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January Shrub of the Month-Blue star juniper
I admit I’ve never been a big juniper fan. Junipers are spikey, get bagworms, and have been over-used in the landscape for decades. (Think parking lot islands and mid-century homes with overgrown landscaping!)…
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January Tree of the Month-Colorado blue spruce
Evergreens are the kings of ‘Winter Interest’, a term I often use because of its importance in the garden. Winters can be LONG. A third of the year in St. Louis gardens is…
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December Tree of the Month-American Holly
Can there be a more festive tree for the holiday season than the holly? Holly has been the stuff of legends and lore since Roman, druid, and pagan times. The red berries against…
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December Shrub of the Month-Hinoki cypress
Walk most nurseries, and you are bound to come across at least one of the many, MANY cultivars of Chamaecyparis obtusa, commonly called Hinoki falsecypress or just Hinoki cypress for short. The unique texture…
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December Perennial of the Month-Christmas fern
It’s the time of year when we focus on evergreens, grasses, and other winter-interest plants. Some of the most surprising evergreens for our area are evergreen ferns. Yes, ferns can be evergreen, and…
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November Perennial of the Month-Blue star
It might seem odd to feature a spring-blooming perennial for November, but look at that golden fall color! Not many perennials give so much; flowers, structure, fall color, texture, and winter interest…blue star…
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February Shrub of the Month-Gold Mop Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera’ Golden Mop’ Japanese falsecypress, or in the trade, just plain ole, gold mop. The gold mop is quickly becoming one of our area’s most popular landscape shrubs. The bright gold foliage pops…
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February Tree of the Month-Norway spruce
The noble Norway spruce, Picea abies, is one of the largest evergreens grown in the St. Louis area. With a height of 60+ feet and 35’ spread, Norways are not trees to casually…
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A Winter Visit to the Garden of Bruce and Chick Buehrig
Bruce and Chick Buehrig weren’t impressed with the yard when they purchased their Bellerive Acres home with its sloping two acres in 1973. “It was nothing but large oaks and thin grass.”Fast forward…
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January Perennial of the Month-Pachysandra
Many options exist when it comes to ground cover plants. Some are more maintenance than others, from frequent trimming all-season or constant watering. One ground cover that is truly low maintenance is Pachysandra…
