It was a tough year for gardeners across the region. Here’s how to put your garden to bed for the season If you’re ready for a fresh start next spring.
Tag: winter
Starting Seeds Inside in Winter
As cold temperatures and snow and ice persist, late winter has many gardeners missing their time planting outdoors. But this period is the perfect time to start planting certain vegetable seeds indoors. The William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening shares the following advice on seeding indoors in late winter. Seeds to start Cool season…
Winter is for Witch Hazel
Winter can be a bleak time for your landscape, with leafless trees and few flowers in sight. To add a pop of color to a dreary winter yard, consider a Missouri native: witch hazel. About the plant: Hamamelis vernalis is commonly called Ozark witch hazel or vernal witch hazel. Its specific epithet vernalis means “spring…
Caring for Cyclamen Beyond the Holidays
Persian cyclamen, also known as florist’s cyclamen, is a common gift plant seen in grocery stores and garden centers around the holidays. These plants make lovely gifts as they are eye-catching. Their glossy, heart-shaped leaves are dark green with contrasting silver markings. Flowers, in shades of red, purple, pink, white, magenta, and salmon, rise above…
Keeping Your Plants on the Bright Side
How to Make Sure Your Plant is Getting Enough Light in Winter The shortest day of the year has passed, but St. Louis days are still averaging only about 9 and a half hours of daylight. That’s a far cry from the summer solstice in June, a day when we see almost 15 hours of…
Garden News and Notes: December 2019
World Flora Online, St. Louis Red Poinsettia, Wintertime Conservation at SNR, Award-winning Researchers, Linnean House Renovation
Enhancing Your Landscape for Winter
Spring is just around the corner, which has many people waiting for warm weather and blooming flowers. While you’re waiting for temperatures to warm up, take the time to appreciate the beauty of landscapes in the winter. Many people think of winter as the least interesting to be outside. But if you look a little…
Make an Ice Mobile
What kind of art can you create? Does the time of year affect what kind of art projects you make? Do you have a favorite seasonal art project? Making daisy chains in spring, building sand castles in summer, and carving Jack-O-Lanterns in autumn are some of our seasonal favorites. But what kind of art do…
When to Prune Your Hydrangeas
As you’re winding down gardening during the colder weather, it’s a great time to think about pruning your plants. Knowing exactly when to prune plants can be tricky, and varies plant by plant, prompting many questions for home gardeners. Specifically, many want to know if winter is the best time to prune hydrangeas, or if…
Winter Checklist for Your Garden
As the temperatures fall outside and winter is on the horizon, it’s time to make sure your garden is ready for a frosty winter. There are of course the major tasks, like bringing your houseplants inside, but don’t forget the smaller tasks that are important for your garden’s health, too. To help, the staff from…
Fighting Winter Plant Damage
This winter’s frigid temperatures may have kept you indoors, but your garden can’t escape the cold. Plant damage like winter burn or frost injury are common this time of year, and the dry weather the St. Louis region has seen in recent months adds to the chance of problems, but there are a few steps…
How to Build a Fairy Garden
Each November and December during its Winter Jewels celebration, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House transforms into an enchanted wonderland complete with fierce dragons, noble nights, gnomes, and fairies. That might seem like a lot of magic to fit under the glass roof of the Butterfly House’s tropical conservatory, but some of these fanciful creations…