
Plant of the Week: Native Goldenrod. This looks great paired with Blue Sage in Fall.
Fall Color Reports: Illinois Missouri
Plan your garden with 2026 Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar, good for Zones 6a, 6b, 7a, maybe more.
If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here.
St. Louis Master Gardeners Horticulture Answer Service: Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 2:30 pm
Find a Native Plant/Seed vendor in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas… (Grow Native)
Good Reads, Views, Listens —
October Gardening: Tips, Tasks, and Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)
Monarchs pass over Edwardsville as native plants nourish pollinators (The Edwardsville Intelligencer via Wayback Machine)
A simple row cover can save late-summer vegetables as frost threatens (Associated Press)
The Kansas City Gardener Magazine, October 2026
How to Make Candied Fruits (University of Missouri Extension)
Deep Roots Kansas City Native Plant Gardening Videos
Seed St. Louis Videos: Variety Trials, Virtual Classes, Starting Seeds Indoors, Orchard Tips, Gardening Tips & How To, In the Community Garden, Youth Garden Activities & Tips, Teachers in the Garden Tutorials.
Growing Vegetables Advice: Begin with a Plan, Seed Starting, Soil Management, Weed Management, Hardening Off Indoor Seedlings, Season Extension, Supporting Plants, Pest Management, Fertilizing Your Garden, Irrigation, Garden Tool Care, Container Gardens, more (University of Illinois Extension)
Shaw Nature Reserve Propagation Guide
Free Native Garden Designs @ Wild Ones. There’s one specific to St. Louis, one for Chicago, one for Denver, …
Native plant gardening in a pot. Missouri Botanical Garden has container designs for sun and shade.
Illinois Native Plants for the Home Landscape
Missouri Native Plant Top 10 Lists (Grow Native) Native Plants for Children, Poorly Drained Clay Soil, Sun, Shade, Half Sun & Half Shade, Under Utility Poles, Rain Gardens, Kitchen Gardens, Bees, Pollinators in Winter, Hummingbirds, Wildlife, Butterflies, More
2023 Plants of Merit – Annuals, Bulbs, Edibles, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Vines (Missouri Botanical Garden)
2023 Plants of Demerit – Bamboo, Big Leaf Hydrangea, Blueberry, Burning Bush, Chameleon Plant, Lavender, Pin Oak, Wintercreeper (Missouri Botanical Garden)
Gardening and Nature Events —
—– ONGOING —–
Going on now. Missouri Conservation Department Tree & Shrub Seedling Sale. Spring delivery or pick up. American Beautyberry, Red Bud, Rose Mallow (native hibiscus), Witch Hazel still available. But hurry, many selections already sold out.
Order Deadline extended to Friday, October 2nd- Brightside St. Louis Blooming Soon! Bulb Sale. 30 high quality bulbs for $18. Daffodils: Carlton, Midwest Mix. Tulips: Brightside Red Hybrid Darwin, Pink Impression. Order for pick up October 9-10 at Forest Park Greenhouse. There’s a shipping option but it’s USPS.
Thursday, October 1st, Registration Opens for Heartlands Conservancy 2026 Jingle Hike Challenge. $25
Volunteers Wanted. STL Neighborhood Foresters Neighborhood Tree Care Blitzes
October 10th Benton Park West. Register
October 10th Tower Grove East. Register
October 17th Old North. Register
October 17th Benton Park. Register
October 18th Shaw. Register
October 24th Bevo. Register
October 24th St. Louis Place. Register
6:45 am Walk Before You Work Club at Tower Grove Park with naturalist:
October 14th
October 28th
November 5th
November 18th
November 15th Deadline to Enter Missouri State Parks & Missouri Rural Electric Cooperatives Missouri Snapshots Photo Contest. 2026 Categories: Adventure & Recreation, On The Trail, Parks Less Traveled, Making Memories, Capture the Beauty
October Applications Open for Missouri Prairie Foundation’s 2027 Prairie Garden Grant Program for gardening and conservation groups, parks, school
November 1st Registration Closes for Heartlands Conservancy 2026 Jingle Hike Challenge. $25
Thru December 31st Missouri Botanical Gardens photography exhibit- Gardenscapes: Patterns in Bloom. Garden Admission Free until Noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents, except during MoBot special events, otherwise Garden Fee applies.
Now thru January 4, 2027, Exhibit at Kemper Art Museum: Carolina Caycedo- Growing Deep Roots
Thru March 31, 2027, Missouri Botanical Garden exhibit at Sachs Museum– The Literary Garden: The Cultivation of Plants and Gardens in Narratives. Garden Admission Free until Noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents, except during MoBot special events, otherwise Garden Fee applies.
—– GENERAL CALENDAR —–
6 pm Tuesday, September 29th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Make Your Own Bird Suet. Register
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Wednesday, September 30th, The Nature Institute Native Seed Collecting in Godfrey, Illinois. Register
Thursday, October 1st, Registration Opens for Heartlands Conservancy 2026 Jingle Hike Challenge. $25
Noon Thursday, October 1st Deep Roots Kansas City Zoom Class: Fear, Facts, and Fascination- Changing How We See Insects. Register
5:30 pm Thursday, October 1st, Panel Discussion on Plant–Human–Land Relations at Kemper Art Museum at Washington University. Register
4 Tickets remaining. For Ages 7+. 6 pm Thursday, October 1st, Missouri Conservation Department Class at Forest Park Fish Hatchery: Fishing Lesson 1- Equipment, Casting, & Proper Fish Handling. Register
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Friday, October 2nd, Eastern Missouri Sierra Club’s Don Robinson State Park Service Project Day, Jefferson County MO. Register
9 am Saturday, October 3rd, Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Citizen Science- Monarch Butterfly Tagging. Register
10 am to 3 pm Saturday, October 3rd, Willoughby Farm Fall Farm Day in Collinsville IL. Lots of kid activities and baby highland cows to pet. $5
10 am to 4 pm Saturday, October 3rd, Old North St. Louis Restoration Group’s House, Garden, Business Tour and Arts Festival at Crown Square. Tickets $17.85-$33.85
10 am to 4 pm Saturday, October 3rd, STL Seeding Frenzy’s Homesteaders Hoedown at 3915 South Lindbergh, Sunset Hills Community Center. Cutting & Plant Exchange (bring something, take something; wrap your cuttings in damp paper towels to help keep them safe and healthy during the event). Back to Basics Classes: 10 am Raising Meat Rabbits, 11 am Hydroponic Growing, Noon Fermenting, 1 pm Seed Selection, 2 pm Houseplants & Propagating, 3 pm Winter Sowing.
1:30 pm Saturday, October 3rd, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Birding from a Distance. Register
4-6 pm Saturday, October 3rd, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum’s Sips, Souls, and Strolls event, last one of 2026- Horticulture at Bellefontaine. $15 Ticket includes beer, wine, light hors d’oeuvres
2 pm October 5th St. Louis County Public Library class at Thornhill Branch:
Garden on your Windowsill, presented by Missouri Botanical Garden. Register
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 6th, The Nature Institute Native Seed Collecting in Godfrey, Illinois. Register
15 Tickets remaining. 10:30 am October 7th Missouri Conservation Department class at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Wild Edibles- Roots & Tubers. Register
3 Tickets remaining. 5:30 pm October 7th Missouri Conservation Department class at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Fall Birding. Binoculars provided. Register
4 pm October 7th Grow Native! Webinar: Transforming Stormwater Basins into Native Plant Habitats. Register
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 8th Heartlands Conservancy service day in Edwardsville, Illinois: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Stewardship Day. Register
Noon October 8th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Native Plants- Less Lawn, More Life with Living Landscapes. Register
9 am to 5 pm Friday-Sunday, October 9th-11th, Missouri Botanical Garden Best of Missouri Market. Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, native plant sales, will be on East Lot. Vendor List. Garden Admission Fee applies.
9 am to 5 pm Friday-Saturday-Sunday, October 9th-10th-11th, International Tree Climbing Championship & Arbor Fair at Tower Grove Park
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 9th Heartlands Conservancy service day at Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea, Illinois: Exploration Garden Stewardship Day & Tree Planting Workshop. Register
1:30 pm October 9th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Trolley Tour. $5 suggested donation. Register
7 pm October 9th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Conservation Lessons from a Life in Photography with Noppadol Paothong. Register
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 10th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club Wadlow Creek Bird and Plant Survey in Alton, Illinois. Register
9 am October 10th Heartlands Conservancy event in O’Fallon, Illinois: Tree Identification Walk at Rock Springs Rotary Park. Register
3 Tickets remaining. 10 am October 10th Missouri Conservation Department Hike: Calvary Cemetery Prairie Exploration with conservation educator Mary Fuller Register
October 10th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Arboretum Trolley Tours. $5 suggested donation. 10 am Tour Register. 1:30 pm Tour Register
11 am October 10th St. Charles County Library Seed & Plant Swap at Spencer Road Branch, St. Peters. Register.
10 am to 2 pm October 12th Missouri Botanical Garden event: Indigenous Peoples’ Day- Remembering Roots Through Art, Culture & Community. Garden Admission Free until Noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents, except during MoBot special events, otherwise Garden Fee applies.
10 am October 13th Tower Grove Park Nee Kee Nee (East Stream) Tour. Register
6:30 pm October 13th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club Speaker Series at Old Bakery Beer Company , Alton, Illinois: Powerful Trees- How Trees Improve the Environment, presented by Dr. John Lovseth, Professor of Forestry & Director of Land Stewardship, Principia College. Register
6:45 am October 14th Missouri Conservation Department Hike in St. Louis City: Walk Before Work at Tower Grove Park with naturalist. Register
9 am October 14th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Tree Walk with Horticulturist. $5 suggested donation. Register
6 pm October 15th University of Illinois Extension Class at Vintage Wine Bar in Waterloo, Illinois: From Hive to Honey- Taste, Learn, Enjoy. Register
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 16th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club’s Castlewood State Park Service Project Day, Ballwin. Register
9 am October 17th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale at Carriage House
Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 17th Heartlands Conservancy service day in Waterloo, Illinois: Trout Hollow Hill Prairie Stewardship Day. Register
10 am to 2 pm October 17th Rustic Roots Sanctuary Fall Harvest Festival in St. Louis County. Free but Register.
10:30 am October 17th Forest ReLeaf event at historic Scott Joplin House: Persimmon Festival. Register for free trees
11 am and 1 pm October 17th Missouri Botanical Garden lecture-recital at Sachs Museum: Frets and Flora, Botanical Themes in Guitar Literature with classical guitarist Patrick Rafferty. Garden Admission Free until Noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents, except during MoBot special events, otherwise Garden Fee applies.
1 pm October 17th St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: Harvesting and Preserving Herbs, presented by St. Louis Herb Society
7 pm October 17th Stargazing at Tower Grove Park with St. Louis Astronomical Society.
9 am October 18th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club event at Castlewood State Park, Ballwin: Grotpeter Trail Fall Color Hike. Register
10 am to 2 pm October 18th Bring Conservation Home Expo & Native Plant Sale at Tower Grove Park. Native plants for sale, local artists, bird & bat houses, activities for all ages, exhibits.
1:30 pm October 20th University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Speak for the Trees- Community Advocacy for Urban Forests. Register
11 am October 21st Missouri Botanical Garden event: Nature Speaks Through Art, Women Impressionists and the Land, a collaboration with Missouri Botanical Garden and St. Louis Art Museum. Garden Admission Fee applies.
6 pm October 21st Wild Ones Webinar: Bats in the Backyard. Register
6-8 pm October 22nd Sierra Club Eastern Missouri event at Alpine Shop, Kirkwood: Happy Hour, Pint Night. $10. Register
9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, October 23rd-24th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale.
Volunteers Wanted. 9:30 am October 23rd Heartlands Conservancy class in Fults, Monrow County, Illinois: Volunteer Training- Native Seed Collection. Register
9 am to 3 pm October 24th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Field Day, a celebration of trees. Vendor Booths & Free Tree Sapling Giveaway. Horticulture Demonstrations. Guided Tours- 10 am & 1 pm Wildwood Valley Garden Tours, 11 am & 2 pm Big Trees Tour, Noon Cultivated Trees & Shrubs Tour. Register
8:30 am October 25th St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Tower Grove Park. Register
5 Seats remaining. 10 am October 25th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Nature Crocheters- Fall Leaves. Register
6:45 am October 28th Missouri Conservation Department Hike in St. Louis City: Walk Before Work at Tower Grove Park with naturalist. Register
9 am October 28th Fall Tree Walk with Horticulturist. $5 suggested donation. Register
6 pm November 4th St. Louis City Public Library class at Schlafly Library: Tea Talk with Amber Fouche- A Lesson in Tea Blending, Tea Benefits, and History
6:45 am November 5th Missouri Conservation Department Hike in St. Louis City: Walk Before Work at Tower Grove Park with naturalist. Register
11 am November 6th Missouri Coalition for Environment Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon at The Leona. Free to members, $45 for nonmembers includes membership. Register
5:15 pm Networking Reception and 6 pm lecture November 5th Missouri Botanical Garden: Lecture on Global Plant Conservation with Dr. Lucy Sutherland, Director, National Botanic Garden of Wales. Free
11 am November 14th St. Charles County Library Seed & Plant Swap at Spencer Road Branch, St. Peters. Register. Registration opens October 17th
1 pm November 14th St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: History and Use of Herbs, presented by St. Louis Herb Society
2 pm November 15th Public Tour- Plants as Medicine at Kemper Art Museum at Washington University. Register
6:45 am November 18th Missouri Conservation Department Hike in St. Louis City: Walk Before Work at Tower Grove Park with naturalist. Register
9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, November 27th-28th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale.
9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, December 11th-12th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale.
11 am December 12th St. Charles County Library Seed & Plant Swap at Spencer Road Branch, St. Peters. Register. Registration opens October 17th
1 pm December 12th St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: We Love Lavender! presented by St. Louis Herb Society
11 am to 4 pm January 30th, 2027, 16th Annual STL Seeding Frenzy Seed Swap at Sunset Hills Community Center, 3915 S Lindbergh. Prepackage your seeds and identify the seeds on package. Seed Swap 11 am to 12:30 pm for those who bring seeds to swap and who will receive an arm band to the Seed Room. After 12:30 pm people without an arm band may enter and select seeds from Seed Room. If you do not contribute seeds, bring a donation of either non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear. These items will be given to a local charity.
19 Seats remaining. 1 pm April 17th St. Louis City Public Library Class at Central Library: From Garden to Table- Garlic Spring Clinic. Register
18 Seats remaining. 1 pm May 22nd St. Louis City Public Library Class at Central Library: From Garden to Table- Garlic Scape Pesto. Register
17 Seats remaining. 1 pm July 17th St. Louis City Public Library Class at Central Library: From Garden to Table- Harvesting Garlic for Garlic Aioli. Register








