The Gateway Gardener May 2015 by The Gateway Gardener

Gateway Gardener

MAY 2015

THE

速

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Carefree Summer Color!

Drift速 Roses and Their Friends

Deer-Proof Gardening 2015 Garden Tour Preview Oaks FREE Courtesy of:

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Gateway Gardener

From the Editor

THE

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

May 2015

Volume 11, Number 4

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. 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.

s a volunteer at the Missouri Botanical Garden Horticulture Answer Service, I have frequently attempted to answer the question from callers, “Is there a perennial or shrub that blooms all-season long like annuals?” Pickin’s are pretty slim with those requirements, and when I suggest roses, the typical response is, “Oh, I don’t like roses, they’re too finicky.” While that may have been true in years past, the rose growers have been listening, and the result has been—as our rose contributor Diane Brueckman has frequently reported--new rose introductions in recent years that are much less demanding of sprays and other coddling treatment. It’s not Diane, however, but our general gardening correspondent Steffie Littlefield who offers this issue’s rave on roses. Read about the many virtues of Drift® Roses and their companions on page 14. For those seeking similar yearlong color, but in shade, begonias have long been a tried-and-true go-to annual, but many begonias haven’t proven tough enough for our St. Louis area summers. Chris Kelley takes on that notion, and

offers her experienced advice on some begonias that can take the heat (page 10). What begonias can’t take is deer browsing. They aren’t alone in that category, a frustration to many aspiring gardeners in deer-prone regions of Missouri and Illinois. Jennifer Schamber encourages us not to give in, however, with strategies and a plant list to arm gardeners with their annual battles with Bambi (page 6). While repelling deer is a top priority for many gardeners, some are otherwise busy trying to attract wildlife to their gardens (though they may be thinking of smaller, less destructive visitors like birds, butterflies and bees).

On the Cover...

Low maintenance. Season-long color. Perennial. Here’s a plant that answers many people’s gardening dreams. Read about Drift® roses like the Drift Pink on our cover, and their companions on page 14. (Photo courtesy Star Roses and Plants)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Oaks 6 Deer Free Gardening 8 Native Hedges

10 11 12 14 16 16 18 20 22 24 25 26 28 30

Among the many garden tours on the calendar this summer, at least two focus on gardens that inspire to be wildlife friendly with the use of native plants and other sustainable gardening practices. The Gateway Gardener is pleased to be a media sponsor of several such tours this summer— and humbled to be represented on a couple of them as well! See page 26 for a description of the 5th Annual Sustainable Backyard Tour, the 1st Annual St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour, the 15th Annual Pond-O-Rama Pond and Garden Tour, and a listing of a few other upcoming garden tours for 2015. Whatever your gardening aspirations, we hope to help you achieve them. And this is the time of year when all seems possible. It’s like opening day in baseball; we’re all in first place! Happy Mother’s Day! And…

Good Gardening!

Begonias Take the Heat Know the Pros A Year in the Rose Garden Carefree Summer Color Rhizobium JT’s Fresh Ideas Know What’s Below Lantern Festival Irrigation Scheduling Dahlia Dalliance Green Homes Festival Garden Tour Season Dig This Upcoming Events

Oaks

by Barbara Perry Lawton

To learn more about oaks, look for specialized publications such as Missouri Urban Trees and Trees of Missouri, University of Missouri, or the free pamphlet or Missouri’s Oaks and Hickories from Missouri Department of Conservation. (The Missouri Botanical Garden’s gift shop is a great source of all plant and gardening publications.) Following are a few words about some of our native oaks:

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder/John Smelser.

Kyle Spradley Photography, www.kspradleyphoto.com

he mythology and folklore of the world are rich with the symbolism and tales of oaks, perhaps more than any other group of plants. Druids held their secret rituals within groves of sacred oaks. Dryads, fairy-like beings of Greek mythology, lived in oak trees. Robin Hood’s famous hideout of legend was Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England. In that forest stands the Great Oak of Sherwood Forest, said to be 800 to 1000 years old. Native Americans also revered oaks, undoubtedly due to their great strength, size and longevity, as well as for their acorns, a good source of nutrition when properly prepared.

White Oak. Common and wellloved, the white oak, although environmentally adaptable, will attain its best and great size when The Missouri State Champion bur oak in McBaine, Missouri, grown on well-draining, deep and receiving some TLC from arborists Trees, Forests and moist soils. Its deep tap root makes Landscapes, and other volunteers. it challenging to transplant. You should know that several species of Oak wood, resistant to insect and fungal disease, is hard and strong, making it valuable for furniture as well the white oak tribe are sold simply as white oaks. as buildings, flooring and veneers. Oak barrels are of major importance in Bur Oak. This is one of the species often sold simply as white oak. This the curing of wines and whiskeys. They contribute color, aroma and taste species grows into a top-notch shade tree where it has ample space. It to the wines and spirits. Cork oak bark is used, naturally, for corks. Oak also is challenging to transplant. The acorns are large. bark, with a high percentage of tannin, is valuable for tanning leather. Post Oak. This small to medium-sized tree is another good shade tree The genus Quercus, a member of the beech family, includes trees or often marketed simply as white oak. shrubs of some 600 Northern Hemisphere species. The oak genus includes both deciduous and evergreen species that grow in a widely in Northern Red Oak. Fast growing and symmetrical in form, this red oak the Americas and Asia, from tropical to cool temperate regions. We are has brilliant red fall leaves. Making it a popular ornamental shade tree fortunate in that North America has a great number of oak species, some where it has plenty of space. 90 species are native to the United Pin Oak. Fast growth and symmetrical growth have made the pin oak States. China also can brag about a a popular shade tree of the red oak group. Bright red fall color is an great number of oaks since it has added asset. When grown in alkaline soils, pin oak leaves will be stunted about 100 species. and pale yellow. The drooping growth of the branches make this a poor Oaks have alternate leaves arranged choice to grow near walkways, streets and driveways. A good tree for the spirally on the branches. The leaves right locations but overplanted and too often in the wrong places.

may be lobed, toothed or smooth. Many of the deciduous oaks hold their leaves until spring. Each oak bears male catkin flowers and small female flowers. They are windFall color of a red oak, Quercus pollinated. Acorns are oak fruits and usually just one nut is borne in rubra. a cup-like structure. Acorns mature in six to eighteen months, depending upon the species. Hybridization between species is quite common among oaks, especially within the group known as white oaks. As a result, there are large groups of hybrids that share a great deal of their heritage—plus identification can be challenging.

Native Midwest Oaks The white oaks and red oaks are the two major groups of our native oaks. They are easy to tell apart. White oaks have leaves with rounded lobes. Red oaks have leaves with pointed lobes. Both groups are used extensively as ornamentals in our region. Many experts favor the white oaks because of their great beauty, handsome growth patterns and good health. Oaks are wonderful trees, worth studying and certainly worth enjoying!

Oak Beliefs

• German folklore held that children came from an ancient hollow oak tree. • Carry a small piece of oak for good fortune. • Carry an acorn to prevent old age and illness, increase fertility and strengthen sexual potency. • Plant an acorn after sundown to ensure good fortune in the near future. Catch a falling oak leaf and you’ll be free of colds all winter. • Keep acorns on your windowsills to guard against harm and lightning. 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.

The Gateway Gardener®

MAY 2015

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Creating a Deer-Free Zone in Your Garden by Jennifer Schamber

Courtesy Bobbex

s gardeners, a large part some of the most popular plants of the joy of gardening for gardeners: hostas, daylilies is sharing the experience & roses (just to name a few!) with wildlife. We garden for So what is a gardener to do? birds, bees, butterflies & other The best line of defense is to beneficial creatures and we plant things that the deer prefer enjoy seeing them frequent our the least. The good news is, the yards. But only those gardeners list of “deer resistant” plants is that live in areas with a high deer longer than one may think. Now population know how frustrating I must bring up the fine print it is to see a newly emerging bed here: Unfortunately, no plant of hostas get munched to the is 100% deer proof; the critters ground overnight. But really, will eat almost any plant if they how can we blame the deer? It’s are hungry enough! But they like bringing a three-year old in will likely graze on less of it if a candy store and expecting to they don’t prefer the flavor or leave without at least a lollipop they dislike the texture. Hairy in hand. The native landscape in leaves and plants with strong our highly developed community is over-ridden with exotic honeysuckle, a plant that deer tend to eat smells tend to be offensive, and they also steer clear of toxic plants, as a last resort. Our yards are like a candy store for deer, and there like Oleander and Castor Bean plants. are certain plants they have acquired a taste for, and these tend to be If desirable plants are already growing, the best defense is a barrier method, like fencing, netting or monofilament. It also helps to locate these types of plants far from the edge of woodlands. Usage of “scare” strategies are quite effective, like dogs and sprinklers set with motion detectors. Oftentimes usage of repellents is required, which should be rotated to maintain effectiveness. Spray-on scent and flavor deterrents, like Liquid Fence, can be used monthly to help control damage, as well as systemic repellents like Repellex. Encapsulated repellents, like Sweeney’s Deer Repellent, have also proven to be quite effective when used in conjunction with a spray.

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MAY 2015

Top 10 Deer Resistant Tropicals Now that we are entering the summer growing season, it’s good to know what kind of tropical plants can thrive in a deerimpacted garden. Here’s a list for St. Louis area gardens and containers:

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Keep in mind that there is a wide range of annuals, perennials, herbs, native plants, vines, shrubs and trees that are known to be more resistant to deer grazing than other selections. Be mindful as you shop to not be choosing the favored snacks of the neighborhood herd of deer. Jennifer Schamber is the general manager of Greenscape Gardens in west St. Louis county. She is a past president of the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis and past vice president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis. Greenscape Gardens is the national 2015 winner of Today’s Garden Center Magazine’s Revolutionary 100 Award.

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Naturally Natives Hedges Add structure to a natural garden Text and Photos by Scott Woodbury

few years ago I was perennials die annually. Here are asked to intervene when some examples. Solidago drummondii a native gardener got Shining bluestar (Amsonia slapped with a weed ordinance illustris) flowers in late April notice. ‘Clean up the garden or early May at about 24 inches or we will,’ said the ticket in a in height but then grows up manner of words. I’ve visited to 4 feet in height by mida number of gardens like this summer. By cutting it back just over the years and have come after blooming and again in to realize two basic things. summer, it can be maintained as Neighborhood gardens require a modified hedge at 24 inches design structure and care. Design or less all summer and will structure comes from thoughtful prevent flopping that may occur planning before planting with when fruits are fully mature and the following elements in weighing down the branches. mind: balance, line, repetition, The foliage looks similar to contrast, texture, form, color and function. Care is everything boxwood or holly, though it isn’t evergreen, and should be cut to you do after the garden is created: mulching, weeding, watering, ground-level in February or early March. I have planted shining raking, trimming, digging and dividing. The gardens in violation of bluestar in a line to frame a natural grassy prairie planting along weed ordinances typically have a garden path. The row of mounded bluestar contrasts with the little design structure or care free-flowing little bluestem grass, providing structure. If planting or sometimes both. Hedges (using shrubs) or modified hedges (using perennials) are one landscape tool of many that gardeners use in neighborhoods A Grow Native! Top 10 List to add structure and make the native garden more of a garden FEATURED CATEGORY: and less of a target for weed Meet us at Native Hedges cops. Modified hedges don’t Attractive Blooming • Dense-Growing • May Be Trimmed Kirkwood Market necessarily require shearing or 150 E Argonne pruning but must be cut to the NATIVE PLANT NAME HEIGHT SPACING UNIQUE QUALITY Choose from our Selection on: ground in late winter because Aromatic aster April 25th & May 2nd Lavender flowers in fall. 1 (Symphyotrichum 2–3' 18–20" the above-ground stems of Insect magnet. Saturdays 8am - 4pm (Aster) oblongifolium) Advance orders (by Wed.) may also be picked up Saturdays or Fri. 4-6pm at Kirkwood Farmers’ Market

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Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants Amsonia illustris

in straight lines, space 24 inches apart. In three growing seasons plants will be 5 feet wide without shearing or pruning. You may shear to your desired shape and size.

Another useful plant to grow as a modified hedge is Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius). Plants typically grow 2-3 feet high depending on soil fertility in full sun or part shade. Their size may be reduced by shearing or pruning back by 30-60% in late April or May. This technique is often called a spring haircut and is only used on late summer and fall blooming perennials including turtlehead, ironweed, sunflower, garden phlox, obedient plant, aster and goldenrod. Aromatic aster is fine-textured and contrasts well with coarse-textured groundcovers like jumpseed (Polygonum virginianum) in part shade or orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) in full sun. Plant aromatic aster 18 inches apart when planting in rows. Plants grow to 3 feet wide at maturity in two-three years without pruning. Rows are used to define a walkway, driveway or garden edge.

palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis), feathery bluestar (Amsonia ciliata) and blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis).

Native plants between three and four feet tall (trimmed) used as hedges include wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), leatherwood (Dirca palustris), Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) and winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata).

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Other native plants under two feet tall used as modified hedges include slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), cliff goldenrod (Solidago drummondii), an annual called red whiskers (Polanisia dodecandra), prairie alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii), 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.

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Begonias: Can They Take the Heat? by Chris Kelley

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ahh…begonias. Who can resist their charms? With beautiful leaves and lusty flowers we’ve all been captivated by their powerful allure, only to be disappointed when they melt in our summer heat. I wish I had a penny for every begonia I have killed. Off they go to the begonia graveyard at the back of the nursery and I hang my head in shame for making so many bad choices. Experience has taught me to make more disciplined and better selections and there are many. Let’s talk ‘begonia’. While the common wax begonia B. semperflorens lacks the panache of today’s glamorous hybrids, they are top performers in our Midwest summer heat and humidity, and more forgiving of heavy-handed watering.

Braveheart Rose BiColor Contemporary cultivars have brought us larger flowers and a more compact habit (nothing to scoff at) but are sadly considered unfashionable by today’s more sophisticated gardeners. There are a few notable and eye catching standouts. Consider Begonia semperflorens ’Doublet’ with double flowers resembling chenille puffs from a 1950s bedspread, available in white, rose and pink. Mine have survived the searing hell strip zone on the west side of my aluminum sided barn. Begonia ‘Charm’ has cream and yellow splashed leaves and soft pink flowers, a real eye-catcher that gladly accepts semi-shaded conditions. Some of the best new hybrids of wax begonia available now are crosses with various angel wing

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Bonfire begonias. These cultivars sail through our summer heat and humidity and offer spectacular large blooms and vigorous growth. They include ‘Big Red’ and ‘Big Rose’, ’Surefire Red’ and ’Surefire Rose’, ’Whopper’, and the ‘Dragon Wing’ series. All are spectacular container plants covered in flowers when grown in full sun.

stores) or granite grit (borrow some from your chickens or try the local feed supply store), or your local independent nursery. Let the potting soil dry out slightly between watering and provide some afternoon shade. I have not been as successful growing them in full sun (as the pot labels suggest) as I have in some afternoon shade. One of my clients succeeded in over More diminutive offerings wintering ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ include ‘Braveheart Rose on a protected wall site (north Bicolor’ and ‘Baby Wing White’ facing) outdoors this past winter and ‘Baby Wing Pink’, with tiny where he dug out heavy soil and angel wing leaves and petite replaced it with a bark based blooms that cover the plants, potting soil. Oh my, but I admire great for smaller containers and such slavish devotion! I saw my personal favorites, just too the plants last summer, simply cute. glorious. Not that I recommend Begonia boliviensis hybrids are growing B. boliviensis in the flooding the annual market with ground. It rarely works due to a multitude of named hybrids drainage and disease issues, and colors. I still consider good considering these are tuberous old ‘Bonfire’ and the more recent rooted plants. Grow them in ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ (both with containers and enjoy the flurry of orange flowers) to be the easiest hummingbirds they attract. and most heat tolerant. Other Another tuberous begonia, B. color choices in the B. boliviensis hiemalis, is equally beautiful line can be more challenging. but more challenging to keep in My first line of defense is bloom when hot weather arrives. incorporating grit or additional These are those bad boys with perlite into bark based potting the huge flowers in electric soil to emulate the conditions of a colors. I have an especially fond rocky Bolivian hillside where B. memory of a tuberous begonia boliviensis originates. Hanging lath house in the cool humidity of baskets will not require this step the Mendocino Botanic Garden because they dry out more quickly at Fort Bragg, California. Otherthan other containers. Five worldly blooms the size of dinner percent of your container potting plates, a horticultural heaven. soil should be grit. I use Turface Let me dream a minute. Okay, (available at horticultural supply now back to reality. I highly

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MAY 2015

recommend the ‘Non Stop’ series for our Midwest climate, easily available at your local nursery in a wide collection of gorgeous colors. I have also heard good things about the Solenia series of tuberous begonias too. They are hybrid crosses with wax begonias, which attributes to their heat tolerance. Grow B. x hiemalis with little or no direct sun, and I also use the bark-based potting mix with grit-added formula for them. Begonia ‘Withlacoochee’ is an old favorite of mine with exotic looks that belie its easy culture and makes a great basket plant. The furry green leaves, backed in maroon are beautiful and crowned with a flurry of snowwhite flowers perpetually (bring it indoors in winter as a great houseplant). Begonia ’Art Hodes’ is similar with large boldly textured leaves with a velvety red glow and white flowers. Lastly, I love rex begonias for their spectacular colored leaf patterns. But they sadly dominate my begonia graveyard. I have heard the lovely Jurassic series from Ball Seed is quite heat tolerant, having received good scores from trial gardens in hot summer climates. I must try them. Remember they require shade and can only be grown in containers. Hybridizers have much work to do in creating

heat tolerant rex begonias for outdoor culture. But the best bang-for-your-buck-rex-begoniafix is a decidedly un-begonia plant, Cissus discolor (Rex Begonia Vine). I repeat it is not a begonia! Cissus is in the grape family (Vitus) but astounds with beautifully patterned leaves in silver, maroon and green. It clambers up a wall with minimum support on the shady north side of my red barn. Few annual vines are more spectacular or heat tolerant. Photo credits: Whopper Red and Jurassic Green Streak courtesy Ball Horticultural Company. Braveheart Rose BiColor and Bonfire, courtesy White Flower Farm.

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Sandy graduated from McKendree College in ’83 and started her career as a CPA. Her love of the outdoors soon grew into a passion for gardening when she and her husband purchased their first home. With encouragement from her family, she purchased Nollau’s Nursery in 2005 and kissed the corporate world goodbye. Throughout the past ten years, with a staff of gardening fanatics just like herself, the Sandy’s Back Porch crew has dedicated itself to providing customers with the best resources available so that they may be successful in all their gardening endeavors.

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StLouisLandscape.org 11

A New Year in the Rose Garden By Diane Brueckman

Star Roses and Plants

ast month, I wrote about the American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS). There was some confusion about the time the first winners would be announced. The 2016 winners were announced in the latest issue of the American Rose Magazine. There are three winners, two regional winners and one for fragrance. I will start with the fragrance winner ‘Dee-Lish’. Even though this rose from Meilland in France is not a regional winner, it has great sustainability, having won the ADR Award in 2007 in Europe. This bright pink hybrid tea has an old fashioned bloom with the old fashioned damask fragrance, probably coming from its David Austin heritage (‘Graham Thomas’ is one of its parents). The judges took into consideration its disease resistance in the AGRS trials when awarding the designation as the AGRS Fragrance Winner.

The top regional winner, ‘Phloxy Baby’, won in four regions – Northwest, Southwest, South Central and Southeast. ‘Phloxy Baby’

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‘Thomas Affleck’ won in three regions, Northwest, South Central and Northeast. I had the pleasure of meeting the hybridizer, Mike Shoup, not long ago. Perhaps, you have heard the term ’Rose Rustler’- Mike Shoup is the rustler. From there he founded the Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. He had so many old roses that it was a natural progression to start the Emporium. Shoup is also on the board of the American Garden Rose Selections. He is a firm believer in sustainable roses and has bred a series of roses called

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is a sizable shrub registered as a polyantha. It was hybridized by Bill Radler of ‘Knock Out’ fame. This rose is one of several roses that are in a series of roses called Look-A-Likes® , in this case the bloom resembles a phlox bloom. The individual flowers borne in large clusters are a deep pink with a white eye and fade quickly. The size and disease resistance of ‘Phloxy Baby’ make it an ideal hedge plant or flower border addition.

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The Gateway Gardener®

MAY 2015

Pioneer Roses using Buck’s ‘Carefree Beauty’. ‘Thomas Affleck’ a No matter what roses you decide to grow, catching a problem early tall bushy plant with very few prickles is one of the Pioneer Roses. will reduce the damage. The blooms are fragrant cerise pink and very double. According to Shoup ‘Thomas Affleck’ is cold hardy and will tolerate partial shade. The cold snap last November, when temperatures dropped as much as 40 degrees in a week, caught so many of us unprepared, but did not do as much damage as I expected. Winter was a roller coaster ride with fluctuating temperatures. My hybrid teas died back to the mulch but were OK underneath the mulch. The Easy Elegance® roses all survived very well. The greatest damage was on first-year roses. Winter just proved the wisdom of testing roses regionally. In the case of the St. Louis area we can try roses from both the North Central and South Central regions with confidence because we are so close to the dividing line.

Plant selection is the first criteria for success in growing roses. When selecting the roses for your garden look for the roses that will be happy in your location. There are many roses that require less care and will not need much chemical “help”. As a gardener, you may have to live with some damage from disease and insects but if it gets to be more than you want in your garden, practice “Integrated Pest Management”. The newer roses are hybridized with health and hardiness as a priority. If you want to grow some of the older hybrids and you are willing to do all of the required maintenance by all means do it.

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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Easy,Carefree Summer Color by Stephanie Littlefield

he most asked for elements in a garden design are color and low maintenance. Many assume that this means a long list of perennials and many native plants. Actually for my personal gardens, and I do have many, I prefer a good selection of blooming shrubs with clusters of blooming perennials around the edges. The hardy floriferous shrubs give a good show of colorful flowers, some for most of the summer, while not requiring constant deadheading and staking to look good. A newly found favorite is the series of smaller roses that are almost mounding and spreading, called Drift Roses®. Drift Roses are repeat-bloomers that are tough, disease resistant, winter and summer hardy and practically maintenance-free. They are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniature roses. From

Red Drift

the former they kept toughness, disease resistance and winter hardiness. From the miniatures, they inherited their well-managed size and repeat-blooming nature. This all means they will produce clusters of lovely flowers all summer long!

I have been testing a few of these darlings in my gardens and have found them to perform

exceptionally well, even throughout the longest and hottest of summers. With minimal care I’ve seen no serious pest or disease problems. The small growth habit of Drift Roses makes them the perfect choice for smaller spaces. I’ve used them in many applications: to brighten up borders, fill in empty spaces, along walkways or paths, and to spread delicately around larger established plants in many different landscape styles. They are perfect to tumble over a low wall, spread down a hillside; or I’ve enjoyed adding them to provide season-long color in established sunny perennial borders. For companion plants

Peach Drift

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

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The Gateway Gardener®

MAY 2015

Popcorn Drift

not less than 6 inches above the ground. Fertilize Drift Roses in early spring and again after every heavy bloom cycle with a mild, natural fertilizer or slow-release rose food. Drift Roses come in a wide range of colors. The classic Red Drift has bright cherry red clusters of many small flowers for lots of

color impact. Pink Drift is a perfect bright pink with a charming yellow center to give it an old fashioned country rose effect. Some of the varieties have double flowers like Peach Drift, covered in fluffy lighter pink and peachy flowers or Popcorn Drift that has an unusual flower that is yellow on the outside opening to white in the inside.

Another unusual and striking color is the Coral Drift with orange/red blooms that are lively and visible from a distance. Whatever your favorite shade of pink or red, the Drift Rose series has one to please your eye. Photos courtesy Star Plants & Roses

ry e t e m e eC n i a t n o ellef

try Lo n’Behold® Butterfly Bush, Chardonnay Pearls® Deutzia, Golden Dream® dwarf Boxwood or Nandina Firepower®. These are other smaller shrubs that will be complemented by the long blooming color from Drift Roses. Drift Roses aren’t too finicky provided the garden soil is welldrained, but not too dry. Moist, well-drained, somewhat fertile soil is best. If you’re soil is heavy clay, mix in some organic matter and/ or soil conditioner to loosen the soil. If the planting area does not drain well take steps to improve drainage. To test drainage, dig the planting hole and fill it with water. If it drains within an hour or two this is sufficient.

April 2y213 Ma June 3

The plants are happiest in full, allday sun or in morning sun with afternoon shade. Morning sun is a must to dry dew from leaves. I recommend pruning off spent flower clusters between blooming cycles to speed the reblooming process. As with all roses, you should do a heavy pruning in late winter –with these small plants take them down to 12 inches, but

Enjoy delicious wines and hors d'oeuvres 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.

as you walk the grounds of St. Louis’s most historic cemetery and arboretum, surrounding elegant Hotchkiss Chapel. Hear stories of famous (and infamous!) St. Louisans from our master guides, all as you sip and stroll. Hosted by the Friends of Bellefontaine Cemetery.

MAY 2015

The Gateway Gardener®

T I C K E T S A V A I L A B L E AT

www.bellefontainecemetery.org/events 15

The Cornucopia Corner Rhizobium By Mara Higdon

s that a vegetable? Well, it’s not a vegetable, but an essential living organism for a healthy and productive vegetable garden. Rhizobium are bacteria that live on specific host plants. Not to worry, these bacteria are beneficial bacteria and are necessary for making and providing the nitrogen that feeds your growing crops. Host plants such as beans, lentils, clover, vetch, and chickpeas belong to the legume family. The rhizobium are host specific and live on the legume’s roots. Lentil rhizobium live on the roots of a lentil plant, bean rhizobium only live on bean roots. Without their host, the rhizobium will not live and be actively fixing nitrogen from the air. For gardeners just starting out, planting a variety of legumes in your garden beds is important to building your soil’s composition and nitrogen levels. It is especially important when you are adding new soil to a garden area as it may not have the levels of nitrogen necessary to grow crops adequately. Common nitrogen-fixing plants that vegetable gardeners can incorporate into the garden area are green beans, cow peas, and

summer clover. Green beans and cow peas can be planted every week to two weeks to extend the harvest season as well as give the rhizobium time to do their nitrogen fixing work underground. Summer clover also serves a dual purpose in providing ground cover to keep weeds at bay and also conserves moisture in the soil. From year to year, remember to rotate your nitrogen fixing legume crops to different parts of your garden bed. Each year, do a basic soil test to identify what areas of your garden may be deficient in nitrogen. Plan to plant legumes in these areas for the coming season and hopefully increase the nitrogen levels as well as your garden’s productivity. 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.

Jt’s Fresh Ideas RhubaRb R aspbeRRy CRisp

Ingredients

courtesy www.AlwaysOrderDessert.com

2 cups rhubarb, sliced in 1” pieces 2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen 1 cup sugar Juice of ½ lemon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tbsp. cornstarch

For the Topping

½ cup plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided 1 cup rolled oats (not instant) 1 cup sliced almonds (can substitute pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts) ½ cup flour ½ cup sugar ½ teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F˚. Butter an 8” glass or metal baking dish and place on a large cookie sheet to catch any drips (I like to line it with my silpat or parchment paper to make cleanup easier). In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, raspberries, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cornstarch. Toss well to coat evenly. Let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature. While the filling sits, prepare the topping. Melt the ½ cup butter and let cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, almonds, flour, ½ cup sugar, allspice and kosher salt. Pour in the melted butter and use your hands to mix well, squeezing the topping into crumbs. Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish

and spread the crumb topping evenly over the filling. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and dot the surface of the crisp. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden and crisp. Let cool at room temperature for at least 40 minutes before serving. Recipe courtesy of: http://www.alwaysorderdessert. com/2011/05/rhubarb-raspberry-crisp.html

Please share some of your favorite recipes with us. You can e-mail us at: info@gatewaygardener.com.

I hope you savor all that Spring has to offer this year in the garden and as well as on your “dessert” table!

Enjoy!

The Gateway Gardener®

Jt MAY 2015

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

To Grow a Better Garden, Shop Where You See The Farmer’s Markets are in Season! Of course, some markets are open year round, but for most the season kicks into gear in May! Be sure to visit your local farmer’s market for the best in fresh, in-season, locally grown, often organic produce, meats, cheeses and other dairy products, honey and other foods as well as home-made craft items! You can find a list of regional Missouri and Illinois farmer’s markets on our website at www. g a t e w a y g a r d e n e r. com/farmers-markets.

May Harvest

Here are some fruits and veggies you might find in the garden or your local farmers’ market this month: Asparagus Beets Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Cherries Cucumbers Gooseberries Greens Herbs Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Onions Peas Potatos Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Squash Tomatoes Turnips

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Missouri Certified Green Industry Stars are professionals tested and proven to excel in a specialized Green Industry field. You can trust them to help you grow a better garden! The Missouri Certified Green Industry Star program: • Raises standards for Green Industry Professionals • Helps consumers identify Certified Green Industry Horticulture Professionals • Encourages professional development in the industry To locate and shop with a Missouri Certified Green Industry Star, consult our Membership Directory at:

www.mlna.org MAY 2015

The Gateway Gardener®

Know What’s Below Call or Click Missouri One Call Before You Dig!

cause injury, repair cost, fines and inconvenient outages. With every digging project, no matter how large or small, the excavator always needs to place a locate request.

ith the start of warm spring weather, excavation activity in Missouri begins in earnest. Homeowners, professional excavators and utility companies all begin projects usually involving moving the earth in one way or another.

Installing a mailbox, building a deck and planting a tree or garden are examples of projects that should only begin after the utilities have been notified of your impending work and have then marked their lines.

There are over 20 million miles of underground utility lines, over 100 billion feet, buried in the United States. Every six minutes an underground facility is damaged because someone decided to dig without having the line marked.

If you are planning a job that requires any type of digging, notifying Missouri One Call to have the utility underground facilities marked is essential and is required by law.

Beginning any excavation without knowing where the underground utilities are located is simply asking for trouble. Striking a single line can

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The Gateway Gardener®

MAY 2015

Here’s how works:

the

system

have facilities at your dig site and they will then mark the approximate location of their lines, pipes and cables or notify you that they have no facilities in the dig site area.

1. Notifying Missouri One Call is easy. To have your underground utilities lines marked, simply call either 1-800-DIG-RITE (800-344-7483), or 811 or go online to www. 5. Once all the undermo1call.com. ground facilities have been marked, roll up your 2. Notify Missouri One sleeves and carefully Call in advance of your dig around the marked project, allowing the areas. utilities three working days to mark the location The service is free and only of their underground requires 3 to 4 minutes facilities. of your time to place the request. 3. You will need to provide information describing To find more the location of your information about excavation and basic the Missouri One Call contact information. 4. Missouri One Call will notify the utilities that

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The Gateway Gardener®

Granite Sculptures

Hand-made in China for your Asian Garden, at home or in a business setting. Lanterns, benches, animals, people, mailboxes, fountains, tables and more!

Lantern Festival to Shine Again “Magic Reimagined” Debuts May 2015

porcelain pieces including plates, bowls, spoons, teacups, ladles and wine cups. It serves as a replica of the Stupas Pagoda built in the Qing Dynasty in the Manfeilong Village of the Yunnan Province. In keeping with the Garden’s commitment to sustainability, “Giant Dandelion & Panda” will be constructed using recycled water bottles. Visitors will be able to take pictures with the larger-than-life flowers creating a cherished photo opportunity.

he Lantern Festival is returning to the Missouri Botanical Gardens for the Summer of 2015. But if you attended its debut engagement in 2012, be assured; the Festival is new for 2015! The Garden has commissioned 22 new sets crafted from silk and steel to once again offer visitors from around the world the opportunity to see an event rarely staged outside of Asia. Lantern Festival will again be an outdoor, evening display running May 23 to August 23, 2015.

In addition to using recycled materials in several sets, the Garden plans to conduct a sale following the conclusion of the An exhibit from the 2012 Lantern Festival.Photo by Robert festival for St. Louisans to take Weaver. home their own unique piece “Soaring Dragon Horse,” located in the Garden’s Central of Garden history. Ameren Missouri Pure Power will donate Axis, depicting a well-known Missouri wind energy credits to offset the electricity required to symbol in Chinese culture, the power the exhibit.

Among the planned sets is

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After a long, cold winter, give your plants a good feeding!

Lantern Festival tickets are on sale now. Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to ensure they have the opportunity to see the exhibit on their preferred night. There is no additional charge to view the Lanterns during daytime hours, but special evening pricing begins at 6 p.m. on the nights the exhibit is open. Lanterns will not be lit during Whitaker Music Festival evenings. The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis.

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MAY 2015

Bring timeless appeal to your garden with the modern maintenance-free ease of Drift® Groundcover Roses. As easy to grow as they are to love, their tidy size and repeatblooming nature makes them perfect for small gardens. Drift® Roses are available at garden retailers throughout the country. To learn more or to find a retailer near you, visit us online today.

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MAY 2015

The Gateway Gardener®

Irrigation Scheduling Text and photo by Michael McVey

ast month, I mentioned that “scheduling” could be an article all its own. This month, I’d like to go over some of the things that might go into creating a watering schedule. There’s more to it than just setting rotor sprinklers for 25 minutes three days a week and letting it run that way for the whole season.

Most new controllers have the ability to quickly set these water budgets. If you want to take some of the guess work out of this and automate the process, there are several manufacturers with “Smart” controllers that either have a small on-site weather station or connect remotely to a weather station in your region. These smaller on-site stations and the associated controllers are actually quite affordable, even on

The goal of a water schedule is to replace water that is lost from the soil due to evaporation and plant uptake, a term called smaller residential yards. “evapotranspiration.” If you water too much, the soil gets saturated and you can drown your grass and plants. If it’s too dry, plants wilt. Smart Controllers also remove some guesswork in determining the ideal schedule by taking into consideration a number of The happy medium between the two is where you want to stay. fixed factors. These controllers are programmed with specific What affects evapotranspiration (also known at ET)? There are information about each zone. Is the plant type being watered one fixed factors and variable factors. The variable factors are basically that uses lots of water or hardly any? Is the soil made up of clay, the weather conditions: temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and loam, sand, or some combination? Is the zone in full sun, full wind. As temperature, solar radiation (sunny day vs. cloudy day), shade, or in between? Is the ground flat or sloped? Are you using and wind increase, more water will be lost from the soil. Humidity rotor sprinklers, stationary sprays, or drip? These are all factors however has an inverse relationship with evaporation. The more that determine how much water to apply, how fast to put it down, humid it is, the lower the ET. and how long to wait between each application.

These are all factors that vary from day to day and are difficult to schedule. The best most of us can do to account for this is to determine a monthly water budget. Once you create an ideal schedule for your peak watering month, then you can set other months to water a percentage of the set schedule based on how those months compare weather-wise to the target month. For example, if July is assumed to be the highest ET month and a schedule is set that works for July, then in April we might run at a 60% water budget, since it is generally cooler and wetter at that time of year.

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A bed full of water-loving plants like hydrangeas would be treated differently than a bed full of yews that like things a bit drier. If you have a clay soil, it takes water in very slowly, but holds onto it for a long time. A sandy soil, on the other hand, takes water in quickly, but dries out faster. If you have the same turf in two zones, but one is full sun and the other is mostly shade, the sunny zone will need more water. The slope of the ground is also important. Let’s say you have a steep slope and clay soil (with a slow water intake rate), then you can’t water for very long without losing most of what you’re applying as runoff. To get an adequate amount of water into the soil, you may need multiple short applications. And finally, the type of sprinkler has a huge impact on how long a zone needs to run. A stationary spray head and a rotor head may both output the same amount of water per minute, but rotors spread it over a much larger area. Michael McVey has 10 years of experience in the Irrigation and Landscape Lighting industry. He is a Licensed Irrigation Installation Contractor with St Louis County and a Certified Backflow Prevention Tester with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. He currently works for Horstmann Brothers Landscaping in Overland, MO. You can reach him at michael.mcvey@horstmannbrothers.com or 314432-0880. The Gateway Gardener®

MAY 2015

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The Gateway Gardener®

Dahlia Dalliance: Plant Sale May 9

, 16th

Text and photos by Colleen Simons

ahlias deliver blooms like no other plant in your summer flower garden. Given full sun, good drainage and soil, and a little tender-loving care, these colorful bloomers will produce abundant flowers from mid-July until frost. They are especially beautiful in September and October when most of your other perennials and annuals are fading away.

The diversity of the dahlia stems from the fact that there are six distinct formations in the larger blooms, and there are seventeen types of dahlias ranging in size from under two inches to the gians (often called dinner plate dahlias) that can grow to more than twelve inches in diameter. The color spectrum (sixteen in all) is composed of solids, blends, variegated and bi-color. No blue dahlia has ever been found in the wild or hybridized by a commercial or amateur grower. Want to add some dahlias to your garden?

The Greater St. Louis Dahlia Society is holding its annual plant sale this month on two consecutive Saturdays, May 9th and May 16th at Missouri Botanical Garden during normal Garden hours. A variety of dahlia sizes and colors grown by members will be sold. Society members will also be available to answer questions and give advice. Then, when you grow these plants to blooming perfection, come to the 76th annual Greater St. Louis Dahlia Show September 19th and 20th. The show includes a section for non-

members to exhibit single blooms. While exhibiting in this section cannot qualify for an award, it does allow those who have just begun to grow dahlias an opportunity to meet counterparts in the St. Louis area, and offers a means of becoming a member of the Society. The Society meets at the Missouri Botanical Garden on the third Friday evening of select months, and other social events are held throughout the year. Members are more than happy to visit your dahlia patch and offer advice. Colleen Simons is a member of the Greater St. Louis Dahlia Society and a Franklin County Master Gardener. She grows beautiful dahlias in Union, MO.

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MAY 2015

Green Homes Festival Spotlights Plant-Based Green Living Ideas 14th Annual Event Features New Location at Faust Park, June 20th

he 14th annual Green Homes and building deconstruction; preserving Festival returns on June 20 from the harvest; native plant RainScaping, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For the first time, and composting with worms. the event will be held at the Sophia M. Shop the “HOME Made - HOME Sachs Butterfly House in Faust Park. The Grown” green marketplace, featuring festival showcases affordable, practical home décor and gifts made by area options for sustainable living combined crafters and edibles grown by local with positive ways to maintain the health farmers. of people and the planet. The Butterfly Enjoy live local music as you stroll the House location will highlight the “Eat Well Local” food court, featuring connections between plant-based greenhealthy treats and beverages. Bring your living ideas and solutions to energy, reusable bottle and get free water refills. water and waste issues. Admission for this family-friendly festival is free. This event is hosted by Recycling and composting will reduce the festival’s “waste-line.” the EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden and is Festival visitors can also enjoy the year-round attractions of this site. A $4 Fun Pass will be available for entry to the Butterfly House’s presented by Ameren Missouri. This year’s festival features more than 70 exhibits and Tropical Conservatory and the St. Louis Carousel. Interpreters will demonstrations by the region’s leading sustainability-focused be on hand to share stories of the Faust Historic Village. businesses and organizations. Attendees can talk one-on-one with a wide range of experts about their specific interests and project ideas, and learn more about home improvement and healthy homes. Experts will also share a variety of plant-based ideas and resources that will demonstrate ways to save water, be healthier, and protect the environment while conserving household budgets. Explore the NatureScaping area to learn ways to grow a livelier, healthier environment in your own backyard using native plants. Exhibits in this area will feature water-saving RainScaping options, backyard biodiversity resources, hobby beekeeping, and more. A roster of interactive “Presentations to the People” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. will cover useful topics such as keeping backyard chickens and bees; solar electricity and solar shingles; home energy efficiency and sustainability of natural gas; interior design for indoor air quality

For general information, visit www.mobot.org/greenhomesfest , or call (314) 577 5100 (toll-free, 1 800 642 8842).

The Butterfly House is located in Faust Park, 15193 Olive Blvd, Chesterfield MO 63017.

St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour

Saturday, June 20th 9am to 3pm

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

A self-guided tour of 10 residential native plant gardens in central St. Louis County. Sun, shade, dry sites and wet, butterflies, birds.

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.

Traditional and natural designs.

Cost: $20 per person Questions? Call:

(314) 599-7390

at: www.stlouisaudubon.org/NPT

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

www.stlwildones.org MAY 2015

The Gateway Gardener®

It’s Garden Tour Season! This is the season when gardens shine in our region, and you’ll find many garden tours scheduled for May and June. Many feature the beautiful flower gardens of garden club groups and communities; but three tours in particular are uniquely themed and feature gardens for other reasons than beautiful ornamental flower beds. Touring these gardens is not only enjoyable visually, it might help inspire you to garden in a whole new way! The 5th Annual Sustainable Backyard Tour June 14th

St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour June 20th

howcasing green and organic gardens and outdoor living spaces, the tour returns for the fifth year from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in private yards and gardens throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. Tour sites showcase a range of best practices, including lowimpact lawn care, using recycled materials, beekeeping, native plants, mushrooms, fruit & nut trees and edible perennials, as well as rainwater conservation and renewable energy. Yard descriptions will be listed online at www.sustainablebackyardtour.com beginning in June. Maps will be available online and at select local businesses the week before the tour. The event is free of charge, but those who register to attend will be entered into a drawing for prizes. For more information, visit www.SustainableBackyardTour. com or email Terry@SustainableBackyardTour.com.

he St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home program and the St. Louis chapter of Wild Ones Native Plants, Natural Landscapes group have teamed together to showcase some of the area’s best examples of uses of native plants in home landscapes for beauty, sustainability and improved wildlife habitat. The self-guided tour features 10 residential native plant gardens in various communities, including Glendale, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Brentwood, Clayton and more. The gardens display uses of natives in various conditions from sun to shade, dry sites to wet, and for various benefits like attracting butterflies and birds, managing rainwater, or just adding beauty to the landscape.

The Gateway Gardener is proud to be a media sponsor of this tour, and honored to have our garden among the featured landscapes. The Gateway Gardener is proud to be a media sponsor of this tour, Tickets are $20. For more information or to register for the tour, go and honored to have our garden among the featured landscapes. to www.stlouisaudubon.org or www.stlwildones.org.

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