National Pollinator Week –
June 21 -27th
Missouri Botanical Garden Celebrates Pollinators all month long. Pollinator Photos – Submit your pollinator photos to Flickr for the MO Botanical Garden photomontage, www.flickr.com/groups/1381284@N20/. A photomontage of these images will be shown on YouTube in July. St. Louis Zoo has a special pollinator dinner June 22nd – details below.
Beekeeper Backyard Fieldtrip
6-3 (Thurs, 6:30-8 pm, $25) Visit local beekeeper and artist Joy Stinger’s suburban home to see a home beeyard as you learn the what, why and how of this increasingly popular eco-hobby during the bees’ most productive time of year. Earth Ways Center, 3617 Grandel Square – St. Louis, MO 63108 (314) 577-0220
Gardens of Sugar Creek Garden Tour
6-5 (Sat 10 am – 3 pm, $15 – $18) Tour 8 private gardens Sugar Creek staff. Benefit ‘Go Green,’ a joint program of St. Patrick Center and Gateway Greening that offers job-training to St. Patrick Center clients. Also tour City Seeds Urban Farm near Union Station. Tended by St. Patrick Center clients, these urban farmers seek to overcome homelessness, beat drug addiction and cope with mental illness. Food grown is sold at local farmers markets to provide salaries for St. Patrick Center participants and is donated to food pantries. Sugar Creek Gardens, Kirkwood 314-965-3070 www.sugarcreekgardens.com
Rain Gardening & Storm Water Runoff
6-10 & 11 (Thurs & Fri, 1-4 pm, $8-$12) Native Plant School is a year-round series of classes at the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. It covers various aspects of native landscaping. Please bring questions, comments, photos, drawings and plant specimens, etc. Participation from the audience is encouraged. Shaw Nature Reserve, www.mobot.org/classes (314) 577-5140, www.mobot.org/classes
The Best Hydrangeas for St. Louis – Hydrangea Festival
6-10 (Thurs, 5-7:30 pm, 6 pm talk, free) The Best Hydrangeas for St. Louis presented by Kim Reiss, founding member of the St. Louis Hydrangea Society. Sugar Creek Gardens, Kirkwood 314-965-3070 www.sugarcreekgardens.com
The American Cottage Garden
6-12 (Sat, 10 am, free) If your idea of garden beauty is the delightful look of the English cottage garden, then this class is for you. This American-style interpretation will teach you how to incorporate hydrangeas, peonies, iris and others into your garden. Sugar Creek Gardens, Kirkwood 314-965-3070 www.sugarcreekgardens.com
Learn About Beekeeping – Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center
6-12 (Sat, 11 am – 1 pm, free) Jefferson County Beekeepers’ Association will answer questions about bees and beekeeping, show beekeeping equipment and gear. No registration required. MO Botanical Garden, www.mobot.org/classes (314) 577-5140
Perennial Gardening Seminar
6-12 (Sat 10 am, free) Perennial plants come back each year to reward us with their beauty for sun and shade. Learn about many great plants to start a new perennial garden or add to your current gardens. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, Washington, MO 636-239-6729 www.hillermann.com
Harvest the Heavens-
Rain Garden Seminar
6-12 (Sat, 10 am, free) Learn how rain gardens can not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also have a positive impact on our environment. Learn what plants are currently working well in local rain gardens as well as tips to make your own successful rain garden.
Greenscape Gardens, Manchester, MO 314 821-2440, www.greenscapegardens.com
Solstice with the Stars
6-18 (Fri, 5 – 8 pm, $25) 3rd Annual Gateway Greening fund raising event to benefit the community gardening initiatives of Gateway Greening. Featuring the “Who’s Who” of St. Louis horticulture! Silent and live auction of unusual and collectible plants, food and drinks, and live music. Greenscape Gardens, Manchester, MO 314 821-2440, www.greenscapegardens.com
Wildflower ID and Ecology –
Shaw Nature Reserve
6-19 (Sat, 9:30 – noon, $21) Look at pollination adaptations in plants and the insects they are associated with. Wear comfortable hiking clothes and shoes, and bring a journal. Shaw Nature Reserve, www.mobot.org/classes (314) 577-5140, www.mobot.org/classes
Up on the Roof
6-19 (Sat, 10 am, free) Staff run tours of the Bowood Farms and Cafe Osage roof top gardens the third Saturday of June, July & August. See first hand the herbs, sedums and flowering plants thriving up on the roof. The roof gardens are only accessible by ladder so please wear sturdy shoes; adults only. Bowood Farms, St. Louis 314- 454-6868 www.bowoodfarms.com
Sacred Seeds Medicinal Walking Tour
6-19 (Sat 10-11:30 am, $25- $30) A guided tour through the Sacred Seeds Sanctuary, a garden showcasing Native American medicinal plants in their natural habitat. Your guide, a curator of ethnobotany at Missouri Botanical Garden, will explain the rich cultural history of Native Americans in the Missouri region, their traditions of medicinal plant use, and the legacy that these cultures have left on medicine today. MO Botanical Garden, www.mobot.org/classes (314) 577-5140
Celebrate Dads Weekend
6-19 & 20 (Sat & Sun all day) Great gifts for dad include trees, shrubs and plants, gardening tools, birdhouses, feeders and birdbaths, lawn and garden equipment, gift cards and more. Grilled veggies on Saturday. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, Washington, MO 636-239-6729 www.hillermann.com
Pollinator Dinner – St. Louis Zoo
6-22 (Tues 6–9 pm $20-$29) Sit down to a special dinner in The Living World to sample the many foods pollinators help provide. Sip mead and honey wine, enjoy honey tasting, and peruse booths with information and activities related to pollinators. After a buffet dinner, hear a presentation on pollinators and learn what you can do to help. Reservations are $29.95 for adults and $20 for children 12-and-under. Parking provided on North Lot. Call (314) 646-4857 for reservations.
Garden with Natives Walk
6-22 (Tues 6-8 pm, $30-$35) A walking tour highlighting native plants that grow well in St. Louis region. Gardening tips on how to grow Missouri’s great plants in the home landscape. This class is designed for professional and advanced gardeners. MO Botanical Garden, www.mobot.org/classes (314) 577-5140
Watering Made Easy
6-26 (Sat, 10 am, free) Drip Irrigation Seminar. Learn how drip irrigation is better for your plants and flowers and conserves water at the same time. Hillermann Nursery & Florist, Washington, MO 636-239-6729 www.hillermann.com
Pond-O-Rama
6-26 & 27 (Sat & Sun, $15) The 10th anniversary of the St. Louis Water Garden Society tour. Fifty-five private water gardens in St. Louis and surrounding areas will be open to view and talk with water garden experts. For more info: www.saintlouiswatergardeningsociety.org .