Resource list – your suggestions requested

By Kathy Bildner

Books on native plantsI am putting together a list of resources to share with schools that apply for our grants, and I’d like your help. As requested, several Wild Ones members sent suggested resources – listed below.

This is a great list, and I plan to keep adding to it. However, it can be overwhelming for teachers. I’d like to create a short list of 5 books, 5 web sites and 5 places to buy plants.

My 5 first choices are at the top of each list. Please leave your comments with suggestions for different priorities, or other resources to add.

Books — suggested reading:

  1. Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison
  2. Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People by Dave Tylka
  3. Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
  4. Tried and True Missouri Natives for your yard – Missouri Department of Conservation
  5. Tall grass Prairie Wildflowers by Doug Ladd and Frank Oberle
  • Butterflies and Moths of Missouri by Richard and Joan E. Heitzman
  • A Field Guide to Your Own Back Yard by John Hanson Mitchell
  • The Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri by Paul W. Nelson
  • Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm
  • Buzzwords by May R. Berenbaum
  • Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn by Hannah Holmes
  • Anything by naturalists Joe Hutto or Bernd Heinrich
  • The Living Landscape by Darke and Tallamy
  • Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
  • Shrubs and Vines of MO – field guide by Don Kurz
  • Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner
  • The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature by David Haskell
  • A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell
  • A Book of Bees and How to Keep Them by Sue Hubbell
  • Noah’s Garden by Sara Stein
  • Where the Sky Began/Land of the Tall Grass Prairie by John Madson
  • The Flora of Missouri volume 1 by George Yatskievych. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. 1999.
  • The Flora of Missouri volume 2 by George Yatskievych. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. 2006.
  • The Flora of Missouri volume 3 by George Yatskievych. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. 2014.
  • Trees of Missouri by Don Kurz. Missouri Department of Conservation. 2003.
  • A Key to Missouri Trees in Winter by Jerry Cliburn & Ginny Wallace. Missouri Department of Conservation. 1990.
  • Ozark Wildflowers by Don Kurz. Morris Book Publishing. 1999.
  • The Naturescaping Workbook by Beth O’Donnell Young
  • Go Native! by Carolyn Harstad, Indiana Univ Press, 1999
  • Gardening with Native Wild Flowers by Samuel B. Jones, Jr., Timber Press, 1993
  • Step-By-Step Successful Gardening:  Wild Flowers and Native Plants by Peter Loewer, Better Homes and Garden Books, 1995
  • Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers by Harry Phillips, Univ of North Carolina Press, 1985
  • Landscaping with Wildflowers by Jim Wilson, Houghton Mifflin, 1992
  • Landscaping with Wildflowers and Native Plants by William H. Wilson, Ortho Books, 1984

Websites:

  1. Saint Louis Audubon Society, Bring Conservation Home – stlouisaudubon.org/BCH
  2. Wild Ones – wildones.org/ – find the nearest chapter and join in your area
  3. Shaw Nature Reserve, part of the Missouri Botanical Gardens – Native Plant School – missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/shaw-nature-reserve/gardens-gardening-at-shaw-nature-reserve/native-landscaping-for-the-home-gardener/native-plant-school.aspx
  4. Grow Native! – grownative.org/ – now owned by the Missouri Prairie Foundation
  5. Missouri Department of Conservation – mdc.mo.gov/

Places to buy native plants:

  1. Shaw Nature Reserve – Mother’s Day weekend – multiple nurseries represented all in one place:
    This year SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2015 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    Pre-sale for Garden members only FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015 4 to 7:30 p.m.
  2. Missouri Wildflowers Nursery, 9814 Pleasant Hill Rd. Jefferson City, MO 65109, 573-496-3492, mowildflowers.net; he delivers to Kirkwood weekends in April
  3. Missouri Dept. of Conservation, George O. White Nursery, P.O. Box 119 Licking, MO. 65542, 800-669-3787, mdc.mo.gov/your-property/seedling-orders-and-planting-guide/seedling-order-how, sells native tree & shrub seedlings
  4. Prairie Hill Farm, 877 County Road 263, Auxvasse, MO 65231, (573) 864-9597, prairiehillfarm.biz
  5. Bowood Nursery, 4605 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108, (314) 454-6868, bowoodfarms.com
  • Forrest Keeling Nursery, 88 Forrest Keeling Lane, Elsberry, MO 63343, (573) 898-5571, fknursery.com
  • Ozark Berry Farm, 552 Lick Creek Road, Leasburg, MO 65535 (573) 677-1130, ozarkberryfarm.com
  • DJM Ecological Services, 2101 Ebert Lane, Wentzville, MO 63385, djmecological.com – large-scale plantings
  • Pan’s Garden, 213 E. Third St. Mt. View, MO 65548, 417-934-2818 / 417-934-6537 – woodland native plants and ferns
  • Andy’s Native Plants, 7 Huzzah Creek Rd, Steelville, MO 65565, (573) 786-2664
  • Pure Air Natives, Inc., 636-357-6433, pureairnatives.com – native plants and seed
  • Hamilton Native Outpost, 16786 Brown Rd Elk Creek, MO 65464, 417-967-2190, hamiltonseed.com
  • Bluestem Prairie Nursery, Rt. 2, Box 106-A Hillsboro, IL 62049, 217-532-6344 – native seed (packets only) and plants
  • E. Nursery, North Old Route 66, RR3, Box 4 Litchfield, IL 62056, 217-324-6191 – native plants
  • St. Francois Natives, www.facebook.com/StFrancoisNatives
  • Greenscape Gardens, 2832 Barrett Statiion Rd., Manchester, MO 63021, 314-821-2440, greenscapegardens.com
  • Garden Heights Nursery, 1605 S. Big Bend, Richmond Heights, MO 63117, 314-645-7333, gardenheights.com

9 Comments

  1. Jeanne Cablish
    February 7, 2015 at 10:57 am

    Kathy – I think Greenscape gardens and Garden Heights nurseries have a good selection of native plants. I check them when Missouri WIldflowers is out of what I need or I need a larger size (Greenscape is good for larger sizes).

    I love the book Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards Paperback by Sara Stein (Author) for inspiration. It is the book that originally drew me to planting natives.

    Missouri Botanical Garden has a great site for Rainscaping. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/sustainability/sustainability/sustainable-living/at-home/rainscaping-guide.aspx

    If I think of any others I will pass them along

  2. Margy Terpstra
    February 7, 2015 at 11:55 am

    Great ideas, Kathy! I also think that Doug Tallamy’s website is a great resource. He has one page entitled, “Why Plant Native?” It is concise and might be helpful to pass along to parents of students.
    http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/gardening-for-life.html

    Also, Doug Tallamy also has one page with a short list of productive plants and from that page, one can download his spreadsheets with the numbers of how many native lepidoptera are attracted to each genus.
    http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/what-to-plant.html

    For teachers with time constraints, these may be very helpful.
    Best regards,
    Margy Terpstra

  3. Fran Cantor
    February 7, 2015 at 2:29 pm

    Well done. This list is a “keeper” for all of us. I agree, add Greenscape Gardens. Thanks for all this hard work.

  4. Susie Van de Riet
    February 7, 2015 at 4:13 pm

    Books to add: Attracting Native Pollinators by the Xerces Society & The Nature Principle by Richard Louv

    Website to add: http://www.forestparkforever.org/applyfornatureworks (This is a collaborative workforce development program aimed at educating St. Louis area high school students about conservation efforts and environmental job opportunities while developing their knowledge and skills for the environmental job field. Much of this will involve work with native plants as well as eradication of invasive species, etc. Not sure if you want this type of website on the list at all but thought I would mention it.)

    Places for Purchase: Missouri Wildflower Nursery (I would add that they will ship orders directly to the person ordering, not just to Kirkwood since that will make it even more convenient for some who need that.)

    I like your choices of top 5 picks for all categories!

  5. Kathy Bildner
    February 8, 2015 at 9:47 am

    Thanks everyone. I have added to the list.

  6. Chris Benda
    February 10, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    I have a list of plant resources I like for the Midwest (including Missouri) on my blog. Here is the link if you want to check it out .
    http://illinoisbotanizer.blogspot.com/2014/12/list-of-plant-resources.html
    For instance, your list needs http://www.missouriplants.com on it for sure! Definitely among the top 5 websites I would say.
    Thanks!
    Chris

  7. Kathy Bildner
    February 11, 2015 at 11:49 am

    Thanks Chris
    I have actually used this Missouri plants site before and it is helpful.
    I will add it plus have added things from your blog site as well.
    Thanks

  8. Kathee Morgeson
    February 14, 2015 at 7:40 am

    This is a resource that Nathan Brandt shared with Master Gardeners: http://www.showmeraingardens.org.

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