Along with the greening and flowering of native plants and the return of insects and other wildlife, spring brings learning opportunities and plant sales for native landscaping enthusiasts in the St. Louis region. Here is a heads-up about some available in March, April and May.
Partners for Native Landscaping (PNL) Spring Series – This free webinar series, presented through the St. Louis County Library, began on March 10th with a keynote, Let It Be An Oak by Doug Tallamy. Two more presentations have occurred: A 3-Year Suburban Landscape Makeover by Dave Tylka, and Life in the Soil by Jerry Pence. You can still register for any or all of the remaining six presentations by going to the PNL website. The website will also provide an easy connection to any of those you might miss or want to view again.
Native Plant Fair on April 10th – This fair, held from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Beyond Housing Headquarters in Pagedale, will provide native plant vendors, a native plant swap, ‘ambassadors’ to offer plant selection advice, educational tablers and book sales. Books will include the third printing of The Wildflower Garden Planner; An Interactive Guidebook to Native Landscaping in Missouri by our member, Besa Schweitzer. This is a free event but registration is requested and is very simple to do on the PNL website.
Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter’s Winter Speaker Series, 2022 – Members were invited to attend these three excellent zoom presentations plus the Q&As.Now they are available to all on our YouTube channel for all to view.
Visit our Youtube Channel or go to youtube.com and search for stlwildones.
- Makin’ Whoopee in the Garden by Erin Goss
- Woodland Wildflowers from Winter to Mid-May by Ann Early and Bob Siemer
- Native Plant Landscape Design by Susie Van de Riet
Wild Ones National Webinars – Remember to check out the many great webinars offered by the national Wild Ones organization. Go to wildones.org/webinars. The next one is Weed Ordinances, on March 23rd. And see the recording of WASPS: Their Biology, Diversity and Role as Beneficial Insects & Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm. 2021 National Indie Excellence Award Winner: Nature.
GrowNative! Webinars – Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter is a Silver Sponsor of GrowNative! We also encourage individuals to become members to support their work as the native plant marketing and education program of the Missouri Prairie Foundation. Find upcoming free webinars here.
Meanwhile, here are a couple that have already occurred but are available on their YouTube channel (search grow native webinar series on youtube.com)
- Tree Pruning Tutorial with Shaw Nature Reserve’s Scott Woodbury. Scott says spring pruning is still appropriate through the end of March.
- Skippers in your Backyard with our own chapter VP Dawn Weber. This was done in October 2021, but includes information about some skippers we’ll start to see in the next few weeks.
Spring Wildflower Market at Shaw Nature Reserve – May 6 and 7
Friday is the Member Preview night from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Saturday is open to the public from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Wild Ones St. Louis Chapter will provide our usual extensive plant sale booth, including knowledgeable members providing plant selection advice.
Recommendations from the Shaw Nature Reserve website:
- Make a Shopping List
- Look over your planting beds and decide what types of plants you need and how many
- Look through your favorite native plant guides
- We recommend Tried and True Missouri Native Plants for Your Yard
- Create your dream plant list, include scientific name, and possible substitutions
- Don’t forget trees and shrubs!
Many useful plant lists can be found at the end of Chapter Four: Landscaping with Native Plants, A Gardener’s Guide for Missouri
