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Help for the Home Gardener

 

Our website is currently being updated to a new layout. The formatting and links on some pages may be affected. We apologize for the inconvenience. 

 

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 includes a vegetable and fruit garden, cut flower garden, experimental garden, and a newly renovated native prairie garden. 

Plant Doctor Desk (Walk-In)
Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Horticulture Answer Service (Phone & E-mail)
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Phone #: 314-577-5143
E-mail: plantinformation@mobot.org


peony
Paeonia 'America'


blue star
Amsonia ciliata


blue false indigo
Baptisia australis var. minor

May Gardening Tips

  • Don't remove spring bulb foliage prematurely or next year's flower production will decline. Wait till foliage turns yellow before removing.
     
  • Continue monitoring pines, especially Scotch and mugo, for sawfly activity on new shoots.
     
  • Begin planting gladiolus bulbs as the ground warms. Continue at 2-week intervals.
     
  • Begin planting warm-season annuals. Plant hardy water lilies in tubs or garden pools.
     
  • Houseplants can be moved outdoors when nighttime lows are consistently above 50 degrees F. Place in an area that receives dappled shade.
     
  • Apply post-emergence broadleaf weed controls now if needed.
     
  • Set out tomato plants as soil warms. The ideal time is typically around Mother's Day, when the threat of frost and cold temperatures has passed.
     
  • Herbs planted in average soils need no extra fertilizer. Too much may reduce flavor and pungency at harvest.
 
 
 
 

Plastic Pot Recycling Update 2022

We regret to report that the Plastic Pot Recycling program has been cancelled. Garden centers that have had pot recycling collection trailers in the past are no longer accepting garden plastics. Please see the Plastic Pot Recycling: Update and Perspective blog entry for more information about the program's cancellation. Additional questions about pot recycling can be submitted to the Green Resources Info Service at greenresources@mobot.org.