Featured plants in the Lou!
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July Tree of the Month-Ohio Buckeye
Ohio is known as the “Buckeye State” because of the official state tree, Aesculus glabra, which is native to most of the Eastern U.S. My good friend Lisa was born and raised in…
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July Shrub of the Month-Panicle Hydrangea
When we’ve had a spectacular hydrangea season like this year in St. Louis, it’s hard to remember that not every year all the hydrangeas look so good. I’m talking about the big leaf…
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July Perennial of the Month-Bee Balm
The alliums have gone dormant. The lilies are spent. Even the spring bulb foliage has withered away. The season seems to be speeding along even though summer has only officially started… Why does…
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June Tree of the Month-Shellbark Hickory
During a recent trip to the University of Missouri (Mizzou) campus, I couldn’t help but notice the abundance of shellbark hickories, Carya laciniosa. These trees are striking and large, with deep green leaves…
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June Shrub of the Month-Big Leaf Hydrangea
Even if you aren’t a plant-geek, it’s impossible not to notice-those shrubs brimming with huge blue or pink blooms, like a set from a Hollywood movie. You know the one…there’s a big Victorian…
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June Perennial of the Month-Yarrow
Yarrow was one of the first perennials I ever tried. A friend gave me a healthy clump of Achillea millefolium, and I gave it a place of honor in my white garden-in-the-making. It…
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May Tree of the Month-Kousa Dogwood
After our native dogwoods, Cornus florida, April Tree of the Month-Dogwood, finish blooming, the kousa dogwoods take the stage. Cornus kousa (syn. Benthamidia japonica) is native to Japan, Korea, and China and can…
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May Shrub of the Month-Deutzia
Deutzia is not a well-known shrub among most homeowners or average gardeners. I had never heard of it before until I started taking plant ID classes. It didn’t seem like anything special, until…
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May Perennial of the Month-False Indigo
One of the most striking native perennials for our area is the false indigos. Baptisia australis, with its royal purple blooms, and Baptisia sphaerocarpa, with its sunny yellow flowers, are both so structural…
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April Tree of the Month-Crabapple
If one could bottle up the scents of childhood, for me, it would be the lingering smell of melting tinsel against C7 Christmas tree bulbs, The sharp scent of Bactine on scraped knees,…
