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July Perennial of the Month-Blazing star
Surely, Dr. Suess was inspired by our native Liatris species, commonly called blazing star or gayfeather. The purple flowerheads are comprised of multiple flowers called florets, crammed together on one stem, each resembling…
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Highlights of the Sustainable Backyard Tour-2024
The Sustainable Backyard Network hosted its annual open-yard tour on June 30th with 55 hosts around the St. Louis metro area. The tour’s focus is on education, with the unique chance to see…
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June Shrub of the Month-New Jersey Tea
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) is one of those plants that seems to be overlooked. I’m not sure why it’s not more common in the trade since most of its traits seem to…
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Garden-Lou Spotlights the Garden of Marty and Bridget Koenig
Starting a career in landscaping at 62 might sound crazy, but for Marty, it was a natural transition after teaching for 38 years. Now at 72, the self-taught designer and keen plantsman has…
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February Tree of the Month-Sycamore
The brilliant contrast of crisp white branches against a deep, true-blue sky is one thing that endears the sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) to many. Sycamores can grow to be giants among their neighboring trees…
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November Tree of the Month-Bald cypress
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) can be described as the evergreen that really isn’t. In summer, the needles look like other evergreen conifers such as yew or spruce, but come fall, they turn a…
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October Tree of the Month-Hickory
Autumn is one of the most anticipated seasons for St. Louisans. The weather changes from sweltering to sensational, plenty of festivities and events are happening around town, and of course, the changing of…
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September Perennial of the Month-Rattlesnake master
The common name, rattlesnake master, supposedly comes from the medicinal properties of Eryngium yuccifolium to cure snake bites. One must wonder just exactly what had to happen for the folks back then to…
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September Tree of the Month-Persimmon
After one or two cooler mornings, everyone starts talking about winter. Will it be cold? Will there be snow? Despite climate change that has turned our seasons inside out lately, you can count…
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August Tree of the Month-River birch
We talk a lot about “well-drained” soils regarding plant preferences. But one tree that LOVES wet conditions is our native river birch-Betula nigra. River birch gets its common name from its natural habitat along…
