It’s been exactly one year since I seeded the trampoline garden at my house. The 225 square-foot space used to have a trampoline on it. Now it is chock full of immature native woodland plants. By Scott Woodbury [This article is a follow-up to an article Scott wrote for the Gateway Gardener Winter issue 2024-25.] It’s been exactly one
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My mother used to say, “too much is too much, too little is too little, and enough is enough!”. Unless you’re on a dirt road, driving through endless farm fields, brimming with sunflowers, there can never be too little yellow flowers in the garden, because, in my opinion, a little yellow goes a long way. By Scott Woodbury
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More species of plants exist in the Ozark Highlands (one of the oldest mountain ranges on the planet) than anywhere in the lower Mid-west. Why? By Scott Woodbury (This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener April 2021 issue.) It is said that blues musician Robert Johnson (Tommy Johnson in the movie, O Brother Where Art Thou) sold his
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For many of us, there’s nothing like the joy of holding a packet of seeds in the winter. Seeds are little morsels of hope that have such potential, especially on cold, wintery days. By Jennifer Schamber [This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener Winter 2019 issue.] For many of us, there’s nothing like the joy of holding a
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From bald eagles to pelicans, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area located in Columbia, Missouri, is a haven for many of Missouri’s waterfowl. By Abby Lapides [This article was first published in the September 2019 issue of The Gateway Gardener.] From bald eagles to pelicans, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area located in Columbia, Missouri, is a haven for many of Missouri’s waterfowl. Eagle
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There is perhaps no native plant more ubiquitous than willow, especially black willow (Salix nigra). It comes up in house gutters, garden beds, low farmers’ fields, roadside ditches, pond margins and every creek-side gravel bar in the eastern half of the United States. By Scott Woodbury [This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener March 2020 issue.] “Between the
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The foundational success of our country can be primarily attributed to the vast richness of our natural resources. From fertile farmlands to plentiful hardwood forests to diverse wildlife, the list goes on and on. By Jennifer Schamber [This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener March 2019 issue.] The foundational success of our country can be primarily attributed to
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Annual plants sprout from a seed, grow and die in the same growing season. Red-whisker clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra) is a native annual that blooms for two to three months in late summer. By Scott Woodbury [This article was originally published in The Gateway Gardener March 2018 issue.] Annual plants sprout from a seed, grow and die in the same growing
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When the red buckeye and columbine bloom in April, it signals the time to start looking for the ruby-throated hummingbirds. By Scott Woodbury [This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener April 2016 issue.] When the red buckeye and columbine bloom in April, it signals the time to start looking for the ruby-throated hummingbirds. It pays to look in
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Like the great recession, the back-to-back summer droughts of 2012-13 were a test of mettle in the plant world. By Scott Woodbury (This article was first published in The Gateway Gardener April 2015 issue.) Like the great recession, the back-to-back summer droughts of 2012-13 were a test of mettle in the plant world. Many people lost more than hope and
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