This Week in Gardening & Nature

Plant of the Week: Goldenrod

Helpful Houseplant Gifting Guide from Missouri Botanical Garden

Poinsettia Care Advice from University of Missouri Extension

Registration Open for January 14th thru June 1st University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener Online Core Training. $200. Register

Upcoming Illinois Educator Nature Workshops offered by Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Missouri Master Naturalist Program

Only 3 more weeks until we start Leeks & Onions indoors by seed. It’s never too early to start planning your 2024 Garden: Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Want a front yard native landscape makeover? Enter Grow Native! and Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter 2024 Landscape Challenge

Good Reads & Views—

Never too soon to start planning your container gardening: Top 10 Veggies to grow in Containers (Missouri Botanical Garden)

Biden Administration Supports Removal of Four Dams on the Snake River. Decommissioning the dams is the first step toward restoring salmon runs and respecting Native treaties. (Sierra Club)

Winter Gardening using Cold Frames and Hotbeds (University of Missouri Extension)

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

If you’re in 6a-7a zones, there is a ton of useful gardening information available on Seed St. Louis YouTube channel

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

9 am Tuesday, December 19th, Missouri Conservation Department Guided Walk: The Sights & Sounds of Powder Valley Nature Conservation Area, Kirkwood

2 pm Tuesday, December 19th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Creature Feature- River Otter. Register

For Kids Age 5+. 10 am Wednesday, December 20th, Missouri Conservation Department Class at Tower Grove Park: Beginning Birding for Kids. Register

1 pm Wednesday, December 20th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Owls of Missouri. Register

4 pm Wednesday, December 20th, Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Challenges and Opportunities forConserving Rare Grassland Plants. Register.

10 am December 29th Missouri Conservation Department Class at Powder Valley Nature Conservation Center, Kirkwood: The Snakes of Powder Valley. 24 Seats remaining. Register

9 am December 30th Missouri Conservation Department family event at Powder Valley Nature Conservation Center: Ask a Naturalist

4:30 pm December 31st Missouri Conservation Department New Year’s Eve Stroll to the Confluence, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. 10 Tickets remaining. Register.

8 am January 1st Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 1. 10 Seats remaining. Register

8:30 am January 1st Piasa Sierra Club event: New Years Day Hike @ Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, Illinois. Register.

10:30 am January 3rd Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Nature Conservation Area, Kirkwood: Scavenger Hunt Hike

4 pm January 3rd Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Braided Streams of Thought: Meandering Through Groundwater Discharge, Wetland Plants, and Beaver Complexes. Register

3 pm January 5th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Mammals of MO- Extirpated and Naturalized. Register

8 am January 7th Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 2. 10 Seats remaining. Register

10 am to 2:30 pm January 7th Audubon Center at Riverlands (West Alton, Missouri): Eagle Sunday. Register

6 pm January 11th First Seed St. Louis Zoom Class of 2024: Seed Starting. Register

How well do you know Missouri wildlife? 6 pm January 12th Missouri Conservation Department Trivia Night at Powder Valley Nature Conservation Center. Register

8 am January 13th Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 1. 10 Seats remaining. Register

9 am January 13th Missouri Conservation Department Hiking event at Columbia Bottom Nature Conservation Area: Looking for Treasures in the Winter Woods. 14 Tickets remaining. Register

2 pm January 13th St. Louis Public Library In Person Class @ Carpenter Library: Intro to Plant-spotting- Common St. Louis Flowers & Weeds.

8 am January 14th Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 2. 10 Seats remaining. Register

January 15th Deadline for Missouri community gardens, conservation groups, parks, schools to apply for Missouri Prairie Foundation Prairie Garden Grants

11 am January 16th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Event: Attracting Winter Birds. Register

Noon January 18th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Native Plants- Winter Wonderland. Learn about some beautiful showy winter native plants, how to plant them effectively, and winter garden care. Register

Noon January 24th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Missouri Oak. Learn about the 21 Oak species found in various habitats across Missouri. Register

7 pm January 26th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Nature Conservation Center, Kirkwood: An Evening with Raptors. Register

10 am January 27th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Winter Tree ID. Learn how to identify trees by their twigs, fruits, and bark. Register

January 27th thru February 25th Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission is free to residents of St. Louis City and St. Louis County on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

9 am to 3 pm February 10th Eagle Days at Audubon Center @ Riverlands (West Alton, Missouri). Register

1 pm February 10th St. Louis Public Library Class @ Central Library: Top 10 Orchids for Home. 35 Seats remaining. Register.

7:30 am to Noon February 23rd Southwest Illinois Grow Native! Workshop with breakfast @ Lewis and Clark Community College, Edwardsville IL: Southwest Illinois Landscape Challenges & Native Plant Solutions. $25 Grow Native! Members, $15 Students, $30 Non-members

February 28th Deadline to apply for Missouri Coalition for the Environment High School Student Environmental Action Award

1 pm March 6th St. Louis Public Library In Person Class @ Central Library: Alien Invasion! Plants with Betsy Alexander, Master Gardener from the Missouri Botanical Gardens Master Gardener Program. 35 Seats remaining. Register.

March 8th-9th Midwestern Herb & Garden Show in Mount Vernon, Illinois (little over an hour drive from St. Louis City)

2 pm April 8th St. Louis Public Library program at Central Library: Plants, Pollen, and Allergies. 35 Seats remaining. Register.

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