This Week in Gardening & Nature

Plant of the Week: Giant Hyssop

New St. Louis Area Upcoming Plant Sales List– Vegetable Seedlings, Native Plants, Pretties

Gardening by Month from Missouri Botanical Garden: August Tips & Tasks, Pests & Problems

August Garden To Dos from P. Allen Smith

Order Brightside St. Louis Daffodil & Tulip Bulbs Online for October Pick Up

Download the Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Hey, St. Louisans: Need seeds for planting now and Fall/Winter harvesting? Check out the 50 Cent to $1 deals at Seed St. Louis

The massive fire which destroyed Skate Liborious also destroyed New Roots Urban Farm. All donations to help rebuild the farm are appreciated: GoFund for New Roots Urban Farm

It’s Sunflower Season at Columbia Bottom Nature Conservation Area

Thru Tuesday, August 1st at Buder Library, St. Louis Hills: The Art of Science and Nature by Dr. Robert Bolla: Art Exhibit an exhibit of photography of animals and botanicals

Current Exhibits thru August 6th at Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Grand Center- Faye HeavyShield’s Confluences and The Nature of Things: Medieval Art and Ecology, 1100-1550

Know a great tree steward? August 7th Deadline to submit Nominations for Arbor Award of Excellence

Sept 1st Deadline to enter Missouri Department of Natural Resources 2023 Photo Contest Categories: Natural Resources, Unique Places: state parks and historic sites; People Enjoying Missouri’s Outdoors.

—– Good Reads

August issue of Missouri Conservationist magazine features Bellefontaine, Calvary, and Greenwood cemeteries of St. Louis: Resting in Peace with Nature. Bellefontaine Cemetery has suspended tours due to early July storm damage.

Tropical Milkweed for pollinators For or Against? from Ryan Pankau, horticulture educator @ University of Illinois County Extension, Champaign, Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion Counties

Interested in Bees? Download USDA Forest Service’s Bee Basics, An Introduction to Native Bees

Do you Deadhead Butterfly Bushes?

Tips on harvesting Sunflowers for planting next year.

———- Events

6 pm Monday, July 31st, Missouri Conservation Department Online Class: Hummers of Summer. Register

2 pm Tuesday, August 1st, Seed St. Louis and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Fall Gardening. Register

4 pm Wednesday, August 2nd, Missouri Prairie Foundation Zoom Master Class: Native Grasses and Sedges-Smart Choices for Native Landscape Design. Free for MPF dues-paying members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

6:30 pm Thursday, August 3rd, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Making Friends with Fritillaries. Register

For Children ages 0-7. 10 am Friday, August 4th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park- You and Me Under the Canopy- Hike. 18 Tickets remaining. Register

8 am Saturday, August 5th, St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Forest Park. Register

10 am to 4 pm Saturday, August 5th, Green Living Festival at Missouri Botanical Garden: Workshops, Guided Walking Tours, Family Friendly Activities. Garden Admission is FREE to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.

10 Seats remaining. 10 am Saturday, August 5th, Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Watercolor Painting and Fun with Butterflies! Register

For Children Ages 3-6. 10 am August 8th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Conservation Kids- Nature Scavenger Hunt. Register

7 pm August 8th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Introduction to Missouri’s Caves and Caving. This class is a requirement for August 9th field trip to Cliff Cave, Cliff Cave County Park, St. Louis County. Registration for that is closed but I thought the Zoom Class on its own might be of interest to some. Register

12 Tickets remaining. 6:30 pm August 10th Missouri Conservation Department “Calling All Owls” In Person Event @ Shaw Nature Reserve, Gray Summit, Franklin County. Register

10 am August 11th Missouri Conservation Department Nature Art In Person Class at Tower Grove Park: Nature Crocheters, Session 1. Prior experience not necessary, but bring a size 5 mm, 5.5 mm, or 6 mm crochet hook. Future Sessions: October 14th & November 18th. Register

9 am August 12th Seed St. Louis Fall Plant Sale. $3.50 4-pak Vegetable Seedlings (bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi, heat tolerant lettuce) + seed packets. Please bring your own tray or box for your plants.

9 am to 5 pm Saturday & Sunday, August 12th & 13th, Greater St. Louis Iris Society Plant Sale @ Missouri Botanical Garden. Entrance included with Garden Admission. Garden Admission is FREE to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.

6:30 pm August 12th Nature Night Film Series at Tower Grove Park: Over the Hedge. + Raptor Basics Show with live birds from World Bird Sanctuary. + Educational activities and crafts sponsored by U.S. Forest Service, Missouri Conservation Department, St. Louis Zoo, Tower Grove Park, St. Louis Public Library, Wild Bird Rehab, more

Noon August 15th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Outdoor Skills- Reading the River. Learn the fundamentals of how to travel down a waterway safely. Register

4 pm August 16th Grow Native! Webinar: Learning to Grow Native- Four Seasons of Transformation in a Residential Landscape. Register

10 am August 19th Seed St. Louis Tasting the Rainbow Class: Garden Recipes for Kids at Bell Garden. Register

11:30 am August 19th Seed St. Louis Tomato Tasting & Potluck at Bell Garden. Register

August 19th Missouri Prairie Foundation Annual Dinner & Auction, Stoney Creek Hotel, Columbia. Tickets

8 am August 26th St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk @ Sunset Greenway, Florissant, St. Louis County. Register

9 am to Noon August 26th Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission is FREE to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.

10 am August 26th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Native Plants- What’s Blooming? Register

Noon to 5 pm August 27th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction @ Missouri Botanical Garden. Entrance included with Garden Admission. Garden Admission is FREE to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.

2 pm August 29th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Creature Feature- Kingsnakes. Register

6:30 pm August 29th Mid Continent Public Library (Kansas City area) Zoom Event: Monarch Mania. Register

August 30th to September 4th  Greater St. Louis Daylily Society Online Sale & Auction

4 pm August 30th Grow Native! Webinar: Soft Landings- Providing Year-Round Sanctuary for Pollinators. Register

8 am September 2nd St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk @ Forest Park. Register

9 am to 5 om September 9th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Sale @ Missouri Botanical Garden. Entrance included with Garden Admission. Garden Admission is FREE to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents 7 am to Noon Wednesdays and Saturdays.

8 am September 9th St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk @ Mississippi Greenway, Cliff Cave Park, St. Louis County. Register

10 am to 2 pm September 9th Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale at Wild Bird Sanctuary, Valley Park, St. Louis County

10 am to 5 pm September 16th Old North St. Louis House & Garden Tour + Arts Festival at Crown Square. Tickets

5:30 pm September 18th Missouri Prairie Foundation Guided Hike of Deer Lake Savanna in Forest Park. Register

8 am September 23rd St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk @ Meramec Greenway, Al Foster Trailhead, Wildwood, St. Louis County. Register

3:30-6:30 pm September 28th Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale @ Roeslein & Associates, St. Louis County

1 pm October 21st Missouri Prairie Foundation Members Field Trip: Bellefontaine Cemetery Fall Tree Walk

9 am to 3:30 pm November 8th Grow Native! Professionals Conference @ University of Missouri- Columbia. $20 per person for Grow Native! professional members (and their staff). Zoom option: $30 for non-members. Register

Join us Sundays on Spoutible or Twitter for #GardenSunday to interact with other outdoor and indoor gardeners and nature enthusiasts, ask questions, give answers, share photos.