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Help for the Home Gardener

 

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Visit the Center for Home Gardening

Stop by the Center for Home Gardening and get your gardening questions answered by our expert staff and Master Gardener volunteers at the Plant Doctor Desk, or check out our houseplant display and other home gardening resources! Be sure to also take a stroll through our 23 outdoor demonstration gardens, which include a vegetable and fruit garden, cut flower garden, an experimental garden, and a newly renovated native prairie garden.

Plant Doctor Desk (Walk-In)

April–October open daily, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

November–March open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Horticulture Answer Service (Phone & E-mail)

Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–noon

Phone: (314) 577-5143

E-mail: plantinformation@mobot.org

December Gardening Tips

  • On extremely cold nights, move houseplants back from icy windows to prevent chilling injury. 

  • When purchasing houseplants during the winter, be sure to protect the foliage from the cold on the trip home. Place plants in a cardboard box or other protective covering to prevent damage to leaves. 

  • Be sure to check houseplants often for common pests: aphids, spider mites, scale, mealybugs, whiteflies, and thrips. 

  • Branches of apples, pears, and other rose family plants that were infected with fireblight can be safely pruned off now. Another option is to wait until a dry period during mid-summer.  

  • Live Christmas trees hold needles longer when you make a clean, fresh cut at the base and always keep the trunk standing in water. 

  • Hollies may be trimmed now. The cuttings can be used in holiday decorations.  

  • Monitor overwintering dormant plants, bulbs, and tubers by ensuring they are not completely dried out or rotting.  

  • Check to see if any seeds purchased for the next season require stratification in order to germinate. The seed packet should indicate if this process is needed. Some common seeds that require cold stratification include Asclepias, Baptisia, Echinacea, and Rudbeckia. Mimic cold stratification as needed by placing seeds in the refrigerator at 33-40°F for 1-3 months. 

More Gardening Tips