This Week in Gardening & Nature

Photo of two weeks growth on Swiss Chard plant. Leaves are maroon and green with red veins and stem.

Plant of the Week: Swiss Chard. This beautiful, nutritious, easy to grow, vegetable is still producing in Zone 6b after a “last” harvest cutting two weeks ago and hard freezes. Cover these plants to extend the season thru winter.

The perfect holiday or birthday gift for the person who has everything: Adopt a Regal Fritillary Butterfly via Missouri Prairie Foundation

It’s never too early to start planning your 2024 Garden: Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Thru December 31st Sachs Butterfly House event: Winter Jewels- An Enchanted Celebration, Chesterfield, St. Louis County. Tickets

Thru January 6th Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Garden. Tickets

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

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

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

Good Reads & Views—

Missouri Native Plant Top 10 Lists (Grow Native) Native Plants for Children, Poorly Drained Clay Soil, Sun, Shade, Half Sun & Half Shade, Under Utility Poles, Rain Gardens, Kitchen Gardens, Bees, Pollinators in Winter, Hummingbirds, Wildlife, Butterflies, More

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

A lovers’ tale of romance, fidelity and aviary netting keeping them apart. Julieta, a wild bird, has been coming to see Romeo, who lives in a Rio de Janeiro zoo aviary, every day for 20 years. (Free read via my Washington Post subscription)

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

10 am Tuesday, November 28th, Bellefontaine Cemetery Trolley Tour: 2 Hour Horticulture & History guided tour. $5. Register.

6 pm Wednesday, November 29th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Whacky Woodpeckers. Register

1 pm Thursday, November 30th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Black Bears of Missouri. Register

1:30 pm Thursday, November 30th, Bellefontaine Cemetery Leaf Walk. 2 Hour Horticulture & History guided tour. Register

6 pm Thursday, November 30th, Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register

6:30 pm Thursday, November 30th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Attracting Backyard Birds. Register

8 am Saturday, December 2nd, St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Forest Park. Register

8 am Saturday, December 2nd, Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 1. 4 Seats remaining. Register

9 am Saturday, December 2nd, Forest ReLeaf Christy Greenway Tree Planting, Old St. Marcus Cemetery Park. Register

8 am Sunday, December 3rd, Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 2. 10 Seats remaining. Register

4 pm December 6th Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Honduras- A Natural Haven for Migratory Birds. Register.

10 am December 7th Seed St. Louis and St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Tree Saps & Syrups. Register

6-8:30 pm December 7th Missouri Coalition for the Environment Holiday Party, University City, St. Louis County. Register

8 am Saturday, December 9th, Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 1. 10 Seats remaining. Register

1 pm December 9th St. Louis Public Library In Person Event @ Carpenter Library: All About Eagles with World Bird Sanctuary. Register.

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

8:30 am December 13th Piasa Sierra Club event @ La Vista Trail, Godfrey, Illinois: Invasive Species Management Training & Work Day. Register.

Noon December 13th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Winter Woodpeckers. Register

6 pm December 14th Seed St. Louis In Person Class: Growing Fruit from Winter Cuttings. Registration Not Required.

9 am December 15th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Backyard Bird Watching. Register.

8 am December 16th Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 1. 7 Seats remaining. Register

10 am December 16th Piasa Sierra Club event: Treehouse Wildlife Center Tour, Jersey County, Illinois. $5. Register.

8 am December 17th Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lesson 2. 3 Seats remaining. Register

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

10 am December 20-29th Missouri Botanical Garden holiday break fun for kids: Budding Scientist- Celebrate Urban Birds. $3 each child. Register

1 pm December 20-29th Missouri Botanical Garden holiday break fun for kids: Budding Scientist- Celebrate Urban Birds. $3 each child. Register

4 pm December 20th Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Challenges and Opportunities for Conserving Rare Grassland Plants. Register.

8 am December 24th Missouri Conservation Department In Person Class @ Forest Park Hatchery: Learn to Fish, All About Trout, Lessons 1 & 2. 7 Seats remaining. Register

4:30 pm December 31st Missouri Conservation Department New Year’s Eve Stroll to the Confluence, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. 16 Tickets remaining. Register.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This Week in Gardening & Nature

March Garden To Do List from P. Allen Smith

This week: Start Basil and Pepper seeds indoors + Transplant Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chard, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Onions to garden. Plan your 2023 Garden with Seed St. Louis Seed Starting/Planting Calendar

Gardening By Month- March Tips & Tasks, Pests & Problems from Missouri Botanical Garden

Interested in Residential Compost Services in St. Louis? Check out compost pick up from New Earth Farm. Weekly pick up is $26 a month, Bi-Weekly is $18 a month.

Nature, Gardening, Horticulture, Ecology: 2023 St. Louis Community College Continuing Education Classes, some online, some in person. Fees apply

Missouri Botanical Garden Spring and Summer Classes. Fees apply

New Direction’s in the American Landscsapes’ March – April Virtual Education Series. Classes are $42 each and are 2-5 sessions each.

Wild Ones Free St. Louis Native Garden Design

Wild Ones Sample Native Plants Ordinance

Blog post on Mushrooms: buying spores from Seed St. Louis, growing info, mushroom hunting in MO and IL, online class, psychedelics legislation, more

7 pm Tuesday St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Birds, Bees, Flowers & Trees. Register

2 pm Wednesday St. Louis County Library Zoom Class: Homegrown National Park is Growing Here! Register

10 am Thursday Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour walking tour with master guide. Register

7:30 am to Friday Grow Native’s Native By Design: Community Conservation Conference at Lewis & Clark Community College, Edwardsville IL. $25 for Grow Native! or Missouri Prairie Foundation members, $30 for non-members, $15 with student ID. Register

Friday-Saturday Midwestern Herb & Garden Show in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Little over an hour from St. Louis, might be a fun day trip.

3:30 pm Friday Missouri Conservation Dept Zoom Class: Planting an Edible Native Garden. Register Also, Jan Phillips “Wild Edibles of Missouri” available for free as pdf

9 am to Noon Saturday Seed St. Louis Spring Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. Available at this Sale: Potatoes, Onion bulbs, Asparagus crowns, bare root Strawberries, Leek starts, Mushroom spawn, all with instructions

Noon March 14th Missouri Conservation Dept Zoom Class: Native Plants- Gardening for Pollinators. Register

7 pm March 14th St. Louis County Public Library Zoom Class: Container Gardening with Native Plants. Register

March 15th Registration Begins for 2023 Callery (Bradford) Pear Buyback Program. Missouri Invasive Plant Council in partnership with Forest ReLeaf, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and Missouri Conservation Dept will host “buyback” around the state on April 18. Homeowners are invited to cut down one or more Callery pear trees and receive one free, non-invasive tree at this event.

10 am March 15th Bellefontaine in Bloom at Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2 Hour walking tour with master guide. Register

1-5 pm March 19th Old Bakery Beer Buzz’d Beer Festival in Alton, IL to benefit Piasa Palisades Sierra Club. Tickets

2 pm March 15th St. Louis County Public Library Zoom Class: Transforming a Yard from Invasives to Natives. Register

4 pm March 15th Grow Native! Webinar: Gardens of Excellence Panel. Includes Cody Hayo on the gardens of South Grand Business District. Register

6 pm March 16th Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Growing & Processing Staple Foods. Register

10 am March 17th Missouri Conservation Dept Zoom Class: Creating Soft Landings for Pollinators. 42 seats remaining. Register

6 pm March 23rd Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Spring Crops & Planning your Growing Space. Register

9 am March 25th Forest ReLeaf event. Volunteers wanted. Tree Planting at Ruth Porter Mall Spring Tree Planting, St. Vincent Greenway. Register

Volunteers Wanted for 10 am March 27th Delmar (Vandeventer to Boyle) Litter Pick Up on Tree Planting Day. Join SLACO, Forest ReLeaf, Vandeventer Community Development Corp, Brightside St. Louis, and AmeriCorps to clean up Delmar as City Forestry plants 102 trees. Register

4 pm March 29th Grow Native! Zoom Master Class: Prairie Garden Primer for Town and Country. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native professional members. $15 nonmembers. Register

9 am to Noon April 1st Seed St. Louis Spring Plant Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. $4 seedling 6-packs. Available at this Sale: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Collards, Dinosaur Kale, Lettuce

Native Plant Sales Return: 8 am to 4 pm April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 20, 27 Missouri Wildflower Nursery @ Kirkwood Farmer’s Market. Order in advance– by Tuesday prior to market day- or buy what they bring to Market

8 am to 2 pm April 15th Native Plant Workshop and Plant Sale at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood. Hosted by Partners for Native Landscaping.

April 28th-29th St. Louis Herb Society Plant Sale @ Missouri Botanical Garden

9 am April 30th Partners for Native Landscaping Native Plant Sale & Native Plant Swap @ Beyond Housing. Preorder from vendors for pick up or shop from what is available that day.

9 am to Noon May 13th Seed St. Louis Summer Plant Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. $4 seedling 6-packs. Available at this Sale: Basil, Eggplant, Sweet & Hot Peppers, Tomatoes, Mint, Lavender, Rhubarb, Sorrel, more

10 am May 13th World Bird Sanctuary Native Plant Sale. Preorder from vendors for pick up or shop from what is available that day.

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

Upcoming STL Plant Sales: Veggies, Herbs, Natives

Native Plant Sales across Missouri sponsored by Grow Native!

March 10th & 11th Midwestern Herb & Garden Show in Mount Vernon, Illinois

9 am to Noon March 11th Seed St. Louis Spring Sale @ Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Arrive early for best selection. Bring a box lid to carry your plants. Available at this Sale: Potatoes, Onion bulbs, Asparagus crowns, bare root Strawberries, Leek starts, Mushroom spawn, all with instructions

Registration Begins March 15th for 2023 Callery (Bradford) Pear Buyback Program. Missouri Invasive Plant Council in partnership with Forest ReLeaf, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and Missouri Conservation Dept will host “buyback” around the state on April 18. Homeowners are invited to cut down one or more Callery pear trees and receive one free, non-invasive tree at this event.

Native Plant Sales by Missouri Wildflower Nursery return to Kirkwood Farmer’s Market: 8 am to 4 pm April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 20, 27. Order in advance– by Tuesday prior to market day- or buy what they bring to Market

8 am to 2 pm April 15th Native Plant Workshop and Plant Sale at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood. Hosted by Partners for Native Landscaping.

April 28th-29th St. Louis Herb Society Plant Sale @ Missouri Botanical Garden

9 am April 30th Partners for Native Landscaping Native Plant Sale & Native Plant Swap @ Beyond Housing. Preorder from vendors for pick up or shop from what is available that day.

10 am May 13th World Bird Sanctuary Native Plant Sale. Preorder from vendors for pick up or shop from what is available that day.