Today’s Deal is good for:
– $25 for $50 for Plants, Gifts and Pottery at Baxter Gardens of Chesterfield!
– Valid only for nursery items on-site.
– No warranty on plants purchased with voucher.
– Voucher expires September 29, 2012.

*Due to summer construction, please use the following directions:
If headed east on 64/40:
    Take Chesterfield Parkway exit to the “T” stoplight at Wildhorse Creek Road.
    Turn Right onto Wildhorse Creek Road, go approx. 5 miles, Baxter Gardens on the Right
If heading West on 64/40:
    Take the Chesterfield Parkway West exit to stoplight
    Turn left at stoplight and cross the interstate
    Take a Right at the next stoplight, Wildhorse Creek Rd.
    Go approx. 5.5 miles and Baxter Gardens on the Right


Create an environment that you will appreciate for years to come.
Baxter Gardens has over five acres of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals to help bring your landscape alive.
 
A family owned business established in 1971 and located in West St. Louis County, Baxter Gardens is recognized as one of the premier landscape companies in the Metro area. The full-service firm offers a wide range of products and services. Their design and installation services include landscaping, irrigation systems, patio design, retaining walls, waterfalls and fountains, low voltage outdoor lighting and maintenance.
 
Baxter Gardens provides custom landscape design and installation of planting as well as design and installation of patios, retaining walls, water features, irrigation systems, and low voltage lighting.
The Garden Center is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Published: June 26, 2012 6:45 PM

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo credit: AP | This New Paltz, N.Y., yard “borrows” by incorporating surrounding scenery. (New Paltz, N.Y.)

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Blog: Garden Detective

If your garden or yard is feeling too small, expand your horizons without buying another square inch of property or doing much work. Just borrow some landscape.

“Borrowed landscape” is a technique frequently used in designing Japanese gardens, where it is called shakkei, but it can be employed in any garden style. The idea is to incorporate distant elements of the surrounding landscape…

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The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Wild Ones is bringing nationally-renowned documentary filmmaker and organic landscaper Catherine Zimmerman to Chattanooga on Monday, July 9, to present  “Meadowscaping: A Recipe for Healthy Urban and Suburban Landscapes” at Chattanooga State Community College’s Humanities Auditorium at 7 p.m.  

Ms. Zimmerman is an award-winning director of photography with over 35 years of experience as a documentary filmmaker with an emphasis in education and environmental issues.  She is also an author, certified horticulturist and landscape designer based in Washington, DC who is helping urban and suburban landowners take a more natural approach to landscaping.  

Using a practice called “meadowscaping,” Ms. Zimmerman inspires her clients, readers, audiences and viewers to do away with pesticides, reduce lawn and return their land to a beautiful, natural habitat for native plants and wildlife.   

While many have not heard the term “meadowscaping,” it describes a landscaping movement that reintroduces the beauty and biodiversity of the meadow.  Meadows help support the intricate connections between wildlife and native plant communities that serve as both food source and habitat.   

The presentation will cover why meadow and prairie habitats are so beneficial both economically and environmentally, and provide a step-by-step primer on reducing lawn size and organically installing a beautiful meadow or prairie in your own yard.  As Ms. Zimmerman points out in her books and films and will describe in this presentation, no space is too small for a nature area.  

Ms. Zimmerman’s route to meadowscaping began in her childhood, growing up on an organic vegetable farm in Ohio where she developed a passion for flowers and launched herself as a lifelong gardener. In her professional career as a documentary filmmaker and videographer she often photographed gardens, including her own DC garden, but without attention to what she was doing to her land and environment by her use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. When she bought her home in DC the summer nights were filled with fireflies, but after her pesticide applications she found that she had killed them off — she had been gardening thinking only about what she wanted – the perfect lawn, her choice plants – not what the soil and site conditions wanted, not what was natural to her piece of land.  

In the course of her studies in the USDA certificate program in Horticulture and Landscape Design Ms. Zimmerman was introduced to the environmental costs of her gardening practices and vowed to find alternatives to her toxic turf.  She traveled the country, interviewing meadow experts, researching and documenting meadows on film, educating herself about all aspects of meadows.  Her book, Urban and Suburban Meadows: Bringing Meadowscaping to Big and Small Spaces (Matrix Media Press, 2010) is the result of her journey.  After its publication she was interviewed by Jane Pauley on the NBC Today Show where she recounted her journey to meadows. 

Why plant a meadow instead of a lawn? The simple answer to this question is that traditional lawns cost too much from an environmental and monetary standpoint. Annually, tons of fertilizers and pesticides used on lawns are carried by stormwater into our waterways and eventually into the Tennessee River, contributing along with other pollutants to destruction of aquatic life. Monetarily the cost of lawns is also very high.  For example, Ms. Zimmerman compared the costs of two sites in the Chesapeake Bay area, each 1/3 acre: one was a lawn treated with chemicals and the other was a meadow, with no chemical treatment. The initial cost of the meadow was higher than the lawn, but the longer-term costs were considerably lower. 

Ms.  Zimmerman’s published work includes “Urban and Suburban Meadows: Bringing Meadowscaping to Big and Small Spaces” and her recent film “The Meadow Project” available on DVD.  Her past documentary work includes global warming documentaries for CNN Presents and New York Times Television; Save Rainforests/Save Lives, Freshfarm Markets, Wildlife Without Borders: Connecting People and Nature in the Americas, and America’s Sustainable Garden: United States Botanic Garden. She is also a certified horticulturist and landscape designer based in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and an Honorary National Director of the Wild Ones.  Catherine is accredited in organic land care through the Northeast Organic Farmers Association and has designed and taught a course in organic landscaping for the USDA Graduate School Horticulture program. 

The cost for the program is free to Wild Ones members and $10 (cash or check only) for the public, $5 for students and seniors.  Advanced registration is not required.  Wild Ones memberships will be taken at the registration desk or persons interested in joining may go to www.wildones.org/joining.html for more information and to become a member.  The Chattanooga State Community College Humanities auditorium is at 4501 Amnicola Highway. 

The Wild Ones is a national non-profit organization with over 50 chapters in 12 states that promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities.  The Tennessee Valley Chapter was recently formed from the Native Plant and Wildflower Group formerly with the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County and is the first chapter in Tennessee and southward.  For more information about the Wild Ones, go to www.wildones.org.  For more information about the Tennessee Valley Chapter or Ms. Zimmerman’s presentation email chattanooganatives@gmail.com or call Sally Wencel at 313-3620.

THE Macadamia Conservation Trust and the Sunshine Coast Regional Council are working together to conserve and protect wild macadamia plants by permanently exhibiting all four endangered species at the Noosa Botanic Gardens, Cooroy, today.

The well-known species, Macadamia integrifolia and Macadamia tetraphylla as well as the rare Macadamia ternifolia and Macadamia jansenii have all been planted, making it the first time all four species are displayed together in the region.

Dr Michael Powell who leads the conservation team said the macadamia industry was pleased to be working with the Sunshine Coast council to not only help rescue the Australian icon from extinction, but to also educate and seek support from the local community.

“There is a lack of public awareness of the wild macadamia species and an ever-increasing number of threats to their existence. They are highly vulnerable to risks like fire, weeds, vandalism, urban sprawl and population growth,” Dr Powell said. “By planting and drawing attention to all four species we’re highlighting the real risk of extinction in the future, conserving their genetics, and allowing the public to view and appreciate our beautiful indigenous flora,” he said.

The Sunshine Coast has the largest known number of remaining Macadamia ternifolia, as well as wild stands of the commercialised species, Macadamia integrifolia.

Mulch plays a major role in landscaping. From providing essential moisture and nutrients to fighting off weeds and pests, mulch is an inexpensive yet efficient way to spruce up your flower beds, walkways and gardens.

Angie’s List asked highly rated landscaping companies about the benefits of mulch and which types are available.

Mulch is commonly applied to flower beds, around the base of trees and to line walking paths, but it does a lot more than liven up landscaping – it provides added benefits to your plants.

Benefits of mulch:

• Helps retain moisture around the base of plants.
• Keeps plant roots warm.• Allows water to seep slowing into the ground.
• Provides additional nutrients for the soil.
• Mulch is a natural weed suppressor. It won’t completely rid your yard of weeds, but it’s a great option if you prefer not to use pesticides.

Types of mulch: You can choose between coarse, shredded and fine consistencies – the consistency will determine how fast the mulch decomposes – generally, the finer the faster.

• Brown is one of the most popular colors of dyed mulch thanks to its natural look and ability to blend in with most landscapes. It’s great for mulching flower beds and around water features and patios. Average price: $33.50 per yard
• Black is another popular choice for dyed mulch, and it’s often used to add contrast to flower beds and to make colorful flowers stand out. Average price: $33.50 per yard
• Red mulch is the color to use if you want your landscaping to really stand out. Average price: $33.50 per yard
• Gold is another popular choice for dyed mulch. Gold-tinted mulch is often referred to as “mock cypress,” due to its similar appearance and consistency. Average price: $33.50 per yard
• Hardwood mulch is screened to create smaller particles called “fines.” It has the consistency of coffee grounds and it composts quickly making it a good soil additive. Average price: $29.50 per yard
• Cypress mulch is shipped from Florida and comes in a blond or gold tint. It’s durable mulch that is known to hold its color longer than other varieties. Average price: $46 per yard
• Rubber tire mulch is great for landscaping and playgrounds. It’s made out of recycled tires that have been stripped of all wires and cut to ¼- or ½-inch pieces. Rubber tire mulch is low maintenance and absorbent to impact. Average price: $8.50 per bag

Picking out color:  Some dyed mulches like red or black can be used to add contrast, or make flowers and plants stand out in a landscape, but there is no real benefit to choosing one color over another.

Should I buy mulch in bulk or by the bag?  Mulch can be purchased bagged or bulk. Customers can save a considerable amount of money by purchasing mulch by the yard, but a delivery fee might apply. One benefit to having it delivered is you can have the mulch dumped in a convenient location to minimize trips with the wheelbarrow. If you own a truck or trailer, you can buy mulch in bulk and pick it up yourself – cutting out the delivery fee.

How much mulch?  Mulch is usually sold by the cubic yard. A quick way to estimate how much mulch you’ll need: take the length times the width to find the area and then divide by 100. One yard will cover 100 square feet at 3 inches deep.

What is the cost?  Prices vary depending on the company and geographic location. Expect to pay anywhere from $20-$50 per yard, depending on the quality of the mulch. Buying mulch in bulk may be cheaper if you need large volumes. Bagged mulch is often easier to handle, especially for smaller projects.

Avoid the mulch volcano:  The biggest mistake you can make when spreading mulch is piling it high around the base of a tree. Even if you think it looks nice, be warned that it can cause serious damage. Excessive mulch can saturate the tree roots with water which can cause rot and fungus problems, and block oxygen from reaching the roots. Keep mulch piles to 3 inches or less.

Consider this when purchasing Mulch:

1. Think about how much work you actually want to do. You may only want to hire someone to deliver the mulch, or you may want to hire someone to spread the mulch.
2. Does the company offer to help you get the right amount? It’s a good idea to bring in measurements of the areas where you’ll be using the mulch to get an accurate amount.
3. Do they deliver the mulch or are you responsible for pick-up? How is the delivery charge calculated? Is it by material, weight, or location distance? Request a delivery quote.
4. If you want it delivered, it’s a good idea to be present during delivery of the materials. If you can’t be there, be clear and detailed on the place in your yard where you would like the mulch dumped.
5. Is the mulch good quality? Is it free of pests? Good mulch smells like freshly cut wood or has the earthy smell of a good garden soil.
6. Compare prices. Call around to three other mulch companies to compare rates.
7. Save some money by splitting mulch and delivery with your neighbors.

A native plant and wildlife habitat garden blooms in Healdsburg, carved out of the edge of a parking lot, and it’s helping to revive a neglected downtown

Hookeri in the Harry and Maggie Wetzel Native Plant Garden in Healdsburg (CRISTA JEREMIASON/ PD)

creek.

The recently dedicated Harry and Maggie Wetzel Native Plant Garden, created by Russian Riverkeeper in cooperation with the city of Healdsburg and the Wetzel family, is not just an urban oasis, however.

See more photos from the garden here

The sliver of greenery, stretching from the edge of a parking lot to Foss Creek on North Street, serves as a demonstration garden for people trolling for environmentally conscious landscape plants.

Think furniture showroom. But instead of strolling among groupings to see which end tables look best with which couch, you can get an idea of what a Heuchera ‘Wendy,’ Pacific wax myrtle, dwarf coyote bush and blue California gooseberry look like in a mature garden setting.

You can also observe which native plants pair well together.

All of the 87 species have been carefully selected for their ability to thrive in North Coast habitats without a lot of extra irrigation or pesticides.

“This project has great aspects of both restoration and preservation,” said Katie Wetzel Murphy, who came up with the idea of the small public garden as a way of honoring her parents, the founders of Alexander Valley Vineyards, who both died within months of each other in 2008.

“It’s taking an area that was really overgrown and really not beneficial to anyone or anything and restoring it to a use that people can view,” she added.

The garden is one of a number of demonstration and educational gardens cropping up around the county to help people visually see how attractive native and low-water-using plants can look in a real landscape setting they can walk through.

These demonstration gardens also show what native plants look like at various times of the year and when fully mature rather than in a small pot in a nursery.

These small gardens, usually planted and/or tended by volunteers, are free and easily accessible to the public and an invaluable resource at a time when homeowners are increasingly turning to smart landscaping.

Using natives and low-water-use plants provide critical habitat for birds and beneficial insects, conserve water and tend to be easier to maintain.

Also in Healdsburg is the FireSafe Garden, planted in cooperation with Cal Fire, the Sonoma County Master Gardeners and the Healdsburg Garden Club. Located at the Cal Fire Station near Lytton Springs, it features plants that are not highly flammable — wise choices for people who live in areas with high fire danger.

Sonoma has two native plant demonstration gardens, both within a few blocks of The Plaza — one in front of the Sonoma Community Center and one designed like a pretty little neighborhood park along Nathanson Creek in the Nathanson Creek Preserve at East MacArthur and Second Street East.

In Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County Jail Industries, a vocational program for low-risk inmates, maintains two demonstration gardens at the site of their nursery on Ordinance Road.

And in Rohnert Park, Sonoma State University has the Stocking Native Plant and Butterfly Garden with a guided trail through sample plantings showcasing woodland, marsh and riparian ecosystems.

The newest, the Wetzel Native Plant Garden, is a fitting tribute to her parents, said Murphy. They purchased the historic Cyrus Alexander ranch in southeast Alexander Valley 50 years ago. Both were major community boosters. Maggie Wetzel also loved to garden and did what she could to restore the grounds around the original homestead to what she thought they might have looked like when Alexander lived there in the 19th century.

The Wetzel Native Plant Garden is in that spirit. But in this case, it’s trying to restore to the creekside some of the plants that might naturally have rooted there before non-natives and invasive species, some washed down from other properties, took over.

Don McEnill, executive director of Russian Riverkeeper, said that even though the garden is only about 30 feet wide by 220 feet long, it was deceptively difficult to pull off.

The property had at one time been a home that was burned down by Healdsburg Firefighters in a training exercise. It was then compacted and paved over. Because utility lines were still in place, crews had to be extra careful when removing the paving.

The area was also overgrown with invaders, including a huge infestation of privet.

“We’re trying to show that you can have very attractive and aesthetic groupings of native plants, designed to mimic the look and feel of a residential commercial landscaping installation,” McEnhill said.

By July, every plant will be labeled so visitors can see what grows well in marked habitat zones.

“If you’re under the oaks you don’t want irrigation intensive plants,” McEnhill said.

“If you’re next to a creek, you want things that don’t mind being very wet. If you have mixed evergreens you don’t want to put sage in there and if you’re in chaparral you don’t want to plant Monkey Flowers that will just dry up.”

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204.

• Locate salsa garden containers where there is plenty of sun, especially if your salsa garden is on a patio or balcony.

• Check soil moisture regularly as containers generally dry out more quickly than plants in soil.

• Use drip irrigation as a user-friendly watering solution if you are away for days at a time or just want more convenience.

• To start a self-contained system, use the Earth Box like the one shown in the photo. It comes with soil and fertilizer, optional trellis, and contains a water reservoir that only needs to be re-filled about once a week depending on exposure.

• Some growing areas are shaded heavily during the day and require moving pots to get adequate sun. For convenience, look for containers like the Earth Box that is on rollers and can be moved easily throughout the day, if needed.

A garden walk of six yards in the area of Taylor Ridge, Ill., will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 30.

Admission is two nonperishable food items that will be donated to the food pantries of churches in the area.

Homeowners are all members of a garden club sponsored by Meyer Landscape Design who meet at the company’s Taylor Ridge Garden Center.

People going on the walk should meet at the center, 9401 134th Ave. W., Taylor Ridge, for directions. Features of the mostly rural gardens include an extensive hosta collection, a small, but beautiful, garden with a waterfall and another garden with a waterfall and a putting green.

Club members, about 20 in all, either buy plants at Meyer’s or have work done by the company. They meet monthly to discuss various issues related to plants and landscaping.

For more information, call the Taylor Ridge Garden Center at 309-798-2127.

Cottage gardeners typically mix the pretty and the practical in their casual but charming beds of ornamental and edible plants.

But the idea of edible landscaping is spreading beyond the realm of cottage gardens. At Dixon Gallery and Gardens, a place known for a more formal approach, edibles are now sharing space with annual flowers in the cutting garden.

It’s an eye-opener to those who believe edibles should be confined to inconspicuous places, often behind garages and fences.

Edible landscaping goes along with the trend of eating more locally grown foods. The idea is gaining even more momentum thanks to first lady Michelle Obama’s emphasis on good nutrition to prevent obesity and gardening at the White House.

Dale Skaggs, Dixon’s director of horticulture, thinks edibles should be mustered out of their military rows and wood boxes.

“The idea is to have beautiful plants that are nourishing, too,” Skaggs said. All of the edibles or ornamentals in the cutting garden are being raised organically.

In choosing plants for the display, the staff selected varieties with small-sized fruits.

“When the fruits are heavy the plants require a support structure,” Skaggs said. “We want to avoid those.”

Along a new serpentine wall on the northern edge of the cutting garden, edibles are grown in drifts in much the same way as we plant perennials and annual flowers.

Some of the plants present their visual delights first with pretty foliage, then attractive blossoms and finally, the edible fruit. At the Dixon, they are in various stages of growth.

Consider Burgundy, an okra with red stems, umbrella leaves and hibiscus-like flowers that would be enough to merit planting. But the deep red okra pods now appearing make it especially stunning.

Like all eggplants, Lavender has lovely lavender blossoms and later light lavender eggplants that have been described as “porcelain burnished.”

The name, Golden Eggs, describes the fruit of yet another eggplant.

I’ve always thought all peppers are as ornamental as they are edible. Their red, yellow, orange, purple and even brown flesh in numerous shapes and sizes add colorful and flavorful spice to any garden.

But Chilly Chill and Black Pearl are two varieties grown at the Dixon just for looks because their interiors are a bit seedy.

But you’ll also find delicious specimens like Cajun Bell, a compact plant producing 2-inch-long peppers that start green and mature to deep red, as well as Pretty in Purple, Purple Flash, Golden Baby Belle, Sangria and others.

Climbing on the arched arbors in the garden are hyacinth or lablab beans, which will have pretty purple-pink flowers before the edible purple bean pods appear.

Equally attractive is Painted Lady, a runner bean with coral and white flowers that are prized as much as the beans. Hummingbirds like them, too.

Malabar spinach has sturdy green leaves and attractive red stems. Plant it in a bean tower so it can climb and then harvest it to use in salads or cooked.

Prickly pear cacti, also known as nopales or paddle cactus, grow in abundance in the Memphis area.

The paddles (handle with care) and the fruits can be eaten.

It will be fun to see how Wee-B-Little, a pumpkin that is supposed to need just 8 feet of space to roam, does in a display garden setting. Every plant is supposed to yield at least eight baseball-sized pumpkins.

Lots of herbs have been planted as well, including golden lemon balm, a variety that hugs the grounds, “Hot and Spicy” an oregano that lives up to its name and numerous basils.

Lemon-flavored varieties of basil and thyme, as well as lemongrass, lemon balm and lemon verbena are grouped in a container.

A couple of ornamental corn plants, Japonica Striped Maize and Field of Dreams, produce ribbons of pink, green and white-striped foliage.

And soon there will be lots of sunflowers — the shorter varieties — spreading their cheerful demeanor over all.

To celebrate the edible landscape, the Dixon has invited Roger Swain, a host on the PBS series “Victory Garden,” to speak at 10:30 a.m. July 14. His topic will be “Gardening with Edibles: Philosophy and Practice of Eco-sound Gardening.”

It is free with regular Dixon admission.

Praising herb garden

“All food comes from plants,” said Richo Cech, one of the keynote speakers at the herb symposium held recently at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

Animals have to eat plants to produce the meat and dairy products many of us love.

“Since all plants come from the soil, we have to take care of it,” said Cech, owner of Horizon Herb Seed Farm in Williams, Ore.

A key to that is making compost from leaves and scraps from the garden and kitchen.

The symposium celebrates the one-year anniversary of the completion of the new herb garden, a place filled with hundreds of familiar and uncommon plants — all of them useful to people.

Steven Foster, another keynote speaker at the symposium, had high praise for the herb garden.

“It’s one of the top five in country in terms of numbers of species, quality of presentation and excellent signage, said Foster, a Eureka Springs, Ark., resident who has written more than 800 articles and 17 books on herbs.

He was impressed with the great variety of medicinal plants used for centuries by the Chinese and Native Americans.

“It’s an extraordinary collection and certainly the best herb garden in the Mid-South,” he said. “Memphis has a treasure.”

Questions or comments? E-mail Christine Arpe Gang at chrisagang@hotmail.com, or call Lifestyles editor Peggy Reisser Winburne at 529-2372.