The Gateway Gardener June 2016

Gateway Gardener

JUNE 2016

THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

WELCOME American Hosta Society Convention June 15th-18th

Top 5 Hostas!

And How to Grow Them

The Mindful Gardener Gardening for Neighbors and Kids Growing Vegetables in Containers JUNE 2016

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The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

Gateway Gardener THE

®

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

JUNE 2016

Volume 12, Number 5

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists

Barbara Perry Lawton Garden Book Author and Garden Writer Connie Alwood Master Gardener Diane Brueckman Rosarian Joyce Driemeyer Master Gardener Molly Rockamann EarthDance Farms Steffie Littlefield Nursery Professional Abby Elliott Nursery Professional Jennifer Schamber Nursery Professional Scott Woodbury Native Plant Specialist Printing: Breese Publishing, Breese, IL The Gateway Gardener® is published 9 times/year by Double Dig Communications, Inc. to promote enjoyable, successful gardening and livable landscapes in the St. Louis greater metropolitan area. The magazine is distributed free to the public at designated garden centers, nurseries, garden gift shops, lawn equipment rental, repair and sales establishments, and other locations supporting sound gardening, lawn and landscaping practices.

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

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

JUNE 2016

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From the Editor

n the beginning were the Hostas, and the Hostas were good.

And easy. I began ornamental gardening essentially with two plant varieties, a linear-leaved hosta (probably H. lancifolia) and a broader, bigger-leaved hosta (likely H. ventricosa). They were passed along by my mother, and I dutifully divided them over the years, eventually lining every foundation bed with their sibling clones in what I’ve often described as a conga line of hostas snaking around the yard. I like to think I’ve progressed as a gardener since then, yet hostas still play a significant role in parts of my predominantly shady landscape.

Today, in addition to some surviving representatives of those species hostas, I count over 20 other hybrid varieties around and about. That is a pittance compared to some of the gardens that attendees of the American Hosta Society’s national convention will enjoy this month. We’re pleased to welcome convention visitors to St. Louis, and we note to all readers that many events—including the hosta show and vendor exhibits— are free and open to the public, who are also welcome to purchase tickets for the garden tour. Read more about hostas and the convention on pages 4-5.

his article on page 12.

Part of my above-mentioned gardening progression has been, as perhaps tiresomely documented through the years, toward greater use of natives, or as sometimes described, “plants with a purpose.”

Of course, as any hosta gardener knows, hostas do their fair share in helping feed wildlife, especially slugs and snails, rabbits and deer, but “plants with a purpose” do so by intent, providing nectar and pollen to endangered pollinating insects, food for other insects as well as birds and small mammals.

Jennifer Schamber touches on this gardening philosophy in her article, “The Mindful Gardener” on page 8. And Scott Woodbury describes plants with another purpose, that of engaging neighbors and kids, in

On the Cover...

Hostas are among the most varied and beloved of all our garden plants. What would the shade garden be without them? H. ‘Sagae’, pictured here, ranks as the 2nd most popular variety according to the American Hosta Society.

To see the other Top 5, plus tips on growing hostas, see pages 4-5. (Photo courtesy Walters Gardens, Inc.)

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Hostas, Hostas, Hostas 6 Pond-O-Rama Garden Tour 8 The Mindful Gardener

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Of course, gardens don’t have to be exclusively one or the other.

Hostas and other well-behaved exotics can mingle quite peacefully and beautifully with equally wellbehaved native plants. In parts of my landscape hostas rub elbows with native coral bells, Jacob’s ladder, Solomon’s seal, celandine poppy, wild ginger, sedges and other native shade plants.

Companion planting works for many other plants too. Though often practiced in the vegetable garden, Diane Brueckman (page 18) describes many options for pairing roses with other perennials.

Probably not hostas.

Finally, speaking of companions, I’m going to take editor’s license and wish my beautiful companion of 43 years Happy Anniversary this month! And to all you gardening dads out there, Happy Father’s Day!

Good Gardening!

10 National Pollinator Week 11 Know the Pros 12 Gardening for Neighbors and Kids 13 Native Top 10 14 Flowers & Foliage for Cutting 16 Growing Vegetables in Containers 16 JT’s Fresh Ideas 17 June Harvest List 18 Roses Make Good Companions 20 Dig This 22 Upcoming Events 3

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Hostas, Hostas, Hostas

by Diana Plahn

ne of the best things about hostas; they provide a huge return for your gardening efforts. The right plant in the right place can make your garden a stunning one. There are hundreds of registered cultivars to purchase. It really is just a matter of which one appeals to you the most. The leaves! Do you like the light or dark green, gold, blue, or variegated leaves? How about size? They range from miniature to giant size at maturity.

How much shade do you have? Different cultivars have different sun requirements #1 ‘June’ depending on their parentage. Do you want to grow in containers or in the ground? Hostas are versatile plants that can lend themselves to pot and container gardens with adequate drainage.

There definitely is a hosta for everyone!

Hosta Culture in a Nutshell

Hostas are members of the agave family, although at the other end of the spectrum; they prefer to live in moist forest and meadows. Once established, hostas are drought tolerant to a degree. What they really love is water! Hostas are heavy drinkers; but they want food, too! They will thank you with strong, healthy leaves when fertilized with nitrogen and magnesium. Feed twice in the spring, and what lovely hostas you will see!

You think hostas can only be grown in total shade?

Now that’s a fallacy! Give them highcanopy shade from trees or bright indirect light, a little morning sun and your garden will be breathtaking. Some gold leaved varieties can take stronger sun, which makes the leaves more intense in color.

Here in St Louis, too much afternoon sun can scorch and turn leaves brown.

No worries, just try a new location with a little more shade. There are hundreds of varieties that you can grow in varied conditions. Your local hosta society can help you in learning about the new plants and companion plants for your garden.

Members love to share information about what grows well here in St. Louis and the conditions where different varieties can flourish.

Hostas like rich, well-drained soil. Sometimes, no matter how much work you do to amend your soil, it still isn’t up to snuff. In that case, this is your chance to be creative! There are many lovely containers that allow for good drainage and add color to your landscaping. If in the ground, use good mulch around your hostas to help keep the soil moist.

This will protect your hostas during our hot summer days.

Hostas don’t like competition; especially from roots if planted under trees. Maples are particularly trying. Bob Solberg, of Green Hill Farm, recommends rototilling your beds every two years to deal with root competition. Dig the hostas out, divide if necessary, place on a tarp and rototill. Then replant everything. It sounds like a lot of work but the results are definitely worth it. Especially if you have a bed where the hostas have been getting smaller in size from year to year. It’s most likely root competition. If this is beyond what you wish to do, try raised beds around your trees that are heavy feeders. Exercise caution when rototilling around trees to avoid tree damage.

Garden Design With Hostas

When you landscape with hosta, you have many shades of green, gold, blue, cream, and white. Your landscape variety will be in contrasting

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different textures and conformation of leaves together. The following make good companion plants for hosta: hellebores, trilliums, pulmonarias, tricyritis, heuchera, polgonatum, either variegated or common. Conifers work well with hosta plantings along with some shrubs like hydrangea. Martagon lilies like shade and will come up between your hosta plants with Turk’s cap shaped flowers for some splashes of yellow, pink and red above the other plant’s leaves.

You can also edge beds with colorful annuals that prefer hosta conditions.

The AHS Hosta

Top 5!

#2 ‘Sagae’

Those Hosta Pests!

Hostas are rabbit, deer, and vole magnets. There are many commercial repellants on the market, but sometimes just a deer fence is most effective. We all know animals are persistent and apparently love the hosta leaves.

A beautiful hosta turned into a celery stalk does not make a hosta gardener happy! Then there are the slugs. They can be prevented with slug bait and diatomaceous earth.

Hostas are a wonderful addition to any landscape....the right place, right plant, will yield great enjoyment for many years.

#3 ‘Liberty’

#4 ‘Guacamole’

Information on hostas is abundant; locally at the St Louis Hosta Society, www.stlouishosta.org; or the American Hosta Society,www. americanhostasociety.org.

Diana Plahn is President of the St. Louis Hosta Society .

#5 ‘Blue Angel’

AHS National Convention June 15-18 Sheraton Westport Chalet

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n 1904 people were excited to come to St. Louis for the World’s Fair; now in 2016 people from all over the country are excited to visit the Gateway to the Gardens for the 2016 American Hosta Society National Convention hosted by the St. Louis Hosta Society. The Convention participants will attend educational seminars, tour ten private gardens, buy hosta plants from vendors, view a hosta show and participate in a live and silent auction. Of course, there will be good food and greeting and meeting old and new friends.

Many events are free and open to the public, including the Hosta Show, Vendors Exhibits, and the Thursday evening auction. The ten stunning hosta gardens are also open to the public on Friday, June 17th and Saturday June 18th from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. Four pre-tour gardens are available on Wednesday, June 15th, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Tickets for all tours are $50.00. Call Martha at 314961-7163. So, even if you’re not attending the convention, the

Hosta Society invites you to come and learn about hostas!

At the hosta show, visitors can catch at a glimpse the full scope of the genus Hosta in a variety of presentations. Bob Solberg, Dr. Steven Still, Dr. Parwinder Grewal, and local garden experts, Jennifer Schamber and Jason Delaney are among the many outstanding speakers this year.

If you see a hosta or companion shade plants you like, they will probably be available for purchase at the vendors’ exhibits on June 15th, 3-10pm; June 16th, 8am4pm; and June 17th, 3:30-5pm.

You can also bid on your favorite plants, including many one-of-akind species, at the plant auction.

Be prepared for vigorous bidding and fun!

If you want to learn more about hostas or add to your collection, join the nation’s AHS members at the Sheraton Westport Chalet and welcome them to St. Louis!

For a detailed schedule of dates and times of the show, vendors’ exhibits, auction, and other activities, go to www.stlouishosta.org.

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Pond-O-Rama

St. Louis Water Gardening Society Tour June 25-26

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he St. Louis Water Gardening Society will present its 16th annual water garden and pond tour, Pond-O-Rama, June 25 and 26 from 9am-5pm each day. The 2016 tour will include over 40 private gardens owned and maintained by Society members. Tickets covering both days of the tour are $15 each and are available early May at retail shops and garden centers throughout the metropolitan area. Everyone over age 18 will require a separate ticket.

The gardens are located throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, including in Illinois. This self-guided tour is arranged each day by geographic location. This year the water features on tour are really quite spectacular. Many are new on Pond-O-Rama and the hosts are excited to share their new ponds and waterfalls. The water features range from spectacular high, thundering waterfalls to serene streams. There are “pondless waterfalls” that simply disappear at the termination of the falls. Many of our members have new water gardens to share, and many have enhanced their current ponds and gardens into outdoor rooms and quaint woodland spaces. This year you will see some very unique and creative designs in waterfalls and ponds, gorgeous koi fish, and

fantastic gardens.

This event, each year, is the only time St. Louis Water Gardening Society members—as a group—open their gardens to the public. In addition to their water features, most of our hosts are avid gardeners who maintain beautiful landscapes filled with perennials, annuals and shrubs. This year a few of our hosts are also part of the National Hosta Convention Tour here in St Louis in June. Our hosts are available and delighted to share information and answer questions about their gardens, their water features, their fish, and the history of their unique spaces. If you are thinking of adding a water feature to your own garden—or you simply enjoy beautiful landscapes and a weekend filled with beauty—this is the tour for you!

This event provides funds for the St Louis Water Gardening Society to continue their civic project to plant and maintain the reflecting pools at the Jewel Box in Forest Park, and for other activities.

The tour ticket booklet provides the location, addresses, descriptions and driving directions. For more information, call (314) 995-2988. Tickets are available by mail order from the Society’s website, www.slwgs.org; or the locations identified on the website.

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The Mindful Gardener

By Jennifer Schamber

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ver the last few years, the horticulture industry has been experiencing a shift in demand of its products and services.

From the perspective of a garden center manager, these changes have arisen due to a new awareness and appreciation for our natural ecology and the origins of our food. This “enlightenment” has been growing as more studies and correlations are finding that the more connected we are to the natural world and our food, the more positively it affects human health and wellness. As a new generation of parents introduce their children to a world dominated by technology, many of these parents are understanding the strong need for their children to have the opportunity to “unplug” and experience the world as every other generation before them had the chance to enjoy. This is where many are beginning their journey as gardeners. As new gardeners grow, we learn more

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from our mistakes than from our successes, and as we become a part of our ecological world or as we are learning to grow food, we build an even greater appreciation for these things that are often taken for granted.

The horticulture industry now serves as the bridge to enable new gardeners to connect, and this is a role that is being taken on locally, regionally and nationally through collaborations, partnerships and special projects.

Locally, the St. Louis area serves as a leader in connecting people to nature with innovative programs like “Milkweeds For Monarchs” (Mayor Slay’s Office of Sustainability’s initiative to energize and revitalize urban green spaces by creating habitat for Monarch butterflies), Gateway Greening’s community gardens and job training programs, St. Louis County’s “Project Pollinator” program, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s “BiodiverseCity St. Louis” organization and Shaw Nature Reserve, EarthDance Farms’ organic farm school, St. Louis Audubon Society’s “Bring Conservation Home”, as well as many other programs initiated by schools, institutions, businesses, churches and other non-profit organizations. Some local upcoming events that you don’t want to miss include the Sustainable Backyard Tour (Sunday, June 12th), the St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour (Saturday, June 18th) and the St. Louis Zoo’s Pollinator Dinner (Tuesday, June 21st). These programs and organizations form a network that is continuing to build a following of people that are seeking out better solutions to

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societal issues.

Regionally, GrowNative!, an organization that promotes the benefits of native plants, has grown from a state organization into a regional organization, enabling the group to spread its reach and increase supply of native plants to a wider audience. The organization focuses on educating consumers on the “purpose” of plants, creating a greater understanding of the value of our natural landscapes.

Nationally, one initiative that is gaining momentum is “The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge”. This program was introduced by the White House last year as a call-to-action for people to plant pollinator gardens. Gardeners are then asked to register their gardens at www.millionpollinatorgardens.org. This “all hands on deck” approach has helped inspire national campaigns like this year’s Subaru “Loves the Earth” Month, during which most of its dealerships displayed large pollinator container gardeners to help educate about the importance of planting for pollinators. All four St. Louis-area Subaru dealerships had these pots on display.

Overall, these organizations and programs are helping to inspire gardeners to be more mindful in their decision-making, from how they use pesticides to growing their own fresh greens to keeping bees in their backyards. Gardening is more than just creating a pretty landscape in our yards… Gardening is an opportunity to disconnect ourselves from our smartphones, and connect ourselves and our families to the natural world.

Jennifer Schamber is the General Manager of Greenscape Gardens, and plays leaderships roles in the Western Nursery & Landscape Association, GrowNative!, the Landscape & Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis and the Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis. She has earned Green Profit Magazine’s Young Retailer Award, and Greenscape Gardens was named the National Winner of the 2015 “Revolutionary 100” Garden Centers by Today’s Garden Center Magazine.

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StLAudubon.org/ BCH

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MillionPollinator Gardens.org

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MoBot.org/ Sustainability

GrowNative.org

ButterflyHouse.org/ ProjectPollinator

StLZoo.org/ Pollinators

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Celebrate National Pollinator Week!

June 20th-26th Pollinator Dinner, June 21st St. Louis Zoo

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

June 20-26, 2016, has been declared “National Pollinator Week” to recognize the importance of pollinators for the health of ecosystems as well as our own survival.

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

The Zoo is offering a special “Pollinator Dinner” on Tuesday, June 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. in The Living World at the Zoo. Guest speaker for the evening is Dr. Laura Jackson, Director of the Tallgrass Prairie Center and Professor of Biology at the University

of Northern Iowa. Her talk will be “Crossing the CornBean Desert: Prospects for Restoring Pollinator Habitat on a Meaningful Scale,” which will explore the farm as a natural habitat and ways to reconnect food systems with ecosystems.

The evening kicks off at 6pm with a honey tasting, informational booths and cash bar serving honey bourbon, honey beer and hard cider. The farm-totable-inspired gourmet dinner buffet features ingredients provided by pollinators and will feature locally sourced produce from EarthDance Farms and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

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

Reservations can be made by calling (314) 646-4897 by noon on June 13.

Advanced registration required. See menu and more information at www. stlzoo.org/PollinatorDinner. Proceeds benefit the Zoo.

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The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Native Pollinator Conservation focuses on the importance and diversity of native pollinators for the maintenance and survival of wildlife, ecosystems and agriculture.

The activities of the Center include surveys of native

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bee populations, education and outreach programs, producing the first guide to the Bumble Bees of Illinois and Missouri with the University of Illinois, and developing additional bee field guides. There are over 20,000 species of bees in the world and 425 species of bees in Missouri alone. That is more than all species of birds and mammals put together, according to Ed Spevak, Curator of Invertebrates at the Zoo and Director of the Center for Native Pollinator Conservation.

“Many of the more than 4,000 native bees in North America are actually far better pollinators than honey bees for [many crops and wildlife habitat],” said Spevak…. “Unfortunately, a number of native bees are disappearing. Everyone from local homeowners to farmers to conservationists can help the bees as well as other pollinators by growing a wildflower garden, protecting habitat and reducing our use of pesticides and herbicides. Everyone can participate in their conservation.”

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

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The local, family-owned nursery and community leader is newly focused on bringing their conservation expertise to home and farm habitats.

Their “Habitat Headquarters Collections” are specially selected combinations of native wildflowers and grasses to make it easy, affordable and fun for home owners and landowners to work with nature to create beautiful, problem-solving landscapes. Wildflowers, for example, help support pollinators like the honeybee and native bees that are critical to the agricultural industry. Similarly, deeprooted native grasses, shrubs and trees help reduce stormwater runoff and filter pollutants from our groundwater.

What’s New for 2016!

Forrest Keeling has offered a garden center for years but has updated it and renamed it “Habitat Headquarters” in honor of their emphasis on bringing working landscapes to homes and farms. From container sized to multi-acre, they have the ‘right recipe’ to help even the inexperienced create attractive, low-maintenance areas from the backyard to the back forty! The Habitat Headquarters Collections include, rain garden plants to reduce runoff and soggy spots; Hummingbird Haven plants for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators; Pocket Prairie plants that minimizes watering, fertilizing and mowing; and more. Forrest Keeling’s all-new Habitat Headquarters is just south of Elsberry, Missouri on Hwy. 79 and less than an hour’s drive from St. Louis.

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Naturally Natives Gardening for Neighbors and Kids! text and photo by Scott Woodbury

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ne thing is certain this year. Native plants are a hot item at garden centers.

Milkweeds are selling out early this season, among other things. One nursery owner told me recently that sales of native plants were up 40% in the first quarter of 2016. That is in line with what I see at Shaw Nature Reserve also. I’m busier than ever responding to requests about gardening with native plants.

People come to us wanting to learn about how to attract wildlife to their homes and communities. I think they want to become more active in the outdoor environment at home. And what better way to do that than to take up gardening with friends and family.

It is a great way to get kids away from the screen and into the FREE

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outdoors and it’s an inexpensive way to exercise. Here are a few ways to attract wildlife at home and perhaps teach them about the food chain…the sun feeds plants, plants feed insects and insects feed baby birds.

If there were one plant that I would start with for children and families, it would be common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). It is perhaps the favored milkweed for monarch butterflies, the caterpillars of which feed on the leaves. It is best planted in full sun in large areas where it can spread in its haphazard fashion, popping up here and there adding an element of surprise each spring. It is also covered with many other butterflies, bees, beetles, bugs and their predators, the spiders, mantises and wasps. All this from a few native plants you brought home to your garden. You can’t get that much excitement from a box of Pokémon cards. Other milkweeds include swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) for richer, moist areas, and for clay soils, butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) for dry sites and purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) for shady sites.

A close second exciting plant for children is eastern blazingstar (Liatris scariosa), which is the butterfly magnet in my garden. It has similar pollinators and predators to milkweed plus one very interesting surprise that kids tend to see before adults because it’s hidden. It’s called the wavy-lined emerald moth. The caterpillar of this small moth sticks pieces of flower parts to its back to mimic the flower that it loves to eat. When it is on blazingstar it has purple petal pieces stuck to its back. When it’s on black-eyed Susan it has yellow petals or purple anthers. Look for wiggling flower parts and, bingo, you’ve found it! And when the petals fade naturally on the flower, they also fade on the caterpillar in remarkable synchronicity. Other blazingstars include marsh blazingstar (Liatris spicata) and prairie blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya). Keep in mind that voles and crows love eating the roots of blazingstar. I replant them every year to keep up. I’m told that Native Americans once called blazingstar “the plant that crows eat”. The world is so full of a number of interesting things.

Pathways through the garden inspire adventure to children, especially when they meander amongst a wide variety of native plants that attract wildlife. Benches and boulders to sit on encourage people to linger in the garden. Locate them in shade and make them comfortable. Viewing wildlife in the garden takes time and repeated visits. The more time spent in the wild garden, The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants the more they will observe.

Bird feeders are terrific at attracting birds up close and help complete the food chain story…”insects feed baby birds”. Our feeder is outside the kitchen window where we sit for meals. When the sun is out there is something at the feeder, mostly birds but an occasional squirrel. We call out the birds by name: nuthatch, woodpecker, titmouse, cardinal, blue jay, goldfinch and so on. We get excited when rose-breasted grosbeaks show up in spring, and hurry to fill the platform feeder with more sunflower seeds when it is runs empty. Beneath the feeder juncos and sparrows scratch the ground for fallen seeds. We add mulch to the area beneath the feeder to keep it tidy as plants tend not to grow there.

One of my mentors, though she never knew it, was Laurie Otto, founder of Wild Ones. The way she gardened in the Milwaukee suburbs was welcoming to neighbors like a “Little Free Library”.

Her garden style invited walkers off the street like a public park.

It provided views into the natural world and living diversity in an otherwise homogenous neighborhood. Children visited regularly.

They walked paths through the native gardens accompanied by friends and parents who felt good about what their neighbor was doing. As a parent I sometimes worry about the world my child will inherit, and so I celebrate acts of neighborliness when they happen and it gives me hope.

a Grow Native! Top 10 list Featured Category:

Top 10 NaTive plaNTs ThaT coNNecT childreN To NaTure Native Plants for Children • High Wildlife Value Native PlaNt Name

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Marsh milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) New England aster (Symphyotricum novae-angliae)

Blue wild indigo (Baptisia australis) Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Spring daisy (Erigeron pulchellus) Eastern blazingstar (Liatris scariosa) Marsh blazingstar (Liatris spicata) Missouri willow (Salix eriocephala) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

HeigHt

ligHt

UNiqUe qUality

3'

Sun

3-4'

Sun

3–4'

Sun

Butterfly magnet for many species.

Late summer fls. fuel monarch migration.

3'

Sun

Bumblebees pollinate in spring.

3'

Pt. Shade

12"

Pt. Shade

3'

Sun/ Pt. Shade

2-3'

Sun

Gold finches eat seeds in summer.

Pollinated by digger bees and other insects.

Butterfly magnet, esp. large butterfly species.

Emerald moth caterpillars hide in flowers.

4-6'

Sun/ Pt. Shade

Attracts many insect herbivores.

2'

Sun

Favorite of monarch butterfly.

Visit GatewayGardener.com for More on Gardening with Native Plants!

Horticulturist Scott Woodbury is the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO, where he has worked with native plant propagation, design, and education for more than 20 years. He is also an advisor to the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s GrowNative! program.

If you plant them, they will come!

Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and songbirds that is!

Let Forrest Keeling partner with you to bring natural beauty to your home habitat!

Easy to grow from seed. Bee magnet.

This list was created by Scott Woodbury, based on his many years of experience and observations as the Curator of the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve.

This list is not in ranked order.

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

JUNE 2016

Dig Deeper.

The Gateway Gardener™

Visit Forrest Keeling’s all-new Habitat Headquarters in Elsberry.

Forrest Keeling Nursery forrestkeeling.com

in the back yard to the back forty!

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Flowers and Foliage for Cutting! text and photo by Steffie Littlefield

T

of the oldest traditions known here are many ways to use to man. People have always the beautiful plants we grow in our gardens. The wanted to bring the natural world inside and all it takes in a sharp most common is to eat them as in pair of shears and a recycled jar our vegetable and herb gardens. filled with water. Children love Another age-old practice is to to explore the possibilities and use them to adorn our homes and bring beauty to those we love. I to create little arrangements and the elderly love to receive love to take my sips and wander them and relive their times in the garden cutting flowers, stems the garden. As my own darling and sprays of foliage for vases Grandmother reached 101 years, and baskets. At our little winery I brought her fresh flowers from it has become our custom to my garden every week to gaze decorate our tables with fresh cut flowers and material from the at, smell and to dream about her own garden. gardens and woods year round.

We strive for that vintage ‘welcome home’ feeling and mason jars So what are the essentials for cutting garden success? Sun or shade? of zinnias and marigolds hit the mark right on!

There are lovely plants for both. Good garden soil? If the plant will When designing gardens for customers I always mention that the grow there it can be cut. It’s more about the plants themselves and peonies can be cut for parties in the spring and that the lilacs can planning the diversity of material to have something interesting be brought inside to enjoy the fragrance. I’m always amazed when year round to harvest. Start in early spring with the brilliance of this is received as if it is a revolutionary new idea since it is one narcissus, hyacinths, tulips, scillas, snow flake and alliums. Plant other bulbs for summer flowers like dahlias, gladiolas, surprise lilies and Asiatic lilies. Flowers with tall strong stems like state fair zinnias, gomphrena ‘Fireworks’, Mexican verbena, salvia ‘Victoria Blue’, pineapple sage, blood flower, tall celosias and sunflowers are just a few of the annuals I love. Old fashioned perennials like peonies, irises, baptisia, shasta daisy, black-eyed Susan, coneflower, Russian sage, Lenten rose, bleeding heart, sweet William, dames rocket, garden phlox, blazingstar, tall coreopsis, Japanese anenome, gooseneck loosestrife, astilbe, goats beard, bell flower and tall balloon flower are all easy to grow in the garden.

Favorite shrubs include roses, hydrangeas, forsythia, weigela, deutzia, lilacs, butterfly bush, crape myrtles, Koreanspice viburnum, flowering quince, Virginia sweetspire, and blue vitex.

Ornamental trees can have beautiful flowers and foliage as well.

Look for dogwood, redbud, Japanese maples, red chestnut, seven son’s flowering tree and flowering crab, peach and cherry. I love the foliage of variegated Solomon’s seal, hosta, epimedium, elderberry, fine line buckthorn and all ferns to add to my arrangements. For fall and winter cut stems of red twig dogwood, beautyberry, hollies, chokeberry, northern bayberry, fern spray gold cypress, and blue junipers for their colorful stems and berries. In winter I love to fill my jars with horse chestnuts, pinecones, huge acorns, sweetgum balls and moss.

You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to enjoy cut flowers when they are growing in your own back yard. So plan ahead and be creative. The fun begins the minute you grab your shears and open the door.

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The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

Keep Your Cut Flowers Longer!

Cut flower stems at an angle to prevent the stem resting on the bottom of the vase and sealing itself over. Angular cuts also great a larger surface area for water uptake.

Strip any foliage from stems that would sit below water level in a vase as these will simply decay, becoming slimy and smelly.

Always use a thoroughly clean vase as bacteria can survive in dirty vases and reduce the life of your cut flowers.

Always use tepid water in your vases. Cold water has a higher oxygen content, which can cause air bubbles to form in the stems of your flowers, blocking their water uptake. Spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils are the exception to this rule as they prefer to be placed in cold water.

Steffie Littlefield is a horticulturist and garden designer at Garden Heights Nursery and part-owner of Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard. 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.

Dig Deeper.

Add a splash of bleach to the water to inhibit bacterial growth and make your flower last longer. You only need to add about ¼ teaspoon per litre of water. You can also try adding a tablespoon of sugar as this will help to nourish the flowers.

Visit GatewayGardener.com for More Gardening Tips!

Position your vase carefully. The vase life of your cut flowers will be reduced if they are placed close to heat, draughts or direct sunlight.

2016 HOSTA OF THE YEAR

Keep cut flowers away from fruit bowls as fruit produces ethylene, which causes cut flowers to die prematurely.

CURLY FRIES

Remove any dead or fading blooms to prevent bacteria damaging the healthy flowers.

Change the water every few days, refreshing any flower feed and preservatives at the same time.

St. Louis Native Plant Garden Tour

Saturday, June 18th, 2016 9 am to 4 pm

Locations in Clayton, Ladue, University City areas Self-guided tour of residential gardens.

Sun, shade, wet & dry plus butterfly / bird-friendly sites.

Cost: $15 / person at garden center* $20 / person online www.stlouisaudubon.org/NPT

* Retail garden centers Bowood Farms Garden Heights Nursery Greenscape Gardens & Gifts Sugar Creek Gardens Proceeds benefit tour organizers.

St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program and Wild Ones — St. Louis Chapter.

This adorable miniature Hosta wins hearts with its arching, wiggly clump of extremely rippled narrow leaves. Its bright chartreuse foliage will become speckled with red spots as it matures. Curly Fries makes a fantastic addition to containers and gardens.

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The Gateway Gardener™

15

The Cornucopia Corner Growing Vegetables in Containers

By Barbara Perry Lawton

You don’t need a large yard or even a small garden patch in order to grow a few fresh vegetables. Consider growing a few edibles in containers. Use containerized vegetables also to beautify your patio or create new interest along a fence or wall.

as quickly. Plastic pots, likewise, do not dry as fast. For the best insulation against high summer Most vegetables—tomatoes, peppers, squash and temperatures, choose eggplant—require full sun, at least six hours each day, concrete, terra cotta, if they are to produce well. Some, including the lettuces, thick wooden or resin carrots, radishes and beets, will tolerate partial shade. Site plastic containers. your containers accordingly. Naturally, the larger vegetables S h a l l o w - r o o t e d will require proportionately larger containers. Note that p l a n t s — l e t t u c e , the smaller ones such as lettuce and radishes will grow radishes, spinach attractively as borders and accents with ornamental annuals and onions—require and perennials in larger containers. soil 9 to 12 inches In choosing containers, be sure there are drainage holes— deep. Plants such as eggplant, good drainage is a key in growing vegetables. Larger broccoli, containers are more practical in that they will not dry out peppers, carrots and peas need the soil to be 12 to 14 inches deep.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans and tomatoes require soil to be 16 to 18 inches deep. Choose your containers accordingly.

Deeper containers will generally increase your crop yield. hiCken trawberry alad

Jt’s Fresh Ideas C

&S

S

DRESSING:

Courtesy: www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com

1 T. sugar 2 T. red wine vinegar 1 T. water 1/8 t. salt 1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil SALAD: 4 cups torn romaine lettuce

4 cups arugula 2 cups quartered strawberries 1/3 cup vertically sliced red onion 12 oz. skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, sliced 2 T. unsalted cashews, halved ½ cup (2 oz.) crumbled blue cheese

Preparation Instructions For Dressing: Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.

Gradually drizzle in oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.

For Salad: Combine romaine and next 4 ingredients (through chicken) in a bowl; toss gently.

Place about 2 cups chicken mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cashews and 2 tablespoons cheese. Drizzle about 4 teaspoons dressing over each serving.

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Recipe courtesy of : Jackie Mills, MS, RD, Cooking Light, MAY 2009

Please share some of your favorite recipes with us.

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

Looking forward to some Summer Fun! Enjoy!

Jt

Use high quality, sterile soil mixes, not garden soil. If the commercial soil does not include a slow-release fertilizer (read the label), I like to use a slow-release pelletized fertilizer formulated for fruiting and flowering plants. Some may prefer organic fertilizers like Espoma for their edible crops. Check soil moisture daily—a moisture meter will be a big help, especially if you have very large containers.

Grow the shallow-rooted plants from seed. Grow tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and squash from six-packs of seedlings.

If at all possible, choose dwarf varieties that brag about their high yield. And always select sturdy compact seedlings that are in excellent health.

Staking tomatoes, cucumbers and other plants that profit from 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 Post-Dispatch. The author of a number of gardening and natural history books, and contributor to many periodicals, she has earned regional and national honors for her writing and photography. Barbara is also a Master Gardener and volunteers at MBG.

The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

Tips for Growing, Buying and Cooking Fresh, Locally Sourced Food for Your Table support is not as easy in containers as in garden beds but it is possible. You may be able to take advantage of nearby fences or walls. Garden centers often carry contemporary stakes such as those that are like giant corkscrews. Place them directly in large containers or in the soil next to the container.

If the container is large and you are planting beans or peas, you can put a teepee of stakes right in the container. My favorite and, thus far, foolproof method of staking is to use wire cages. Place them in the container to cover the plants.

You will soon have lush foliage covering the entire cage.

Just about anything that meets the requirements above will make a good container for growing veggies. Wander around home or a hardware store with container growing in mind.

Wash tubs, trash containers and 5-gallon buckets can serve as practical planters once you punch a few holes in their bottoms.

Grow Flowers and Herbs on your Balcony, Deck or Porch.

See display at Greenscape Gardens.

Sold online or by phone at 314.255.1845

Vegetables

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

JUNE 2016

Spinach Squash (summer) Sweet Corn Tomatoes Turnips

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Remember DAD on Father’s Day!

Consider that raised beds are, in essence, garden containers.

Beds that are 4 to 8 feet long and 2 to 4 feet wide (easy to reach across) can be constructed with wood or plastic lumber and sited next to a patio or along a walkway where they will be decorative additions to the landscape. You also can construct raised beds of brick or interlocking concrete blocks if you want more height. A major asset of raised beds is that people with limiting conditions such as arthritis find it easier to garden in beds that are at an easy-to-reach level.

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17

Roses Make Good Companions

by Diane Brueckman

G

ardeners have often thought of roses as beautiful, albeit “stuckup”, plants that need to be grown in beds devoted only to roses.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The cultural demands of roses are the same as those of many perennials and shrubs. As we all know, a mixed planting is less likely to have major pest out-breaks than a monoculture.

The bugs have a harder time finding their favorite food if they have to search through a mixed border. Last month I wrote about Rose Rosette Disease and in the studies on the disease was One of the most popular one of the strategies mentioned inter-planting perennials with companions for roses is the clematis. You can plant the the roses. clematis near the base of a climber and let it grow up through the rose. There are many very attractive color combinations.

One that I particularly like is a purple clematis growing into a yellow or pink climber.

Zephirine Design/Installation Also Available Drouhin is a wonderful Bourbon rose from 1868.

Zephirine Drouhin has a heavy spring bloom, but is stingy with her 618-585-3414 314-741-3121 flowers during the summer, so a clematis growing through her canes gives her color all

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Look for these and other ferti-lome products at your favorite independent nurseries and garden centers.

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

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summer. When it comes to rose/clematis combinations you are only limited by your imagination.

When you start a new bed plan to add a few roses. Start with some structure such as boxwood (Buxus) or a dwarf conifer for year-round color. Add a redtwig dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’) for winter color.

Many formal rose gardens had a border of dwarf boxwood to hide the bare legs of the roses as they lost their leaves. Today, with more disease-resistant roses, that is not necessary but boxwood is still a nice companion for our roses. If you want height in your bed, a support with a climbing rose can be a wonderful backdrop for perennials or annuals. A peony is a great companion giving early color, and later in the season the peony’s green foliage is a wonderful filler. If the foliage gets some fungus it can be sprayed with the same products you use on the roses (check the label first).

Roses are not very attractive

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The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

in spring before they are uncovered and pruned but by planting some bulbs among the roses you will have spring color. I plant some daffodils in my beds but you must divide them every few years or they become a massive clump (great to share with friends). Another advantage to having a mixed border is the changing color patterns, depending on the perennials and annuals you choose. I like candytuft (Iberis sempervirens), a low growing shrubby evergreen plant covered with white flowers in spring. Candytuft does reseed but not obnoxiously and is easy to remove, move or share.

Another low front of the border plant is basket of gold (Aurinia saxatilis), very bright yellow in spring. There are many other plants that co-exist very nicely with roses of all classes.

Annuals are a great choice if you are experimenting with a mixed border. The color scheme is more easily changed, and if you start with a limited

number of perennials you can fill in with annuals until the permanent plantings get some size. Another advantage to a thickly planted border is weeds have a harder time finding a spot to grow or they manage to hide amongst the pretty plants.

Gertrude Jekyll, the noted English garden designer, incorporated roses in her cottage garden designs over one hundred years ago. Of course, when Ms. Jekyll was designing gardens the rose choices were limited to the very earliest Hybrid Teas and Floribundas, Old Garden Roses and species roses. Many of her gardens can still be seen in England with roses, perennials and annuals happily growing together.

The important thing to remember is roses are great garden plants.

At no time has the gardener had a greater selection of roses than today. Use that versatility to create your own little bit of heaven.

Diane Brueckman is a retired rosarian with Missouri Botanical Garden, and currently owns Rosey Acres in Baldwin, Illinois. You can reach her at (618) 785-3011 or droseyacres@ egyptian.net.

(FORMERLY GILBERG’S PERENNIAL FARM)

YOUR LOCAL SOURCE FOR PERENNIALS AND A WIDE SELECTION OF MISSOURI NATIVES AND POLLINATORS

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The Gateway Gardener™

19

Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Science Center GROWing This Summer

The Saint Louis Science Center will open a new permanent agriculture exhibition June 18th that hopes to engage visitors in the future of our food supply, and inspire the next generation of farmers, scientists, engineers and agriculture professionals. This one-acre exhibit, titled GROW, greatly extends the Science Center footprint and incorporates a permanent outdoor learning space with interactive exhibits and activities, in addition to permanent classrooms housed in a pavilion designed by globally renowned architect Gyo Obata. GROW will be open year round, to follow the changing seasons and stages of food production, distribution and consumption.

This unique suite of exhibits will be the only one of its kind in the United States, and will allow students, adults and families from across the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond, to enjoy a fun, science-based experiential journey of food from farm to fork. Educators and students of all grade levels will have an immersive learning experience in which the concepts of chemistry, economics and life sciences are presented across different scenarios and seasons. Individuals of all ages, whether they are from rural, suburban or urban communities, will participate in activities and programs that are fun, educational and interactive.

“Food underpins our day-to-day life and is only becoming more important, and our exhibit addresses the critical local, regional and global issues related to our food supply,” said Saint Louis Science Center President and CEO Bert Vescolani. “We are fulfilling our commitment to ignite and sustain life-long science and technology learning by inviting visitors to explore the connections between themselves, agriculture and the food supply, and teaching children and adults to act as stewards for future sustainability.”

GROW introduces and supports content related to agriculture, agronomics, and plant and animal biology, highlighted through the different personal connections visitors have to the food they eat.

Exhibit spaces include: • Your Journey Begins: An introduction to farming in the Missouri-Illinois region, including interviews with local farmers.

• Agriculture Pavilion: The economics and technology behind transporting food from farm to fork, and how farming influences local and world cultures and economies.

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• Water and Weather: How water and rain are some of the most precious resources to farmers, and how farmers use both traditional and modern technology to maximize water efficiency.

• How Plants Work: How the inner workings of plants harvest energy from the sun to support all life on Earth.

• Farming Today: Real world farming from big machines and live animals to state-of-the-art technology.

• The Greenhouse: Learn about a working commercial aquaponic farm, while completing projects with others.

• Fermentation Station: Participate in demonstrations and sample a variety of food and beverages, including cheese, wine, and beer.

• DIY Farming: Get dirty and create your own personal farming experience.

Also of particular interest to home gardeners, an exhibit called HomeGROWn will feature several raised garden beds where visitors can witness seasonal planting and have the opportunity to learn about local plants and why they grow well in the St. Louis region. The area will feature demonstration gardens and opportunities for handson demonstrations, activities and workshops. Gateway Greening, the local community gardening organization, has contributed to the design, planting and maintenance of the raised beds, including a demonstration garden of its Perfect Picks herbs, vegetables and pollinator plants.

Their representatives will also be on hand during special events throughout the year to answer visitors’ questions about raised beds and raised bed construction.

“We intend GROW to cultivate agricultural knowledge by helping people dig deeper and satisfy their curiosity about something that impacts them every day of their lives,” said Vescolani. “By helping people understand the science behind crops, plants, animals and weather, and how all these elements combine to form a system, we’re preparing future generations with knowledge that can be used to innovate and sustain our food supply.”

More information about GROW may be found at slsc.org/ GROW.

The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

Since 1942

June 25-26, 2016 Don’t miss Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Society’s big annual event – FREE with Garden admission.

See hundreds of award-winning plants, then shop for rare specimens and starter plants priced from $2!

9 am to 5 pm Daily Free Kids Corner!

Find more at... www.hscactus.org/SHOW/

LOVE THE EARTH!

A grassroots, community production, the 6th annual Sustainable Backyard Tour is a self-guided tour of private backyards and organic gardens throughout St. Louis City and County showcasing bees, chickens, rain gardens, composting and more.

Create your own customized route.

Addresses and map available online in June.

www.SustainableBackyardTour.com

W A T E R S MA R

JUNE 2016

E POISON FREE! SUPPORT P O L L I N ATO R S !

B A C K YA R D A B U N D A N C E !

FREE!

The Gateway Gardener™

For more information visit www.stlouishosta.org.

The St. Louis Hosta Society is delighted to host this event and invites you to join our society and learn more about these beautiful hostas.

MEET CHICKENS!

M O W L E S S ! C E L E B R AT E

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

American Hosta Society (AHS) 2016 Convention, Gateway to the Gardens, June 15 thru June 18, will be held at the Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel.

There will be unique hostas available for purchase from our vendors, ten magnificent gardens on tour, outstanding speakers, and welcoming hospitality from our members. Many events are open to the public.

B

Sunday June 12

EARTH’S BOUNTY! PET THE BUNNIES!

2016 Sustainable Backyard Tour

BORS! ENJOY

T!

M E E T Y O U R N EI

GH

B E INSPIRED! PROTECT THE PLANET!

21

Upcoming Events Meetings, Classes, Entertainment and More!

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

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

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

Garden Clubs and Plant Society Meetings

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

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

Fun for Kids

June 4th 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. Paint a rock as a paper weight gift for Father’s Day. Call to RSVP. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, (636) 239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

Plant Shows, Sales and Tours

June 4th 9am-5pm—The St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale. Missouri Botanical Garden, Beaumont Room. Lots of great plants-- Venus flytraps, Sarracenia, Drosera,etc. Great fun for kids and have your plant potted for only $1.00

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with purchase of plant. For further info contact sleepdreams@addlebrain. com.

8:30am-Noon—Skinker DeBaliviere Garden Tour. Continental Breakfast, followed by a Walking Tour through this beautiful Historic District. You’ll see several residential gardens and at least one community garden. Ask questions, meet fellow gardeners and take in the rich character of this closeknit neighborhood. Proceeds benefit the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council, a resident-driven non-profit that provides direct service programs, community events and community development activities. Tickets $10 adults, $5 10-15 yrs., under 10 free.

Visit SkinkerDeBaliviere.wordpress. com to purchase tickets in advance, or call 314-862-5122.

June 4th-5th 9am-5pm— 22nd Annual Hermann Garden Tour and Plant Sale. Two Tours in 2016: the popular Town Tour, a walking tour of gardens in downtown Hermann, and the Country Tour, a driving tour to country gardens. Separate $10 ticket for each tour includes visits to at least four private gardens and the Garden Demonstration Area. Town & County Garden Tour Combo Ticket for $15.

Also Special Ticket By-ReservationOnly Luncheon/Silent Auction on June 5th. Visit the Hermann Garden Tours website at www.hermanngardentours. com for up to date events, ticket prices, and photographs. “Like” us on Facebook at Hermann Garden Club Tours 2015. Call Hermann Welcome Center at (800) 932-8687 or go to www.visithermann.com.

June 10th-12th “Dogs and Blooms” Advanced Standard Flower Show and Plant Sale. Hosted by The East Central District of the Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri. The flower show will be held at the American Kennel Club - Museum of the Dog, 1721 South Mason Road, St. Louis, Missouri. Friday, Noon-4pm, Saturday, 10am-4pm, and Sunday, 10am-3pm. Open to the public, no admission fee. The Plant Sale will be held in the Jarville Garden adjacent to the Museum of the Dog. For further information, call 314-772-2849.

June 11th 10am-4pm—The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. America’s only national

private garden-visiting program features 4 gardens. Admission is $7 at each garden, children 12 & under free. No reservations required. Open Days are rain or shine. For addresses and descriptions of the gardens, go to OpenDaysProgram.org and type “St. Louis” into the location search.

guided tour will begin at the Soulard Station – 1911 South 12th Street – where tickets may be purchased or picked-up. Tickets may also be purchased on-line at www.soulard. org. The tour will conclude at the Soulard Station with a wine garden and live music.

June 12th 11am-4pm—Sustainable Backyard Tour. Visit dozens of area home landscapes promoting sustainable practices such as rainwater harvesting, composting, keeping chickens, bees or goats, using renewable energy, repurposed materials, native gardens, and more. For a tour map or to register your garden, go to www. sustainablebackyardtour.com or search the same on Facebook.

June 25th-26th 9am-5 pm—Pond-O-Rama 16th Annual Pond and Garden Tour.

Sponsored by The St. Louis Water Gardening Society, the self-guided tour includes 47 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. See article on page 6 of this issue.

1-5pm—New Town at St. Charles Garden Tour. Ten gardens using New Urbanist principles will be featured.

Tickets $10 each can be purchased via email at terristeffes1117@gmail.com or at Town Hall, 3113 Domain St., St Charles, on tour day.

June 18th 9am-4pm—Native Plant Garden Tour.

STL Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home program and the St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones are collaborating again on this tour of 10 residential gardens in Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and University City. This selfguided tour includes both traditional and natural approaches with a variety of habitat types. All 10 of them are BCH certified, with most at the Gold level! Tickets are $20 online or $15 through one of four area garden center, proceeds benefit both organizations.

Tickets are again limited to maintain a high-quality and personal Tour. www. stlouisaudubon.org/NPT/index.htm June 25th 9am-3pm—Kimmswick Daylily Sale.

6005 4th Street at the state inspected garden of Carrol Wrather, which has over 600 varieties on display. A great opportunity to purchase newer and older varieties not available at nurseries or garden centers. There will be over 90 varieties and 1200 freshly dug and bagged plants for sale. Benefits the Kimmswick Visitor Center. Any questions call 636-4646464.

9am-3pm—2016 Soulard Garden Tour “Art in the Garden.” Guests will be ushered through the normally unseen splendor of nine unique and surprising Soulard gardens. Each garden hosts an artist who is creating an original work of art, inspired by the environment around them. This self-

9am-10pm (Sat.), 9am-5pm (Sun.)— Henry Shaw Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale. Choose from a wide array of cacti and succulents shown and sold by the area’s top growers, including thousands of rare specimens and starter plants priced from $1.50. Cactus Society members will be on hand to answer questions and give plant care advice. Missouri Botanical Garden, Beaumont Room.

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

June 26th 12:30-5pm—Bittersweet Garden Club Annual Garden Tour. Tour beautifully landscaped gardens in the Jefferson City area. Learn new tips and techniques to apply to your own garden. www.bittersweetgardenclub. com/ or (573) 462-6690.

Classes, Lectures and Events

June 1st Sips, Souls & Strolls. Enjoy wines and hors d’oevres as you walk the grounds of St. Louis’ most historic cemetery and arboretum. Hear stories of famous and infamous St. Louisans from master guides.

Hosted by Friends of Bellefontaine

The Gateway Gardener™ JUNE 2016

Cemetery. Tickets available at www. bellefontainecemetery.org/events.

June 4th 8:30-Noon—St. Louis Urban Gardening Symposium. Featuring a series of 40-minute workshops led by experts in their respective fields to help gardeners learn how to plan, plant and care for a neighborhood or home garden. Registration/check-in from 8:30-9. $10/person (fee waived for qualifying Neighbors Naturescaping participants. Register online at BrighsideStL.org or call (314) 4002115. Brightside Demonstration Gardens, 4646 Shenandoah Ave., St. Louis.

6-10pm—FUNdraiser for Forest ReLeaf. Come play at The Carousel at Faust Park. Ride the carousel, fortune teller, magician, games and more. Adults only, casual attire.

Food by Veritas (voted #12 best restaurant), open bar. Tickets: $50, $75 and $100/person. All proceeds help put more trees in the ground!

For more information contact: Wendy Schlesinger, 314-533-5323.

1 – 2pm—Beginning Bonsai. Learn to create and care for your own bonsai with Brian and Milt Ciskowski of Cass Bonsai in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Brian and Milt are renowned in their field for their knowledge and insight of Japanese culture and design. Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/events, 636.798.2555.

10am—The Beautiful Herb Garden.

Join members of the St. Louis Herb Society as they share the herbs that are tasty as well as pretty. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. FREE. Call (314) 9653070.

10-11am—Garden Education Workshop: Disease ID and Prevention. This class will cover disease prevention, basic disease i.d., and what to do if something strikes your plants. Gateway Greening Bell Garden, 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis.

10am—Succulent Container Garden Make-N-Take. Make a succulent container garden for your home. ($30.00 supply fee). Call to RSVP. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, 636-239-6729, www.hillermann.com.

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

JUNE 2016

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.

10am—Garden Stroll with Ann Million. Class takes place at Ann’s extraordinary garden in Crestwood.

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

10am—The Beautiful Herb Garden.

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

June 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th 10am-Noon—Herbs & Heirlooms Tuesdays. Connect with some of the oldest friends of mankind: herbs. Drop in to explore the culinary, sensory, beauty and uses for the herb featured each week. The first 150 participants will pot an herb to take home and receive a plant profile sheet with care tips and ways to use your new plant.

Missouri Botanical Garden in the Herb Garden, weather permitting.

Included with Garden Admission.

No registration is required. For more information, visit www.mobot.org.

June 9th 1-4 pm—Native Plant School: Flower Arranging with Native Plants. Bring a small to medium vase and take it home filled with beautiful native flowers. Session includes hands-on tours and demonstrations. Audience participation encouraged. $15 ($12 Garden members).

Horticulture Greenhouse at Shaw Nature Reserve.

For reservations or more information, call (636) 451-3512 ext. 0 or visit www.shawnature.org.

June 11th 10am—Best Summer Gardening Tips. Learn great tips for summer gardening from Karen Collins, author of Karen’s Garden Calendar. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood. Call (314) 965-3070.

June 11th-12th Customer Appreciation Weekend.

Saturday 6/11/16 Summer Irrigation presentation at 9am; Butterfly and Bee Plants for Your Garden at 11am, and a Hypertufa Container Make-N-Take Workshop at 10am ($40.00 supply fee includes container materials, soil and plants, call 636239-6729 to register). Lunch available each day at Monarch Café from 11am2pm. Live Music from noon-2pm.

The Gateway Gardener™

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

June 15th-18th “Gateway to the Gardens” American Hosta Society Convention. Tours, hosta show, vendor trade show, classes and more. Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel. Visit StLouisHosta.org for information, and see article on page 5 of this issue.

June 18th 10-11am—Garden Education Workshop: Planting with Natives.

Learn what native plants work best in the urban garden and why. Gateway Greening Bell Garden, 3815 Bell Avenue, St. Louis.

10am—Forest ReLeaf Arboretum Tour. Free, arboretum and nursery tours featuring over 25,000 trees, demonstration rain garden, wild flower garden, greenhouse and arboretum with over 150 native species and cultivars. Forest ReLeaf’s CommuniTree Gardens nursery, 2194 Creve Coeur Mill Road, Creve Coeur Park, Maryland Heights. To learn more about Forest ReLeaf go to moreleaf.org.

10am—Gardening with Missouri Natives. Learn about the long blooming sun perennials, along with delightful shade plants to ensure successful low-maintenance landscapes. Sugar Creek Gardens, 1011 Woodlawn Rd., Kirkwood.

FREE. Call (314) 965-3070.

June 18th-19th Get your “BUZZ ON” Weekend!

See the Valley of the Flowers Car Show from 10am-2pm. See beer making demos. Enjoy samples of spirits from Pinckney Bend Distillery.

A representative will be on hand from Bee Keeping with Darryl Coats from 10am-Noon. Lunch available from 11am-2pm at Monarch Café.

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

June 19th 6pm—Native Pollinators Dinner and Fundraiser. Mizzou Botanic Garden celebrates National Pollinator Week with this fundraiser dinner, featuring guest speaker Gary Nabhan. $50/person with cash bar and auction.

The Great Room, Reynolds Alumni Center, U. of Missouri, Columbia.

More information at gardens.missouri. edu.

June 20th-26th Pollinator Week at the St. Louis Zoo. The Zoo’s Monsanto Insectarium will host keeper chats

and demonstrations on attracting bees to the garden, identifying bees, beekeeping and more. June 21st is the Pollinator Dinner, from 6-9pm. Guest speaker Dr. Laura Jackson, Director of the Tallgrass Prairie Center and Professor of Biology at the University of Northern Iowa, will speak on restoring pollinator habitat in the corn belt region. Visit www.stlzoo.org/ pollinatordinner for details. See article in this issue on page 10.

June 23rd 8am-3:30pm—Native Pollinator Symposium. Celebrating National Pollinator Week, Mizzou Botanic Garden hosts this FREE event. Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home, keynotes the symposium.

The Tallamy message will be further supported by other presentations by Roy Diblik, Northwind Landscape Design Division; Christine Nye, Shedd Aquarium of Chicago; and Mike Arduser, a now retired, former Missouri Department of Conservation natural history biologist. Monsanto Auditorium, Bond Life Sciences Center, U. of Missouri-Columbia.

More information at gardens.missouri. edu.

June 25th 1–2pm—Ask the Arborist. Bring your questions and concerns about the general health and condition of your existing trees to an open forum with resident Arborist, Joe Kueper. He will clarify uncertainty about diseased or dying trees, address apprehension about how and when to prune both shade and ornamental trees, and give guidance for placement in both short-term and long-term plans for new trees. Pictures always welcome!

Frisella Nursery, frisellanursery.com/ events, 636.798.2555.

June 25th-26th Water Weekend. Informational booths on Water Conservation, Drip Irrigation and Rain Barrels. Container Water Garden demonstration at 10am.

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

June 25th-July 24th Desert Exhibit. Chronicling the historical uses of cacti and succulents in past Garden designs while displaying the current living collection. Typically viewed by the public only in small numbers throughout the grounds, a portion of the garden’s collection will be displayed in the Linnean House.

Included with Missouri Botanical Garden Admission. For more information, visit www.mobot.org.

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