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Garden-Lou Visits Confluence Farms
Some people complain about how things are–then there are the people who stand up and do something about it. Sometimes these people are right under your nose … or around the corner. In…
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St. Louis Summer Plant Combos!
Remember last January when we thought spring would NEVER come, let alone summer? Well, hard to believe Labor Day Weekend-the unofficial end of Summer, is fast approaching, and if you’re like me, you…
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Garden-Lou visits Chris and Dana Smejkal
When it comes to home ownership, it seems there are two groups: ‘New House People’ and ‘Old House People’. The house centered in the Smejkal garden was built in the 1920s, and being…
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August Perennial of the Month-Black-eyed Susan
An Old English poem titled ‘Sweet William’s Farewell to Black-Eyed Susan’ is supposedly the origin of the common name for Rudbeckia fulgida. This Missouri native might have English roots, but she knows how…
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August Shrub of the Month-Crape myrtle
It happens every summer. I get emails or phone calls asking, “What’s that big bush with the pink flowers on the corner of….” The reaction is usually surprise when I say it’s a…
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August Tree of the Month-Willow oak
There is an oak for just about every location. The diverse genus, Quercus, has a range of species that prefer high and dry, or low and wet. One that will tolerate a more…
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Garden-Lou visits the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area Sunflower Fields
Bees love them, birds love them, but what the Missouri Department of Conservation people didn’t realize, is that people love them too! Sunflowers have to the happiest flowers on the planet. Just look…
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Garden-Lou Visits Martha LaFata
It’s logical for someone who scouts gardens for Missouri Botanical Garden’s triannual garden tour to have an expert eye for detail, quality, and creativity combined with plant knowledge. Besides being on tour herself,…
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Garden-Lou Visits Pat Hazen and John Moore
Pat Hazen and John Moore have lived in their secluded Belleville home for three years. One thing that helped sell the house was the view out of every window. Pat is an interior…
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July Tree of the Month-American Linden
The American linden, or basswood tree, Tilia americana, is one of our largest native shade trees. Naturally found on slopes, at the base of bluffs, or along streams, when planted in a park-like…
