

“Like” us on Facebook at Hermann Garden Club Tours 2015. Call Hermann Welcome Center at (800) 932-8687 or go to www. visithermann.com.

June 13th 10am-3pm. Highland Garden Club Annual Garden Tour. Local gardens on tour for one day only. Tickets are

22

$6 in advance and $7 on day of tour.

Tickets available at Highland Rural King, Chamber of Commerce and by calling 618-696-2629.

9am-1pm—Monroe County Garden Tour. Featuring 5 gardens. Call (618-9393434 or email uiu-mms@illinois.edu for info and ticket locations.

Noon-4pm—Lawn Party and Plant Sale. Plant and flower sale plus BBQ, live music and family fun. Proceeds benefit the Home’s ministries. St. Agnes Home and Carmelite Child Development Center, 10341 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood. (314) 965-7616.

June 14th 11am-4pm—Sustainable Backyard Tour.

Visit dozens of area home landscapes promoting sustainable practices such as rainwater harvesting, composting, keeping chickens, bees or goats, using renewable energy, repurposed materials, native gardens, and more. For a tour map or to register your garden, go to www. sustainablebackyardtour.com or search the same on Facebook.

1-5pm—New Town at St. Charles Garden Tour. Contact Terri Steffes at terristeffes1117@gmail.com for information and tickets.

June 18th-19th 9am-10pm (Sat.), 9am-5pm (Sun.)— 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 $1.50.

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.

June 20th 9am-3pm—St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour. The St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones and STL Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program are collaborating to bring you this tour of 10 home gardens from Richmond Heights to Webster Groves/Glendale and Kirkwood/ Des Peres. This self-guided tour includes both traditional and natural approaches with a variety of habitat types. All 10 of them are BCH certified, and 3 of them have achieved our highest level of Platinum! Tickets are just $20 with proceeds benefitting both organizations.

Register today at http://stlouisaudubon.org/calendar/ content/NPT-2015/ 10am-noon—Arboretum and Rain Garden Tour.

Forest ReLeaf’s CommuniTree Gardens Nursery in Creve Coeur Park is home to over 22,000 trees representing more than 120 different species or cultivars of species, over

95% native Missouri. Come learn tree identification, explore how rain gardens attract wildlife and cut costs, and see examples of species that thrive in hard to grow areas. An official Monarch Waystation, their greenhouse features many hard to find native species grown from seed. For more information and to register: moreleaf.org, 314-533-5323 or email info@moreleaf.org.

8am-3pm—Arcadia Valley Home and Garden Tour. Ironton, MO. Tickets and map on sale at Courthouse, 250 S. Main, Ironton. 573-546-7515. On Facebook – Iron County Community Garden or email ironcountycommunitygarden@gmail.com.

June 20th-21st 9am-5pm—Mid America Regional Lily Society Show and Sale. New cultivars and old favorites are shown and sold by the area’s top growers, who are on hand to give plant care advice and share information about their organization. Included with Garden admission. Missouri Botanical Garden. www.mobot.org.

June 25th-26th 2-5pm Thurs., 10am-4pm Fri.—“Flowers Gone Wild” Standard Flower Show.

Presented by The Garden Guild. Friendship Village, 15201 Olive Blvd., Chesterfield.

Free to public.

June 27th 9am-3pm—Kimmswick Daylily Plant Sale. Located at 6005 Fourth St, Kimmswick. Come early for best selection. No sales before 9am. Proceeds benefit the Kimmswick Visitors Center.

For information, call 636-464-6464 or check the website at GoKimmswick.com.

9am-3pm—2015 Soulard Garden Tour “Art in the Garden.” Featuring nine stops including private gardens, a gallery of art created by the artists painting “Monet” style in our gardens, and the serene, secret garden of our own 9th St. Abbey. The tour benefits the Beautification Committee of the Soulard Restoration Group. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 day of tour. Music throughout the tour and a private wine garden at the beautiful, award-winning Soulard Station.

June 27th-28th 9am-5 pm—Pond-O-Rama 15th Annual Pond and Garden Tour. Sponsored by The St. Louis Water Gardening Society, the self-guided tour includes over 40 water features that range from choice small ponds to magnificent large ones located in both Missouri and Illinois. The tour is divided geographically by day with about half the gardens available for viewing each day.

Tickets, good for both days, are $15 per person, and are available at garden centers across the area. Children 17 and under are admitted free. All persons age 18 and over must have a ticket. The ticket booklet includes maps to all tour locations. Each ticket booklet also includes a coupon for

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a free membership in the St. Louis Water Gardening Society for the remainder of the year. For more information about the St. Louis Water Gardening Society and its activities, including Pond-O-Rama, visit the SLWGS website at www.slwgs.org.

June 28th 12:30-5pm—Bittersweet Garden Club Annual Garden Tour. Tour 5 beautifully landscaped gardens in the Jefferson City area. Learn new tips and techniques to apply to your own garden. Hand-crafted garden art available to purchase. Tickets $10. www.bittersweetgardenclub.com/ or (573) 462-6690.

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS June 2nd, 9th, 16th, 24th and 30th 6-7:30pm—EarthDance Apprenticeship Classes. (6/2) Rockstar Homesteaders.

(6/9) Farming as a Business. (6/16) The Diverse Livestock Farm. (6/24) Field Trip to Urban Buds-City Grown Flowers (4736 Tennessee Ave, St. Louis, MO 63111).

(6/30) Supplying the Locavores: A panel discussion on Marketing & Distribution.

All classes, except the field trip will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church 33 N Clay Ave Ferguson, MO 63135.

Classes costs $20/ea. Please register at www.earthdancefarms.org/what-we-do/ classes-2/.

June 3rd Sips, Souls & Strolls. Enjoy wines and hors d’oevres as you walk the grounds of St. Louis’ most historic cemetery and arboretum. Hear stories of famous and infamous St. Louisans from master guides. Hosted by Friends of Bellefontaine Cemetery. Tickets available at www. bellefontainecemetery.org/events.

June 2nd , 9th, 16th and 23rd 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 100 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.

June 6 St. Louis Urban Gardening Symposium.

Spend the morning in Brightside St. Louis’ beautiful Demonstration Gardening learning how to plan, plant and maintain a sustainable home or community garden. Participants choose from 13 workshop topics, each led by local experts in their respective fields. From native plants to dealing with urban soils, there’s something for everyone to learn about at this year’s symposium. Registration is required, learn more at www.brightsidestl. org. th

10am—Garden Stroll with Ann Million.

Class takes place at Ann’s extraordinary

JUNE 2015

garden in Crestwood. Sugar Creek Gardens. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070 for reservations and directions.

10am—The Beautiful Herb Garden. Join members of the St. Louis Herb Society as they share the herbs that are tasty as well as pretty. Sugar Creek Gardens. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070 for reservations and directions.

11am—Patty’s Perennial Party.

Celebrate National Perennial Month!

Enjoy lunch from the outdoor kitchen, plus snow cones and popcorn. Check out special sales and check out all the perennial plants. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

9am-noon—Basic Chicken Processing Workshop. Learn the basics of slaughtering and butchering a chicken. Includes 1 processed chicken to take home. Cost: $50. Stuart Farm, LLC Gerald MO 63037.

Register at: stuartfarm.com.

Noon-5pm—Open House at Rosey Acres. Stroll the rose gardens of Diane Brueckman, retired rosarian for Missouri Botanical Garden. Call (618) 785-3011 for directions to the Baldwin, Illinois, gardens.

9am—Coffee and Conversation. Discuss seasonal lawn and garden care with our staff. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

June 7th 9am-3pm—Raising and Processing Meat Chickens Workshop. Learn how to successfully raise and process your own meat chickens. Includes 4 processed chickens to take home. Cost: $140. Stuart Farm, LLC Gerald MO 63037 Register at: stuartfarm.com.

June 11th 1-4 p.m.—Native Plant School: Landscaping for Deer Resistance.

Bring your questions, comments, photos, drawings, and plant specimens for discussion. Session includes handson tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. $15 ($12 Garden members). Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. For reservations or more information, call (636) 451-3512 ext. 0 or visit www.shawnature.org.

June 12th-14th Customer Appreciation Weekend.

Saturday 6/13/15 Butterfly and Bee Plants for Your Garden presentation at 11am, and a Concrete Leaf Make-NTake Workshop at 2pm ($20.00 supply fee, call 636-239-6729 to register). Lunch available each day. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

June 15th-21st Pollinator Week at the St. Louis Zoo. The Zoo’s Monsanto Insectarium will host keeper chats and demonstrations on attracting bees to the garden, identifying bees, beekeeping and more. June 16th is the Pollinator Dinner, from 6-9pm.

Guest speaker Mace Vaughan, Pollinator Conservation Program co-director for the Xerces Society will speak on pollinators and sustainability. Visit www.stlzoo.org/ pollinatordinner for details.

Garden. Join us after hours for Night Blooms on the patio, featuring local talented musicians Sunset Amusement (formerly Cage, Fry, and Ty). Café Angelina will be open and serving wine, beer and light fare. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636.798.2555.

June 21st 2-3pm—Insects in the Garden. With a myriad of bugs on the planet how does one determine who is a friend or foe?

Join resident expert Lucas Hauser this Father’s Day for an in-depth look at what is going on in your yard in that contained, microscopic world of bugs. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636.798.2555.

June 20th 9am-4pm—Green Homes Festival.

Celebrate sustainable living and explore ways to maintain a healthy you and a healthy planet. Bring your home improvement ideas and talk with over 100 green product and service exhibitors at Faust Park. Presented by the EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Free admission. Visit www.mobot.org for more information.

June 27th Customer Appreciation Day. Free samples, vendors, prizes, and FOOD! Worm’s Way, 1225 N. Warson, St. Louis, MO 63132. Call (800) 285-9676.

10am-2pm—Bill and Friends Car Show.

See all the makes, models, and years of cars that will be here. Grilled hotdogs available for lunch. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

2pm—Fairy Garden Make-N-Take Workshop. Create a beautiful fairy garden. Pot, plants, and accessories supplied. $30.00 supply fee. Call to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

10am—The Cutting Garden. Learn about the heaviest producing varieties, the most fragrant cut flowers and how to arrange them. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

Dig Deeper

www. gatewaygardener. com/Upcoming-events

6-10pm—Night Blooms – Music in the

2015 Sustainable Backyard Tour Sunday, June 14 11am -4pm

A free, self-guided tour of private gardens throughout St. Louis City and County, demonstrating earthfriendly practices like composting, native plants, beekeeping, chickens, renewable energy, watery conservation, mushroom growing and more!

Visit the website for details: www.SUSTAINABLEBACKYARDTOUR.COM Learn more about how you can live more sustainably from our community partners:

June 13th 10am—Best Summer Gardening Tips.

Learn great tips for summer gardening from Karen Collins, author of Karen’s Garden Calendar. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. Call (314) 965-3070.

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Get a Bountiful Bouquet from your vegetable garden!

Apply STA-Certified Compost to reduce water consumption and increase nutrients in your soil.

Visit St. Louis Composting’s six area locations for the largest selection of STA-certified Compost, Mulch Products and Soil Blends VALLEY PARK, MO 39 Old Elam Avenue 636.861.3344

BELLEVILLE, IL 5841 Mine Haul Road 618.233.2007

PACIFIC, MO 18900 Franklin Road 636.271.3352

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO (drop off only facility) 11294 Schaefer Road 314.423.9035

ST. LOUIS, MO 560 Terminal Row 314.868.1612

FLORISSANT, MO 13060 County Park Road 314.355.0052

Visit us online at www.stlcompost.com

ENRICHING THE SOIL NATURALLY SINCE 1992