The Gateway Gardener June 2014

Gateway Gardener

JUNE 2014

THE

速

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Perennial Month Outstanding Picks for Landscaping Success!

Hydrangeas Gardening with Native Sedges What Did Last Winter Do to My Plants?!

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From the Editor

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

June 2014

Volume 10, Number 5

Founded in 2005 by

Robert Weaver & Joyce Bruno

Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists

Barbara Perry Lawton Garden Book Author and Garden Writer Connie Alwood Master Gardener Ellen Barredo Certified Nursery Professional Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Cindy Gilberg Landscape Design Mara Higdon Gateway Greening Glenn Kraemer Turf Horticulturist Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional 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.

J

udging by the bountiful crop of garden tours featured in this month’s Upcoming Events calendar, I’m going to go out on a limb and say, historically, June is the peak month in our region for showing off our gardens at their best!

I say historically, because the early and intense heat of recent years has sometimes introduced the doldrums and stresses of late summer a bit early. But the return of a more prolonged spring this year should mean those showcase gardens are once again peaking for their prime-time performances!

To some, the gardens on many tours are a source of intimidation.

I try not to view them as such.

I’m realistic enough to know the design of my own garden falls way short of those skillful and artful masterpieces I hope to visit this month. I too easily fall victim to that common syndrome of falling in love with a plant, then trying to force it into the landscape somewhere. Plus, as a perk of this job, people send me plants to trial without any regard for how those plants might disrupt my grand scheme, and I’m only too happy to let them! Nonetheless, I

the full list) of top-performing perennials for sun and shade on page 10, both newer varieties as well as some tried-and-true!

One of my favorite newer perennials for part shade-Geranium ‘Biokova Karmina’. find inspiration in those gardens that do adhere to a plan, and often I steal some idea here or there to call my own. I think it’s the least those one-percenter gardeners can give the rest of us, don’t you?

(Wow! Maybe there is a little intimidation lurking under the skin…)

Anyway the cornerstones of many gardens you’ll see this month are the reliable, returnable perennials, and this is also their month! Perennial guru Bill Ruppert provides us with a Top 10 list (which necessarily we’ve truncated to 6 in print— visit GatewayGardener.com for

On the Cover...

June is Perennial Plant Month, a great time to explore the wide world of perennial plants to brighten your garden year after year. Not all perennials are created equally though, so we’ve introduced you to some newer, as well as triedand-true picks like this Allium ‘Millennium’ ornamental onion. See more on page 10 (Photo courtesy Walters Gardens, Inc., www.PerennialResource.com)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Hydrangeas 6 Gardening with Native Sedges 8 Desert and Cacti Show and Sale

Sedges are a perennial, too, one I came to relatively recently in my gardening life, but one that has quickly climbed the charts of my personal favorites, being so adaptive to sun, shade, wet or dry conditions, and thriving in all the extreme weather St. Louis can throw at them. Scott Woodbury introduces us to some native favorites on page 6.

And many perennials qualify as herbs with medicinal or culinary uses. Joyce Driemeyer gives us a few Monardas, also known as bee balm, horsemint, bergamot and by other names, to consider in this category on page 19.

June is Perennial Plant Month.

June is Garden Tour Month (unofficially, as far as I know.)

June is a busy time to work in, and also enjoy the bounties of, our gardens and those of others.

Happy Gardening!

10 Outstanding Perennials for Landscape Success 12 Summer Lawn Care 14 Strawberries 14 JT’s Fresh Ideas Oven-Roasted Asparagus 15 June Harvest List 16 Palm Care for Pool & Patio 18 What Winter Did to Plants 19 Monardas--Native Herbs 20 TLC for Winter-Stressed Roses 21 Dig This 22 Upcoming Events

Hydrangeas

by Barbara Perry Lawton

H

ydrangeas have been favorite flowering shrubs for many years. The original species, several dozen, are native to many parts of eastern and southern Asia as well as the Americas. The temperate species bear flowers from spring through summer and are deciduous. Most of these hydrangeas grow up to three to five feet in height.

The flowers are of two types. Some are commonly called mopheads and have large flower heads that resemble pom-poms. The other flower type is lacecap. These flowers are large flat round flower heads with center sections of less prominent fertile florets surrounded by rings of showy sterile flowers.

In the garden landscape, hydrangeas are effective when planted in masses and when combined in mixed gardens with perennials. Some of the larger hydrangeas with flashier flower heads are effectively used as focal points. These are long-lived plants that tend to bloom heavily every other year.

Hydrangeas will thrive in moist well-draining soil with a pH that is acidic

to slightly alkaline. They should have afternoon shade, especially in hot, humid climates such as ours. Other than afternoon shade, many hydrangeas will do well with morning sun. Too much shade will reduce flowering. Too much sun may burn them. If your hydrangeas are not flowering well, this may be caused by improper pruning, bad site, winter bud damage, or using fertilizer with too much nitrogen— this pushes foliage at the expense of the flowers—you can’t go wrong by using organic fertilizers. Many hydrangeas, including the bigleaf hydrangea, have colors that vary greatly, depending upon the soil pH. For strongest blues, soil pH should be 4.5 to 5.0. For strong pinks and reds, soil pH should be 7.5 to 8.5, As with all flowering shrubs, you can’t go wrong by pruning them right after they’ve finished blooming. If you want to save the dried flower heads for arrangements, prune after you have removed those. You can cut back canes by about a third on older plants. For more specific directions on pruning of various hydrangeas, check with your local nursery. Hydrangeas seldom have insect or disease problems.

Five hydrangea species are widely grown in the United States. Three are of Oriental origin and two are native Americans.

Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), native to the eastern half of the United States, is a good choice for shrub borders. The two-inch or more lacecap flowers are showy and may have outer flowers that are bluish or pinkish. They flower from June to September. Advocates of native gardens should always plant native plant species rather than cultivars.

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Bigleaf or gardener’s hydrangea (H. macrophylla), originally from Japan, is the most popular of all the hydrangeas. The summer flowers

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are large inflorescences of white, pink or blue that are flat-topped and make a great display. This one comes in a wide variety of cultivars.

Mountain hydrangea (H. macrophylla subsp. serrata) is a subspecies of bigleaf hydrangea with slightly smaller leaves and flowers. Hardier than bigleaf hydrangea, the mountain hydrangea is a great choice for the edges of wooded areas as it will thrive in comparative shade.

Oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia), with its oak-like leaves and larger size, is native to southeastern United States where it grows in moist woodlands. This may be a more difficult shrub for small-to mediumsized gardens since it is comparatively coarse and also suckers from an extensive root system. The summer flower heads open white, then change to a purplish shade before fading to brown. In shady situations, it can perform well in a shrub border.

Panicle hydrangea (H. paniculata), another Asian species, is a large and coarse shrub that benefits from regular pruning. The white early summer flowers gradually change to a bluish pink. This needs larger spaces and probably would be at best for the rear portions of shrub borders.

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Finally, there is the climbing hydrangea (H. anomala subsp. petiolaris), originally from China and Japan, and considered the top ornamental vine. This one is excellent for good effects on walls, trees and other structures—be careful as it gets woody and heavy, thus needing strong support. Six- to ten-inch flat-topped white flower heads appear in early summer.

To learn more about hydrangeas, join The American Hydrangea Society (P.O. Box 53234, Atlanta, GA 30355), or to connect with local hydrangea lovers, visit www.stlouishydrangeasociety.org to find out more about the St. Louis Hydrangea Society.

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

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5

Naturally Natives Gardening with Native Sedges Text and Photo By Scott Woodbury

I

f gardeners think of sedges, a particular weed may come to mind: yellow nutsedge. It isn’t a proper sedge in the genus Carex, but a flatsedge in the genus Cyperus, which mostly consists of spreading species too weedy for gardening. Among Carex, however, several species work well in the garden. Unlike their flatsedge cousin, these garden-worthy species delight gardeners. For real, as my sevenyear old son would say.

Carex albicans Oak Sedge

inches. In some winters it can be nearly evergreen, although in normal years it turns tan. It slowly creeps to form a dense mat in dry, shady places and works nicely with other diminutive shadelovers like wild sweet William (Phlox divaricata) and dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata). There is an interesting YouTube video of this one showing the plant in the wild.

Oak sedge (Carex albicans) is gaining popularity thanks to Take bristle sedge (Carex its ease in gardening and the leptalea) for instance. It is also referred to as slender sedge or pioneering work of Missouri Wildflowers Nursery. It is a shadebristle-stalked sedge. It looks like a green bristle brush or a spiny to part shade-loving sedge growing 8 to 10 inches on dry to sea urchin. Slow-growing and topping off at 4 inches, this one is moist soils. Its arching thread-like foliage surrounded by prairie similar to cedar sedge except that it tolerates sun and wet areas. pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) is a winning combination. If you It makes an ideal rain garden plant at the edges. In the Whitmire like this one, you might try the very similar James sedge (Carex Wildflower Garden, where I’ve jamesii), which is slightly evergreen though its leaf tips tend to go gardened for the past two tan in summer. decades, this one grows next A versatile Carex that would grow in most gardens is palm sedge to prairie alumroot (Heuchera (Carex muskingumensis). It tolerates sun or shade, dry or wet.

Custom DESIGNS richardsonii), and is partially Beginner gardeners can’t go wrong with this one. It’s two feet for each unique site shaded by a red buckeye (Aesculus tall, long-lived, and provides a fine-textured tropical contrast to INSTALLATION of pavia) that blooms at the same broad-leaved plants. In sunny areas mix in a couple yellow wild beautiful plants and time in early April.

Bristle sedge walls, paths, and indigo (Baptisia sphaerocarpa) and orange coneflower (Rudbeckia patios is currently in production at Shaw fulgida). In the shade, try it with sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) Nature Reserve. and the bold round leaves of wild hydrangea, (Hydrangea Meticulous MAINTENANCE of every property entrusted to our care

Next in the line of tiny sedges is cedar sedge (Carex eburnea). Its pocket-sized emerald green tufts of hair-like leaves top out at 10

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arborescens). It also tolerates rain gardens and tough clay. When planted in mass, palm sedge reduces garden maintenance. It can be cut down once a year in March with a push mower set on high with no need to rake up clippings or for mulching. Two other terrific sedges for shade that are under two feet include fringed sedge (Carex crinita) and bur sedge (Carex grayii).

Native gardeners have relied heavily on prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) over the years to create a soft, grassy look. None of the other native grasses perform in the same short, permanent, well-behaved way in full sun. But some sedges do and are as good or better than prairie dropseed, especially in clay or poorly drained soils. The fox sedges come to mind first (Carex vulpinoidea) and (Carex annectans). They look similar, if not identical, to prairie dropseed though they bloom in spring with no intense fragrance. Lets face it, you either love the smell of prairie dropseed in bloom or you hate it.

If you are looking for a low-maintenance native groundcover to use instead of invasive wintercreeper, English ivy, periwinkle,

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JUNE 2014

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants or liriope, look no further. Gold sedge (Carex aureolensis) at 18 inches is a great alternative. Tolerant of sun and shade, this creeping sedge quickly fills into a solid mat, eliminating most weeds and the need to mulch. Simply mow in March as you would liriope and walk away. Scatter in a few companion plants like seedbox (Ludwigia alternifolia) or slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) for contrast. Brown bog sedge (Carex buxbaumii) and riverbank sedge (Carex emoryi) are two other top-performing alternative groundcovers.

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Sedges in the Wild Missouri is blessed with more than 100 species in the genus Carex, one of many genera in the Cyperaceae family. In the wild, Carex species grow in virtually every natural community of the state. The sedges discussed in the article above occur in these habitats: Cedar sedge (Carex eburnea): along bluffs and under cedars on glades Bristle sedge (C. leptalea): fens Oak sedge (C. albicans): upland forests and woodlands

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James sedge (C. jamesii): mesic forests Palm sedge (C. muskingumensis): mesic and wet-mesic bottomland forests Fringed sedge (C. crinita): stream banks and acidic seeps Bur sedge (C. grayii): bottomland forests Fox sedges (C. vulpinoidea: marshes and moist soil; and C. annectans: prairie swales and bottomland prairies) Gold sedge (C. aureolensis): variety of moist habitats Brown sedge (C. buxbaumii): fens, prairies, bottomland forest openings; a Missouri species of conservation concern Riverbank sedge (C. emoryi): stream banks and wet prairies Protection of natural communities as well as use of nursery-grown Carex species in landscaping will help assure that these sedges continue to thrive in Missouri.

Horticulturalist 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. Nurseries interested in attaining stock material of Carex are encouraged to contact the author at scott. woodbury@mobot.org.

JUNE 2014

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Celebrate the Desert and Cacti in June!

Annual Cactus Show and Sale Kicks Off Desert Show at MBG Each year, the Henry Shaw Cactus Society hosts what has become the biggest cactus and succulent show in the Midwest at Missouri Botanical Gardens.

This year the show and sale take place on June 28th and 29th, and coincide with the kickoff of the Garden’s new Desert Show, also sponsored by the HSCS. The Desert Show, subtitled “Plants of the South Africa & Madagascar,” runs from June 28th through July 27th, and features plants that occur in those desert and arid regions as well as a look at the people of the region and how they use indigenous plant species. Containing the world’s most significant amount of biodiversity, South Africa is one of the

world’s floral hot spots.

The Desert Show is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Orthwein Floral Display Hall. Garden admission plus $5; free for Garden members.

The HSCS Cactus and Succulent Show and Sale will feature over 150 classes of plants, plus workshops and presentations to educate and inform people about this fascinating classification of plants. The Show and Sale are also open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 28th-29th at the Missouri Botanical Garden Ridgway Center. For more information visit www.hscactus. org.

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pe u R

Outstanding Perennials for Landscape Success 2014 Edition

PICKS

Text By Bill Ruppert, Photos Courtesy PerennialResource.com

for Lower Midwest landscapes

T

he pace of new perennial introductions by plant explorers and breeders each year is almost staggering. What is a herbaceous perennial enthusiast to do? Is NEW always improved? How does the “latest and greatest” compare to the traditional tried and true?

As both an avid home gardener and professional in the field of wholesale horticultural plant sales and marketing, I enjoy the opportunity to learn about and trial cutting edge plants in my Kirkwood garden. I also value a wonderful relationship with artisan landscape designers and landscape architects to promote the best-of-the-best perennial plants for both high profile institutional landscapes and unique residential gardens. These professionally designed landscapes expand opportunities for personal examination of perennials growing beyond my personal garden.

In addition to experiencing these plants “in action,” I also collaborate with my team of plant propagation suppliers to distribute new and under utilized perennials to botanical institutions of our region to include with their plant trials and exhibits. During the spring of 2014, we distributed 38 selections to the Missouri Botanical Garden (Kemper Gardens), St. Louis Community College Meramec Horticulture Learning Gardens, Mizzou Botanic Garden (at the University of Missouri in Columbia), and Powell Gardens (Kansas City’s botanical garden).

The following perennials highlight a sampling of “Rupe’s PICKS” based on multiple observations in landscapes of the lower Midwest.

Dig Deeper.

Visit GatewayGardener.com/ Articles for More of Rupe’s Picks

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Hellebore ‘Ivory Prince’

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Hellebores (too many superior cultivars to list just one!)

(Lenten Rose)— Wow, for the deer and rabbit impacted landscape, Hellebores are a must for the shade garden.

Requiring minimal water application during drought weather conditions, the numerous selections of Hellebores are the perfect choice for placement under mature shade tree species sensitive to excessive supplemental irrigation. The semi-evergreen nature of the foliage provides a bonus throughout the dormant months of winter. A diversity of cultivars offers a plethora of flower colors and forms in association with a variety of foliage characteristics. A few

favorite Lenten Rose selections include `Ivory Prince’, `Pink Frost’, `Winter Sunshine’, `Sunshine Ruffles’ and `Peppermint Ruffles’.

Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Bevan’s Variety’ (Cranesbill)— A n o t h e r champion for the deer and rabbit impacted shade landscape. A wonderful colonizing groundcover geranium with aromatic foliage sporting thick clusters of deep magenta flowers blooming mid-spring into early summer.

This 8-12” dependable shade perennial is extremely rabbit and deer resistant.

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JUNE 2014

Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’

Allium ‘Millennium’ Allium ‘Millennium’ (Ornamental Onion)— This hybrid from Allium guru Mark McDonough has been picture perfect at the Citygarden in downtown St. Louis. It forms a compact, upright clump of glossy green, thick and strappy leaves, which emit a slight smell of onion when crushed.

In mid summer, a profusion of large 2”, bright rosy purple, tightly rounded clusters of flowers appear on strong stems just above the attractive foliage.

Butterflies and honeybees adore their sweet nectar but deer and rabbits steer clear of this perennial beauty. This selection has not been known to reseed in the landscape and is very easy to grow.

many perennials with purple foliage, this hibiscus requires direct exposure to UV light (grown in full sun) to achieve the darkest foliage color. The flowers begin as glossy, black-red buds and open to 8-9”, deep scarlet red petals. The habit is relatively compact, measuring in at 4’ tall x 4 ½’ wide, which is intermediate in size between its parents.

Since this variety is an indeterminate bloomer (has buds at several nodes up the stem), it blooms for an extended period from midsummer into early fall.

clump of tiny, green leaves. In year two, the plant maintains its compact mounding habit but nearly doubles its spread to just over two feet across. This is a very floriferous selection whose flower power is amplified by its having its flowers spaced closely together on the stems. Periwinkle blue flowers are coddled by dark purple calyxes just above the aromatic foliage from early summer into early fall.

‘Purrsian Blue’ has everything today’s gardeners are looking for: a low maintenance, drought tolerant, deer resistant, long-

Sun

Nepeta faassenii ‘Purrsian Blue’ PPAF (Catmint)— Among the many catmints, this new selection offers a significantly improved tidy habit, being a bit smaller and more compact in size (14-18” height). In its first year, ‘Purrsian Blue’ forms a small, perfectly rounded, densely branched

TH

Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ PPAF (Rose Mallow)— This outstanding selection combines some of the best genetics among popular hardy hibiscus varieties, including very deep wine purple, dissected maple-like foliage that is thick and leathery. Like

Nepeta ‘Purrsian Blue’

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Rudbeckia ‘Little Goldstar’ blooming perennial that looks great all season.

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Little Goldstar’ PP22397 (Black-Eyed Susan)— The deserving new standard in Rudbeckia! A much more compact, proportional selection graced with a dome of star-shaped, 2-21/2”, golden yellow blossoms carried on very well-branched scapes rising above rich green foliage. Extremely resistant to septoria black leaf spot, a fungus commonly found on the highly antiquated `Goldsturm’ selection.

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11

Summer Lawn Care

By Glennon Kraemer

T

his is the time of year where your lawn care practices are very different for cool-season lawns versus warmseason lawns. If you have both like I do, pick the one you like best and treat the lawn as a whole. You will never hurt zoysia treating it like blue grass (except when it comes to spraying weeds), but you can really hurt blue grass treating it like zoysia. I’ll explain.

Mowing

and disease resistant the lawn will be through out the summer.

Remember, it is a “cool-season” plant, so it needs all the help we can give it to survive in an environment in which it doesn’t do well (hot weather). Tall grass blades help keep the soil cool and slow down evaporation. Warm-season grasses are the exact opposite. Zoysia will spread and choke out weeds better if it is mowed at 1”-2”. Watch tree roots and other items in the yard at that short of mowing height! Keep a sharp blade and try to remove only 1/3 of the plant at a time.

Cool-season lawns will benefit from mowing at 3 ½” to 4”.

There is a direct correlation to mowing height and root depth Fertilizing in cool season lawns. The deeper the roots, the more drought Summer applications of organic fertilizers are always the best in my opinion. They have slow-release properties that prevent burning, and when combined with synthetics (know as “bridge products”) really offer some fantastic color without surge growth. Cool-season lawns are especially suspect to diseases in the summer and surge growth is main culprit for causing diseases to prosper. Warm-season grasses are almost disease free in the summer and will benefit from quick-release nitrogen applications (like ammonium sulfate or urea). I like Milorganite ® or Survivor ®, a 16-2-0 with 80% slowrelease nitrogen from 5 different nitrogen sources. It has some ammonium sulfate and urea for quick green up and 3 forms of slow release nitrogen (bio-solids, chicken solids and SCU) for P O T T E D P L A T E D an extended feed. One dose for cool season lawns and 2-3 for warm season lawns through August is all I would recommend.

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Other Practices

Spray weeds as directed by the label. Warm season grasses have to be fully greened up before spraying most herbicides.

“Sedgehammer” ® is the chemical of choice for nutsedge.

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JUNE 2014

Reapply 2-3 weeks after the first application to insure you get 70-80% in one season. It’s a tough one to control. Water cool-season lawns in the morning, but warm-season lawns can be watered anytime. They actually like to be watered in the hot time of the day. Cool-season lawns like their dew period extended, i.e. water between 5am and 8am when possible.

Deep, infrequent watering is best, but nothing is guaranteed.

I water for two days in a row and then take 2-3 days off from June through August. Grub controls should be applied in late June/early July (Merit)® or Dylox ® in Mid August on either grass type. My lawn never looks perfect, but by the end of September…you never know what it looked like in July.

Summer can be very bad on cool season lawns, but if you keep your expectations lower from July to Mid-September, you won’t be disappointed.

Remember folks, it’s just grass.

Glenn Kraemer owns and operates GR Robinson Seed and Service, and can be reached by phone at (314) 432-0300 or by email at gmmseed@sbcglobal.net.

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University Gardens

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Hartke Nursery Inc

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JUNE 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

Bayer Garden Center (two locations)

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Passiglia Nursery

Fendler’s Nursery

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13

The Cornucopia Corner rows 40-48 inches apart. You want to make sure there is space to walk and crouch down

By Mara Higdon comfortably while weeding, Preparation for a strawberry cultivating, and harvesting. patch should start the fall before Plant the individual plants 30 – you want to plant strawberries. 36 inches apart from each other.

Get a soil sample of the area Don’t worry, the mother plant designated for the strawberry will produce “runners” or new patch to check for a high level of baby strawberry plants. You organic matter. If there isn’t, add need to leave them space to compost or aged manure to the grow into. garden area in the fall and turn Now here’s the tough part. . . into the soil. By the time spring remove all the blossoms in the In my humble opinion, rolls around, the soil should be first year. This is important as strawberries are one of the ready to plant. Make sure you the plant must reserve energy most delicious fruits we can choose a sunny location to plant to produce runners. Keep them grow in Missouri. There are your strawberries. Strawberries well watered and mulch them many varieties to try with some are susceptible to fungus and with straw or sawdust. This fruiting early in the season, mid- wilt. Sunnier locations can keeps the leaves drier and weeds season, and late. Plant cultivars potentially minimize the risk of down. Through the first year, continue to weed and make sure from each fruiting season to disease. have strawberries growing all One plant should produce about that soil is cultivated to allow season long.

1 quart of berries. Space your runners to penetrate and take

Strawberries

Garden on your Deck or Balcony Grow flowers, herbs or veggies

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In the second year, remove the mulch in early spring, leaving a bit of the straw to block out weeds. Carefully dig up stray runners and relocate closer toward the center of the row. Pick strawberries on a regular basis as they become ripe. Remove damaged/rotting strawberries from the patch to keep pests and diseases down.

After harvest is complete you can jump-start the patch for the next season by mowing the rows of strawberry plants with a lawnmower set on high. Then thin the plants leaving 5-7 plants per square foot. You can also remove stray runners that you

Fresh Ideas

Oven ROasted aspaRagus

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Made in St. Louis

root. Mulch with straw in late fall/winter to provide protection from the elements and keep the plant from heaving out of the ground.

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Preparation Instructions Garden desiGn and rearranGement • sprinG cleanup of Gardens • mulchinG • Soil testing and preparation • Complete annual and perennial delivery and plantinG • maintenance—weedinG, deadheadinG, fertilizinG and insect control • Composting • Shrub and ornamental tree pruning and thinning • Indoor plant repottIng • Fall bulb plantIngs • greenhouse care • Winter preparation for beds and roses • Vegetable & Herb Gardening

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Gary & Gail Abbott

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness.

Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

This recipe courtesy http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oven-roasted-asparagus/ Please share some of your favorite recipes with us.

You can email us at info@gatewaygardener.com.

The Gateway Gardener®

JUNE 2014

Tips for Growing, Buying and Cooking Fresh, Locally Sourced Food for Your Table don’t want to clean the shape of zip lock bag for a late summer/ each row. winter treat. Or you can pop it Strawberries can be washed, in your mouth for immediate laid out to dry, then frozen in a enjoyment.

Mara Higdon is the Program Director at Gateway Greening, Inc. They focus on community development through gardening throughout the St. Louis area. You can reach her at (314) 588-9600 x22 or by email at mara@gatewaygreening.org.

June Harvest

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

Vegetables

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

Spinach Squash (summer) Sweet Corn Tomatoes Turnips

Fruits

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

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The Gateway Gardener®

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15

Palm Care for Pool and Patio

T

By Ellen Barredo

here’s nothing quite like being surrounded by boldly textured palms! Here are a few suggestions for success with palms.

Purchase your palms at a local garden center as they usually acquire their palms from reputable growers that have techniques set up to ‘Light Transition’ palms before they are ever shipped to St. Louis. You get what you pay for in palms, resist that ‘great deal palm’ it probably came straight from the field and onto a truck.

Moist or cold conditions usually require less frequent applications.

Salt buildup is a problem with palms grown in containers. Incomplete watering, along with fertilizers you give to the plant can result in salt buildup in the soil. This buildup can result in leaf tip discoloration (burning), general plant decline and eventual death if not corrected.

Fertilizer

Organic fertilizers such as Espoma Palm Tone are slower acting and Light have less chance of burning your Light will depend on the type of palm palm. Fertilize four times/year giving you choose to grow. The most important 1 teaspoon for every 4 inches of pot thing to note here is “Full Sun Palms Outdoors” grown indoors over winter will require as much light as you can manage. Supplemental diameter. Scratch it into the top of the soil evenly and water in.

Palms also enjoy a little extra boost of micro nutrients. Do this light is almost a must for some palms. with caution, additional micro nutrients may be iron, sulphur, or magnesium. Very small doses could help prevent yellowing Water Observe the soil surface in the pot for dryness. Water enough to foliage or spotted foliage. Usually by the time palms are exhibiting ensure water flows from the bottom of the container. The watering symptoms it is too late to save the look of the foliage. Although it process may need to be repeated to ensure this happens. Never let is not a fertilizer, I would give a shot of Bio Tone periodically. the container go too dry. (Take note rooftop and balcony gardeners.)

Dry, hot, and windy conditions require more frequent watering. Pruning Pruning palms should be done with great thought. Many are slow growing. People in the quest for perfection want to trim away leaves with damage or tears. Just remember, Palms in the real world have imperfections. Even though these leaves are not perfect the leaves are providing a source of nutrition for the plant. When trimming a frond follow the stem and cut close to the palm’s trunk leaving about an inch to two-inch stub. Removing these stubs at pruning time can cause permanent scars to the trunk, increasing the chance

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The Gateway Gardener®

JUNE 2014

of bacterial or fungal infections. This stub should be allowed to dry spaces with additional soil and water again. It could be a big plus crisp and then they can be easily removed by hand. if you watered with Espoma BioTone at this point. Remember, you should see the water draining easily from the pot. If you like you Repotting can cover the soil with a top dressing of decorative bark.

A palm can usually grow well in the same container for one to two years before transplanting into a larger container. Repot when Moving Outdoors/Indoors the plant’s roots are coming out of the bottom of your container, When making the move outdoors it is important to go to shade first or when the plant is just too big and unstable for the container and then to sun which takes about three weeks transition time. Start it is in. A container must give ample soil volume for growth and in early April when light and temperatures are more moderate. weight for stability. In general, palms prefer deep pots to shallow Move back indoors September – October. Don’t forget to spray off ones. Remember repotting is best performed in the spring or early the foliage and soap spray before returning the plant to the home. summer, a time when the plant and its roots can grow optimally.

When repotting a palm into a larger pot, you should give ample new potting mix below the old root ball. I mix small amounts of Espoma palm fertilizer or Espoma Blood Meal into fresh potting medium and generous amounts of Espoma Soil Perfector in the bottom of the new pot.

Next place the root ball into the container carefully, taking care not to break it apart. This is an example of where we do not tease or separate the roots during repotting. Bismarkia nobilis are known for setbacks after repotting because of root disturbance.

Fill the sides with the new soil pushing down the side firmly leaving no air space. Do not cover the top of the existing root mass with soil and please leave several inches from the top of the pot to the soil line for easier watering. Next, water the repotted palm and do this at least three times in a row to ensure the water has wet the entire root mass. If soil has settled, fill with the open

JUNE 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

Ellen Barredo is a Missouri Certified Nursery Professional with more than 30 years in professional horticulture. She works at Bowood Farms and can be reached at (314) 454-6868 or ebarredo77@gmail.com.

Dig Deeper.

Visit GatewayGardener.com/Articles For a List of Ellen’s Palm Reccomendations

17

What Did LAST Winter Do to my Plants?!

M

any plants suffered cold or winter damage from the unusually low temperatures that lasted for days at a time last winter.

You probably have seen trees with sparse leaf growth, shrubs with brown leaves, broken or blanched looking tips on some evergreens and some established plants growing only near the base of the plant.

All of these are the visual signs of a hard winter, where ice and snow can bend and break stem tissue. Many newly planted plants were susceptible to the weather, but we’ve seen extremely slow recovery on older, well-established plants as well.

And I mean extremely slow recovery; yes they are recovering….

By Steffie Littlefield

temperatures drop below zero for days.

These zone 6-8 plants become brown on the top leaves and even throughout the plant. Many appeared to be dead, but after a few weeks of really warm weather in May, most of these plants are spouting new green leaves and flower buds. I have found that when the brown leaves were removed the new leaves appeared faster.

An application of a slow release organic fertilizer like cottonseed meal in the spring is very helpful. In the late fall broadleaf evergreens can be sprayed with an antidesiccant like Wilt-pruf® to protect their foliage from the coldest temperatures.

Why is it taking so long for some plants to show new growth, while others started There is no doubt that since our leafing as soon as the sun came out? agricultural zone was adjusted a few Deciduous spring-blooming shrubs or those that lose their leaves every fall/ years ago to a warmer rating, more and This 5-year-old crapemyrtle died back to the winter start to grow quickly when the more plants have entered our market that ground, but was sprouting new growth. days become longer and warmer. They are prefer milder winters. But they also tolerate the hotter, dryer summers we are experiencing. So there is a trade triggered by the change in day length and will quickly leaf out and off. One of my favorite evergreens in the last 3-4 years has been the start their annual cycle of growth. Plants that hold onto their leaves skip laurel ‘Otto Luyken.’ These broadleaf evergreens have lovely into the cold winter months do not respond to day length as much waxy green leaves that will remain all winter, except when the as soil temperature. These plants expect to still have leaves through winter into spring and summer and then will shed their leaves as the new growth pushes out. So their cycle of growth starts much later in the season. Then there are those late summer blooming shrubs such as crape myrtle, buddleia, and rose of Sharon whose growth is delayed until night temperatures are warmer. Some of these plants that were 6-8’, may even have died back to the base of the plant this year. Now they are starting to sprout and will quickly re-grow to their former large size. Once it is clear that a plant is only sprouting from its lower stems then the bare dead stems can be removed. Please be patient with these plants and allow them time to recover. Use fertilizers in moderation. Over-fertilizing a plant only weakens the stems.

After examining countless gardens and landscapes this spring, I have found most plants are rebounding from the hard winter. Some older weak azaleas, roses or newly planted arborvitae were extremely disfigured. Trees that were weakened by the drought 2 years ago are worse. Many new or established laurels, hollies and nandina were brown and appeared dead, but then have bravely pushed out new life. Hydrangeas are growing only from the base. Given time, light fertilizers and plenty of water most of the damaged plants will recover and the patient gardener will be rewarded.

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 Horticultural Association and past president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metropolitan St. Louis.

18

The Gateway Gardener®

JUNE 2014

Monardas-Truly Native Herbs

by Joyce Driemeyer

M. didyma

M. bradburiana

A

Monarda didyma, beebalm, with its beautiful, showy scarlet flower heads, is handsome in the border. It gets tall, 3 or more feet, and requires loamy rich soil, shade and lots of moisture but not soggy soil. The leaves were used by native Oswego Indians for beverage. Following the Boston Tea Party—a rebellion against British tariff The monardas are members of the mint on tea—it became a substitute for tea in family (Labiatae) with some 15 species. I New England. The plant is susceptible to shall address only 4 of the most common mildew, need adequate circulation, but there and available ones as garden and useful are mildew-resistant cultivars available. subjects. The flowers of these species attract It normally blooms through summer into a great variety of bees, hummingbirds and September and spreads by runner.

M. russeliana , syn. M. bradburiana, is even sphinx moths—all great pollinators.

The name monarda was given to the native to the southern part of our state; it genus by Linnaeus to honor a 16th century likes acid soil and open woods or glades.

Spanish botanist Nicholas Menardes, who This plant is the earliest flowering of the made a study of, and wrote about, plants monardas with pale lavender bloom from of American origin, even though he never late April to June. The leaves are used for came to America. He actually grew and tea. lthough we think of most herbs as of European, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern origin, the Monardas are native to the North American continent. They were much used by natives for beverages and many medicinal purposes and introduced to early colonists for such purposes.

studied Monarda didyma as well as other plants from the New World. He also called M. didyma bergamot because the leaf scent resembled that of the Italian bergamot orange, Citrus aruantium.

M. fistulosa (wild bergamot or horsemint), unlike M. didyma, grows in dry, open spaces in full sun, and will tolerate some drought.

It is found mostly in eastern North America, but is found throughout Missouri. It gets

to incorporate into your garden!

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While all of the above are perennial, M. citriodora (lemon mint or lemon bee balm) is an annual found mostly in southwest Missouri and on south to northern Mexico.

It is shorter by comparison, perhaps 8” to 2 ft. and likes limestone soil. It will often reseed. Blooms are pink or pale purple.

Leaves are used to flavor wild game or for tea.

After 30 years as a landscape designer, Joyce is now retired.

She has been a MBG volunteer since 1969 and a Master Gardener since 1985. She is also a past board member of the Herb Society of America, and is a current board member of the St. Louis Herb Society.

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19

TLC for Winter-Stressed Roses

By Diane Brueckman

T

Weeks Roses

his has been an ideal year is some respects. without damaging them. Cleaning out the old The harsh winter took our roses down to dead stumps will allow room for new shoots to the ground but most survived. Years ago, come up without crowding.

I remember reading an article on pruning by As the season progresses our pruning becomes Stephen Scanniello, noted rosarian from the mainly deadheading. Deadheading does two Brooklyn Botanical Garden, now retired. He things: first it keeps the bushes looking neat, stressed the need for a good pruning on most and secondly, encourages new blooms. All rose bushes.

Very often, we as gardeners major pruning should be done before August are hesitant to cut back our bushes for fear of and deadheading should cease by the end of doing more harm than good. This year, we were September. Remember, every time you cut on offered little choice in how we cut back. Very your rose bush you are pruning it. few roses had anything alive above the mulch.

It is important to keep the roses well fed and Even our climbers were taken down. I didn’t well watered during the summer season. When have a climber with a long cane left intact. Some ‘Cinco de Mayo’ you water try to do it early in the day especially I had to cut all the way down but they came if you water with an overhead system. A soaker back. ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ a climbing Bourbon system keeps the foliage dry but it is harder to rose (1868) lost all the long canes down to about know if you are giving the roses enough water. Foliage that remains 2-3 feet, as did ‘Reine des Violettes’, a Hybrid Perpetual (1860) that I grow as a climber. These old roses faired better than some of my wet for more than 6 hours allows black-spot spores to grow and thrive. modern roses. The fact that climbers are nothing more than roses with Be vigilant looking for signs of insect damage and treat accordingly. long canes means they will reach their stately stature by the end of the Learn the conditions that raise the disease threshold and apply preventive measures. It is easier to prevent disease than to cure it once season. it gets started. Remember, even the “Disease Free” roses like ‘Knock We often leave marginal canes on plants that grow and bloom but really Out’ will suffer if stressed. The lesson is a healthy rose has a better are not as strong and vigorous as they should be. Removing those chance of survival during a stressful winter or any other stressful time. canes forces new fresh canes to push out and revitalize our plants.

Some plants that did especially well for me were ‘Cinco de Mayo’, one of Weeks “Easy-To-love Roses.” It died to the ground but came back stronger than ever. Leaving those marginal canes takes energy the Diane Brueckman is a retired plant could use to produce new healthy canes that would make the plant rosarian with Missouri Botanical stronger and more vigorous. A marginal cane is one that has cankers, Garden, and currently owns Rosey some black-spot or a wound from an injury by an insect or gardening Acres in Baldwin, Illinois. You can mishap. The cane will produce substandard foliage and blooms. Cut reach her at (618) 785-3011 or the cane back to good healthy white pith. Another tip is to go back and Brueckman Diane <droseyacres@ look at the base of your plants. If you have stumps left from a previous egyptian.net>. pruning clean out the dead stumps. This can be tricky. You will need a small pruning saw and a sharp lopper to get between the good canes

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The Gateway Gardener®

JUNE 2014

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Garden of Hope

The members of Boone Country Garden Club, Defiance, MO planted a “Garden of Hope” on May 5 at the Salvation Army in O’Fallon, MO. Many people and families use this facility on a daily basis for many kinds of support. “We believe the gardens & potted planters will provide a cheery, welcome feeling to those who may be experiencing some hard times,” says Diane Goodman, Vice President of Boone Country Garden Club. The gardens and planters were designed, soil prepared, planted, mulched & watered by all members. BCGC raises funds by having an annual plant sale, selling raffle tickets for chances to win beautiful baskets and has a mini sale of garden items through Ways & Means efforts.

of their individual properties. Investing in natural resources at a site scale is an important part of achieving a connected system of green infrastructure.

The school’s project to build planters and Students from St. John the Baptist plant native plants School. has shown the school’s commitment to investing in green infrastructure, while offering a great way to educate school kids on the value of native vegetation and give them an appreciation that they will carry into adulthood.

The City of Edwardsville received the ‘Olmsted Award for Community Scale Green Infrastructure’, given to communities, organizations, or individuals who have worked to connect parks, open space, and natural resources at a community level.

Children’s Garden Club Leader Honored

On May 3, Doug Wolter, Horticulturist for St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department, was recognized by Parks Director Tom Ott for 15 years of leading what organizers say is St. Louis’ first Children’s Garden Club. Doug was presented a proclamation announcing May 3 as Douglas R. Wolter Children’s Garden Club Day. The proclamation Left to right, St. Louis County was read again at the Executive Charles Dooley, Doug St. Louis County Council Wolter, and Tom Ott. meeting on May 8.The Children’s Garden Club is sponsored by owners of area nurseries and garden centers, and meets on the first Saturday of each month at different locations throughout the region. Meetings and topics are announced in The Gateway Gardener Upcoming Events calendar in print and online at www.gatewaygardener. com/upcoming-events.

2014 Green Announced

Infrastructure

Award

Winners

St. John the Baptist School in Smithton, Illinois, and the City of Edwardsville are this year’s Green Infrastructure Award winners, announced by HeartLands Conservancy. St. John the Baptist School received the ‘Sarah Stein Award for Site Scale Green Infrastructure’, given to organizations, businesses, or homeowners who have worked to restore the native ecosystem JUNE 2014

The Gateway Gardener®

Health Center Promotes Horticultural Therapy

Partnership with Families (PWF) is a program at Crider Health Care Center in Wentzville that creates a comprehensive system of care for a child or young person diagnosed with a serious emotional disorder. Because of the healing properties of gardening, the PWF staff has incorporated gardening activities into the programs and services they offer to the children they serve.

Recently, the Center purchased a piece of property on S. Callahan Road. PWF staff immediately recognized the potential of the grounds and sought approval to continue their gardening activities. On May 5th, staff and a small group of children worked together as a team to construct a new raised bed garden on the new property using recycled materials that were left by the previous owner.

During the construction, the children were very receptive to taking part in gardening activities and they enjoyed giving back to the community and the sense of pride that gardening gave them. “Each child that was involved in building the garden is leaving their legacy for every child that takes part in this program going forward,” said Travis Fry, family assistant at Crider. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with these kids and help them achieve success in all they do.”

21

Upcoming Events

Webster Groves. Take a self-paced tour of seven of Webster Groves stunning private gardens and its brand new sculpture park. Tickets are $20 / $15 in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.wghsparentsclub.org or call Lynda Brady at 314-740-2590.

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

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

How to reach us: Mail: PO Box 220853, St. Louis, MO 63122 Fax: (314) 968-4025 Email: info@gatewaygardener.com

Garden Clubs Societies

and

Plant

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

Fun for Kids June 7th 9am—Children’s Garden Club. Plant A Colorful Annual Combo. FREE, no reservations required, everyone welcome.

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

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

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

Plant Shows, Sales and Tours May 31st-June1st St. Louis Horticultural Society Sale.

Missouri Botanical Garden, Orthwein Floral Display Hall.

June 1st Noon-4pm—The Secret Gardens of

22

June 7th 9am-2pm—The Lake Area Master Gardeners’ 8th Annual Garden Walk.

The tour features a wide variety of plantings and outdoor living areas. Lake Area Master Gardeners will be on hand to teach people not only what is possible but also to adapt new ideas to your own garden. Tickets are available at any Bank of Versailles, Central Bank or First National Bank locations in the lake area, or day of tour at any garden location. Email theconavays@gmail.com or call 573-2865064 for info. $10 rain or shine.

10am-4pm—Gardens in Bloom Garden Tour. Seven gardens in the O’Fallon, Illinois, area. Master Gardener plant sale and raffle at First United Methodist Church, Rte. 50, O’Fallon. $10 tickets can be purchased in advance at tour sponsors including Sandy’s Back Porch, Eckert’s Country Store and Garden Center, Terry’s Home & Garden Center and Effinger’s Garden Center. $12 day of tour. Call (618) 939-3434 or (618) 344-4230.

10am-4pm—The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. Explore three private gardens in Monroe County, IL, open to the public for self-guided tours.

No reservations required; rain or shine. $7 per garden; children 12 & under free.

Highlights include river views, a wisteriadraped pergola sheltering an outdoor kitchen, a “moonglow” garden, and more.

Call toll-free weekdays (888) 842-2442 or see www.opendaysprogram.org for more information.

8:30am-noon—Regional Community Garden Tour. Join Gateway Greening for a community garden walking tour through the Tower Grove South and Shaw neighborhoods this June! The tour will feature 6 gardens of various uses like youth, neighborhood, vegetable producing, ornamental, and a space that demonstrates that you can put a garden in a parking lot, if you want. The tour will be around 2 miles in distance, so get your walking shoes, roller blades, or bike gear on. Tours will be departing from The Wedge Community Garden located at 3534 McKean Ave. For more info, visit www.gatewaygreening. org.

June 7th-8th 9am-5pm— 20th Annual Hermann Garden Tour and Plant Sale. Two Tours in 2014: the popular Town Tour, a walking tour of gardens in downtown Hermann, and the Country Tour, a driving tour to country gardens. Separate $10 ticket for each tour includes visits to four private gardens and the Garden Demonstration Area. Town

& County Garden Tour Combo Ticket for $15. Also Special Ticket By-ReservationOnly Luncheon/Silent Auction on June 6th.

Visit the Hermann Garden Tours website at www.hermanngardentours.com for up to date events, ticket prices, and photographs.

“Like” us on Facebook at Hermann Garden Club Tours 2014. Call Hermann Welcome Center at (800) 932-8687 or go to www. visithermann.com.

June 8th 9:30am-4:30pm— St. Louis Home Garden Tour 2014. Enjoy an exclusive tour of 12 of the loveliest private home gardens in St. Louis. The Missouri Botanical Garden offers this tour only once every three years. Held rain or shine.

Self guided tour tickets are $50. Advance reservations required. Call (314) 577-5118 or online at www.mobot.org/events.

June 14 9am-5pm—The St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale. Missouri Botanical Garden in the Beaumont Rm. Venus flytrap, Butterworts, Sarracenia, rare carnivorous plants, fairy gardens and terrariums available. Contact sleepdreams@addlebrain.com for information. th

9am-4pm—Franklin County Master Gardeners Garden Tour. View 8 gorgeous gardens. Meet and learn from the Master Gardeners and gain new insight into landscape design and gardening.

Tickets $10, available at Hillermann Nursery & Florist and other locations.

Contact University of Missouri Extension at 636-583-5141.

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

9am-1pm—Monroe County Garden Tour. Featuring gardens in Maeystown, IL. Sponsored by University of IL Extension and Monroe County Master Gardeners, and Midwest Block & Brick Waterloo. $10 per person in advance, $12 after June 9.

Call (618-939-3434 or email uiu-mms@ illinois.edu for info and ticket locations.

June 21st 9am-3pm—The 3rd Annual Soulard Garden Tour. All tours begin at Mad Art Gallery, 2727 S. 12th St., where tickets may be purchased and pre-paid tickets picked up. This self-guided tour showcases 9 rarely seen private gardens at a variety of residences in the historic Soulard neighborhood. The tour will feature local artists creating an original piece of art work, live music, and a popular Wine Garden where beverages and snacks will be available. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 day of tour. www.soulard.org.

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

8:30am-3pm—The 9th annual Salem Garden Treasures Tour. Featuring five beautiful local gardens, rain or shine.

Tickets $5 (16 years or older) may be purchased at Bryan Memorial Park located on North Rte. 37 and Boone Street from 8am-1:30pm day of tour. Other activities include vendors with garden items and art, food booths and musicians. An AllAmerican Selection Display Garden also will be available for viewing. Sponsored by the Daffy Dill Garden Club.

June 21st and 22nd 9am-5 pm—Pond-O-Rama 14th Annual Pond and Garden Tour. Sponsored by The St. Louis Water Gardening Society, the self-guided tour includes over 40 water features that range from choice small ponds to magnificent large ones located in both Missouri and Illinois. The tour is divided geographically by day with about half the gardens available for viewing each day.

Tickets, good for both days, are $15 per person, and are available at garden centers across the area. Children 17 and under are admitted free. All persons age 18 and over must have a ticket. The ticket booklet includes maps to all tour locations. Each ticket booklet also includes a coupon for a free membership in the St. Louis Water Gardening Society for the remainder of the year. For more information about the St. Louis Water Gardening Society and its activities, including Pond-O-Rama, visit the SLWGS website at www.slwgs.org.

June 22nd 9am-5pm—Mid America Regional Lily Society Show and Sale. New cultivars and old favorites are shown and sold by the area’s top growers, who are on hand to give plant care advice and share information about their organization. Included with Garden admission. Missouri Botanical Garden. www.mobot.org.

1-5pm—New Town at St. Charles Garden Tour. This self-guided tour will take you through newly established gardens and gardens that have gently matured since the beginning of New Town. 10 homes featured. Tickets can be purchased from many New Town businesses including The Bridge, Marsala’s Market, SecondHand Rose and Dwell in Design for $10 each. The tour starts at New Town’s farm, GlenMark, at 3500 Hempstead Street.

11am-4pm—Sustainable Backyard Tour. Visit dozens of area home landscapes promoting sustainable practices such as rainwater harvesting, composting, keeping chickens, bees or goats, using renewable energy, repurposed materials, native gardens, and more. For a tour map

The Gateway Gardener®

JUNE 2014

or to register your garden, go to www. sustainablebackyardtour.com or search the same on Facebook.

June 28th 9am-5pm—Kimmswick Daylily Plant Sale. Located at Carrol Wrather’s State inspected Garden - Certificate # A-1777), 6005 Fourth St, Kimmswick. 80 varieties and 1500 freshly dug and bagged plants, with 600 varieties on display. Come early for best selection. No sales before 9am. Proceeds benefit the Kimmswick Visitors Center. For information, call 636-464-6464 or check the website at GoKimmswick.com.

June 28th through July 27th 9am-5pm—Desert Show: Plants of South Africa & Madagascar. This newly introduced floral show will introduce Garden visitors to plants that occur in desert and arid regions of South Africa and Madagascar as well as a look at the people of the region and how they utilize indigenous plant species. Containing the world’s most significant amount of biodiversity, South Africa is one of the world’s floral hot spots. Orthwein Floral Display Hall at Missouri Botanical Garden.

Garden admission plus $5; free for Garden members. Sponsorship provided by the Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Society.

June 28th-29th Noon-5pm (Sat.), 9am-5pm (Sun.)— Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale. Choose from a wide array of cacti and succulents shown and sold by the area’s top growers, including thousands of rare specimens and starter plants priced from $1.50.

Cactus Society members will be on hand to answer questions and give plant care advice. Missouri Botanical Garden, Beaumont Room. Entry included with Garden admission. www.hscactus.org.

June 29th 12:30-5pm—Bittersweet Garden Club Annual Garden Tour. Tour 5 beautifully landscaped gardens in the Jefferson City area. Learn new tips and techniques to apply to your own garden. Hand-crafted garden art available to purchase. Tickets $10. Email mireed217@gmail.com.

Classes, Lectures and Events May 24th-June 28th Saturdays, 10am-noon—The 2014 TreeKeepers Classes. Presented by Forest ReLeaf of Missouri and sponsored in part by the Missouri Department of Conservation. This free class educates citizens about trees, their benefits and care, and provides practical, hands-on learning in six key areas: identification, biology, soils, planting, pruning, and insects and diseases. Graduates are asked to provide 24 hours of volunteer service to Forest ReLeaf or in forestry-related projects in their community. The class is free of charge and limited to the first 50 registrants.

Meet in the Powder Valley Nature Center auditorium. The final class will be held at CommuniTree Gardens Nursery in Maryland Heights (weather permitting).

To register, please email info@moreleaf.

JUNE 2014

org or call 314-533-5323.

Now through Sept.

7th—Nature Connects: Art with LEGO® Bricks. 25 sculptures inspired by nature created with over 300,000 LEGO pieces by New York City artist Sean Kenney. Contact Missouri Botanical Garden for admission prices, hours and other information at 314-5775100 or www.mobot.org.

June 3rd 5-7pm—Know and Grow Plant Geek Night. Meet, share gardening tips and stories, and join in on the events. Native Plant Show & Tell at 5pm, Butterfly Gardening at 5:30 and New and Exciting Plants for your Garden at 6pm. Bid in the Silent Plant Auction from 5-6:30pm. $5.00 attendance fee - FREE plant with paid admission. ALL proceeds will go to the Washington Library to purchase books. Hillermann’s Outdoor Kitchen will be open. Call 636-239-6729 to sign up.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com.

June 3 , 10 , 17 and 24 10am-Noon—Herbs & Heirlooms Tuesdays. Connect with some of the oldest friends of mankind: herbs. Drop in to explore the culinary, sensory, beauty and uses for the herb featured each week. The first 100 participants will pot an herb to take home and receive a plant profile sheet with care tips and ways to use your new plant. Missouri Botanical Garden in the Herb Garden, weather permitting. Included with Garden Admission. No registration is required. For more information, visit www.mobot.org. rd

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June 7th 9am-4pm—Green Homes Festival.

Celebrate sustainable living and explore ways to maintain a healthy you and a healthy planet. Bring your home improvement ideas and talk with over 100 green product and service exhibitors at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening.

Presented by the EarthWays Center of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Included with Garden admission; free before noon for city and county residents. Visit www. mobot.org for more information.

11am—Patty’s Perennial Party.

Celebrate National Perennial Month!

Enjoy lunch from the outdoor kitchen, plus snow cones and popcorn. Check out special sales and check out all the perennial plants. Try a new craft at these Make-NTake Workshops: Make a Concrete Leaf Birdbath at 11:00 am ($20.00 supply fee).

Make a Mosaic Birdbath at 1:00 pm ($20.00 supply fee). Call 636-239-6729 to sign up for the workshops. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

11am-1pm—Wine Making, Stabilizing & Clarifying. Learn what actions are needed for the stabilizing and clarifying stage of wine making. A handout outlining all the actions needed for each step will be available. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

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

June 10th 7-9pm—Tap Root Speakers Series.

Guest Speaker Ben Chu, Horticulture Supervisor, Japanese and South Gardens at Missouri Botanical Garden. Learn about trees, your landscapes and get expert advice from local tree experts. Sponsored

by The Missouri Community Forestry Council. $10. Schlafly Bottleworks Crown Room in Maplewood. Call 636-970-3000 to pre-register or register at the door.

June 12th 1-4 p.m.—Native Plant School: Landscaping with Sedges. Bring your questions, comments, photos, drawings, and plant specimens for discussion.

Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. $15 ($12 Garden members).

Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. For reservations or more information, call (636) 451-3512 ext. 0 or visit www.shawnature.org.

June 14th 11am – Insects, Humans and the Environment at Frisella Nursery.

Learn about how insects fit into our environment, gardens and landscapes.

Recognize differences between invasive species and herbivorous infestations and learn how to build insect diversity in your butterfly gardens. Identification lessons will be reviewed with common Missouri insect natives. Light refreshments will be provided. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery. com/events, 636.798.2555.

The Belleville Area Rose Society Spring District Convention and Rose Show.

The Speaker is Dr. Windham, Professor at the University of Tennessee in the Entomology and Plant Pathology Dept. to speak on Rose Rosette Disease. Speakers are at 1pm. $10 donation appreciated. A fully accredited Rose Show will be held in conjunction with the convention and is open to the public without charge from 1-4pm. The Elks Lodge, 4801 Maryville Road, Granite City. For more information call 618-785-3011.

9-11am—Home Brew Beer 101. 10am2pm—Bill and Friends Car Show. Join Jacob Ehrhard and learn about all the ingredients and steps needed to make your own beer. Then, see all the makes, models, and years of cars that will be here. While here, enjoy lunch in the garden from our outdoor kitchen. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann. com.

10am—Roses 101. Learn about the climbers, shrubs, groundcover and mini roses that thrive in St. Louis, along with techniques and tips for the showiest displays. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

June 19th 5-7pm—What a Woman Wants Ladies’ Night Out. Grab your girls and shop, enjoy vendors, and have some light refreshments.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com.

June 21st Super Seminar Saturday. Lunch will be available at Hillermann’s Outdoor Kitchen from 10am-2pm. Summer Irrigation with Josh Kresse from 9-9:45am, Summer Birding with Kevin from Goldcrest from 10-10:45am, Summer Canning including Q&A with Mary Schroepfer from 1111:45am, Make-N-Take Water Garden Workshop with JoAnne Jolley from noon1:45pm ($25.00 supply fee), Butterfly and Bee Plants for Your Garden with Patty Lynch from 1:30- 2:00pm, and Make-NTake Hypertuffa Container with JoAnne Jolley at 2:15pm ($25.00 supply fee). Call to register for all classes). Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www. hillermann.com.

8:30am-noon—St. Louis Urban Gardening Symposium. To help citizens navigate the issues that some urban gardens encounter, Brightside St. Louis is hosting this event at its Demonstration Garden at 4646 Shenandoah Avenue. Experts in their respective fields will lead a series of 25-minute workshops covering topics such as Butterfly Gardening; Insects & Disease; Lawn & Tree Issues; Native Plants; Brightside’s Neighbors Naturescaping Program; Plant Care & Maintenance; Plant Establishment; Plant Selection; Pruning Trees & Shrubs; and Rain Gardening. A fee of $10 per person includes participation in up to five workshops and the Q&A session.

The fee will be waived for St. Louis city residents who participate in the Neighbors Naturescaping workshop. Call 314-4002115.

June 28th 11am—Fairy Garden Make-N-Take Workshop. Create a beautiful fairy garden. Pot, plants, and accessories supplied. $30.00 supply fee. Call to sign up. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

11am-1pm—Wine Making, Filtering & Back Sweetening. Harvey Jasper will teach this class on what actions are needed for the filtering and back sweetening steps of wine making. A handout outlining all the actions needed will be available.

Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-2396729, www.hillermann.com.

Dig Deeper.

Visit GatewayGardener.

COM for The Latest Additions to the Upcoming Events Calendar.

10am—Best Summer Gardening Tips.

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