Plant of the Week: Melons.

Hey, parents, teachers, child care providers: Storybooks on Pollinators

Sign up for University of Missouri Extension Online Food Preservation Class: pressure canning, boiling water bath canning, steam canning, dehydration, and freezing. $30. Register

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar, good for Zones 6a, 6b, 7a, maybe more. Sow Outdoors: Beets, Bok Choy, Chard, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Peas, Radish. Transplant: Bok Choy, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce.

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

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. Added this week: Two St. Louis County Library Plant & Seed Swaps

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

Good Reads/Views/Listens —

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

Time to head out and sow some Chinese cabbage (University of Missouri Extension)

‘It’s ours now’: St. Louis farmer expands community garden to serve more neighbors. Leah Lee-Pulliam started with a garden in her backyard. Now she’s transforming vacant lots into a shared space for growth, healing and access to healthy food. (KSDK St. Louis)

The Potato’s Mysterious Family Tree Revealed—And It Includes Tomatoes (Scientific American)

Wolf in Queen Anne’s clothing: Beware the poison hemlock (Arkansas Times)

Podcast. Midsummer Lessons: What’s Growing (and Dying) in Our Yards. At 34:04 check out Ken’s passive mosquito control – mosquito bucket of doom! (University of Illinois Extension)

July 2025 Native Plant News. Includes news from Illinois. (Wild Ones)

2025 Missouri Hunger Atlas (University of Missouri Extension)

‘Bee Atlas’ project turns up 26 new or rare species buzzing around Washington (Washington State Standard)

A century of data reveals declining forest diversity (University of Illinois Extension)

YouTube. Native Plants Planted Right: A Practical Guide for Beginners (Wild Ones)

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 —–

See a gillion sunflowers at Columbia Bottom Nature Conservation Area

Going on now Brightside St. Louis Blooming Soon! Tulip & Daffodil Bulb Sale. 30 bulbs only $18: Brightside’s “Midwest Mix” Daffodils – a selection of 6 varieties of fine daffodils chosen by the Greater St. Louis Daffodil Society; Carlton Daffodils; “Brightside Red” hybrid Darwin Tulips; Pink Impression hybrid Darwin Tulips. Order now for October pick up October 10th-11th at Forest Park Greenhouse or pay for mailing.

Volunteers Wanted. STL Neighborhood Foresters Neighborhood Tree Care Blitzes
August 9th Benton Park West. Register
August 9th Tower Grove East. Register
August 16th Old North. Register
August 16th Benton Park. Register
August 17th Shaw. Register
August 23rd Bevo. Register
September 6th Hyde Park. Register

Now thru August 29th St. Louis City Public Library Art Exhibit at Schlafly Library: Sun Liu: Thousand Years Brilliant–Flowers & Birds from Song Dynasty

August 29th Deadline to submit entries for Wild Ones Photo Contest. Categories: Living Things, Home Landscapes, Signs of Spring, Events

August 31st Deadline to submit entries for Missouri River Birds Observatory 10th Annual Bird Photography Contest. Prizes $100 to $1000. $25 Entry Fee per photo.

Now thru August 31st St. Louis Public Library Art Exhibit at Buder Library: Carolyn Lewis‘ Empowering Our Community, Fifty Empowerment Birds created using fabric, dried paint palettes, and dictionary pages from the 1940’s.

September 1st Deadline to enter 12th Annual Missouri Department of Natural Resources Photo Contest. Categories: Natural Resources, Unique Places, People Enjoying Missouri’s Outdoors

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

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 —–

9 am to 5 pm Sunday, August 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.

9 am Tuesday, August 5th, Shaw Nature Reserve Fall Wildflowers Market online pre-sale begins for September 5th event at Gray Summit, Franklin County MO

2 pm Tuesday, August 5th, St. Louis County Public Library Virtual Class: Seed Saving and Plant Breeding presented by Seed St. Louis. Register

9 am Wednesday, August 6th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Summer Wildflower Walk with Horticulturist. $5 donation suggested. Register

9 am Wednesday, August 6th, Collinsville, Illinois, Willoughby Farm Teacher Workshop: Waste-Free Classrooms. Register

10 am Wednesday, August 6th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. $5 donation suggested. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 8 am Thursday, August 7th, Heartlands Conservancy Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Stewardship Day in Edwardsville, Illinois. Register

August 7th Deadline to register for Missouri Prairie Foundation Annual Dinner and Silent Auction at Columbia MO. Tickets are $75 each for Missouri Prairie Foundation and Grow Native! Professional members, $85 for the general public. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 8 am Friday, August 8th, Heartlands Conservancy Exploration Garden Stewardship Day at Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea, Illinois. Register

1:30-3 pm Friday, August 8th, St. Louis City Public Library Art Exhibit event at Schlafly Library: Reception for Sun Liu- Thousand Years Brilliant–Flowers & Birds From Song Dynasty

2 pm Friday, August 8th, St. Louis County Public Library event at Clark Branch: Planter Pot Decorating. Register

5:30 pm Friday, August 8th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Sunset Stroll. $5 Donation suggested. Register

8 am Saturday, August 9th, Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Tree Identification. Register

10 am Saturday, August 9th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Trolley Tour with Master Guide. $5 Donation suggested. Register

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

11:30 am Saturday, August 9th, Missouri Botanical Garden event at Sachs Museum: Sniff ‘n Learn- Scents of Wine & Spices. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

7:30 pm Saturday, August 9th, Missouri Conservation Department hiking event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Area, Kirkwood: Nature’s Night Shift Hike. Hickory Ridge Short Loop, 1/2 mile trail with steep inclines and declines. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Sunday, August 10th, Piasa Palisades Sierra Club event in Alton, Illinois: Wadlow Restoration Work Day. The former site of a municipal golf course is being restored to native plants. Register

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

1-4 pm August 12th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Horticulture Class: Home Landscape Design and Practices for the Fall/Winter Season. $15 Donation suggested. Register

6 pm August 12th The Nature Institute Workshop in Godfrey, Illinois: Plant Identification Workshop– Basic plant anatomy, Field guide instruction, IL wildflower identification. $25 fee wnhich includes a copy of Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Register

9 am August 13th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Summer Wildflower Walk with Horticulturist. $5 donation suggested. Register

4 pm August 13th Grow Native! Webinar: Dispelling Myths of Native Gardening. Register

6 pm August 14th St. Louis County Public Library event at Clark Branch: Celebrating a Century of Conservation, Shaw Nature Reserve – Past, Present, Future

6 pm August 14th Edwardsville IL Public Library event: How to Find an Owl in Your Neighborhood, presented by naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshawof Forest Park Owls fame

Noon August 15th St. Louis County Public Library workshop at Thornhill Branch: Anthotype Making. Test out the photographic process of using natural plant pigments to create prints. Register

9 pm August 15th Shaw Nature Reserve Fall Wildflowers Market online pre-sale ends for September 5th event at Gray Summit, Franklin County MO.

5:30 pm August 15th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum History & Horticulture Sunset Stroll. $5 Donation suggested. Register

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

9 am August 16th Piasa Palisades Sierra Club Bike Ride, Edwardsville, Illinois: Madison County Transit Trail Bike Ride. Nine miles in two hours. Register

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.

For Kids 5+ years. 25 Seats remaining. 10 am August 16th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: Conservation Kids- Sun Printing for Kids. Register

10:30 am August 16th Seed St. Louis Workshop at Bell Community Garden: Using the Garden to Teach. Register

1 pm August 16th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Gardens and Plants of Colonial America. Oddly does not mention labor and plants of enslaved persons.

1:30 pm August 19th University of Illinois Extension Virtual Class: Crop Rotation- Building Resilient Gardens. Register

6:30 pm August 19th Missouri Botanical Garden event at  Cohen Amphitheater: St. Louis Shakespeare Festival presents A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream. Doors open 5:30 pm. Free

7 pm August 19th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center: Moments in Nature by Wildlife Photographer Danny Brown. Learn how he “makes the shot” and how he locates critters and photographs them with minimal intrusion into their daily activities. Register

Noon August 20th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Program:  Wild Foxes. Register

1 pm August 21st University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Saving the World, One Box Turtle at a Time. $5. Register

6 pm August 21st Missouri Botanical Garden Event: Ireland and Its Aromatic Heritage, Short Documentary Film & Discussion Panel. Admission Fee.

6:30 pm August 21st Heartlands Conservancy Bike Ride on St. Clair County Transit District Trails, approximately 16 miles. Register

9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, August 22nd-23rd, 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.

10 am August 22nd Lincoln University Cooperative Extension Specialty Crops/Native Plants Program at Jefferson City MO: Introduction to Missouri Fern Identification and Ecology Workshop. $25 includes lunch. Register

Heads up for Tower Grove Park users. 10 am to 8 pm August 23rd-24th Festival of Nations at Tower Grove Park

Volunteers Wanted. 8 am August 23rd Heartlands Conservancy Knoll Family Wildlife Sanctuary Stewardship Day at Edwardsville, Illinois. Register

For families. 10 am to 2 pm August 23rd Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Peanut the Turtle’s Birthday Bash. Peanut turns 41. Register

Noon to 4 pm August 23rd Piasa Palisades Sierra Club Summer Picnic at Beaver Dam State Park, Royal Lakes, IL. Register

1 pm August 23rd St. Louis County Public Library event at Grant’s View Branch: Dig In & Learn- A Day in the Garden with Seed St. Louis. Register

6 pm August 25th University of Missouri Extension Workshop at EarthDance Organic Teaching Farm, Ferguson MO: Twilight Farm Tour – Integrated Pest Management for small farmers. $10. Register

August 26th Deadline to order native plants from Missouri Wildflowers Nursery for pick up August 30th at Kirkwood Farmers Market. You may also purchase from what they bring.

1 pm August 26th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual program: Dragonflies, The Sky’s Apex Predators. Register

25 Seats remaining. 10 am August 27th Missouri Conservation Department program at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Bobcats. Register

For Kids ages 0-7 years. 20 Seats remaining. 10:30 am August 28th Missouri Conservation Department program at Tower Grove Park: You and Me under the Canopy- Aqua Adventures. Register

7 pm August 28th join Piasa Palisades Sierra Club at Illinois Commerce Commission Public Forum on Ameren Gas Rate Hike at East St Louis, IL.

7 pm August 29th Missouri Conservation Department program at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Conservation Trivia Under the Stars. Register

8 am to 4 pm August 30th Missouri Wildflowers Nursery selling native plants at Kirkwood Farmers Market. Order in advance for pick up or purchase from what they bring.

9 am August 30th Urban Harvest STL workshop at Grandel Square Center for Urban Agriculture: DIY Compost Tumbler Class. You will be responsible for transporting the barrel to your site. $10. Register (not available yet)

September 2nd Ordering Begins for Missouri Conservation Annual Tree Seedling Sale. Order early for best selection, some trees and shrubs sell out first day. Orders ship out in Spring.

8 am to Noon September 6th Fox Park Garden Tour. Free. Register

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.

9:30 am to 3 pm September 6th Film Screening Day for “Big Medicine: York Outdoors,” a documentary on York, an enslaved servant of William Clark, at Lewis & Clark State Historic Site, Madison County, Illinois

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am September 11th Heartlands Conservancy event at Poag Sand Prairie, Edwardsville, IL: Monarch Tagging and Stewardship Day. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am September 12th Heartlands Conservancy event at Exploration Garden, Clinton Hills Conservation Park, Swansea, IL: Monarch Tagging and Stewardship Day. Register

5 pm September 12th Audubon Center at Riverlands event at West Alton, Missouri: Riverlands Wellness- Bikes, Birds, & Brews. $20. Register

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

11 am September 13th St. Charles City-County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Spencer Road Branch. Register, registration opens August 16th

1 pm September 13th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Mad About Mushrooms

2:30 pm September 13th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Fascinating Victorian Gardens

1-4 pm September 14th Oratorio STL Workshop at St. Francis de Sales Oratory: Courtyard Urbanism: Building Cities for Families. Register

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

6 pm September 18th Wild Ones Webinar: EcoBeneficial Landscape Strategies for the Climate Crisis. Register

10 am to 1 pm September 20th Missouri Botanical Garden event: Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

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 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, September 26th-27th, 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.

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.

10 am September 27th St. Louis County Library Plant & Seed Swap at Oak Bend Branch. Refreshments.

10 am to 1 pm September 27th Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration at Mississippi Greenway

10 am to 3 pm September 27th Missouri Pollinator Network Pollinator Palooza at Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center, St. Charles MO. Missouri Wildflowers Nursery and other native plant vendors will be selling there. Sorry for no link. If you know of a link that isn’t Facebook or Instagram, please let me know.

11 am and 1 pm September 27th Missouri Botanical Garden concert at Sachs Museum: Musical Scents- Voices in the Garden, performances by Benedetta Orsi and St. Louis Women’s Chorale. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

1 pm September 27th St. Louis County Library Plant Swap at Grand Glaize Branch, Manchester

4-7 pm September 27th Forest ReLeaf Fundraiser: Arbormeisters

18 Tickets available. 8:30 am September 28th St. Louis Audubon Society event at Tower Grove Park: Beginner Bird Walk. Register

1:30 pm September 30th University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Be a Seed Shaker: Which Are Worth Saving? Register

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.

1 pm October 4th St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: How Indigenous People Used Native Plants for Their Health and Well-Being

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

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

11 am and 1 pm October 11th Missouri Botanical Garden event at Sachs Museum: Poetry and Scents, the poetry of Devin Johnston. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

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

10 am to Noon October 18th Forest Releaf event at Scott Jopling House: Persimmon Festival and Tree Distribution

1:30 pm October 21st University of Illinois Extension Webinar: Reclaiming Runaway Landscapes. Register

9 am to 2 pm Friday and 8 am to 2 pm Saturday, October 24th-25th, 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.

1 pm November 1st St. Louis Public Library class at Central Library: Decorating with Herbs

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

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.

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

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.

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

Join us Sundays on Bluesky for #GardenSunday.