Plant of the Week: Still time to plant Sweet Potatoes

Volunteer to help with St. Louis Tornado disaster relief and recovery. There is something for everyone to do. Personally recommend volunteering with Action St. Louis and AmeriCorps St. Louis from past experience, both with sign ups on initial Volunteer link.

Bellefontaine Cemetery & Arboretum plans on reopening Saturday, May 31st, after clean up from tornado, but check the Calendar to see if tours have resumed

Seed St. Louis Raised Bed Plant Spacing Chart

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis 2025 Planting Calendar.
-> Transplant This Week: Perennials, Trees, Basil, Eggplant, Melons, Peppers, Sweet Potatoes, Summer Squash, Tomatillo, Tomatoes
-> Sow Outdoors This Week: Basil, Beans, Corn, Cucumbers, Melons, Okra, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Winter Squash

If you are just looking for St. Louis Area Plant and Seed Swaps and Sales, they are here. Added this week: Kirkwood Greentree Festival with Greater St. Louis Daffodil Society selling Daffodil bulbs, placeholder for Brightside St. Louis Daffodil & Tulip Bulb Sale

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

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

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

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

Good Reads/Views/Listens —

Reflecting on War, Sacrifice and Our Complex History at the First National Battlefield Park (Sierra Club)

10 Beginner-Friendly Native Plants for Your Garden (Wild Ones)

Peonies thrive on neglect, can live more than 100 years (University of Missouri Extension)

Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say (NPR)

Botanizing From Behind the Wheel,  A Guide to Missouri’s Roadside Wildflowers (Missouri Conservationist)

Manicured lawns are out, wild lawns are in. A low mow lifestyle can help bees and conserve water (Associated Press)

Is Sauget air pollution harming people? CDC suggests a deeper EPA probe (St. Louis Public Radio)

Could nanoplastics in the environment turn E. coli into a bigger villain? (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

MAGA FDA alleges fluoride supplements cause gut harms. Scientists aren’t convinced (NPR)

New greenhouse at Lambs Farm brings gardening therapy, vocational training to people with developmental disabilities (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

Now thru June 20th at Soulard Art Gallery: Art of Nature Exhibit

June 30th Application Deadline. Carondelet neighborhood group seeks artist to paint mural in community garden. The selected artist will receive $2,000 to complete the project and will produce the mural on a large shipping container in the garden.

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

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

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

4 Seats remaining. Ages 9 to Adult. 3:30 pm Wednesday, May 28th Missouri Conservation Department workshop at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Introduction to Archery. Register

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

9 am Thursday, May 29th, Heartlands Conservancy event at  Indian Creek Watershed, Madison County, Illinois: Clean Water, Bright Future Tour. Register

6 pm Thursday, May 29th, St. Louis County Library event at Sachs Branch, Chesterfield: Reading Garden Book Walk. Get book recommendations, snacks, and library themed gifts and prizes. Register

6 pm Thursday, May 29th, Seed St. Louis class at Bell Community Garden: Garden Design 101. Register

6:30 pm Thursday, May 29th, Missouri Botanical Garden class: Nature Speaks…Through the Written Word, writing workshop. Garden Admission fee applies.

5 pm Friday, May 30th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Orienteering and GPS- Geocaching. Register

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

8:30 am to Noon Saturday, May 31st, Urban Gardening Symposium at Brightside St. Louis Demonstration Garden. $10. Register

9 am to Noon Saturday, May 31st, Grow Native! 25th Anniversary Event: Greenscape Gardens Open House, Ballwin.

11 am to 7 pm Saturday, May 31st, Missouri State Parks Native Plants Weekend at Washington State Park, DeSoto, Jefferson County, Missouri

3 pm Sunday, June 1st, Plant Meet Up #6 at Art Bar, Angard Arts Hotel . Bring plants to trade or show off. Register

2 pm June 3rd St. Louis County Library Virtual Class: Food Forests – Building a Food-Producing Ecosystem. Register

Noon June 4th Missouri Conservation Department virtual class: Foraging for Summer Chanterelles. Register

2 pm June 4th St. Louis County Library class at Parkview Branch: Four Season Gardening presented by Seed St. Louis. Register

2 pm June 4th St. Louis City Public Library event at Barr Library: Wild in the City- Animals That Call St. Louis Home presented by Missouri Conservation Department.

4 pm June 4th Missouri Prairie Foundation webinar: Not Just for Ducks … Reframing Wetland Conservation. Register

9 am June 5th Heartlands Conservancy event in Edwardsville, Illinois: Cactus Blossom Walk at Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary. Register

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

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

For ages 6-12 years. 10:30 am June 5th St. Louis City Public Library event at Baden Library: Serengeti Steve’s Reptile Experience

6 pm June 5th Seed St. Louis class at Bell Community Garden: Garden Tools 101. Register

Family friendly. 10 Tickets remaining. 6 pm June 5th Missouri Conservation Department workshop at Forest Park Fish Hatchery: Fishing Lesson 1- Equipment, Casting, & Proper Fish Handling. Register

June 6th-7th International Horseradish Festival at Collinsville, Illinois

1 pm June 6th Missouri Conservation Department Virtual Class: Nature Printmaking Tree Rings. Register

2 pm June 6th St. Louis County Library class at Lewis & Clark Branch: Four Season Gardening presented by Seed St. Louis. Register

8 am to Noon June 7th Highland Garden Club Plant Sale at Korte Rec Center, Highland, Illinois

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

8 pm June 7th St. Louis Astronomical Society event at Tower Grove Park: Stargazing

10 am to 5 pm June 7th-8th Lafayette Square Spring House & Garden Tour. Tickets $40 + fee

For ages 13-17 years. 10 am to 2 pm June 7th St. Louis Public Library event at Carondelet Library: Teen Clean Up Day in Carondelet. Pick up trash in the neighborhood, clean garden beds, plant flowers. Tools, water, lunch provided. Register

June 13th-14th Lebanon (Illinois) Garden Club Secret Garden Tour. $10

For ages 13-17 years. 10 am to 2 pm June 14th St. Louis Public Library event at Kingshighway Library: Teen Clean Up Day. Pick up trash in the neighborhood, clean garden beds, plant flowers. Tools, water, lunch provided. Register

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

11 am June 14th Waste Connections Sustainability Campus class at Maryland Heights: Open Program Day- Bees, Pollinators, Native Plants

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

1 pm June 14th St. Louis County Library event at Thornhill Branch: Plant Swap. Register

2-4 pm June 14th Kemper Art Museum event in museum lobby: Collective Futures. Celebrate the exhibition Seeds- Containers of a World to Come. Music, dance, art-making. Planting Microgreens; Juan William Chávez: Imaynatataq Papawan Sumaq Ch’in Chisi (How to Spend a Nice Quiet Evening with a Potato); more. Free. Register

10 am June 16th St. Louis County Library event at Grant’s View Branch: Edible Landscaping presented by Seed St. Louis. Register

6 pm June 17th St. Louis County Library event at Jamestown Bluffs Branch, Florissant: Harvesting and Preserving Herbs presented by St. Louis Herb Society. Register

8:30 am June 21st Seed St. Louis Tour de Plants (bike ride), Southwest City Edition. $15 suggested donation. Register

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

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

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

11:30 am to 4:30 pm June 21st Missouri Botanical Garden event at Sachs Museum: Sniff ‘n Learn- Fragrance in the Victorian Age with Mourning Society of St. Louis (dressed in period costume). Garden Admission Free to St. Louis City and St. Louis County residents on Saturday and Wednesday mornings, otherwise Admission Fee applies.

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

2 pm June 23rd St. Louis County Library class at Cliff Cave Branch: Four Seasons Gardening presented by Seed St. Louis. Register

For Kids ages 3-9 years. 2 pm June 24th St. Louis County Library event at Sachs Branch, Chesterfield: Super Seeds presented by Missouri Botanical Garden. Explore how seeds travel and take home seeds for your next garden. Register

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

4 pm June 25th Grow Native! webinar: Master Class- Native Perennials for Planting on Slopes. Free to Missouri Prairie Foundation members and Grow Native! professional members. $15 for non-members. Register

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

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

11 am June 28th St. Louis Public Library event at Carpenter Library: Birds in Your Backyard, Birds in Your City: An Ornithological Summer Series- Session 1: Birding 101: Missouri’s KAKAWphony of Species presented by Missouri Conservation Department. Register

July 1st St. Louis Count Library Virtual Class: Container Gardening – Fruit, Vegetables and Microgreens presented by Seed St. Louis. Register

For Kids ages 6-12 years. 2 pm July 5th St. Louis County Library event at Daniel Boone Branch, Ellisville: Wild About Watermelon. Register

For Kids. 1 pm July 8th St. Louis Public Library event at Carondelet Library:  Swinging Through the Rainforest presented by Missouri Botanical Garden. Discover which animals and plants live in the layers of the rainforest. Take home a rainforest plant to start your own jungle. Register

4:30 pm July 8th The Royale & Missouri Botanical Garden present Show Me Your Garden Cocktail Competition 2025. Purchase Tickets $54.70 (including fees & taxes).

For Kids ages 5-12 years. 3:30 pm July 9th St. Louis Public Library event at Baden Library: Bees and Butterflies Stories and Crafts. Register

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

2 pm July 12th Kemper Art Museum event: Curatorial Tour of Seeds (Containers of a World to Come). Learn about the work of 10 contemporary artists from a range of geographical and cultural contexts whose practices explore plant–human–land relations. Register

2 pm July 25th St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: Food Preservation 101- Canning presented by University of Missouri Extension

11 am July 26th St. Louis Public Library event at Carpenter Library: Birds in Your Backyard, Birds in Your City: An Ornithological Summer Series- Session 2: Habitat Helpers: Won’t You Be My NeighBIRD? presented by Missouri Conservation Department. Register

1 pm July 26th St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: Herbs Around the Mediterranean

End of July: Ordering begins for Brightside St. Louis Blooming Soon Tulip & Daffodil Bulb Sale. Pick Up in October.

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

1 pm August 2nd St. Louis City Public Library class at Central Library: Harvesting and Preserving Herbs

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

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

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

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

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

11 am August 23rd St. Louis Public Library event at Tower Grove Park: Birds in Your Backyard, Birds in Your City: An Ornithological Summer Series- Session 3: Bird Walk with Missouri Conservation Department. Register

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Join us Sundays on Bluesky for #GardenSunday.