This Week in Gardening & Nature

Rose Mallow
Rose Mallow shrub with lake in background

Plant of the Week: Rose Mallow, a native hibiscus with large flowers, one of Missouri’s tallest perennials (up to 8 feet). Seedlings available cheap at Missouri Conservation Annual Tree Seedling Sale. Orders ship out in Spring. I have ordered seedlings and trying to grow from seed.

Rose Mallow fuzzy seeds

Nature Conservancy’s 2025 Missouri Report. Find out about Nature Conservancy’s work in another state here.

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. Additions this week: January Happy Trails Farm (horse rescue) Garden Vendor Fair & Seed Swap in Granite City IL; March Seed St. Louis Potatoes, Onions, Strawberries, Asparagus Sale

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 St. Louis’ coal-choked skies and dying orchids planted the seeds for a beloved nature reserve (St. Louis Public Radio)

Seed bank at Missouri Botanical Garden outgrows space, gets new home in St. Louis (St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Wayback Machine)

The secret to keeping your holiday greenery fresher longer (Associated Press)

Applying Permaculture Principles to the Garden. Discover some of the principles of permaculture that will help you achieve a low-maintenance garden. (Mother Earth News)

Petal Pusher, November-December newsletter (Missouri Native Plant Society)

MU weed science team confirms dicamba-resistant water hemp (University of Missouri Extension)

Project FeederWatch: How You Can Help Scientists Track Birds (Horticulture Magazine)

The global plastic waste trade contributes to coastal litter in importing countries, study shows (University of Illinois Extension)

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 —–

Registration Open for 2026 Swamp Needlers. Theme: Missouri’s Streams. Classes start January 5th. 12 Month Virtual Program, second Mondays. Learn simple, but beautiful embroidery techniques by stitching quilt blocks based on theme. Register

Volunteers Wanted. STL Neighborhood Foresters Neighborhood Tree Care Blitzes
December 20th Old North. Register
December 20th Benton Park. Register
December 20th Tower Grove East. Register
December 21st Shaw. Register
December 27th Bevo. Register
January 3rd Hyde Park. Register
January 4th Forest Park Southeast. Register
January 10th Tower Grove East. Register
January 10th Benton Park West. Register
January 17th Old North. Register
January 17th Benton Park. Register
January 18th Shaw. Register
January 24th Bevo. Register
February 1st Forest Park Southeast. Register
February 7th Hyde Park. Register
February 14th Tower Grove East. Register
February 14th Benton Park West. Register
February 15th Shaw. Register
February 17th Old North. Register
February 21st Benton Park. Register
February 28th Bevo. Register

January 1st-15th Entry period for Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center (Blue Springs MO) Amazing Arthropods Photography Contest

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).

January 15th Entry Begins for Audubon 2025 Photography & Videography Awards (photos from 2025). 2024 entry information. Some of the winners.

Now thru January 31st St. Louis City Public Library Annual Martin Luther King Food Drive

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 —–

Noon Monday, December 22nd, Missouri Conservation Department online class: Backyard Birds in Winter. Learn Bird Identification, Birding Essentials, Bird Sounds, Distinguishing Features. Register

For ages 5-12 but family welcome. 11 Seats remaining. 10:30 am December 30th Missouri Conservation Department Conservation Kids event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Hibernation Pajama Party. Register

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

10 am January 1st Eastern Missouri Sierra Club New Year’s Day Hike at Forest Park. Register

17 Tickets remaining. 11 am January 1st Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: First Day Hike. 1.3 miles, hilly, Hickory Ridge Trail. Register

3:30 pm January 2nd Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: The Adaptable Bobcat. Register

8 am January 3rd St. Louis Audubon Beginner Bird Walk at Forest Park. Register

10 am to 2 pm January 3rd Audubon Center at Riverlands Eagle Ice Fest at West Alton, Missouri. Free activities plus online ticketed $10 Eagle Meet & Greet and $10 Guided Bird Hike.

18 Tickets available. 1 pm January 3rd Missouri Conservation Department hike at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Winter Walk. Naturalist led ½-mile walk on Powder Valley’s Hickory Ridge Short Loop trail. Register

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

For kids ages 2-5. 2 pm January 6th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Cactus Makes Perfect. Includes make & take cactus puppet craft. Register

5 pm January 6th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Missouri’s State Symbols with a naturalist. 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

6:15 pm January 8th Wild Ones St. Charles Area Chapter Winter Speaker Series at Spencer Road Library, St. Peters: Native Landscaping for Drought Tolerance, presented by Dan Pearson, St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home program. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am January 9th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club Castlewood State Park Service Day, Ballwin. Register

15 Tickets remaining. 6:30 pm January 9th Missouri Conservation Department event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Owl Prowl. Register

10 Tickets remaining. 9 am January 10th Missouri Conservation Department event along Mississippi River, West Alton: Dresser Island Hike. 5 mile or optional 2 mile. Register

10 am January 10th Audubon Center at Riverlands Eagle Saturday at West Alton, Missouri. $10. Register

For ages 5-12 but family welcome. 24 Tickets remaining. 10:30 am January 10th Missouri Department of Conservation Conservation Kids event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Tracks in the Snow. Learn about animal tracks in the wintertime in Missouri. Register

11 am January 10th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Intro to Winter Tree ID. Register by January 8th.

Noon to 4 pm January 10th Happy Trails Farm (501c3 horse rescue) Garden Vendor Fair & Seed Swap at Moose Lodge, 2521 Maryville Rd, Granite City, Illinois. Donations accepted and a lucky donor will win a pickup truck of manure.

1 pm January 10th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Foraging 101. Register

20 Tickets remaining. 1 pm January 10th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Kestrel Nesting Boxes. The kestrel is the only falcon on this continent to nest in cavities. Register

For kids ages 2-5. 2 pm January 10th St. Louis County Library event at Lewis & Clark Branch: Cactus Makes Perfect. Includes make & take cactus puppet craft. Register

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

10 am January 11th Audubon Center at Riverlands Swan Sunday at West Alton, Missouri

2 pm January 11th Wild Ones Southwest Illinois Chapter speaker series in Collinsville, Illinois: An Expert Approach to Winter Propagation. Different methods of starting native plants from seeds and hardwood cuttings. Register

9-11 am January 13th University of Illinois Extension Tree Care Webinar Series: Trees for Pollinators and Evergreen ID. $10 for access to all sessions. Register

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

6 pm January 13th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Intro to Winter Tree ID. Register by January 9th.

Noon January 14th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Tapping into Maple Season. Learn how to select the correct Maple Tree, correct tapping techniques, and when to tap. Registration opens December 29th.

4 pm January 14th Grow Native! Webinar: Let’s Talk Trees. Topics: general tree health; treating pests & diseases; the right tree with the right place; proper watering, soil considerations, pruning, mulching; finding and using difficult-to-source and rarely used native species. Register

22 Tickets remaining. 2:30 pm January 16th Missouri Conservation Department Hike: A Winter Walk in Tower Grove Park. Register

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

10 am January 17th Audubon Center at Riverlands Eagle Saturday at West Alton, Missouri. $10. Register

10m am to 2 pm January 18th Audubon Center at Riverlands Family Sunday Funday at West Alton, Missouri. Beginners Bird Hike, Marko Polo Live Music, face painting, crafts

12 Tickets remaining. 12:30 pm January 19th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Conservation Scene Investigation. Discover how conservation agents and biologists use evidence to solve wildlife violations. Register

17 Tickets remaining. 1 pm January 19th Missouri Conservation Department event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Eagle Explorations. Register

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

9-11 am January 20th University of Illinois Extension Tree Care Webinar Series: Forest Health Updates and Fungal Mutualists. $10 for access to all sessions. Register

Noon January 20th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Bald Eagles in Missouri. Register

2 pm January 21st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. Register

11 am January 22nd Missouri Conservation Department nature art class at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Black Walnut Ink & Junk Journaling. Register

6 pm January 22nd Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Best Crops for School Gardens & Orchards. Register

7 pm January 22nd Missouri Conservation Department Native Plants, Upgrading Your Urban Oasis Virtual Series: Landscape Prep and Winter Seed Sowing. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am January 23rd Heartlands Conservancy Stewardship Day at Brushy Creek, Collinsville, Illinois. Tree care. Register

6 pm January 23rd Missouri Conservation Department Creature Feature Virtual Class:  Blue Jays. Register

10 am January 24th Audubon Center at Riverlands Eagle Saturday at West Alton, Missouri. $10. 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. Label seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kid’s socks and underwear for charity. This is a FB event that someone sent me information on but I don’t share FB links.

Noon January 24th The Nature Institute class in Godfrey, Illinois: Winter Tree Identification. $5 for nonmembers. Register

10 am January 24th Audubon Center at Riverlands Symposium Sunday at West Alton, Missouri: Birds of the Confluence, History & Art of Carving Duck Decoys, Gull Identification. Free but Register

For 3rd-8th grade kids. 10 am January 26th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: All about Eagles with the World Bird Sanctuary. Register

9-11 am January 27th University of Illinois Extension Tree Care Webinar Series: Construction and Urban Soils. $10 for access to all sessions. Register

For 3rd-8th grade kids. 10 am January 27th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: All about Eagles with the World Bird Sanctuary. Register

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

6 pm January 29th Seed St. Louis Zoom Class: Grow Your Own Vegetable Seedlings. The basics of starting seeds, what supplies you will need, and general tips and tricks. Register

6 pm January 29th Missouri Conservation Department webinar:  Winter Bird ID. Register

9 am January 30th Missouri Conservation Department class at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Winter Tree ID Workshop. Register

For kids ages 2-5. 2 pm January 30th St. Louis County Library event at Parkview Branch: Cactus Makes Perfect. Includes make & take cactus puppet craft. Register

10 am January 31st Audubon Center at Riverlands Eagle Saturday at West Alton, Missouri. $10. Register

January 31st Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves Wild Things 2026 Conference in O’Fallon, Illinois, one of the largest conservation gatherings in the Midwest, a celebration of nature, wildlife, ecosystem restoration, birding, botanizing, networking, and discovery. Fees but scholarship may be available.

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.

2 pm January 31st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. Register

6 pm February 1st The Nature Institute event in Godfrey, Illinois: Moonlight Hike. $5 for nonmembers. Register

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

9-11 am February 3rd University of Illinois Extension Tree Care Webinar Series: Chainsaw Safety and Pruning Young Trees. $10 for access to all sessions. Register

6:30 pm February 4th St. Louis County Library class at Grant’s View Branch: Gardening 101- Spring Colors. Register

8 am February 7th St. Louis Audubon Beginner Bird Walk at Forest Park. Register

9-11 am February 10th University of Illinois Extension Tree Care Webinar Series: Changing Climate and Historic Pests. $10 for access to all sessions. Register

1-4 pm February 10th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Horticulture Class:  Winter Tree and Shrub ID. $15 donation suggested. Register

6 pm February 11th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Zoom Class:  Integrated Pest Management for Home Gardeners. Register

6:15 pm February 12th Wild Ones St. Charles Area Chapter Winter Speaker Series at Spencer Road Library, St. Peters: Not Like a Haircut- Pruning to Promote Health, Vigor, and Appearance. Register

9 am to Noon February 14th Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Horticulture Class:  Winter Tree and Shrub ID. $15 donation suggested. Register

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

9-11 am February 17th University of Illinois Extension Tree Care Webinar Series: Tree Care After Planting and Tree Responses to Cultural Practices. $10 for access to all sessions. Register

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

6 pm March 2nd St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series 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 Sustainability Series at Buder Library: Introduction into Sustainability

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

11 am to 2 pm Piasa Palisades Sierra Club event at Alton, Illinois: Seed Swap. Register

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

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

6 pm March 11th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Carpenter Library: Locally Sourced, Mindfully Made with Klondike Bison & Bee. Field to fork bison. Registration opens January 3rd.

6:15 pm March 12th Wild Ones St. Charles Area Chapter Winter Speaker Series at Spencer Road Library, St. Peters: Nature at Night, presented by photographer Dan Zarlenga. Register

9 am March 14th Seed St. Louis March Sale at Carriage House: Potatoes, Onions, Strawberries, Asparagus

27 Seats remaining. 1 pm March 14th St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Tomato History. Register

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

6 pm March 25th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Buder Library: PFAS the Forever Chemical

9 am March 28th Seed St. Louis Spring Seedling Sale at Carriage House

24 Seats remaining. 1 pm March 28th St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Strawberry and Basil Planting. Register

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

6:15 pm February 12th Wild Ones St. Charles Area Chapter Winter Speaker Series at Spencer Road Library, St. Peters: Spring Ephemerals. Registration not open yet.

6 pm April 6th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Buder Library: Weeding Without Chemicals

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

6 pm April 15th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Carpenter Library: Locally Sourced, Mindfully Made with HareandBearco. Floral art. Registration opens February 7th.

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am April 18th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club Trail Maintenance at O’Fallon Park. 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.

28 Seats remaining. 1 pm April 25th St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Strawberry Basil Mocktails & Plant Health Clinic. Register

2 pm April 25th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Plant Swap. Register

6 pm May 4th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Buder Library: Sustainability, Ecology, & Conservation efforts in St. Louis Parks.

9 am May 9th Seed St. Louis Summer Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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.

10 am May 9th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Buder Library: Wildflower Garden Planning

6 pm May 12th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Carpenter Library: Locally Sourced, Mindfully Made with Erin Luna. A hands-on workshop on indigo dyeing, includes make & take tea towel. Registration opens March 6th.

2 pm May 14th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Buder Library: Nee Kee Nee (Osage Nation), Tower Grove Park’s East Stream

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

2 pm May 19th St. Louis Public Library Sustainability Series at Buder Library: Pollution Solution, presented by River des Peres Watershed Coalition

28 Seats remaining. 1 pm May 23rd St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Tomato Transplant Class. Register

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.

26 Seats remaining. 1 pm June 27th St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Garden Party Strawberry & Basil Mocktails! Register

29 Seats remaining. 1 pm July 11th St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Tomato & Basil Health Clinic. Register

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.

26 Seats remaining. 1 pm August 8th St. Louis Public Library Garden to Table Series at Central Library: Garden Party Caprese Salad. Bring tomatoes & basil from your garden. Register

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

9 am August 15th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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

October 17th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale at Carriage House

St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales

Plant Sale graphic

Going on Now: Missouri Conservation Annual Tree Seedling Sale. Orders ship out in Spring. Rose Mallow, a native hibiscus with large flowers , one of Missouri’s tallest perrenials (up to 8 feet) is still available

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.

—–

Noon to 4 pm January 10th Happy Trails Farm (501c3 horse rescue) Garden Vendor Fair & Seed Swap at Moose Lodge, 2521 Maryville Rd, Granite City, Illinois. Donations accepted and a lucky donor will win a pick up truck of manure.

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. Label seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear for charity.

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.

2 pm January 31st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. Register

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

11 am to 2 pm Piasa Palisades Sierra Club event at Alton, Illinois: Seed Swap. Register

March 14th Seed St. Louis March Sale at Carriage House: Potatoes, Onions, Strawberries, Asparagus

9 am March 28th Seed St. Louis Spring Seedling Sale at Carriage House.

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

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

2 pm April 25th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Plant Swap. Register

9 am May 9th Seed St. Louis Summer Seedling & Sweet Potato Slip Sale at Carriage House

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 August 15th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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

October 17th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale at Carriage House

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Lady Jane Amaryllis, shades of pink

Plant of the Week: Amaryllis. Photo is Lady Jane.

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. Additions this week: Meramec Horticulture Club Poinsettia Sale @ Greenhouse; Seed St. Louis 2026 Veggie Seedling Sales @ Carriage House

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 —

10 gifts for the gardener without spending a lot of green (University of Missouri Extension)

Fun project for kids. Want to grow an avocado tree from seed? Here’s how (Associated Press)

December Gardening Tips, Tasks, and Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)

Terrestrial biodiversity grows with tree cover in agricultural landscapes (University of Illinois Extension)

New Kansas-based American Honey Institute to advocate for industry standards (Kansas Reflector)

November Native Plant News (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 —–

9 am to 1 pm Monday-Friday St. Louis Community College @ Meramec Horticulture Club Annual Poinsettia Sale. Red, White varieties. $10 each, Cash or Check Only. Located in the Greenhouse on campus, 11333 Big Bend Road, Kirkwood (see GH at bottom of map)

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 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
January 3rd Hyde Park. Register
January 4th Forest Park Southeast. Register

January 1st-15th Entry period for Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center (Blue Springs MO) Amazing Arthropods Photography Contest

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).

January 15th Entry Begins for Audubon 2025 Photography & Videography Awards (photos from 2025). 2024 entry information. Some of the winners.

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 —–

5 pm Tuesday, 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 Friday, 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

6 Tickets remaining. 6:30 pm Friday, December 12th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Owl Prowl. Register

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

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

2 pm Saturday, 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

10:30-Noon Saturday, December 13th, Tower Grove Park 9th Annual Frosted 5k & 1k Fun Run

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

4 pm December 17th Grow Native! Webinar: Native Cover Crops for Stormwater Management Practices. 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

16 Seats remaining. 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

14 Tickets remaining. 12:30 pm December 19th Missouri Conservation Departmentclass 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

9 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

11 am January 1st Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: First Day Hike. 1.3 miles, hilly, Hickory Ridge Trail. 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)

6:30 pm January 9th Missouri Conservation Department event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Owl Prowl. Register

15 Tickets remaining. 9 am January 10th Missouri Conservation Department event along Mississippi River, West Alton: Dresser Island Hike. 5 mile or optional 2 mile. Register

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

2 pm January 21st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. 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

9 am March 28th Seed St. Louis Spring Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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.

2 pm April 25th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Plant Swap. Register

9 am May 9th Seed St. Louis Summer Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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 August 15th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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

October 17th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale at Carriage House

St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales

9 am to 1 pm Monday-Friday St. Louis Community College @ Meramec Horticulture Club Annual Poinsettia Sale. Red, White varieties. $10 each, Cash or Check Only. Located in the Greenhouse on campus, 11333 Big Bend Road, Kirkwood (see GH at bottom of map)

Nearly Free Milkweed Seeds are available from Live Monarch.

Shop Local, Shop Small for plants and gardening supplies. In St. Louis City: The Garden Shop on Hampton, Bowood Farms in CWE, Flowers & Weeds on Cherokee. A Gift Card from any of these would be welcome by any gardener on your gift giving list. Also, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery in Jefferson City is a great vendor for high quality native plants. A gift card for them can be used to purchase plants and pick up at Kirkwood Farmers Market and other St. Louis area locations next Spring.

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.

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 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

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. Label seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear for charity.

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.

2 pm January 31st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. Register

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

9 am March 28th Seed St. Louis Spring Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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

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

2 pm April 25th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Plant Swap. Register

9 am May 9th Seed St. Louis Summer Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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 August 15th Seed St. Louis Fall Seedling Sale at Carriage House

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

October 17th Seed St. Louis Garlic Sale at Carriage House

This Week in Gardening & Nature

Shelled Fastigiata Pin Striped Peanuts, purple and beige
Peanuts in shells harvest
Peanut plants with missing leaves and damaged stems from rabbits
baby peanut plant emerging from peanut in shell

Plant of the Week: Peanuts. These are Fastigiata Pin Striped Peanuts, native to Ecuador. Small harvest due to rabbits eating the tops and voles eating the roots. But each of the peanuts in package- with sell by of 12/2019 germinated in 05/2025 and thrived in Zone 6b until varmints showed up.

If you ever get a chance, visit George Washington Carver National Monument, in Newton County, Southwestern Missouri, to learn about this African American agricultural scientist’s important work on peanuts, soybeans, more.

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. 2026 Updates: Resource for nearly free Milkweed seeds; my suggestions for St. Louis City Small Business, Shop Local garden-related gift shopping; St. Louis County Library events- January Seed & Houseplant Swap, April Plant Swap

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 —

December Gardening Tips, Tasks, and Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)

The USDA defunded a program aimed at helping small farmers. What’s next for the Missouri farmers who relied on it? Leaders of the Heartland Regional Food Business Coalition are figuring out how to move forward after the USDA cut funding for regional food business centers. (The Beacon, Kansas City) Note: we know and buy food from the people interviewed for this story)

St. Louis aims to replant thousands of trees after tornado. That may revamp its landscape (St. Louis Post-Dispatch article via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine) Note: I hope they stick with native trees and do not use vacant lots from tornado damage to increase canopy as an excuse for not rebuilding in North City

Snowy owls’ unusually early visit to Chicago lakefront could signal migratory boom (gift article, Chicago Tribune)

Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection (Internet Archive, Wayback Machine)

The mysterious black fungus from Chernobyl that may eat radiation (BBC)

‘The Precedent Is Flint’: How Oregon’s Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis. Amazon has come to the state’s eastern farmland, worsening a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages (Rolling Stone via Wayback Machine)

Meanwhile Norfolk County, England… Rights for River Wensum gains Norwich council support (Eastern Daily Press)

Maple brown butternut squash anyone? The Evolved Network meets Chicago students where they are with food kits. (gift article, Chicago Tribune)

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

January 1st-15th Entry period for Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center (Blue Springs MO) Amazing Arthropods Photography Contest

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).

January 15th Entry Begins for Audubon 2025 Photography & Videography Awards (photos from 2025). 2024 entry information. Some of the winners.

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 —–

19 Seats remaining. 6:30 am Tuesday, December 2nd, Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Birds & Brews- Bird Watching with (bird friendly) Coffee. Register

4 pm Wednesday, 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 Thursday, December 4th, Heartlands Conservancy event in Edwardsville, Illinois: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Stewardship Day. Register

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

Noon Friday, December 5th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class: What Makes a Fish? Learn why bass are terrible parents, how fish outlived the dinosaurs, which fish breathe air, and much more. Register

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

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

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

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

3:30-5:30 pm Saturday, December 6th, Fairground Park for All event: Chestnut Roast and Tree Lighting

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

15 Tickets remaining. 9 am Sunday, 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

8 Tickets remaining. 6:30 pm December 12th Missouri Conservation Department event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Owl Prowl. Register

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

2 Seats remaining. 1 pm December 13th Missouri Conservation Department event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Sustainable Holidays, Gifts and Games. Register

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

17 Tickets remaining. 12:30 pm December 19th Missouri Conservation Departmentclass 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

18 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

11 am January 1st Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: First Day Hike. 1.3 miles, hilly, Hickory Ridge Trail. 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)

6:30 pm January 9th Missouri Conservation Department event at Rockwoods Reservation, Wildwood: Owl Prowl. Register

21 Tickets remaining. 9 am January 10th Missouri Conservation Department event along Mississippi River, West Alton: Dresser Island Hike. 5 mile or optional 2 mile. Register

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

2 pm January 21st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. 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.

2 pm April 25th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Plant Swap. Register

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

St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales

Plant Sale graphic

Nearly Free Milkweed Seeds are available from Live Monarch.

Shop Local, Shop Small for plants and gardening supplies. In St. Louis City: The Garden Shop on Hampton, Bowood Farms in CWE, Flowers & Weeds on Cherokee. A Gift Card from any of these would be welcome by any gardener on your gift giving list. Also, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery in Jefferson City is a great vendor for high quality native plants. A gift card for them can be used to purchase plants and pick up at Kirkwood Farmers Market and other St. Louis area locations next Spring.

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.

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 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

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. Label seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear for charity.

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.

2 pm January 21st St. Louis County Library event at Meramec Valley Branch: Seed & Houseplant Swap. Register

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

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

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

2 pm April 25th St. Louis County Library event at Grand Glaize Branch: Plant Swap. Register

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 & 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

St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales

Plant Sale written with flowers

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.

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.

—–

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

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. Label seeds. If you do not have seeds to swap, donate non-perishable food items, hygiene products or new kids socks and underwear for charity.

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.

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

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

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 and Nature

Aromatic Aster with lavender flowers

Plant of the Week: Native Aromatic Aster. These are great fall color shrubs.

Gardening by Month, November Gardening Tips, Tasks, and Problems (Missouri Botanical Garden)

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

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 —

Pucker up for persimmon, the first-frost fruit (University of Missouri Extension)

Dark Botanica: Wild Ones Spooky Season Reads (Wild Ones)

Nine new invasive species regulated in Illinois with expansion of Exotic Weeds Act (University of Illinois Extension)

These Inuit Maps Are Reimagining the Arctic. Counter-mapping projects are supporting Indigenous sovereignty in a shifting landscape (Sierra, Sierra Club magazine)

Lost or leading the way? Rare birds may signal shifting migration routes (University of Illinois Extension)

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 8th Tower Grove East. Register
November 15th Old North. Register
November 15th Benton Park. Register
November 22nd Bevo. Register
December 6th Hyde Park. Register
December 7th Forest Park Southeast. 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

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 Wednesday, November 5th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Tree Walk with horticulturist. $5 suggest donation. Register

4 pm Wednesday, November 5th, Grow Native! Webinar: Overwintering Habits of Moths, Butterflies & Bees presented by entomologist Chris Hartley, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Thursday, November 6th, work day at The Nature Institute, Godfrey, Illinois: Honeysuckle Sweep. Register

10 am Thursday, November 6th, Tower Grove Park event: Sheffield Memorial, Honoring Tower Grove Park’s Beloved Pony

4 pm Friday, November 7th Missouri Botanical Garden 2025 John Dwyer Lecture in Biology: Food Plant Diversity in a Changing World presented by Dr. Colin Khoury, biodiversity, agriculture, and conservation scientist. Garden Admission Fee may apply.

9 am to Noon Saturday, November 8th, Missouri Botanical Garden Día de los Muertos. Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday morning, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am Saturday, November 8th Eastern Missouri Sierra Club work day: Trail Maintenance at O’Fallon Park. Register

9 Seats remaining. 10 am Saturday, November 8th, Missouri Conservation Department class at Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office, Southwest Garden: Nature Art, Nature Crocheters- Birds. Register

10 am Saturday, November 8th, Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum Fall Arboretum Trolley Tour. $5 suggested donation. Register

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

11 am to 3 pm November 8th Plant Lovers of Metro STL Plant Swap & Sale at Greenscape Gardens, Manchester, with 20% off houseplants, $50 off pottery, $10 Thai Constellations (4″ pots), Wok-O Taco Food Truck

12 Seats remaining. 12:30 pm 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 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

3 pm November 12th Tower Grove Park event: Nee Kee Nee (East Stream) Tour. Register

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

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

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

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

10 am 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 November 14th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Winter Waterfowl ID. Register

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

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

5:30 to 9:30 pm or 10 pm November 15th to January 3rd Missouri Botanical Garden 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.

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

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

10 am 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

1 pm November 16th Missouri Conservation Department class at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Outdoor Skills, Basic Map Reading. 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.

14 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

10 Tickets remaining. 8:30 am November 30th St. Louis Audubon Society event at Tower Grove Park: Beginner Bird Walk. 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

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

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.