Gardening Help Search

Temporary Closure

The Center for Home Gardening is currently closed to ensure staff and visitor well-being. Our Plant Doctor service is still available through e-mail. If you have any gardening questions, you can e-mail us at plant.information@mobot.org.

Soil Testing & Pot Recycling Suspended for 2020

Due to the Center for Home Gardening being closed, we are not able to conduct free soil pH tests at this time. As an alternative, soil samples can be submitted to the University of Missouri Extension's Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory. 

Plastic Pot Recycling for 2020 has also been suspended for the St. Louis region. Garden centers that have hosted pot recycling collection trailers will NOT be accepting garden plastics. Questions about pot recycling can be submitted to the Green Resources Info Service at greenresources@mobot.org.

Water Lilies for the Home Gardener

Water lilies (genus Nymphaea) are one of the most iconic ornamental plants of the Missouri Botanical Garden and one of the main highlights of the summer months. Their vibrant colored flowers of pink, purple, white and yellow add beautiful splashes of color to the Central Axis pools in front of the Climatron, Linnaean House and the Carver Garden. While the Garden has been growing water lilies for many decades, they can just as easily be grown and enjoyed by gardeners in their ponds at home. Our new Water Lilies for the Home Gardener Fact Sheet will guide you in caring for these unique and popular plants.

Water Lilies for the Home Gardener



Tropical Water Lily

Nymphaea 'Suwanna'

Hardy Water Lily

Nymphaea 'Wanvisa'

Tropical Water Lily

Nymphaea 'Sir Galahad'

Hardy Water Lily 

Nymphaea 'Lemon Meringue'

Tropical Water Lily

Nymphaea 'Rosa de Noche'

Hardy Water Lily

Nymphaea 'Peach Glow'

Seasonal Gardening Tips
  • Deadhead annuals and perennials as needed.
     
  • Feed mums, asters and other fall-blooming perennials for the last time.
     
  • Roses should receive no further nitrogen fertilizer after August 15th.
     
  • Divide bearded irises now. Discard old center sections and borer damaged parts. Replant so tops of rhizomes are just above ground level.
     
  • Order bulbs now for fall planting.
     
  • Hot, dry weather is ideal for spider mite development. With spider mite damage, leaves may be speckled above and yellow below. Evergreen needles appear dull gray-green to yellow or brown. Damage may be present even before webs are noticed.
     
  • For the fall garden, sow seeds of beans, beets, spinach and turnips now for the fall garden. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower transplants should be set out now for the fall garden.
     
  • Thornless blackberries and fall-bearing red raspberries are ripening now.
     
  • Zoysia lawns can receive their final fertilizer application now.
     
  • Evergreens can be planted or transplanted now to ensure good rooting before winter arrives. Water both the plant and the planting site several days before moving.

Learn More

Enjoy the fragrant blooms of the Ozark Witch Hazel flowering in shrub borders or wooded areas on warm sunny days.
Repot any root-bound house plants now before vigorous growth occurs. Choose a new container that is only 1 or 2 inches larger in diameter than the old pot.
Repot any root-bound house plants now before vigorous growth occurs. Choose a new container that is only 1 or 2 inches larger in diameter than the old pot.
Gardening Help

The Center for Home Gardening is currently closed. If you have any gardening questions, you can e-mail us at
plantinformation@mobot.org.

Bloom Time Calendar

See when plants bloom at the Garden: