This Week in Gardening & Nature

Yellow and pink peach snapdragons growing in garden

Plant of the Week: Snapdragons, great garden color in cooler months.

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. 2026 Updates: Added Missouri Invasive Plant Council Callery Pear, Bradford Pear Buyback; Spring & Fall Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sales

St. Louis Master Gardeners Horticulture Answer Service: Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 2:30 pm

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar, good for Zones 6a, 6b, 7a, maybe more.

Find a Native Plant/Seed vendor in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas,… (Grow Native)

Good Reads/Views/Listens —

Gorgeous- 1850-1925 Nursery and Seed Trade Catalogs (National Agricultural Library, USDA)

Paperwhites provide instant spring — just add water (Fulton Sun)

Should You Cut Back Asters Before Winter? Here’s What Gardening Pros Actually Do. Deciding whether to cut back the flower depends on your specific goals. (Martha Stewart)

How urban farms can make cities more livable and help feed America. Metropolitan gardens and farms are extraordinarily powerful tools that can improve food security, lower temperatures, and create invaluable gathering spaces. (Grist)

Should You Cut Back Lilacs Before Winter? Gardeners Often Get This Step Wrong. Fall pruning can cut off next season’s blooms. (Martha Stewart)

2025 Wild Ones Photo Contest Results. Lots of native pretties and pollinators (Wild Ones)

Iowa City Made Its Buses Free. Traffic Cleared, and So Did the Air. Ridership jumped, people cut back on driving and, over the summer, the city extended the program another year. (New York Times via Wayback Machine so no paywall)

Australia to offer three hours free solar per day to millions (Reuters)

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. I will continue promoting the online resources and activities of Seed St. Louis where appropriate. I will not, however, knowingly promote events at Maxine Clark’s school privatization campus named Delmar Divine. It is unfortunate that Seed St. Louis is now a tenant there.

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 Annual Tree Seedling Sale. Orders ship out in Spring. 29 Tree/Shrub Varieties (American Beautyberry, Buttonbush, Deciduous Holly/Possumhaw, Dogwoods- Gray, Roughleaf, Silky and Bundles (Edible, Nut, Pollinator, Wildlife), as examples, still available.

Volunteers Wanted. STL Neighborhood Foresters Neighborhood Tree Care Blitzes
December 6th Hyde Park. Register
December 7th Forest Park Southeast. Register
December 13th Tower Grove East. Register
December 13th Benton Park West. Register
December 20th Old North. Register
December 20th Benton Park. Register
December 21st Shaw. Register
December 27th Bevo. Register

5:30 to 9:30 pm or 10 pm Now thru January 3rd Missouri Botanical Garden’s Garden Glow. Fees apply.

Now thru January 3rd Missouri Botanical Garden exhibit at Emerson Conservatory: Holiday Flower and Train Show. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

January 2nd Deadline to Register for University of Missouri Extension’s January 2nd to April 27th Master Gardener Online Course. $200 fee includes Missouri Master Gardener Core Manual ($40 when sold separately).

Now thru March 31st, 2026, Missouri Botanical Garden exhibit at Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden: Smelling the Bouquet- Plants & Scents in the Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

—– DAILY —–

6 pm Tuesday, November 25th, Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Wild Turkeys. Register

15 Tickets remaining. 1 pm Friday, November 28th, Missouri Conservation event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Walk off the Turkey and Pumpkin Pie Hike. Register

Volunteers Wanted: 9 am Saturday, November 29th, Eastern Missouri Sierra Club VolunteerDay at Babler State Park, Wildwood. Register

10 am Saturday, November 29th, Piasa Palisades Sierra Club event at Salt Lick Point Land & Water Reserve, Valmeyer, Illinois: Salt Lick Trail Hike,  moderate to strenuous hike with elevation rise of over 400 feet to the Mississippi overlook. Register

6:30 am December 2nd, Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Birds & Brews- Bird Watching with Coffee. Register

4 pm December 3rd Missouri Prairie Foundation webinar: Lichens in the Tallgrass Biome, presented by Douglas Ladd, conservation biologist, plant ecologist, conservation director for The Nature Conservancy’s Missouri program. Register 

Volunteers wanted. 9 am December 4th Heartlands Conservancy event in Edwardsville, Illinois: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Stewardship Day. Register

5:30 pm December 4th The Nature Institute event in Godfrey, Illinois: Moonlight Hike. Register

Volunteers Wanted: 9 am December 6th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club volunteer day: Castlewood Service Project, Ballwin. Register

10 am December 6th The Nature Institute event in Godfrey, Illinois: Grow Your Own Mushrooms Workshop. $20 includes take home oyster mushroom growing kit. Register

6 pm December 6th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club Holiday Party & Potluck at Ethical Society. Register

1 pm December 6th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Preventing Winter Plant Damage

2 pm December 6th Missouri Conservation Department hiking event at Tower Grove Park: A Winter Walk in Tower Grove Park. Register

17 Tickets remaining. 9 am December 7th Missouri Conservation Department class at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Nature Photography with a Phone. Includes 1/3 mile loop walk, Tanglevine Trail. Register

5 pm December 9th Wild Ones Webinar: Turn That Patch Into a Plan. Design workshop for transforming your lawn into a native plant garden. Register

9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, December 12th-13th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale. This involves a very cool Citizen Growers program.

Noon December 12th University of Illinois Extension virtual class: Bats- Why we need to conserve them and how you can help presented by Dr. Joy O’Keefe, a leading researcher in bat ecology. Register

11 am December 13th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens November 15th

1:30 pm December 13th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club’s Creve Coeur Lake Hike,  3.25 mile hike, all flat. Register

2 pm December 13th St. Louis County Library event at Lewis & Clark Branch: The Art of Caring for Carnivorous Plants presented by St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

6:30 pm December 15th Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Farm Bill 101- Sowing the Seeds for Conservation with Bill White, Grassland Coordinator with Missouri Native Grasslands Collaborative and Conservation Federation of Missouri. Register

8:30 am December 18th Missouri Conservation Department online class:  Winter Backyard Bird Watching. Register

Noon December 18th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Visitors from the Arctic: Snow Geese. Registration opens December 4th. Register

6 pm December 18th Missouri Conservation class at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Sustainable Holidays- Wrapping and Recipes. Learn creative, eco-friendly ways to wrap gifts. Register

20 Tickets remaining. 12:30 pm December 19th Missouri Conservation Department class at Tower Grove Park: CSI-  Conservation Scene Investigation. Register

2 pm December 20th St. Louis County Library event at Grant’s View Branch:
The Art of Caring for Carnivorous Plants
presented by St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

Noon December 22nd Missouri Conservation Department online class: Backyard Birds in Winter and a Warm Cup of Cheer. Learn Bird Identification, Birding Essentials, Bird Sounds, Distinguishing Features. Register

29 Tickets remaining. 4:30 pm December 31st Missouri Conservation Department hiking event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: New Year’s Eve Hike at Columbia Bottom. Register

10 am January 1st Piasa Palisades Sierra Club’s New Years Day Hike at Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, Illinois. Register

5:15 pm January 3rd The Nature Institute event in Godfrey, Illinois: Moonlight Hike. Register

7 pm January 7th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Zoom class: Natural Landscape Design. Register

6 pm January 8th St. Louis County Library event at Florissant Valley Branch: Houseplant Care. Register (registration opens December 1st)

6 pm January 10th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Conservation Trivia Night at Powder Valley. Register

1 pm January 13th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum horticulture class: Pruning Trees and Shrubs. Register

Volunteers wanted. 9 am January 17th Heartlands Conservancy event in Waterloo, Illinois: Trout Hollow Hill Prairie Stewardship Day. Register

6:30 pm January 19th Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Naturalist Series- Box-nesting Birds. Register

11 am to 4 pm January 24th 15th Annual STL Seeding Frenzy Seed Swap at Sunset Hills Community Center, 3915 South Lindbergh Blvd. Seed Swap, Vendors, Raffle. Lable seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear for charity. This is a FB event that someone sent me information on but I don’t share FB links.

4 pm January 28th Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Wiski/Oski (River Cane), A Keystone Species in the Floodplain and in Chickasaw Culture presented by Kent H. Sanmann, Natural Resources Instructor, The College of the Muscogee Nation. Register

9 am to 5 pm January 31st-February 1st Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

6:30 pm February 2nd Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Naturalist Series- Aquatic Invertebrates . Register

6:30 pm February 16th Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Naturalist Series- Amphibians, presented by Waylon Hiler, Missouri Valley College . Register

5 pm March 2nd St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability- Connecting the Dots Between You and Local Climate Action

6 pm March 2nd St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability- Bird Talk! with the Missouri Department of Conservation

6:30 pm March 2nd Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Naturalist Series- Missouri Turtles. Register

6 pm March 4th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  Introduction into Sustainability

March 6th-7th Midwestern Herb & Garden Show in Mount Vernon, Illinois

Noon March 7th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  A Chick Chat with Second-Hen’d

6 pm March 11th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  Bees, Pollinators and Native Plants

6:30 pm March 16th Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Naturalist Series- Missouri Fish. Register

6 pm March 25th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  PFAS the Forever Chemical

6:30 pm March 30th Missouri River Bird Observatory webinar: Naturalist Series- Grassland Birds. Register

9 am April 11th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Learning to Hunt- Wild Edibles, presented by Bo Brown, foraging author and nature educator. Register

April 18th Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale at World Bird Sanctuary, Valley Park, St. Louis County

April 21, 2026, Missouri Invasive Plant Council Callery Pear, Bradford Pear Buyback. Info on 2025 event. No link yet for 2026. Confirmed locations: Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Doniphan, Hannibal, Jefferson City, Joplin, Kansas City, Kirksville, Lebanon, Liberty, Moberly, Park Hills, Parkville, Riverside, Rolla, Sikeston, Springfield, St. Charles, St. Joseph, St. Louis, Warrensburg, and West Plains.

9 am to 5 pm April 24th St. Louis Herb Society Herb Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm May 9th St. Louis Hosta Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm May 16th Metropolitan St. Louis African Violet Council Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

May 16th Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale at The Nature Institute, Godfrey, Illinois

9 am to 5 pm June 20th Carnivorous Plant Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm August 1st-2nd Greater St. Louis Iris Society Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

Noon to 5 pm August 9th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm August 15th Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Society Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm September 12th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

September 12th Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale at The Nature Institute, Godfrey, Illinois

September 24th Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale at Roeslein & Associates, St. Louis County

This Week in Gardening and Nature

Purple and Green Sprouting Broccoli

Plant of the Week: Sprouting Broccoli, an easy Fall-Winter crop. You can separate the mini broccoli heads from leaves, sautee the leaves for quiche or add to you wok stir fry. Purple broccoli turns to green after cooking.

Cooked sprouting broccoli

November Gardening Tips: Outdoor Flowering Plants & Ornamentals, Vegetable Gardening, Fruits and Nuts, Indoor Plants (University of Missouri Extension)

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. No changes this week.

St. Louis Master Gardeners Horticulture Answer Service: Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 2:30 pm

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar, good for Zones 6a, 6b, 7a, maybe more.

Find a Native Plant/Seed vendor in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas,… (Grow Native)

Good Reads/Views/Listens —

How to Create Compost without a Compost Pile. Learn the pros and cons of 6 composting methods that do not require a compost pile (Horticulture magazine)

MU research looks at urban bird habitats in areas with abandoned homes, vacant lots (University of Missouri Extension) Also see A Beautiful Bird in the Neighborhood: Canopy Cover and Vegetation Structure Predict Avian Presence in High-Vacancy City by S. Moreno, A.J. Mallinak, C.H. Nilon, R.A. Pierce

Give caterpillars a ‘soft landing’ under your trees. The ecosystem will thank you (Associated Press)

Wetlands efficiently remove nitrogen pollution from surface water, leading to cost savings for municipalities (University of Illinois)

Vandals Left Graffiti Near an Iconic Landmark in Arches National Park (Outside magazine via Wayback Machine)

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. I will continue promoting the online resources and activities of Seed St. Louis where appropriate. I will not, however, knowingly promote events at Maxine Clark’s school privatization campus named Delmar Divine. It is unfortunate that Seed St. Louis is now a tenant there.

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 Annual Tree Seedling Sale. Orders ship out in Spring. 29 Tree/Shrub Varieties (American BeautyberryButtonbush, Deciduous Holly/Possumhaw, Dogwoods, Rose Mallow/Hibiscus, Wild Plum) and Bundles (Edible, Nut, Pollinator, Wildlife) as examples, still available.

Volunteers Wanted. STL Neighborhood Foresters Neighborhood Tree Care Blitzes
November 15th Old North. Register
November 15th Benton Park. Register
November 16th Shaw. Register
November 22nd Bevo. Register
December 6th Hyde Park. Register
December 7th Forest Park Southeast. Register
December 13th Tower Grove East. Register
December 13th Benton Park West. Register
December 20th Benton Park. Register
December 27th Bevo. Register

November 15th Deadline for Wild Ones’ Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program. Open to schools, nature center, after-school care programs, community centers or youth groups in need of funding for a native garden or habitat, projects such as pollinator gardens, rain gardens to improve water quality, tallgrass prairies, native plant monarch waystations featuring community science activities, and sensory and natural playgrounds.

November 15th Deadline to enter Missouri Snapshots Photo Contest sponsored by Missouri State Parks and Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ Rural Missouri magazine. Categories: Parks Less Traveled, Adventure & Recreation, Park Heroes & Volunteers at Work, Learning Something New, On the Trail

5:30 to 9:30 pm or 10 pm November 15th to January 3rd Missouri Botanical Garden’s Garden Glow. Fees apply.

November 15th to January 3rd Missouri Botanical Garden exhibit at Emerson Conservatory: Holiday Flower and Train Show. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

January 2nd Deadline to Register for University of Missouri Extension’s January 2nd to April 27th Master Gardener Online Course. $200 fee includes Missouri Master Gardener Core Manual ($40 when sold separately).

Now thru March 31st, 2026, Missouri Botanical Garden exhibit at Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden: Smelling the Bouquet- Plants & Scents in the Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

—– DAILY —–

6 Seats remaining. 12:30 pm Tuesday, November 11th, Missouri Conservation Department class at Tower Grove Park: Habitat Helpers- Won’t You Be My NeighBIRD? Make & Take wooden bird feeder, apartment-friendly and perfect for all spaces. Register

6:30 pm Tuesday, November 11th, Piasa Palisades Sierra Club speaker series at Old Bakery Beer, Alton, Illinois: What’s in our DIRT! presented by Dr. John L. Ferry, environmental chemist, University of Illinois. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Thursday, November 13th, Heartlands Conservancy work day in Edwardsville, Illinois: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Stewardship Day. Register

10 am Thursday, November 13th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Arboretum Trolley Tour. $5 suggested donation. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Friday, November 14th, Heartlands Conservancy work day in Swansea, Illinois: Exploration Garden, Clinton Hills Conservation Park. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9:30 am Friday, November 14th, Piasa Palisades Sierra Club work day in Godfrey, Illinois: LaVista Park Invasive Species Removal. Register

10 am Friday, November 14th, University of Illinois Extension event in East St. Louis, Illinois: Fall Urban Gardening Tour at Jackie Joyner Kersee FAN Center. Register

3 pm Friday, November 14thn Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Winter Waterfowl ID. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Saturday, November 15th, Forest ReLeaf Tree Planting at Ruth Port Mall, West End

Volunteers Wanted. 9:30 am Saturday, November 15th, Piasa Palisades Sierra Club work day in Alton, Illinois: Fall River Road Litter Clean Up. Register

10 am to Noon Saturday, November 15th, Tower Grove Park Bike Rodeo. Register

10 am Saturday, November 15th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Trolley Tour. $5 suggested donation. Register

10 am Saturday, November 15th, Seed St. Louis event at Bell Community Garden: Community Gardener Meet-Up. Warning: By registering for this event, you grant permission for your image to appear in a public media production and in print and digital materials. Register

9 am November 19th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Tree Walk. $5 suggested donation. Register

3 pm November 19th Tower Grove Park event: Nee Kee Nee (East Stream) Tour. Register

4 pm November 19th Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Photos of Prairie Splendor with Bruce Schuette. Register

4 pm November 20th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Introduction to Winter Sparrow ID. Register

6 pm November 20th Wild Ones Webinar: Living in the Liberated Landscape, My Yard presented by landscape designer Larry Weaner. Register

6 pm November 20th Seed St. Louis virtual class: How to Start a Community Food Project. Warning: By registering for this event, you grant permission for your image to appear in a public media production and in print and digital materials. Register

For kids 2-7 years ogf age. 7 Seats remaining. 5:30 pm November 20th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Conservation Kids, You and Me under the Canopy- Critter Comparisons. Register

1 pm November 21st Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Birds- Cavity Nesters and Nesting Boxes. Register.

7 pm November 21st Missouri Conservation Department event at Das Bevo: Conservation Adults- Nature Trivia Night. Register. Free but food/beverages available for purchase.

12 Tickets remaining. 1 pm November 22nd Missouri Conservation Department event in Sullivan, Franklin County: Cool Weather Forest Hike @ Meramec Conservation Area. 1.3-mile naturalist-guided hike with great view of Meramec River. Register

6:30 pm November 22nd Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Hootin’ Hunters – All About Missouri’s Owls. Register

5:30 pm December 4th The Nature Institute event in Godfrey, Illinois: Moonlight Hike. Register

1 pm December 6th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Preventing Winter Plant Damage

5 pm December 9th Wild Ones Webinar: Turn That Patch Into a Plan. Design workshop for transforming your lawn into a native plant garden. Register

9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, December 12th-13th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale. This involves a very cool Citizen Growers program.

Noon December 12th University of Illinois Extension virtual class: Bats- Why we need to conserve them and how you can help presented by Dr. Joy O’Keefe, a leading researcher in bat ecology. Register

11 am December 13th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens November 15th

2 pm December 13th St. Louis County Library event at Lewis & Clark Branch: The Art of Caring for Carnivorous Plants presented by St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

Noon December 18th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Visitors from the Arctic: Snow Geese. Registration opens December 4th. Register

20 Tickets remaining. 12:30 pm December 19th Missouri Conservation Department class at Tower Grove Park: CSI-  Conservation Scene Investigation. Register

2 pm December 20th St. Louis County Library event at Grant’s View Branch:
The Art of Caring for Carnivorous Plants
presented by St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

11 am to 4 pm January 24th 15th Annual STL Seeding Frenzy Seed Swap at Sunset Hills Community Center, 3915 South Lindbergh Blvd. Seed Swap, Vendors, Raffle. Lable seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear for charity. This is a FB event that someone sent me information on but I don’t share FB links.

4 pm January 28th Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Wiski/Oski (River Cane), A Keystone Species in the Floodplain and in Chickasaw Culture presented by Kent H. Sanmann, Natural Resources Instructor, The College of the Muscogee Nation. Register

9 am to 5 pm January 31st-February 1st Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

5 pm March 2nd St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability- Connecting the Dots Between You and Local Climate Action

6 pm March 2nd St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability- Bird Talk! with the Missouri Department of Conservation

6 pm March 4th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  Introduction into Sustainability

March 6th-7th Midwestern Herb & Garden Show in Mount Vernon, Illinois

Noon March 7th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  A Chick Chat with Second-Hen’d

6 pm March 11th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  Bees, Pollinators and Native Plants

6 pm March 25th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Step into Sustainability-  PFAS the Forever Chemical

9 am to 5 pm April 24th St. Louis Herb Society Herb Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm May 9th St. Louis Hosta Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm May 16th Metropolitan St. Louis African Violet Council Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm June 20th Carnivorous Plant Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm August 1st-2nd Greater St. Louis Iris Society Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

Noon to 5 pm August 9th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm August 15th Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Society Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

9 am to 5 pm September 12th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. 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.

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Coral Honesuckle growing on trellis

Plant of the Week: Native Coral Honeysuckle, a hummingbird magnet. Native from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Virginia south to all states bordering the Gulf. Considered escaped in Missouri and Illinois.

Wednesday, April 30th Deadline for Powder Valley Urban Nature Photo Contest

Saturday, May 3rd, Deadline for submissions to Soulard Art Gallery juried Exhibit: The Art of Nature

Seed St. Louis Raised Bed Plant Spacing Chart

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis 2025 Planting Calendar.
-> Start Indoors This Week: Melons, Squash
-> Transplant This Week: Perennials, Trees, Basil, Cabbage, Chard, Collards, Kale
-> Sow Outdoors This Week: Beans, Beets, Collards, Kale, Parsley, Peas, Spinach, Turnips

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Free Garden Planners, most require a computer, will not work on a cell phone

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. Added this week: Gardners of Florissant Annual Spring Plant Sale & Garden Bazaar, O’Fallon Mo Garden Club Plant & Rummage Sale, Kress Farm Garden Preserve Plant Sale in Hillsboro, Earth Dance Farm Plant Sale, Montgomery County Master Gardeners Plant Sale, Edwardsville IL Garden Club Plant Sales, Mississippi Valley Garden Club Plant Sale

Find a Native Plant/Seed vendor in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas,… (Grow Native)

St. Louis Master Gardeners Horticulture Answer Service: Monday through Thursday from 9 am. to 2:30 pm

River City Outdoors St. Louis now offers a Gear Lending Library for outdoor recreation equipment rentals to St. Louis City residents and St. Louis regional organizations that take children, families, and groups on outdoor trips.

Illinois School Teachers- March 2025 Application process begins for 2026 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant Program

Good Reads/Views/Listens —

Gardening This Week? Watch Out For Heavy Rain, Late Freezes And Flooded Soil (The Weather Channel)

Gardening by Month: May Gardening Tips, Tasks, & Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)

April Native Plant News (Wild Ones)

Anyone can grow potatoes in a container. 11 year old Sam shows you how. (Gardening Well on YouTube)

Monarch butterfly super generation live up to 9 times longer than most monarchs, migrates thousands of miles (Anderson Cooper, CBS)

Regional Climate Centers shut down abruptly last week. Here’s why it matters (Harvest Public Media, KCUR)

Tips on Sustainable Gardening (Missouri Botanical Garden)

Rethink The Garden Icons: The Tragedy of the Hyacinth (Wild Ones)

Earthjustice President Describes a “Fundamentally Different” Era of Hostility Toward Environmentalists. Abigail Dillen sees the increase of lawsuits targeting green groups as just one of the growing threats to environmental advocacy organizations — and the people who staff them. (ProPublica)

The U.S. takes a step toward allowing mining on the ocean floor, a fragile ecosystem (NPR)

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. I will continue promoting the online resources and activities of Seed St. Louis where appropriate. I will not, however, knowingly promote events at Maxine Clark’s school privatization campus named Delmar Divine. It is unfortunate that Seed St. Louis is now a tenant there.

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

Volunteers Wanted. Brightside St. Louis May Blitz events. Register your neighborhood clean up and/or beautification event and request bags/tools here.

Now thru Wednesday, April 30th, St. Louis Public Library event at Schlafly Library: Art Exhibit- Pressed, we flower, recent abstract works by Sean Duvahl Semones

Now thu July 28th Art Exhibit at Kemper Art Museum, Washington University- Seeds: Containers of a World to Come

Opens Friday. 11:30 am to 4:30 pm, May 2nd thru March 31st, 2026, Missouri Botanical Garden exhibit at Sachs Museum, Missouri Botanical Garden: Smelling the Bouquet- Plants & Scents in the Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

DAILY

Noon to 2 pm Sunday, April 27th, St. Charles County Master Gardener Plant Sale at Missouri University Extension, St. Peters

10 am Sunday, April 27th to 6 pm May 4th Missouri River Bird Observatory Fundraiser: Online Auction

1 pm Sunday, April 27th,  Madison County Extension Education Foundation fundraiser at Madison County Farm Bureau Building,  900 Hillsboro Ave, Edwardsville, Illinois: Plant Bingo. $20 donation suggested. Win Plants.

1:30 pm Tuesday, April 29th, University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Nature’s Uninvited Guests: The Impact of Invasive Plants. Properly dealing with invasive plants can lessen environmental impact. Register

6 pm Tuesday, April 29th, Willoughby Farm event in Collinsville, Illinois- Fence Picket Planter Workshop. $40 – all materials, tools, instruction included. Register

10 am Wednesday, April 30th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Springtime History & Horticulture Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

2 pm Wednesday, April 30th, Partners for Native Landscaping and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Oh, Deer – Dealing with Unwanted Guests in Your Landscape. Register

6 pm Thursday, May 1st, St. Louis Public Library event at Schlafly Library: Plant Predators- An Introduction to Carnivorous Plants with Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

9 am to 1 pm Friday, May 2nd, Montgomery County Master Gardeners Plant Sale at Hillsboro IL

10 am Friday, May 2nd, Missouri Botanical Garden virtual event: Landscape Therapy with Edwina von Gal. Free. Register

Noon-8 pm Friday and 9 am to 5 pm Sunday, May 2nd-3rd, Gardeners of Florissant Annual Spring Plant Sale & Garden Bazaar at Florissant Elks Lodge

2-7 pm Friday and 7 am to Noon Saturday, May 2nd-3rd, O’Fallon Mo Garden Club Plant & Rummage Sale

4-6 pm Friday, 9 am to 1 pm Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm Sunday, May 2nd-4th Earth Dance Farm Plant Sale at Ferguson MO

7 am to 3 pm Saturday and 9 am to 4 pm Sunday, May 3rd-4th, Kress Farm Garden Preserve Plant Sale in Hillsboro, Jefferson County MO. Native plants, shrubs, trees; nonnative plants, annuals, vegetable seedlings.

8 am to Noon Saturday, May 3rd, Edwardsville IL Garden Club Plant Sale at St. Mary’s Church Parking Lot

8:30 am to Noon Saturday, May 3rd, Webster Groves Women’s Garden Association Plant Sale at the First Congregational Church of Webster Groves parking lot

9 am to 1 pm Saturday, May 3rd, Shaw Nature Reserve Spring Wildflower Market. $5 per person or $10 per vehicle.

9 am to 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, May 3rd-4th, Tower Grove East Community Garden Annual Plant Sale, 3301 Sidney: veggies, annuals, perennials, hostas, ground covers, herbs

9 am to 4 pm Saturday-Sunday, May 3rd-4th, Three Rivers Community Farm Plant Sale in Elsah, Illinois: native perennials, herbs, annual bedding plants, cutting flowers, veggie seedlings

10 am Saturday, May 3rd, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Springtime History & Horticulture Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

8 am Saturday, May 3rd, St. Louis Audubon Beginner Bird Walk at Forest Park. Register

11 am to 3 pm Saturday, May 3rd, Rustic Roots Sanctuary event at Spanish Lake: Spring Dandelion Festival

1 pm Saturday, May 3rd, St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Meet the Pack: Animals of the Endangered Wolf Center

1 pm Saturday, May 3rd, St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Growing Herbs in Containers.

1 pm Saturday, May 3rd, St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Meet the Pack- Animals of the Endangered Wolf Center. No live animals tho.

3 pm Saturday, May 3rd, St. Louis Public Library movie event at Central Library: Green City Life Film Showing & Project. More on the documentary

7-10 pm Saturday, May 3rd, weather permitting, St. Louis Astronomical Society event at Tower Grove Park: Stargazing

9 am to 4 pm Next Sunday, May 4th, Bring Conservation Home & Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter event: St. Louis Native Plant Tour in Webster Groves. $20. Register

Next Sunday-Monday, May 4th-5th Baker Creek Spring Planting Festival in Mansfield, Wright County, MO, about a 3 1/2 hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City

10 am May 6th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. Suggested $5 donation. Register

10 Seats remaining. 2 pm May 6th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: DIY Hummingbird Feeders. Register

9 am May 7th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Wildwood Valley Garden Walk with Horticulturist. Register

10 am May 7th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Springtime History & Horticulture Walking Tour with Master Guide. Register

4 pm May 7th Grow Native! Webinar: Native Plants & Neotropical Bird Migration. Register

May 8th-9th Jeanette Goldfarb Plant Growth Facility Spring Plant Sale at Washington University

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am May 8th Heartlands Conservancy event in Edwardsville IL: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Stewardship Day. Register

3 pm May 8th St. Louis Public Library event at Baden Library: Mocktails and Garden Party. enjoy refreshing mocktails while crafting your own potted plant to take home.

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am May 9th Sierra Club Eastern Missouri Castlewood State Park Service Project, Ballwin: maintaining and repairing trails, closing social trails, and picking up trash. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am May 9th Heartlands Conservancy event at Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea IL: Exploration Garden Stewardship Day. Register

2 pm May 9th St. Louis County Library class at Meramec Valley Branch, Fenton: Growing Herbs in Containers presented by St. Louis Herb Society. Register

4 pm May 9th Missouri Conservation Department virtual event: Avian IQ- Bird Trivia. Register

8 am to Noon May 10th Mississippi Valley Garden Club Plant Sale at Godfrey, Illinois

8 am to 1 pm May 10th Flora Conservancy Plant Sale @ Greenhouse, Forest Park

22 Tickets remaining. 8 am May 10th Missouri Conservation Department event at Weldon Spring Conservation Area, St. Charles MO: Lewis and Clark Trail Hike, 8.3 miles with spectacular views of the Missouri River. Register

9 am May 10th Seed St. Louis Summer Seedling & Sweet Potato Slip Sale at Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Annuals: Basil, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Sweet Potato Slips, Tomatoes. Perennials: native Clustered Mountain Mint, Lavender, Red Veined Sorrel, Rhubarb, Sea Kale, Wild Arugula, Wild Korean Celery. Also see 10:30 am class.

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am May 10th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club event at Alton, Illinois: Wadlow Restoration Volunteer Day. The former site of a municipal gold course is being restored to native plants. Register

9 am to Noon May 10th Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm May 10th St. Louis Hosta Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to Noon May 10th Illinois Native Plant Society’s Native Plant Sale at Illinois State Fairgrounds, Springfield. It’s only an hour and a half drive or train ride from St. Louis.

10 am May 10th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Spring Arboretum Trolley Tour with Horticulturist. Suggested $5 donation. Register

10 am May 10th St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch, Fenton: Seed & Plant Swap. Register

10 am May 10th St. Louis Audubon The Birds and the Beers event at Tower Grove Park, then 2nd Shift Brewing on The Hill. $20. Register

10:30 am May 10th Seed St. Louis in-person class at Bell Community Garden: Seed Saving & Plant Breeding 101. Register

11 am May 10th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens April 12th

9 am to 5 pm May 11th Greater St. Louis Iris Society Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Included with Garden Admission Fee.

For Kids 3-5 years of age. 7 Tickets remaining. May 13th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Conservation Kids- The Native Connection. Kids will help plant native milkweeds andf learn about native plants and insects. 9 am story time. 10 am milkweed activity & more. Register

2-6 pm May 14th Spring Plant Swap at LINC St. Charles County Community Center, 9 Love Park Lane, Wentzville MO

5 pm May 15th St. Louis Public Library event at Walnut Park Library: Wild Hearts- Understanding Animal Behavior in the Wild with St. Louis Zoo

6:30 pm May 15th Heartland Conservancy event: Third Thursday Cycling Series, Illinois.  16 miles on St. Clair County Transit District trails. Register

7 pm May 15th St. Louis County Library Virtual Class: Houseplant Propagation 101. Register

3:30 pm May 16th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Outdoor Hazards- snakes, ticks, heat, and more. Learn how to prevent and reduce run-ins with outdoor hazards. Register

9 am to 5 pm May 17th Metropolitan St. Louis African Violet Council Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

1:30 pm May 20th University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Managing Common Squash and Pumpkin Pests. Register

10 am May 21st St. Louis County Library class at Weber Road Branch: Growing Herbs in Containers presented by St. Louis Herb Society. Register

2 pm May 21st Partners for Native Landscaping and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Cultivating Native Seeds in the Landscape. Register

4 pm May 21st Grow Native! Zoom Master Class: Native Perennials for Planting on Slopes. Free to all Missouri Prairie Foundation dues-paying members and Grow Native! professional members, or $15 for non-members. Register

9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, May 23rd-24th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale. This involves a very cool Citizen Growers program.

3 pm May 23rd St. Louis County event at Clark Branch: Seed & Plant Swap. Register

8 am to 4 pm May 24th Missouri Wildflowers Nursery selling at Kirkwood Farmers Market. Order online for pick up at Market or purchase from what they bring that day.

9 am to 5 pm May 24th-25th Rose Society of Greater St. Louis Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

4 Tickets remaining. 8:30 am May 25th St. Louis Audubon Beginner Bird Walk at Tower Grove Park. Register

May 26th Deadline to order native plants online from Missouri Wildflowers Nursery for pick up Saturday, May 31st, at Kirkwood Farmer’s Market

6 pm May 28th St. Louis Public Library event at Schlafly Library: How To Find An Owl In Your Neighborhood, presented by naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw, aka “The Owl Man.” Register

May 31st Urban Gardening Symposium at Brightside St. Louis Demonstration Garden. $10. Register

8 am to 4 pm May 31st Missouri Wildflowers Nursery selling at Kirkwood Farmers Market. Order online by previous Monday for pick up at Market or purchase from what they bring that day.

9 am to Noon May 31st Northside Workshop event in Old North: Decolonize the Garden- From Seeds to Bees. Register

For ages 12-18. 4:30 pm June 4th St. Louis Public Library event at Kingshighway Library: Wildflower Seed Ball Making

10 am June 5th Gratree Farm event in Wentzville, St. Charles County: U-Cut Lavender Grand Opening. Register

8 am to 4 pm June 7th Missouri Wildflowers Nursery selling at Kirkwood Farmers Market. Order online by previous Monday for pick up at Market or purchase from what they bring that day.

11 am June 14th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens May 17th

1 pm June 14th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Herbs in the Civil War!

9 am to Noon June 21st Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm June 21st Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

10 am June 21st Grow Native! Native Garden of Excellence Tour: Native Plant Garden at Ladue City Hall. Register

June 21-22 St. Louis Water Garden Society Pond-A-Rama tour. Tickets

9 am to 5 pm June 25th Kimmswick Visitor Center 25th Annual Daylily Sale. 35 Minute drive from St. Louis. Go early for best selection.

5:30 pm June 26th Missouri Coalition for the Environment St. Louis Chats for Change at Modern Brewing

9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, June 27th-28th, Flyleaf Market monthly pop up on 1st floor of Watson Terrace Christian Church, Watson @ Winnebago: Succulent & Tropical Plant Sale. This involves a very cool Citizen Growers program.

11 am July 12th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens June 14th

9 am to 5 pm August 2nd-3rd Greater St. Louis Iris Society Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

11 am August 9th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens July 12th

Noon to 5 pm August 10th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction at Missouri Botanical Garden. Admission Fee applies. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am August 16th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale at Carriage House, 3815 Bell

9 am to Noon August 16 Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm August 16th Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Association Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm September 6th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

8 am to Noon September 13th Edwardsville IL Garden Club Plant Sale at St. Mary’s Church Parking Lot

2 pm September 17th Partners for Native Landscaping and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Missouri Native Trees and Shrubs for Urban Landscapes. Register

10 am to 2 pm September 22nd Bring Conservation Home Expo at Tower Grove Park. Missouri Wildflower Nursery and other vendors will be selling but you can also order plants for pick up at the event.

9 am to Noon September 27th Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

2 pm October 1st Partners for Native Landscaping and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: St. Louis Native Plants in a Changing Climate. Register

October 3rd-5th Best of Missouri Market at Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Wildflowers Nursery is usually a vendor and this is last opportunity to purchase native plants in St. Louis City for the year. Admission Fee applies.

October 5th-6th Baker Creek Fall Harvest Festival in Mansfield, Wright County, MO, about a 3 1/2 hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City

2 pm October 15th Partners for Native Landscaping and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Native Gardening Maintenance Tips, Tricks and Hacks. Register

9 am October 18th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale at Carriage House, 3815 Bell

Join us Sundays on Bluesky for #GardenSunday.

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Bromeliad houseplant

Plant of the Week: Bromeliad, a houseplant in most of United States

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Visit a rainforest in St. Louis on a winter day: Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

January 2nd-31st St. Louis City Public Library annual Martin Luther King Jr. Food Drive, all library locations, to benefit St. Louis Area Foodbank. Donate unopened, unexpired food goods. The Foodbank does offer a list of most requested foods.

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar: Have you started onions and leeks indoors? It’s time.

When to Plant in Illinois (University of Illinois Extension)

Find a Native Plant/Seed vendor in Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kansas,… (Grow Native)

St. Louis Master Gardeners Horticulture Answer Service: Monday through Thursday from 9 am. to 2:30 pm

Forest Park Bird Checklist

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

Now thru April 15th On Line Ordering for Missouri Conservation Department annual Tree & Shrub Seedling Sale. They still have Redbud, Elderberry, Witchhazel, and lots more.

Illinois School Teachers- March 2025 Application process begins for 2026 Illinois Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant Program

Good Reads/Views/Listens —

Gardening By Month: January Tips, Tasks, Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)

Shaw Nature Reserve Propagation Guide

Kernels of hope: Inside Missouri’s seed conservation efforts (Columbia Missourian)

Video. Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum, Lynchburg, Virginia. The garden of Harlem Renaissance poet and civil rights activist Anne Spencer (The Garden Conservancy)

A cicada: ‘What cicadas leave behind is a kind of crystallized memory’ (The Guardian)

Bald eagles, now officially the national bird, not uncommon within Chicago (gift article, Chicago Tribune)

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is rebuilding under Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker after more than a decade spent shedding inspectors, slowing the policing of air and water pollution and feuding with the state attorney general’s office. (gift article, Chicago Tribune)

Chicago keeps its New Year’s resolution: All city buildings now use 100% clean power. To achieve its climate goals, the city helped finance the largest solar farm east of the Mississippi. (Grist Magazine)

Yes, Denver successfully cut its goose population by feeding families in need (Colorado Public Radio)

Fossil Fuel Interests Are Working to Kill Solar in One Ohio County. The Hometown Newspaper Is Helping (ProPublica)

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. I will continue promoting the online resources and activities of Seed St. Louis where appropriate. I will not, however, knowingly promote events at Maxine Clark’s school privatization campus named Delmar Divine. It is unfortunate that Seed St. Louis is now a tenant there.

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 —

6:30 pm Monday, January 6th, Missouri River Bird Observatory Winter Learning Series on Zoom: Series Introduction & Towards Restoration Agriculture in Missouri, presented by Zach Miller, Preserve Engagement Manager, The Nature Conservancy. Register

9 am to Noon Saturday, January 11th, St. Charles County Master Gardeners Class: Succession Planting & Lighting for Indoor Seedlings. $20. Register

10 am Saturday, January 11th, Missouri Conservation Department online class: Kestrel Nesting Boxes. Register

5 Seats remaining. Ages 16+. 10 am January 11th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Art in the Park, Canvas & Cocoa. Paint a deer. All materials provided. Register

17 Seats remaining. 11 am January 11th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am January 12th St. Louis Neighborhood Foresters Tower Grove East Neighborhood Tree Care Blitz. Register

6 pm January 13th Missouri Conservation Department online class: Suet-Yourself, Homemade Bird Feeders. Register

6:30 pm January 13th Missouri River Bird Observatory Winter Learning Series on Zoom: What Can Climate Litigation Teach Us About Holding the Plastics Industry Responsible for Pollution Problems, presented by Bart Elmore, Professor of Environmental History, Ohio State University. Register

10 am January 14th Sierra Club Eastern Missouri event on St. Louis Riverfront: Arch Grounds and Eads Bridge Hike. Register

10:30 am January 14th Missouri River Bird Observatory event at Ethical Society of St. Louis: The Global Effect of Plastics on the Environment, presented by Dana Ripper, co-founder, MRBO.

6:30 pm January 14th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club documentary screening at Old Bakery Beer, Belleville, Illinois: Water for Life. Register

4 pm January 15th Grow Native! and Missouri Prairie Foundation online Master Class: Seeded Tree Islands for Beauty, Shade, and Native Diversity presented by horticulturist Scott Woodbury. Free to MPF members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 non-members. Register

23 Seats remaining. 6 pm January 17th Missouri Conservation Department’s Conservation Trivia Night at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood. Register

6:30 pm January 20th Missouri River Bird Observatory Winter Learning Series on Zoom: What Can Climate Litigation Teach Us About Holding the Plastics Industry Responsible for Pollution Problems, presented by Bart Elmore, Professor of Environmental History, Ohio State University. Register

2-5 pm January 21st Saint Louis City Recycles will be at Schlafly Library to provide information about recycling in St. Louis. FREE in-home recycling bins. 

2 pm January 21st St. Charles City-County Library event at Linnemann Branch: How to Sour Dough with Whole Grains. Register

5 Seats remaining. 6 pm January 23rd Collinsville Park & Rec, Illinois class: Food Too Good to Waste Series- Food for Thought- Smart Planning to Reduce Food Waste. $15. Register

6 pm Doors Open. 7 pm January 24th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: An Evening with Raptors. Register

7 pm January 24th Missouri Conservation Department virtual event: An Evening with Raptors. Register

January 25th thru March 4th event at Sachs Butterfly House, Faust Park, Chesterfield: Morpho Mardi Gras- Bugs, Rhythm, & Blues. Fee applies

11 am to 4 pm January 25th St. Louis Seeding Frenzy Seed Swap & Homesteading Showcase at Sunset Hills Community Center, 3915 S Lindbergh. Also, will be an unused equipment/tool/supply exchange. If you do not have seeds to share, please bring a donation of either non-perishable food items, hygiene products, new kids socks, underwear for local charity.

2 pm January 27th St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Plants that Changed the Course of History-Volume 2, Missouri Botanical Garden Speakers Bureau.

6:30 pm January 27th Missouri River Bird Observatory Winter Learning Series on Zoom: Climate Change Conversations, presented by Jamin Bray, Co-Director, Missouri Environmental Education Association. Register

6 pm January 30th Seed St. Louis Zoom class: Indoor Food Gardening. Register

8 am February 1st St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Forest Park. Register

February 1st thru March 9th at Missouri Botanical Garden: Orchid Show. Garden admission is free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm February 1st-2nd Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

1 pm February 1st St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms; is it Edible? presented by Maxine Stone, author, Missouri’s Wild Mushrooms

5 Seats remaining. 9-11 am February 4th Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Pond to Plate, All About Trout! Register

10 Seats remaining. 8-10 am February 8th Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Pond to Plate, All About Trout! Register

9 am to 3 pm February 8th Eagle Days at Audubon Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, Missouri

11 am February 8th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens January11th

1 pm February 15th St. Louis Public Library event at Divoll Library: What’s All the Buzz About Natives? presented by Sue Leahy from Wild Ones.

2 pm February 15th St. Louis Public Library Seed Swap at Carpenter Library in partnership with Urban Harvest STL

7:30 am to Noon February 21st Grow Native! Southwest Illinois Workshop at Lewis & Clark Community College, Edwardsville, Illinois: Stormwater Challenges & Native Plant Solutions. $25 for MPF members and Grow Native! professional members, $15 for students with a valid student ID, and $30 for non-members. Includes breakfast. Register

March 1st St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Lore and Legend of Herbs with St. Louis Herb Society

11 am March 8th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens February 8th

9 am to Noon March 22nd Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

1 pm March 22nd St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Critical for Gardening- Get the Dirt on Soil, Missouri Botanical Gardens Master Gardener Speakers Bureau

April 6th & 7th Baker Creek Tulip Festival in Mansfield, Wright County, MO, about a 3 1/2 hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City

7 am to 5 pm April 12th Veterans Free Fishing Day at Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon MO

9 am April 12th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual class: Learning to Hunt- Wild Edibles presented by Bo Brown. Register

9 am to Noon April 22nd Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

11 am April 12th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens March 15th

6 pm April 24th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual class: Learning to Hunt- Mushrooms. Register

9 am to 4 pm April 25th St. Louis Herb Society Herb Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden parking lot.

6 pm May 1st St. Louis Public Library event at Schlafly Library: Plant Predators- An Introduction to Carnivorous Plants with Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

20 seats remaining. 10 am May 3rd St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Tomatoes 101. Register

1 pm May 3rd St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Meet the Pack: Animals of the Endangered Wolf Center

May 4th-5th Baker Creek Spring Planting Festival in Mansfield, Wright County, MO, about a 3 1/2 hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City

9 am to Noon May 10th Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm May 10th St. Louis Hosta Society Show & Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

11 am May 10th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens April 12th

9 am to 5 pm May 11th Greater St. Louis Iris Society Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Included with Garden Admission Fee.

5 pm May 15th St. Louis Public Library event at Walnut Park Library: Wild Hearts- Understanding Animal Behavior in the Wild with St. Louis Zoo

9 am to 5 pm May 17th Metropolitan St. Louis African Violet Council Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm May 24th-25th Rose Society of Greater St. Louis Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to Noon June 21st Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm June 21st Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

June 21-22 St. Louis Water Garden Society Pond-A-Rama tour. Tickets

9 am to 5 pm August 2nd-3rd Greater St. Louis Iris Society Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

Noon to 5 pm August 10th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction at Missouri Botanical Garden. Admission Fee applies. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to Noon August 16 Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm August 16th Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Association Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to 5 pm September 6th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

9 am to Noon September 27th Webster Groves Herb Society Display at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

October 3rd-5th Best of Missouri Market at Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Wildflowers Nursery is usually a vendor and this is last opportunity to purchase native plants in St. Louis City for the year. Admission Fee applies.

October 5th-6th Baker Creek Fall Harvest Festival in Mansfield, Wright County, MO, about a 3 1/2 hour drive from St. Louis or Kansas City

Join us Sundays on Bluesky for #GardenSunday.

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Plant of the Week: native Goldenrod

If you are only looking for St. Louis Area Plant Sales (plant sales & swaps- plants, native plants, tree & shrub seedings + seed swaps) here’s a page for them. No additions this week, just deleted past events.

Fall Color Reports. Missouri and Illinois

November 15th Deadline for Grade Schools to High Schools, Youth Groups, Community Groups with youth programs, to apply for Wild Ones’ Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program Grants: native plant use in pollinator gardens, rain gardens to improve water quality, tallgrass prairies, Monarch waystations featuring community science activities, and sensory and natural playgrounds.

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Good Reads —

One of the rarest trees in the world- Karomia gigas – is on display at MoBot’s Arid House. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents mornings on Saturdays and Wednesdays. (KSDK)

Health and farmworker advocates urge ban of herbicide linked to Parkinson’s. EPA will determine next year if the herbicide, paraquat dichloride, should have its license renewed for another 15 years. (Missouri Independent)

Scientists just figured out how many chemicals enter our bodies from food packaging. A new study details the chemicals finding their way into human bodies from contact with food. (Gift article @ Washington Post)

Residents worry Ameren gas plant in St. Louis County will be expensive, dirty (paywall St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Why ‘chaos wheat’ may be the future of bread. It’s time to look beyond all-purpose flour (Gift article @ Washington Post)

A turtle and its advocates could stand in the way of a huge Pearl River engineering project in Mississippi (Louisiana Illuminator)

Elon Musk’s New AI Data Center in Memphis Raises Alarms Over Pollution (Time)

Arctic Seed Vault Shows Flawed Logic of Climate Adaptation. The difficulties illustrate why we need to prevent climate disaster rather than plan for it. In 2017, the vault suffered a flood caused, ironically, by climate change. (Scientific American)

Some Sports v. Nature News. Once Again, a Lizard Interrupts Singapore Grand Prix Weekend. It appears Singapore’s monitor lizards are getting faster as this year’s party crasher is chased down the track by the marshals. (Road & Track)

Seed Saving Class available on YouTube (Seed St. Louis)

Winter Cover Crops for St. Louis Area. Cover crops are any plant that you grow not to harvest but for some other benefit like weed suppression, mulch production, soil improvement, beneficial insect support, etc. (Seed St. Louis)

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

Thursday, September 26th Order Deadline: Brightside St. Louis Blooming Spring Daffodil & Tulip Sale. 30 bulbs for $17. Carlton Daffodils; Midwest Mix Daffodils, 5 each Carlton, Barrett Browning, Pink Charm, Slim Whitman, Tahiti, Suada; Brightside Red Hybrid Darwin Tulips; Pink Impression Tulips. Pick up 11 am to 4 pm October 11th and 9 am to Noon October 12th at Forest Park Greenhouse. Orders to be shipped will be sent the week of October 7th.

Going on Now- On Line Ordering for Missouri Conservation Department annual Tree & Shrub Seedling Sale. Don’t delay. Items are selling out fast, such as Beautyberry, Blackberry, Concordia Oak, Flowering Dogwood, Hazelnut, PawPaw, Spicebush.

For crafty gardeners. Virtual Class 1 of 12. 5 pm Monday, September 23rd, Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: 2024 Swamp Needlers, Wildflowers. Learn simple, but beautiful, embroidery techniques while exploring some iconic, as well as secretive wildflowers in Missouri. Complete 17 blocks, to create a large quilt with enough extras for pillows or wall art. Register

6 pm Monday, September 23rd, St. Louis County Public Library craft event at Bridgeton Trails Branch: Paint Night- DIY “Welcome” Garden Flag. Register

10 am to 5 pm Wednesday, September 25th, Missouri Botanical Garden event @ Little Shop Around the Corner (resell store), 4474 Castleman: Clearance Sale

2 pm Wednesday, September 25th, Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Monarch Magic. Register

4 pm Wednesday, September 25th, Grow Native Webinar: Prairie Reconstruction at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Register

3:30-6:30 pm Thursday, September 26th, Missouri Prairie Foundation Native Plant Sale, Crestwood.

5:30 pm Thursday, September 26th, Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: The Marvels of Biomimicry – Part 2. Register

6 pm Thursday, September 26th, St. Louis Public Library class at Schlafly Library: Insights from Experts Nature Series with Jessica Ely, St. Louis Carnivorous Plant Society. Register

6:30 pm Thursday, September 27th, Mid-Continent Public Library (Kansas City) Zoom Class: Monarch Mania. Register

4 Seats remaining. 1 pm Friday, September 27th, Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Hummingbirds. Register

3:30 pm Friday, September 27th, Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Fall Maintenance for Your Native Garden. Register

5:30-7:30 pm Friday, September 27th, Bellefontaine Cemetery Fundraiser: Beer Barons 2024, Barons of Beer and Distilling Chapter IV. Tickets $30.

7 am to 3 pm Saturday, September 28th, Missouri Conservation Department Women’s Free Fishing Day at Bennett Spring Park. No license or tag required. Bennett Spring is in Laclede and Dallas Counties about a 3-hour drive from Kansas City or St. Louis.

Saturday-Sunday, September 28th-29th Tower Grove Pride at Tower Grove Park

Volunteers Wanted. 8 am Saturday, September 28th, Heartlands Conservancy Monarch Tagging & Stewardship @ at Arlington Wetlands, Granite City IL. Register

9 am to 5 pm Saturday, September 28th, Rose Society of Greater St. Louis Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Not a sale.

10 am Saturday, September 28th, St. Louis County Public Library Autumn Plants & More Swap at Oak Bend Branch. Bring plants, seeds, bulbs, tools, books, gardening supplies to swap with fellow gardeners. Plants should be divided, brought in containers, and labeled.

10 am to 3 pm Saturday, September 28th, Missouri Botanical Garden and Missouri Conservation Department Wild about Nature Festival at Shaw Nature Reserve, Gray Summit, Franklin County MO. Fee: MoBot Members- $5 Adults, Free for Children; Nonmembers $7 Adults, $3 for children. Tickets

1 pm Saturday, September 28th, St. Louis County Public Library Plant Swap at Grand Glaize Branch, Manchester.

1:30 pm Saturday, September 28th, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Tour with Master Guide: Fall Tour. Register

4-7 pm Saturday, September 28th, Forest ReLeaf Fundraiser at their Nursery and Arboretum in Creve Coeur Park, St. Louis County: 10th Annual ArborMeisters Homebrew + Craft Beer Festival. Tickets start at $40.

9 am to 1 pm Sunday, September 29th, Metropolitan Parks & Rec Tax District (dba Great Rivers Greenway) Bridge Boogie at Chain of Rocks Park

1:30 pm October 1st, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Tour with Master Guide: Fall Tour. Register

6 pm October 2nd St. Louis Public Library event at Schlafly Library: Insights from Experts Nature Series- Mark Glenshaw of Forest Park Owls. Register

October 4-6 Best of Missouri Market at Missouri Botanical GardenMissouri Wildflowers Nursery is a vendor. Buy from what the bring or order online for pick up at event. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

6 pm October 4th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: WildHeart Concert and Scout/Family Event

9 am October 5th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale

12 Seats remaining. 10 am October 5th Missouri Conservation Department event at Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office, Southwest Garden: Nature Crocheters Fall Fun! Register

6:30-9 pm October 5th The Garden Shop’s Sip & Soil, Fall Edition. Tickets $45 includes houseplant of your choosing, 6″ planter, supplies to paint, and at least two Fall themed cocktails

Noon October 8th University of Illinois Extension Webinar, Thriving Communities series: Current Funding Opportunities for Energy and the Environment Explore grants available for community environmental projects. Register

10 am October 8th Bellefontaine Cemetery History and Horticulture Tour with Master Guide: Trolley Tour. $5. Register

6:30 pm October 8th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club event at Old Bakery Beer, Alton IL: Missouri Stream Team program. Register

9 am October 9th Bellefontaine Cemetery tour with Horticulturist: Fall Tree Walk. Register

1:30 pm October 9th Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Tour with Master Guide: Fall Tour. Register

4 pm October 9th Grow Native Zoom Class: Native Ferns in Missouri and their Potential as Specialty Crops. Register

5 pm October 9th Missouri Conservation Department Online Class: Native Yards, Getting Started. Register

October 10th-12th University of Missouri @ St. Louis Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability Event Series, The Buffalo Treaty

6 pm October 10th Seed St. Louis event at DIG Annuals and Perennials, Benton Park West: Food for Years- Best Perennial Vegetables for a Fall & Winter Harvest. Register

9 am October 10th Heartlands Conservancy event in Belleville IL: Volunteer Training- Native Seed Collection. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am October 11th Heartlands Conservancy event in Edwardsville IL: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Volunteer Day. Register

9 am to 1 pm October 12th Seed St. Louis, Forrest Keeling Nursery, Greenscape Gardens event in Manchester: Tree Sale & Fall Festival

10 am October 12th Bellefontaine Cemetery History and Horticulture Tour with Master Guide: Trolley Tour. $5. Register

11 am to 1 pm October 12th, St. Charles Public Library event at Spencer Road Branch, St. Peter’s: Plant & Seed Swap

2 pm October 12th Missouri Botanical Garden event: Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability, The Buffalo Treaty collaborative event series, two presentations. 1) Keystone Species & Sovereignty = Rejuvenation, Innovation and Wonder, presented by Jonny BearCub Stiffarm, JD (Assinaboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana). 2) The Ecological Buffalo: On the Trail of a Keystone Species, a talk and book-signing with author Wes Olson and photographer Johane Janelle. Garden Admission fee required. Event is free with Garden Admission but Registration required by October 10th.

6:30 pm October 15th St. Louis County Public Library Virtual Class: Houseplants 101. Register

6 pm October 17th St. Louis County Public Library event at Prairie Commons Branch, Hazelwood: Succulent Swap. Register

10 am October 19th St. Louis County Public Library event at Meramec Valley Branch, Fenton: Houseplant Swap. Register

Noon to 4 pm October 19th Benton Park Neighborhood Association’s Benton Park Tunes on Tap – A Musical Garden Tour. Tickets $35-$65

Noon October 20th Missouri Prairie Foundation event in Lincoln County MO: Friends of Cuivre River State Park Grasslands Work Day. Register

6 pm October 21st St. Louis Public Library event at Machacek Library: Carnivorous Plants presentedby Shaw Cactus & Succulent Society. Register

28 Seats remaining. 5:30 pm October 28th St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Cacti & Succulents- A Beginner’s Guide to Thriving Plants. Register

4 pm November 6th Missouri Invasive Plant Council Webinar: Common General Use Herbicides & How They Relate to Aquatic Use Sites. Register

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

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Plant of the Week: Texas Green Eyes, Berlandiera texana

Volunteers Wanted. St. Louis City Forestry Dept needs help watering trees

Volunteers Wanted. Brightside St. Louis August Blitz events in Fountain Park and Penrose Neighborhoods

If you are only looking for St. Louis Area Plant Sales, here’s a page for them.

A good resource for starting and maintaining a Seed Library (Seed Library Network) Some Seed Libraries in Missouri

August 11th to December 23rd University of Missouri Extension Online Master Gardener Core Training. $200

August 30th Deadline to Enter Wild Ones Native Flora & Fauna Photography Contest: categories- Living Things, Landscapes, Winter, Events

August 31st Deadline to Enter Missouri Conservation Department’s Busch Conservation Area (St. Charles Mo) Wildlife Photography Contest. Submit photos of native Mo wildlife, trees, plants at Busch Conservation Area or Weldon Spring Conservation Area.

September 1st Deadline to Enter Missouri Department of Natural Resources Photography Contest. Submit photos of Natural Resources, Unique Places (state parks, historic sites), People Enjoying Outdoors

November 15th Deadline for Grade Schools to High Schools, Youth Groups, Community Groups with youth programs, to apply for Wild Ones’ Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program Grants: native plant use in pollinator gardens, rain gardens to improve water quality, tallgrass prairies, Monarch waystations featuring community science activities, and sensory and natural playgrounds.

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Good Reads/Views —

Pollinator gardens – going beyond the plant lists to create a robust habitat. (Wild Ones)

Having Japanese Beetle problems? A good article on To Trap or Not to Trap- The Ever Controversial Japanese Beetle Trap (Seed St. Louis and Giving Grove)

Refrigerating produce in jars looks great, but it can breed bacteria. Fresh produce has various needs, including air circulation, that a sealed jar won’t provide. Gift article (Washington Post)

The Great Salt Lake isn’t just drying out. It’s warming the planet. The lake released 4.1M tons of carbon dioxide & other greenhouse gases in 2020… more evidence that dried-out lakes are a significant source of emissions. Gift article (Washington Post)

Hilarious. ‘Mystic Veg’ psychic who uses asparagus to predict the future reveals who she thinks will win the US Presidential Election in November (Daily Mail, UK)

Raising & Harvesting Okra (University of Illinois Extension)

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

Go see the Sunflowers Fields at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area

Going on now. Order Online: Brightside St. Louis Blooming Spring Daffodil & Tulip Sale. Carlton Daffodils- 30 bulbs $17. Midwest Mix Daffodils 30 for $17, 5 each Carlton, Barrett Browning, Pink Charm, Slim Whitman, Tahiti, Suada. Brightside Red Hybrid Darwin Tulip- 30 bulbs $17. Pink Impression Tulips- 30 bulbs $17. Pick up 11 am to 4 pm October 11th and 9 am to Noon October 12th at Forest Park Greenhouse. Orders to be shipped will be sent the week of October 7th.

St. Louis Gardeners: Growing more veggies than you can eat? Drop off by Noon Mondays-Tuesdays at The Garden Shop on Hampton. There’s a table for donated produce. Donated veggies go to Growing Food, Growing People

6 pm Monday, July 29th, St. Louis County Library & Left Banks Book author event at Clark Family Branch: Nature Writer Amy Stewart, Author of “The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession.” More Info on event

10 am Tuesday, July 30th, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. $5. Register

1 pm Tuesday, July 30th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Snakes of Missouri. Register

6 pm Tuesday, July 30th, St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading- Carnivorous Plants 101

4 pm Wednesday, July 31st, Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Dark Sky as a Natural Resource presented by Dr. Vayujeet Gokhale. Learn about the problem and solutions to light pollution. Register

5:30 pm Wednesday, July 31st, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Sunset Stroll with Master Guide. Register

9 Tickets remaining. 9 am Thursday, August 1st, Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: Guided Nature Walk with Naturalist. Register

3 pm Thursday, August 1st, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Missouri Bees. Register

7:30-10:30 am Friday, August 2nd, Missouri Conservation Department and Wild Bird Sanctuary event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Bird-Banding Demo

8 am Saturday, August 3rd, St. Louis Audubon Society event at Forest Park: Beginner Bird Walk. Register

9 am to 5 pm Saturday, August 3rd, Greater St. Louis Iris Society Iris Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

10 am Saturday, August 3rd, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. $5. Register

For K-3rd Grade Kids. 10:30 am Saturday, August 3rd, St. Louis Public Library event at Carpenter Library: Creatures of the Night with Missouri State Parks.

10 am Sunday, August 4th Heartlands Conservancy event at Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea, St. Clair County, Illinois: Bee Walk @ Exploration Garden.

6 pm August 6th St. Louis Public Library and Seed St. Louis class at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading- Winter Gardening and Overwintering Crops.

2 Seats remaining. For Kids ages 0-7. 10:30 am August 8th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: You and Me under the Canopy- Splish, Splash. Register

9 am August 9th Online Ordering Begins for Pick Up at September 6th Shaw Nature Reserve Fall Wildflower Market

9:30 am August 9th St. Louis County Public Library event at Sachs Branch: Bird Walk. Register

1 pm August 9th St. Louis City Public Library class at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading- Best Gardening Practices

2 pm August 9th St. Louis County Library class at Mid-County Branch: Homesteading- Windowsill Herbs. Register

2 pm August 9th St. Louis City Public Library class at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading- Canning and Preservation 101

9 am August 10th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale: 4-packs for $3.50 each- Bok Choy, Broccoli (purple & green), Cabbage (red & green), Cauliflower, Collards, Edible Hosta, Lettuce (red & green), Misome (Tatsoi Hybrid)

11 am and 1 pm August 10th Missouri Botanical Garden event: Sachs Museum Performance Series- “A Corn-Fed Musical Comedy Performance” by Opera Bell Band. Seating first come, first served. Garden Admission is free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

2 pm August 10th St. Louis City Public Library class at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading: Intro & Advanced Chicken Tending

1:30 pm August 13th University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Foodscaping- Creating Snacks Among the Flower Beds. Register

2 pm August 13th Seed St. Louis and St. Louis County Public Library Zoom Class: Winter Gardening and Overwintering Crops. Register

9 am August 15th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: Guided Nature Walk with Naturalist. Register

6 pm August 15th Willoughby Farm, Table to Garden, Seed St. Louis In Person Composting Series, Collinsville IL: Bokashi. $12. Register

14 Tickets remaining. 6 pm August 15th Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Fishing Lesson 1- Equipment, Casting, & Proper Fish Handling. Register

9 am to 1 pm August 16th Missouri Conservation Department event at Lincoln University’s Carver Farm, Jefferson City: Pollinator Workshop. Register

For Kids Ages 7-16, parents also welcome. 4 pm August 16th St. Louis Public Library and Tower Grove Park event at Tower Grove Park: Bird Nerds Birding Club. Register

9 am to 5 pm August 17th Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Association Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

9 am to 4 pm August 18th Sachs Butterfly House event: Bee Jubilee. Fee required. Sachs Butterfly House provides Free Admission to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents only 9-11 am Tuesdays.

Noon to 5 pm August 18th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission fee required.

21 Tickets available. 5 pm August 22nd Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Fishing Lesson 2- How to Tie a Knot & Bait a Hook. Register

6 pm August 22nd Wild Ones Webinar: Combating the Biodiversity Crisis with Native Plants presented by Sarah Gray and Coralie Palmer from the Indiana Native Plant Society. Register

August 24th Soulard’s Art in the Garden Tour fundraiser for Beautification Committee, Soulard Restoration Group

3-7 pm September 6th Shaw Nature Reserve Fall Wildflower Market

9 am to 5 pm September 7th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

September 13th, 14th, 15th Kirkwood Greentree Festival at Kirkwood Park. Greater St. Louis Daffodil Society sells Daffodil bulbs at this event.

2 pm August 19th St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: Missouri Botanical Garden Speaker Series- Plants, Pollen and Allergies. Register

2 pm September 14th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Missouri Botanical Garden Speaker Series- Winter Damage. Learn how to prevent winter garden damage. Register

6 pm September 18th St. Louis City Public Library class at Schlafly Library: Insights from Experts Nature Series- What’s the Buzz About Natives presented by Susan Leahy, Wild Ones. Register

6 pm September 19th Willoughby Farm, Table to Garden, Seed St. Louis In Person Composting Series, Collinsville IL: Static Systems. $12. Register

9 am to 5 pm September 28th Rose Society of Greater St. Louis Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

September 22nd Bring Conservation Home Native Plant Expo at Tower Grove Park

6 pm September 23rd St. Louis County Public Library craft event at Bridgeton Trails Branch: Paint Night- DIY “Welcome” Garden Flag. Register

October 4-6 Best of Missouri Market at Missouri Botanical GardenMissouri Wildflowers Nursery is a vendor. Buy from what the bring or order online for pick up at event. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

9 am October 5th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale

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

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Plant of the Week: Native, very tall Compass Plant. Native Americans used it for chewing gum, tea, and ceremonies.

Missouri Conservation Department says planting was a little later, so wait until mid-July to come out to Columbia Bottom to see the Sunflower fields (yes, plural this year).

If you are only looking for St. Louis Area Plant Sales, here’s a page for them. Updated this week with local and online plant/seed discounts.

If you’re going to can food, do it properly, don’t endanger your health and the health of others. Educate yourself, take the Food Preservation Online Course by University of Missouri Extension. This self-paced course provides research based information needed to safely and successfully preserve food at home. $30

July 15th Deadline to nominate a tree steward for Missouri Conservation Department Arbor Award of Excellence

August 11th to December 23rd University of Missouri Extension Online Master Gardener Core Training. $200

August 30th Deadline to Enter Wild Ones Native Flora & Fauna Photography Contest: categories- Living Things, Landscapes, Winter, Events

August 31st Deadline to Enter Missouri Conservation Department’s Busch Conservation Area (St. Charles Mo) Wildlife Photography Contest. Submit photos of native Mo wildlife, trees, plants at Busch Conservation Area or Weldon Spring Conservation Area.

September 1st Deadline to Enter Missouri Department of Natural Resources Photography Contest. Submit photos of Natural Resources, Unique Places (state parks, historic sites), People Enjoying Outdoors

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Good Reads/Views —

July Gardening Tips: Outdoor Flowering Plants & Ornamentals, Vegetable Gardening, Fruits & Nuts, Lawns (University of Missouri Extension)

Gardening By Month: July Gardening Tips, Tasks, & Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)

17 Plants to Control Pests (P. Allen Smith)

Inside America’s billion-dollar quest to squeeze more trees into cities. Gift article (Washington Post)

Bark beetle attack prompts Louisiana lawmakers to convene emergency panel. Beetles ravaging pine trees across state, putting residents at risk of falling limbs. (Lousiana Illuminator)

Plans to fix Oklahoma state parks scaled back. The legislature appropriated 10% of the $350 million ask. When brought to the legislature, examples of a water treatment plant failing and an unfixed cave-in were presented. (Oklahoma Voice)

Potatoes Are the Perfect Vegetable—but You’re Eating Them Wrong. The humble potato is a miraculous vegetable, but Americans are eating less of them than ever before and have ditched fresh potatoes for frozen. (Wired)

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

St. Louis Gardeners: Growing more veggies than you can eat? Drop off by Noon Mondays-Tuesdays at The Garden Shop on Hampton. There’s a table for donated produce. Donated veggies go to Growing Food, Growing People

10 am Tuesday, July 9th, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. $5. Register

6:30 pm Tuesday, July 9th, Learning About the Great River Sturgeon at Old Bakery Bear, Alton IL. Presented by Travis Moore, Fisheries Management Biologist, Missouri Conservation Department.

8:30 am Wednesday, July10th, Heartlands Conservancy event at Exploration Garden, Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea, St. Clair County IL: Morning Meadow Walk with Land Conservation Team member. Register

8 am Thursday, July 11th, Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day at Exploration Garden, Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea, St. Clair County IL. Register

2 pm Thursday, July 11th, Seed St. Louis and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Fall Gardening. Register

8 am Friday, July 12th, Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day at Poag Sand Prairie Restoration, Edwardsville, Madison County IL. Register

11 Tickets remaining. 8:30 am to 1:30 pm Friday, July 12th, Missouri Department of Conservation Camp Hellbender, Summer Camp for Adults at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, St. Louis County: fish on the big river, help with the Bumblebee Survey in the iconic Sunflower field, then cool off indoors in the afternoon with lunch in the classroom and then an Owl Pellet Dissection activity. Register

7 Tickets remaining. 6 pm Friday, July 12th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Crayfish Craze! Session 1. Learn about native vs. invasive crayfish and trap setting. Register

8 Tickets remaining. 9 am Saturday, July 13th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Crayfish Craze! Session 2. Learn about trap recovery and some citizen science. Register

For Kids ages 5-12. 10:30 am Saturday, July 13th, St. Louis Public Library event at Schlafly Library: Creatures of Myth and Legend with World Bird Sanctuary

2 pm Saturday, July 13th, St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: A Dark Side to Your Garden- Plants that Prickle or PoisonRegister

5:30 pm Saturday, July 13th, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Sunset Stroll with Master Guide. Register

7:30 pm Saturday, July 13th, St. Louis Astronomical Society Stargazing at Tower Grove Park

5:30 pm July 16th, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Sunset Stroll with Master Guide. Register

4 pm July 17th Missouri Prairie Foundation Online Master Class: The Magic of Swallowtails. Free to MPF members & Grow Native professional members. $15 nonmembers. Register

5 pm July 17th Seed St. Louis event at Bell Garden: Summer School Gardener Meet-Up and Natural Art Class. Register

6 pm July 18th Willoughby Farm, Table to Garden, Seed St. Louis In Person Composting Series, Collinsville IL: Compost Tumblers. $12. Register

6 pm July 18th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Common Caterpillars of Missouri. Register

7:30-10:30 am July 19th Missouri Conservation Department and Wild Bird Sanctuary event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Bird-Banding Demo

6 pm July 19th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Conservation Trivia Night. Register

July 20th-22nd Shaw Cactus & Succulent Society Cactus & Succulent Sale, St. Louis County

10 am July 20th Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. $5. Register

1:30 pm July 23rd University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Companion Planting- Bountiful and Beautiful Together. Register

14 Seats available. 2 pm July 23rd Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Missouri’s Signature Root Beer Floats (sassafras root beer and chanterelle ice cream). Register

6 pm July 23rd St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading: ABC’s of Honey Bees

5:30 pm July 24th, Bellefontaine Cemetery History & Horticulture Sunset Stroll with Master Guide. Register

3 Tickets remaining. 8:30 am to 1:30 pm Friday, July 27th, Missouri Department of Conservation Camp Hellbender, Summer Camp for Adults at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, St. Louis County: fish on the big river, help with the Bumblebee Survey in the iconic Sunflower field, then cool off indoors in the afternoon with lunch in the classroom and then an Owl Pellet Dissection activity. Register

1 pm July 27th St. Louis Public Library event with River City Natives at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading- Using Native Plants in Your Urban Yard.

6 pm July 29th St. Louis County Library & Left Banks Book author event at Clark Family Branch: Nature Writer Amy Stewart, Author of “The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession.” Register

6 pm July 30th St. Louis Public Library event at Buder Library: Urban Homesteading- Carnivorous Plants 101

3 pm August 1st Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Missouri Bees. Register

7:30-10:30 am August 2nd Missouri Conservation Department and Wild Bird Sanctuary event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Bird-Banding Demo

9 am to 5 pm August 3rd Greater St. Louis Iris Society Iris Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

For Kids ages 0-7. 10:30 am August 8th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: You and Me under the Canopy- Splish, Splash. Register

2 pm August 9th St. Louis County Library class at Mid-County Branch: Homesteading- Windowsill Herbs. Register

9 am August 10th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale

8 Seats remaining. 10 am August 10th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Nature Art, Watercolor Painting: Summer Meadows. No experience necessary, all supplies provided. Register

11 am and 1 pm August 10th Missouri Botanical Garden event: Sachs Museum Performance Series- “A Corn-Fed Musical Comedy Performance” by Opera Bell Band. Seating first come, first served. Garden Admission is free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents Saturday and Wednesday mornings.

1:30 pm August 13th University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Foodscaping- Creating Snacks Among the Flower Beds. Register

6 pm August 15th Willoughby Farm, Table to Garden, Seed St. Louis In Person Composting Series, Collinsville IL: Bokashi . $12. Register

22 Tickets remaining. 6 pm August 15th Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Fishing Lesson 1- Equipment, Casting, & Proper Fish Handling. Register

9 am to 1 pm August 16th Missouri Conservation Department event at Lincoln University’s Carver Farm, Jefferson City: Pollinator Workshop. Register

9 am to 5 pm August 17th Missouri Botanical Garden Daylily Association Plant Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

10-11:30 am August 17th Homegrown Hot Sauce Class with Urban Harvest’s Chef Queenie at Rung, Fox Park. Register

Noon to 5 pm August 18th Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis Auction at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission fee required.

21 Tickets available. 5 pm August 22nd Missouri Conservation Department event at Forest Park Hatchery: Fishing Lesson 2- How to Tie a Knot & Bait a Hook. Register

August 24th Soulard’s Art in the Garden Tour fundraiser for Beautification Committee, Soulard Restoration Group

3-7 pm September 6th Shaw Nature Reserve Fall Wildflower Market

9 am to 5 pm September 7th Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show and Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

September 13th, 14th, 15th Kirkwood Greentree Festival at Kirkwood Park. Greater St. Louis Daffodil Society sells Daffodil bulbs at this event.

6 pm September 19th Willoughby Farm, Table to Garden, Seed St. Louis In Person Composting Series, Collinsville IL: Static Systems. $12. Register

9 am to 5 pm September 28th Rose Society of Greater St. Louis Show at Missouri Botanical Garden. Garden admission free to St. Louis City and County residents on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

September 22nd Bring Conservation Home Native Plant Expo at Tower Grove Park

9 am October 5th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale

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