The Gateway Gardener January/February 2018 by The Gateway Gardener

Gateway Gardener

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

THE

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Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Art in Bloom

A Celebration of Art and Flowers

Native Wildflowers Spring Shows, Conventions & Classes Where the Wild Things Go...In Winter FREE Courtesy of:

Havin’ the gang over this winter? We have everything you need for them... and for you!

FREE WINTER CLASSES

What’s Your Plant Telling You? Plant Trends: Tried & True / Old & New

Feb. 13th 10am Feb. 20th 6pm

• Education • Giveaways & Hot Chocolate • Visit KirkwoodGardens.com for more information Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3:30pm

314.966.4840 KirkwoodGardens.com

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Lake St Louis 636-561-0124 9am-4pm Garden Center Tue-Sat Closed Sun-Mon 3230 Technology Dr. • Lake St. Louis (Next to the Meadows Shopping Center)

Gateway Gardener THE

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 Volume 14, Number 1

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists Connie Alwood Master Gardener

Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional Abby Lapides Nursery Professional Jennifer Schamber Nursery Professional Scott Woodbury Native Plant Specialist

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

Please send letters-to-the-editor, questions, event announcements, editorial suggestions and contributions, photos, advertising inquiries and materials, and any other correspondence to: The Gateway Gardener Magazine® PO Box 220853 St. Louis, MO 63122 Phone: (314) 968-3740

info@gatewaygardener.com www.gatewaygardener.com The Gateway Gardener® is printed on recycled newsprint using environmentally friendly soy-based ink, and is a member of the PurePower® renewable energy resources network.

From the Editor

hen one plants a new garden, it’s common to look upon the space, take in the sparsely planted, diminutive starter plants, often represented by puny basal rosettes that seem to have no hope of ever growing into the flowering garden of your imagination, and experience disappointment. It’s amazing, though, how quickly that season passes, then another, and another, until a decade or more has gone by. By then, if you’re like me, you’ve gone through a cycle something like this: Year 2 gives some promise, Year 3 might bring a satisfied smile to your face, Year 4 you’re starting to realize you planted things WAY too close together, Year 5 you’re realizing this plant is WAY too tall for where you planted it, and that plant didn’t receive the sun or water or drainage it needed and faded away, and Years 6 and on you spend moving, removing and replacing.

and vignettes, many of which I was able to draw upon from my photo library to help illustrate Abby Lapide’s article (page 4) on selecting showy wildflowers for your garden. And I can attest from my personal experience that most of the plants she recommends have, indeed, been the showiest, hardiest and least troublesome of the many natives I’ve tried through the years.

If you’ve been thinking about starting a new garden—and isn’t January and February a great motivated by the development time to do that?—don’t let the of a new sunny area created by maturation period of a garden, a couple of fallen white pines native or otherwise, discourage and the removal of a large, you. A season or two or three neglected patch of bamboo isn’t such a long time, and and wintercreeper. The photo in a blink of an eye, you can on this page shows its first look back at all the beautiful season aided by some gallon- moments and flowering friends sized blooming coneflowers you might have missed if you and some pre-existing common hadn’t started. milkweed. Through subsequent Happy New Year, all, and… years I pretty much covered all the stages mentioned above, culminating last year in a Good Gardening! makeover as I tore out several I planted my “Petite Prairie” patches of certain plants that had native garden in 2007, just two become too seedy, and moved years after starting publication others that had flopped into of this magazine, inspired in the garden path repeatedly. In part by the writings of our late those in-between years, though, contributor Cindy Gilberg, and I enjoyed satisfying moments

On the Cover... A match made in heaven--with the help of some talented floral designers. See how flowers and art complement each other at the annual Art in Bloom exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum. More on page 6. (Photo courtesy St. Louis Art Museum.)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Showy Wildflowers for the Garden 6 Art in Bloom 7 Orchid Show 8 Where the Wild Things Go... In Winter 10 Shows, Classes and Conventions 11 Memories of Elvis...A Standard Flower Show 12 Dig This 15 Upcoming Events

Showy Wildflowers for the Garden by Abby Lapides

dapted to our unique climate, native wildflowers can be used to easily create lavish gardens overflowing with blossoms. Wildflowers tolerate rapid weather changes, cold snaps, heat waves, drought, and whatever else Mother Nature throws at us. When selecting wildflowers for your gardens choose plants for your particular situation. Take into consideration light, water requirements and size, along with other traits.

(they will go dormant in the summer) colonize well. Enjoy the early spring thrill of watching the garden wake up with the blue-pink blossoms of Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), with umbrella-like large green leaves, will spread into large patches. To enjoy some dramatic flowers in shady spots consider planting these showy wildflowers. Wild sweet William (Phlox maculata), a sweetly scented early blooming midsize groundcover with soft blue flowers is excellent cut. The dramatic goat’s beard ( Aruncus dioicus) shows off its 1-foot long, white feathery plumes in spring and ferny foliage that looks great all season. Fairy Candles (Cimicifuga racemosa) create a magical show in midsummer with long bottlebrush-looking, fragrant white flowers that bloom high on narrow stems.

Native wildflowers like these columbine, ragwort, mayapples and wild geraniums brighten this shady area. Others can do the same Many plants home to dry in sunny, wet or dry gardens. prairies fit well into gardens, appear all summer. The crowd milkweeds. These host plants for require little to no fertilizer, and favorite, Missouri primrose Monarch butterflies also entice once established are extremely (Oenothera macrocarpa) gets many other species of butterflies drought tolerant. Purple poppy rave reviews for its huge lemon and moths. The brilliant orange mallow’s (Callirhoe involucrata) yellow blossoms. To attract butterfly milkweed (Asclepias delightful magenta blooms butterflies you’ll want to grow the tuberosa) thrives in sunny areas with dry soil. Don’t forget to add some of the prairie grasses like on for the rn Ve . little blue stem (Schizachyrium Mt Also visit scoparium) or prairie dropseed (Sporobolis heterolepis) to add Fresh herbs, herbs for culinary, medicinal and decorative use, A gardener of wildflowers bulbs, seeds, books on birds, herbs and gardening, hypertufa, live fine texture. plants, herbal cookbooks, gardening magazines, bird feeders, can have a flourishing flower houses and baths, antiques, china, spices, dried floral arrangements, When planting a shady garden vase for months on end. The goat's milk soap, herbal soap, painted ceramics, garden signs, decor, homemade fudge, herbal spices and blends, spiced nuts, consider using woodland native delightful pink daisies of trellises, gourds, orchids, fudge, pasta, rolling pins and more! plants. Missouri native ferns and purple coneflowers (Echinacea many of our spring ephemera purpurea), and the sunny

Free Classes

The Art of Adding Herbs to your Cooking, Those “Other” Fruit Bearing Plants, Identifying Horticultural Pests & Problems for Home Gardeners, and much more!

Vendors Mo than 40 vendors including More several first time attendees!

REFRESHING

Replace the clutter with a fresh pop of color!

30th Annual Midwestern Herb & Garden Show February 9th - 11th, 2018 2017 | Times Square Mall Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday: 12 - 5 p.m.

FREE ADMISSION For more information: (800) 252-5464 or www.midwesternherbandgardenshow.com 550 HIGHWAY F DEFIANCE, MO 63341 636.798.2555 ::::: FRISELLANURSERY.COM

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

yellow flowers of black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) make long-lasting cut flowers. In fall, the butterfly favorite aromatic aster (Symphiotrichum oblongifolium) gets smothered with thousands of sky blue daisy-like blossoms, showering us with armloads of cut flowers. Even though aromatic asters grow nicely in average or even poor soil, they grow best with a shovelful or two of compost. The striking feathery purple stems of Blazing Stars (Liatris spp.) are knockouts in bouquets. Cut when about one third of the way in bloom and enjoy the continuing show in your vase. Sunny wet gardens and shady dry areas cause some of the biggest headaches for gardeners. Native plants can easily solve these frustrating quandaries. Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) and rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpus) both grow over 4 feet tall and thrive in wet, sticky soils. Joe Pye weed’s airy purple flowers make perfect landing spots for bees and butterflies. The tropical looking white flowers of the rose mallow bloom summer into fall. Many of the native sedges thrive in wet or dry soils. Bur sedge’s (Carex grayi) grass-like leaves and unique seed heads add an interesting and attractive garden accent. Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), bellwort (Uvularia spp.) and wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) all thrive in dry shade and produce showy flowers. A well-planned wildflower garden can provide many years of beauty and enjoyment. By carefully selecting your plants, you can have a garden full of color and impact year round.

Abby Lapides is owner and a speaker at Sugar Creek Gardens Nursery. She has degrees from the University of Missouri, and is a member of the Landscape and Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis. You can reach her at (314) 965-3070.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

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1. Poppy mallow 2. Missouri primrose 3. Butterfly milkweed 4. Prairie dropseed 5. Virginia bluebell 6. Mayapple 7. Purple coneflower 8. Black-eyed Susan 9. Aromatic aster 10. Blazing star 11. Sessile bellwort 12. Wild geranium photos by Robert Weaver

Art in Bloom: A Celebration of Art and Flowers ST. Louis Art Museum

his annual celebration of art and flowers features more than 40 works of art from the Museum’s collection that are imaginatively interpreted through floral design by regional florists and garden club members.

March 2nd-4th

In addition to the floral interpretations, Art in Bloom weekend offers a variety of programs. On Friday, Margo Shaw, Flower Magazine editor-in-chief, walks visitors through some of her favorite landscapes, gardens, furniture, statuary, and of course, flowers. Shaw will share her 3 Cs of outdoor living – Cool, Comfortable, Also on Friday, Feast publisher Cat and Chic – with great tips for al Neville will lead a panel discussion on how botanicals are increasingly fresco entertaining with ease. used in the kitchen and at the bar. Joining her will be Vicia’s acclaimed pastry chef Summer Wright, who uses seasonal botanicals extensively in

her dishes; Anne Lehman of Dirty Girl Farms, who supplies the city’s best restaurants with herbs and flowers; and Tom Anderson from Pinckney Bend, where they use select botanicals to craft their award-winning gin. New this year, SLAM partners with the Missouri Botanical Garden for a behind-the-scenes look at the science and art of growing plants. Using living specimens, they’ll detail current efforts to cultivate and curate their collections and share how they combine horticultural display and plant conservation in their living collections.

On Sunday is Family Florals, where all children’s activities that day are free. Children can create their own flower inspired art, take a selfguided scavenger hunt throughout the galleries, and enjoy storytelling in the Education Center. More details available at slam.org/ artinbloom.

Your Complete Gift & Garden Center

Upcoming Events

January - It’s for the Birds! February 3rd - Children’s Garden Club Meets 9AM—Birding Project February 11th-14th - Valentine Roses For Your Sweetie—ORDER EARLY February 22nd - Spring Garden Seminars Start & Go through March 29th, 2018 First Seminar - Perennials: These are a Few of My Favorite Things, followed by Plants and Trees, If You Please!

11530 Gravois Road St. Louis, MO 63126

(314) 843-4700 or www.sappingtongardenshop.com OPEN 7 DAYS 6

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

Missouri Botanical Garden

Orchid Mania

Brassocattleya Orchid Show Feb. 2nd-March 25th 9am-5pm Daily Orthwein Floral Display Hall Missouri Botanical Garden

living collection. That collection represents one of the largest collections of these exotic beauties in the United States, totaling approximately 6500 plants!

Kicking off the Orchid Show February 3rd-4th, the Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis holds its own annual Show and Sale from 9-5 both days. So get Missouri Botanical Garden inspired by the Shows, then take advantage of the sale rchid Mania will take to start or add to your over the Missouri own piece of paradise. Botanical Garden this winter. This year’s show expresses an interpretation of the “tulip mania” that entranced Europe in Victorian times with an intense interest in flowering plants. The annual Orchid Show offers visitors a oncea-year opportunity to see some of the hundreds of orchids from the Garden’s expansive permanent Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Show and Sale Feb. 3rd-4th 9am-5pm Daily Ridgway Visitor Center

Safe Digging starts with

YOU

Call or Click 3 Working Days Before You Dig.

Wait the Required Amount of Time.

Confirm Utility Response.

Respect the Marks.

Dig with Care.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

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mo1call.com

1-800-DIG-RITE or 811 7

Naturally Natives Where the Wild Things Go...In Winter Text and photos by Scott Woodbury

o you wonder why butterflies appear on warm late winter days? Question mark, Eastern comma, tortoiseshell and mourning cloak butterflies overwinter as adult butterflies. They find protection from cold winter winds under leaf litter, fallen logs and the bark of white oak and shagbark hickory trees. To encourage these butterflies and other insects that overwinter under leaves, don’t rake them up in woodland wildflower beds. Especially ones that are out of sight from the street (because neighbors may complain). In planting areas in the front yard or near the house rake up leaves in fall and immediately replace with a one to two inch layer of ground leaf mulch (not compost). This should insulate most hibernating insects and keep weeds from sprouting in spring. Last winter when I was splitting wood on a warm day I was visited by a bee that looked like a fly or the other way around. It was basking on me so I sat down for a break to check it out. It had soft furry-looking yellow and black hair like a bee but had wings like a fly. 8

Paw paw, Asimina triloba, blooms in the late winter/early spring and relies on pollinating insects that overwinter as adults.

It was a bee fly, a fly that mimics bees. Like other fly species, it overwinters as an adult in the crannies of tree bark, rock and buildings. I see many different flies in winter, especially on winter-flowering witchazels and late winterblooming pawpaw.

egg portion survives in the earthen nest thru winter where it hatches in spring into a walking stick nymph. Out it crawls from the nest and into the native garden it wanders. Ever notice gravid female praying mantises in fall. You know, the green or

brown ones with a big belly. They are curious creatures that take a moment to check you out while you’re checking them out. The big green ones (6-7 inch) are the invasive Asian species, the smaller brown or tan ones (3-4 inch) are native. In fall mantises lay their eggs inside a mass of brownish tan “styrofoam” that is extruded from its swollen belly onto a plant stem about 2-4 feet off the ground. If you accidentally cut one off you can shove the stem back in the ground. If the stem you cut is too short, duct tape it onto a taller stem. In spring they all hatch at once feeding on whatever insects they encounter including each other!

The muck at the bottom of a Recently I learned where walking sticks go in winter, thanks to colleague James Trager, an entomologist who works with me at Shaw Nature Reserve. He told me that they drop their eggs to the ground randomly in autumn and then die. The eggs are similar to wood poppy and bloodroot seeds in that ants gather some of them, bring them back to the nest and eat them. Part of them anyway. The A mimic “bee fly” basks in a sunny spot on a warm winter day. The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

Shaw Nature Reserver

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants

School’s Out...Doors!

A fly finds the winter blooms of vernal witchhazel awaiting its warm-weatther foraging excursions.

water garden or pond is the winter destination for adult frogs, salamanders and some turtles in winter. Like me, these cold-blooded critters slow way down in winter. Same is true of lizards and skinks, but they seek out dry crevices in rocks and tree trunks in winter. Back in the pond, juvenile dragonfly, damselfly and other aquatic insect nymphs also live in the muck in winter so if you want to clean out the bottom of a water feature, wait until May and try to scoop up as many critters as possible in a bucket and return them to the water

when finished or another water feature that you clean out on alternating years. To garden with native plants that attract native critters, one must go outside and look around to see them. Fortunately in Missouri we are blessed with plentiful balmy days in winter. Next chance I get, I’ll be out sleuthing around. Perhaps it will be on a trip to the compost bin or to the mailbox. Either way I can’t wait to discover and learn about the next wild thing that shows up in my native garden.

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. He is also an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s GrowNative! program.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

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Remember what it felt like back in your school days when, on a mild day after a long winter, the teacher would herd students outside for an outdoor classroom session. Well, that’s what it’s like nearly every day at Native Plant School sessions at Shaw Nature Reserve. The Native Plant School is a year-round series of learning opportunities held at Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw. While not every class promises an outdoor excursion through the beautiful and inspiring Whitmire garden, even indoor sessions deal with subject matter that brings the outdoors in. Topics in the past have included lessons on how to maintain a native garden, how to propagate native plants, rain gardening, how to design a native garden your neighbors won’t hate, gardening for wildlife, native edible plants, how to replace exotic invasive plants with natives, and more. Most classes are based at the classroom behind the Joseph H. Bascomb House in the heart of Shaw Nature Reserve, so even if the class doesn’t move outdoors, just getting there will take you through the scenic rolling hills of Shaw. And a stroll through the Whitmire Wildflower Garden is always an option before or after class. Participants are always encouraged to bring their questions, comments, photos, drawings, plant specimens to the session. Classes are held on Thursdays once a month from 1-4pm. Registration is required, which you can do online by visiting the Native Plant School page on the Botanical Garden’s website at MissouriBotanicalGarden.org, or just Google “Shaw Native Plant School.” You can also find a schedule of class dates and topics there. If you don’t have access to a computer, you can call (314) 577-9526. Cost is $17/session for non-members, $14 for members. Class size is limited so if you see a topic that interests you, be sure to register early. So, if you want to learn more about native plants, or just want to get out of the office or home and breath some fresh air, check out the 2018 class schedule at Shaw Nature Reserve’s Native Plant School. It’s wild! --Editor 9

2018 Spring Shows, Conventions & Classes In this our 11th annual listing of spring shows, conferences and classes, you’ll find a wide array of educational and entertaining options to break the ice off your winter gardening dreams. Whether you’re a horticulture professional, master gardener or neophyte green-thumber, there’s something going on this spring that will scratch your gardening itch! 30thAnniversary Midwestern Herb and Garden Show Times Square Mall, Mt. Vernon, IL. Feb. 9th-11th For both the gardening experts and the gardening hopefuls, three days of demonstrations, classes, and seminars with nationally recognized speakers and unique displays by more than 40+ exhibitors. The Herb & Garden Show is an opportunity to learn from the experts during the free hourly educational classes where you can ask questions, share information and even participate in take-home activities. Topics include The Art of Adding Herbs to your Cooking, Those “Other” Fruit-Bearing Plants, Identifying Horticultural Pests and Problems for Home Gardeners, and more. Vendors display a variety of items including fresh herbs, herbs for culinary, medicinal and decorative use, bulbs, seeds, books on birds, herbs and gardening, hypertufa, plants, herbal cookbooks, gardening magazines, bird feeders, houses and baths, antiques, china, spices, trellises, gourds, orchids, fudge, pasta, rolling pins, and many more. Times Square Mall is located on Broadway & 42nd Street. Hours are 10am – 9pm on Friday & Saturday and 12pm – 5pm Sunday. Free Admission & Free Hourly Classes. For more information call (800) 252-5464 or visit www.midwesternherbandgardenshow. com.

RollingRidgeNursery.com for more information or call (314) 9623311. Dig In: A Gardening Seminar St. Charles Community College Cottleville, MO February 24th An expanded format includes light breakfast and lunch. The day starts with a keynote speaker on the Importance of Soil. Three sessions will follow with a choice of five topics offered each session. Registrants will choose a topic for each session. $35 (nonrefundable) for registration received by February 16; $45 for late and at-the-door registration. Visit http://extension. missouri.edu/stcharles/digin.aspx to view the schedule of topics and details. Call 636-970-3000 to register for the seminar.

Community Agriculture Conference St. Louis University High School St. Louis, MO February 25th 12-5:30pm. Formerly PreSeason Gardening Expo known as the Rolling Ridge Nursery STL Community Webster Groves, MO Garden Summit, the February 10th Community Agriculture 10am-3pm. Join local industry Conference is an annual experts who will cover Gateway Greening gardening topics, education, event that brings in over demonstrations, and seed200 people each year. starting for kids. Refreshments This event provides the and prizes on hand. Visit opportunity to hear from national experts on community gardening, with, ask questions and horticulture, and community development. Attendees participate in share ideas with Landscape networking with other gardeners and people working in sustainable Designers, Local Growers, practices across the region. This year’s event features Keynote Local Green Industry Experts, Plant Society Representatives, and Speaker Rob Reiman, Executive Director of The Giving Grove more. Rolling Ridge Nursery, 60 N. Gore, Webster Groves. Visit (see our Dig This section in this issue for more on The Giving 10

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

Grove). Learn more at www.gatewaygreening.org/communityagriculture-conference/. 2018 Weekend Gardener Our Lady of Snows Belleville, IL March 3rd Attend session on a variety of topics including strawbale gardening, vegetable gardening, gardening with natives, flowering shrubs, and much more. Informative program for beginning gardeners and more advanced gardeners. Registration information is available at 618-939-3434. Gateway Green Industry Conference Gateway Convention Center Collinsville, IL March 7th Attend sessions on a variety of topics including native plants, diseases and pests in the landscape, and landscape design. Informative program for advanced gardeners and people working in the horticultural industry. Call 618-344-4230 for more information or register online at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/mms/. Partners for Native Landscaping Maryland Heights Community Center Maryland Heights, MO March 31st 9am-4pm Sat. A workshop for homeowners offering information and resources on how to landscape with native plants for greener communities. Keynote speaker will be Ted Spaid, co-founder of SWT Design. Breakout session topics expected to include Gardening for Wildlife, Rainscaping, and Native Gardening Practices. Native plants for sale, and various organizations on hand to answer questions about native gardening and related topics. Registration fee is TBD, but will open in January and include lunch. Save the date until then! Registration will be at www.stlouisaudubon.org/PNL2018. EarthDance Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program April-September 2018 EarthDance Organic Farm School announces a new season of its Farm and Garden Apprenticeship Program, a part-time, handson, education in organic gardening, market farming, and applied permaculture. The program includes part-time gardening and farm shifts led by professional farmers, field and market training, weekly classes on topics such as soil stewardship and farming as a business, 5 tours of local farms and gardens, permaculture projects such as mushroom cultivation, forest gardening, earthworks and more. Applications are due February 1, 2018 at Noon. An information session will be held at Schlafly Bottleworks on January 7th, 2-4pm. For more information call 314-521-1006 or visit www. EarthDanceFarms.org.

A Standard Flower Show

March 8th-11th Builder’s Home & Garden Show America’s Center • St. Louis, MO

his year’s annual flower show at the St. Louis Builder’s Home and Garden Show invites participants to put some Rock ‘n’ Roll in their floral designs! “Memories of Elvis” is the theme for this year’s edition of the annual flower show and competition, once again presented by the East Central District of the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Inc., National Garden Clubs, Inc., and the Home Builders Association of St. Louis and Eastern Missouri. Participants can enter in a number of categories, including a youth division, and show off designs celebrating a variety of themes. Children can get some tips and practice prior to the show by attending the Children’s Garden Club meeting on January 6th at Baisch & Skinner. Sponsors encourage any interested gardeners and flower arrangers to enter regardless of past experience. The deadline for entries is March

8th. For questions call: Design Entries Kim Peterson (314) 421-6272 Horticulture Entries Jackie Reynolds (314) 968-5004 Youth Entries Doug Wolter (314) 822-9095 The Flower Show is made possible by the Home Builders Association and the Home & Garden Show. Sponsors include Sherwood’s Forest Nursery and Garden Center, which provided landscape materials to beautify the flower show area, Saint Louis County Parks, Baisch and Skinner, National Garden Clubs, Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri, Jost Greenhouses, St. Louis Composting and Wiethop Greenhouses. Even if you don’t enter, be sure to stop by the Flower Show at Booth #129. And be sure to bring your children to the Children’s Garden Club booth #331. For complete rules and regulations, visit our website at: GatewayGardener. com/flower-shows/rules

Entry Form for Horticulture Division

Name__________________________________________ Phone #________________________________________ Address________________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip_____________ Class#

Class Title

_______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ Mail or email form to: Jackie Reynolds • 452 Foreston Place Webster Groves, MO 63119 • JReynolds452@charter.net

Entry Form for Design Division

(Also use this form for Youth Design Section*)

Name__________________________________________ Phone #________________________________________ Address________________________________________ City_________________State_______Zip_____________ For Youth Entries: Age_______ Class#

Grade______________

Class Title

_______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ _______ __________________________________ Mail form to:

Kim Peterson • 1705 Carroll St. • St. Louis, MO 63104

*Youth entries mail or email to: Douglas Wolter • St. Louis County Parks and Recreation • 1675 S. Mason Rd.• St. Louis, MO 63131 • DWolter@stlouisco.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

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Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Smart Home Gets Smart Landscape

David Sherwood

No home is complete w i t h o u t a proper landscape, and when the Gary Sinise Foundation r e c e n t l y oversaw the construction A view of the backyard of the Flamion of a new home. photo courtesy David Sherwood “Smart Home” for wounded Ballwin Police Officer Michael Flamion and his wife, Sherwood’s Forest Nursery & Garden Center stepped up to donate the design, materials and installation for the home’s landscape. Just as the home was designed for ease of access, maneuverability and function, Sherwood designer Bill Minford and his crew created David Sherwood, left, and Bill a landscape requiring Minford. minimal maintenance, using boxwood, hollies, inkberry, cypress and other low-maintenance shrubs to give year-round appeal with the fewest maintenance requirements. Officer Flamion was shot and paralyzed during a traffic stop in July 2016. According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, this was the first home from the Sinese Foundation to be given to a wounded police officer. Typically the organization builds and donates homes for wounded veterans. Between 90 and 100 companies donated time, materials and funds for this home, twice the typical involvement for the Sinese group’s smart homes, according to the Post-Dispatch report. The home was dedicated on November 21, 2017, when approximately 1500 people showed up to

welcome Officer Flamion and his wife to their new home and acknowledge the generosity and contributions of the many people and companies making the home possible.

New Illustrated Book Connects Readers with the Power of Herbs

The Missouri Botanical Garden Press has released a new book, “Herbs A to Z,” written by the St. Louis Herb Society. This colorful work aims to connect young readers to the world of herbs from Artemisia to Za’atar. Many wellknown herbs such as parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are represented in the book, but so are less common herbs including Joe Pye weed, Nepeta and Queen of the Meadow. Each herb includes a description of the plant’s historic origin or use. The book also highlights the role pollinators such as bees, beetles and bugs play in the life of herbs.

The manuscript for “Herbs A to Z” was developed by four Herb Society members after input from a larger group. The illustrations were hand-drawn and colored by Morgan Hutcherson, a graphic designer at the Garden. She sketched the artwork in pencil before inking the outline in pen. The illustrations were then painted with watercolors, scanned into the computer, and finished with digital touch-ups. The St. Louis Herb Society and Missouri Botanical Garden have a long history of partnerships. Herb Society members and Garden horticulturists work closely on a number of events, projects, and educational classes, to share a wealth of information about the wonderful world of herbs. The Herb Society was founded in 1941. Its members have planned, planted and maintained the herb garden behind the historical Tower Grove House – Missouri Botanical Garden founder Henry Shaw’s home – on the grounds

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

for more than 40 years. Their 16th annual Herb Days Sale will take place April 26 to 28, 2018. The 56page softcover book is available now in the Garden Gate Shop, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House Gift Shop and online from Missouri Botanical Garden Press.

Master Gardeners Honor Service

has served Missouri Botanical Garden for more than 30 years, retired at the end of the year. Phillip Egart was also recognized for his years of service as a liaison between the MBG and the Master Gardeners, helping facilitate programs, log service hours and Phillip Egart, left, and Ned provide assistance Siegel to the program and members in a variety of ways. (photos courtesy Master Gardener Dennis Green)

Community Orchards Feeding St. Louis

Members of the graduating class of 2017 in attendance

The St. Louis Master Gardeners met for their annual Holiday Luncheon in December, during which they honored newcomers and seasoned veterans. The group welcomed 65 incoming members of the Class of 2017 who completed the required 18-session course work, plus 40 hours of volunteer service. Veterans were also recognized for significant anniversaries of service. Leading the honorees was Mary Ann Pelot, who celebrated 35 years of service. Next up, Ann Case, Mary Chapman, Linda Koenig and Suze Stark were honored for 30 years of service. Leigh Walker completed 25 years with the program, and Jack Breier, Janet Jump and Leon Zickrick have contributed 20 years. Also recognized were 11 15-year MGs, 15 with a decade of service, and 24 5-year Master Gardeners. Finally, the St. Louis Master Gardeners recognized two Missouri Botanical Garden staff members. Glenn Kopp, Horticulture Glenn Kopp, left, and Master Information Manager Gardener Board Member Ned at the Garden, was Siegel honored for his years of service organizing and conducting classes for Master Gardener trainees as well as continuing education programs for existing certified MGs. Glenn, who JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

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Gateway Greening has partnered with The Giving Grove to bring sustainable community orchards to St. Louis. As of November 2017, Gateway Greening has already installed five orchards in both school and community gardens and is planning several more installations for Spring of 2018.

A Giving Grove orchard with an average of 15 trees is capable of producing over 3,500 pounds of produce each year, and has the potential to provide local communities with fresh, organic fruits and nuts for 25 years or more. With more than 120,000 St. Louisans living in food-insecure neighborhoods, sustainable orchards can a powerful source of food. Since 2013, The Giving Grove program (an established non-profit) has planted 135 community orchards in Kansas City, which are already producing fruit. The total production potential of these orchards weighs in at over 500,000 pounds per year, or 13 million pounds during the trees lifetime. In St. Louis, the Giving Grove program is expected to meet (or exceed) these yields in just 5 years.

Gardens that are currently part of the Gateway Greening network can now request both fruit and nut trees and shrubs as part of a bi-annual expansion grant through Gateway Greening. Community groups who are interested but not currently attached to a Network Garden are also encouraged to apply. Please contact Community Program Manager Dean Gunderson at dean@gatewaygreening.org or at 314-588-9600 x108 to learn more.

Upcoming Events Mom or Dad. $5 supply fee. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, call 636-239-6729 to RSVP. www.hillermann.com.

Meetings, Classes, Entertainment and More Updates to this information are often posted on our online events calendar at GatewayGardener. com, so check there for the latest details. Give us the details of your upcoming gardening, lawn or landscaping event and we’ll add it to our website and include it in our next issue. Deadline for printing in March issue is February 1st. How to reach us: Mail: PO Box 220853 St. Louis, MO 63122 Email: info@gatewaygardener. com

FUN FOR KIDS January 6th 9 am—Dried Flora—Children’s Garden Club. Baisch & Skinner, Inc., 2721 LaSalle St., St. Louis, MO. FREE. 10-11am—First Saturday Kids. Make a cupcake birdfeeder. $5 supply fee. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, call 636-239-6729 to sign up. www.hillermann.com. February 3rd 9am—Birding ProjectChildren’s Garden Club. Sappington Garden Shop. 11530 Gravois, St. Louis County, MO. FREE. 10-11am—First Saturday Kids. Bring the kids by and make a Valentine’s Planter as a figt for

CLASSES, LECTURES AND EVENTS January 6th 1-2pm—Maple Tapping. Learn to place a tap in a maple tree and set up the collection system. Later sessions will cover processing the syrup. University of Illinois Extension at Willoughby Farm, 631 Willoughby Lane, Collinsville. Register at (618) 346-7529. January 7th 2-4pm—EarthDance Farm & Garden Apprenticeship Information Session. Learn how you can participate in this handson part-time education in organic gardening, market farming, and applied permaculture. Schlafly Bottleworks Crown Room, 7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood. For more information call (314) 5211006 or visit EarthDanceFarms. org. January 11th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Practical Gardening with Native Plants. Gain an understanding of basic gardening maintenance tasks and improve knowledge of native plant horticulture. Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. Registration is required by visiting online at www. shawnature.org or calling (636) 451-3512 x6007. $17 ($14 Garden members). January 13th 10-11am—Mini Garden MakeN-Take Workshop. Create your own Mini Garden to take

home. A container, plants and mini decor items are included in a $40.00 supply fee. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com. January 20th 10-11am—String Garden Make-N-Take Workshop. Create your own moss ball string garden to take home. $20.00 supply fee. Please call 636-2396729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com. January 27th 10-11am—Margaritas, Succulents, and More. Come have a margarita, then use the glass as a succulent planter. $20.00 supply fee. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com. February 1st 10-11am—Mardi Gras Centerpiece and Table Decor. Learn how to make a unique New Oreans style Mardi Gras centerpiece. $20 supply fee. Hillermann Nursery & Florist. Please call 636-239-6729 to sign up. www.hillermann.com. February 3rd 1-2pm—Beginning Beekeeping. Learn how to get started in beekeeping. University of Illinois Extension at Willoughby Farm, 631 Willoughby Lane, Collinsville. Register at (618) 346-7529. February 3rd-4th 9am-5pm—Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis 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. Missouri Botanical Garden Ridgway Visitor Center. February2nd through March 25th 9am-5pm—Annual Orchid Show: Orchid Mania. Features 500 blooming orchids from one of the world’s premier orchid collections. The Orchid Show is the only time of year when a vast, rotating selection of orchids from the Garden’s collection is available for public viewing. Orthwein Floral Display Hall at Missouri Botanical Garden. February 8th 1-4pm—Native Plant School: Greenhouse Propagation of Native Plants. This class will introduce the basic propagation methods that involve stratification, scarification, timing, soils, containers, fertilization and basic insect management. Class held at Shaw Nature Reserve Greenhouse area. Session includes handson tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. Registration is required by visiting online at www.shawnature.org or calling (636) 451-3512 x6007. $17 ($14 Garden members). February 9th-11th 30th Anniversary Midwestern Herb and Garden Show. For both the gardening experts and the gardening hopefuls, three days of demonstrations, classes, and seminars with nationally recognized speakers and unique displays by more than 40+ exhibitors. The Herb & Garden Show is an opportunity to learn from the experts during the free hourly educational classes where you can ask questions, share information and even participate in take-home activities. Topics include The Art of Adding Herbs

The Gateway Gardener™ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

to your Cooking, Those “Other” Fruit-Bearing Plants, Identifying Horticultural Pests and Problems for Home Gardeners, and more. Vendors display a variety of items including fresh herbs, herbs for culinary, medicinal and decorative use, bulbs, seeds, books on birds, herbs and gardening, hypertufa, plants, herbal cookbooks, gardening magazines, bird feeders, houses and baths, antiques, china, spices, trellises, gourds, orchids, fudge, pasta, rolling pins, and many more. Times Square Mall located on Broadway & 42nd Street. Hours are 10am – 9pm on Friday & Saturday and 12pm – 5pm Sunday. Free Admission & Free Hourly Classes. For more information call (800) 2525464 or visit www.midwestern herbandgardenshow.com. February 10th 10am-3pm—Preseason Gardening Expo. Join local industry experts who will cover gardening topics, education, demonstrations, and seedstarting for kids. Refreshments and prizes on hand. Visit with, ask questions and share ideas with Landscape Designers, Local Growers, Local Green Industry Experts, Plant Society Representatives, and more. Rolling Ridge Nursery, 60 N. Gore, Webster Groves. Visit RollingRidgeNursery.com for more information or call (314) 962-3311. February 13th 10am—What’s your Plant Telling You? FREE class. Kirkwood Gardens, 2701 Barrett Station Rd., St. Louis, MO 63021. KirkwoodGardens.com. February 20th 6pm—Plant Trends: Tried & True / Old & New. FREE class. Kirkwood Gardens, 2701 Barrett Station Rd., St. Louis, MO 63021. KirkwoodGardens.com. February 22nd-March 29th 2pm and 7pm--Gardening Seminars. Each Thursday a

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

different topic is discussed. Join the fun! Today’s topic: Perennials: These are a Few of my Favorite Things, plus Plants and Trees, If You Please! Sappington Garden Shop, 11530 Gravois Rd. (314) 843-4700 or SappingtonGardenShop.com. February 24th St. Charles Master Gardeners’ Dig In: A Gardening Seminar. An expanded format includes light breakfast and lunch. The day starts with a keynote speaker on the Importance of Soil. Three sessions will follow with a choice of five topics offered each session. Registrants will choose a topic for each session. $35 (nonrefundable) for registration received by February 16; $45 for late and at-the-door registration. Visit http://extension.missouri. edu/stcharles/digin.aspx to view the schedule of topics and details. Call 636-970-3000 to register for the seminar. All major credit cards accepted. St. Charles Community College, 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Cottleville, MO.

how to make a beautiful and functioning vegetable garden. University of Illinois Extension at Willoughby Farm, 631 Willoughby Lane, Collinsville. Register at (618) 346-7529. 2018 Weekend Gardener. See page 11. March 7th Gateway Green Industry Conference. See page 11. March 8th-11th Memories of Elvis: A Standard Flower Show. See page 11. March 31st 9am-4pm Sat. Partners for Native Landscaping. A workshop for homeowners offering information and resources on how to landscape with native plants for greener communities. Keynote speaker will be Ted Spaid, co-founder of SWT Design. Breakout session topics expected to include Gardening for Wildlife,

Rainscaping, and Native Gardening Practices. Native plants for sale, and various organizations on hand to answer questions about native gardening and related topics. Registration fee is TBD, but will open in January and include lunch. Save the date until then! Registration will be at www.stlouisaudubon. org/PNL2018. Maryland Heights Community Center Maryland Heights, MO.

Share the love of gardening Become a Master Gardener  Training is the first step and begins January 31, 2018 at the St. Charles County Extension Center  15 weeks  Wednesdays, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.  $195, all major credit cards accepted

Call 636-970-3000 for more info

equal opportunity/ADA institution

February 25th 12-5:30 PM - Community Agriculture Conference. Formerly known as the STL Community Garden Summit, this year’s event features Keynote Speaker Rob Reiman, Executive Director of The Giving Grove. Learn more at www.gatewaygreening. org/community-agricultureconference/ February 25th-May 7th 6:30-9:30pm each Monday— Jefferson County Master Gardener Classes. Jefferson College Hillsboro Campus, Student Center’s Viking Room. Contact University of Missouri Extension Office at (636) 7975391. March 2nd-4th Art in Bloom. See page 6. March 3rd 1-2pm—Gardening 101. Learn

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