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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,…
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April Shrub of the Month-Burkwood Viburnum
Burkwood Viburnum, Viburnum x burkwoodii is what we call a “hybrid” in the plant world. If you aren’t a botanist or horticulturalist, that little “x” in the botanical name is the clue that…
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April Perennial of the Month-Dutchman’s Breeches
April is the best month to walk in the woods and view some of our native ephemerals. These plants have evolved to live in areas of Eastern North America once covered by forest.…
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A Visit to the Shoenberg Arid House
It might have been a cool, wet spring so far, but things are hot and dry down at Missouri Botanical Garden. Hot as in “arid,” unlike the typical St. Louis Summer known for…
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March ANTI-Tree of the Month-Ornamental/Bradford Pear
A good indicator of a subdivision’s or development’s age is the type of tree planted en masse by the builder. Silver maples, sweet gums, crabapples, pin oaks, elms …These trees all took a…
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March Shrub of the Month-Flowering Quince
One of the first shrubs to bloom in early spring is an old-fashioned favorite rarely seen in new gardens: flowering quince. Not to be confused with edible quince, Cydonia oblonga, the two most…
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March Perennial of the Month-Spring Beauty
Cuteness alert! Tulips can be bold and beautiful, and daffodils can be stunning or stoic, but when a lawn full of charming spring beauties comes alive, it usually brings a sweet smile of…
