Featured plants in the Lou!
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June Tree of the Month-Japanese tree lilac
Perhaps you’ve noticed an unusual tree along streets or in parking lots with huge creamy-white flowers? This relative newcomer is Syringa reticulata, commonly known as Japanese tree lilac, and it’s not your grandmother’s lilac.…
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May Tree of the Month-Fringe tree
The redbuds are done, the dogwoods are fading, and the magnolias are long gone … time for one of the most underused trees to shine-the fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus. Fringe tree is a…
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May Shrub of the Month-Weigela
Remember when every well-landscaped yard used a purple-leafed barberry shrub? (Usually planted right next to a globe blue spruce or a yellow-tipped conifer) Plant lovers wanted that beautiful burgundy color, but like most…
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May Perennial of the Month-Iris
The fleur de lis is a stylized iris flower, and so this month, we pay homage to the symbol of St. Louis-the noble Iris. Iris flowers symbolize power, with the three parts representing…
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April Perennial of the Month-Virginia bluebells
I like to think of Virginia bluebells-Mertensia virginica, as misguided college kids who spend their spring break in St. Louis instead of Florida. Most of the year, they are off somewhere else (brushing…
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April Shrub of the Month-Tree peony
Most gardeners are familiar with the old-fashion herbaceous peonies, but once most newbie gardeners meet a tree peony, there is no going back. The name is misleading since tree peonies are not a…
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April Tree of the Month-Dogwood
This month, we celebrate the official Missouri State tree, the flowering dogwood, Cornus florida and Cornus florida f. rubra. Some of you are saying our state tree is Hawthorn, but that’s the state…
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A Spring Visit to Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum
What is spring in St. Louis without daffodils? (Narcissus) The cheery flowers that don’t seem like such a big deal displayed in a vase or lining our walkways. However, when planted by the thousands well,…
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2021 Annual Flower Review
April 2022 is right around the corner and St. Louis Gardeners are like anxious racehorses in the gate, just waiting for the signal from Mother Nature to race off and get planting! Some…
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March Perennial of the Month-Hellebores
The weather is warming up. Days are growing longer … we are STARVED to see something blooming by this time of year! Hellebores, also known as Lenten rose, are shy flowers that like…
