Webster Groves Garden Club

Gardener's Corner June, 2026 by Carol Evans

It’s almost summer: flowers are blooming, birds are singing and all’s right in St. Louis. Although it’s starting out warm and humid, let’s hope we have a pleasant, not too hot, summer this year.

The Missouri Botanical Garden tasks and tips for the month include examining your plants, especially junipers and arborvitae, for bagworms. Make certain to collect and dispose of them as they are found. Roses can be fed after they bloom with either a
fertilizer higher in phosphorous or one that is balanced. Finish pruning any spring flowering trees and shrubs before the end of June to help them bloom well next year.

It is recommended to hand collect adult Japanese beetles early in the morning and put them in soapy water as pheromone traps may not be able to trap enough beetles, which can cause more damage to plants.. atch for powdery mildew, especially on phlox and peonies. If found, using preventative fungicides, providing good airflow and pruning out infected stems may be helpful in controlling this.

And now for some “creature comfort” advice: Here are some articles about those pesky insects, flies, ticks and chiggers, that might be helpful to you in planning your garden. Although the first discusses May planting, it won’t be too late to put these flowers in your garden now. This article in Gardening Know How is entitled 6 Gorgeous Flowers to Plant in May that Keep Flies Away – They Look and Smell Lovely in Summer Containers. You can find it at:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/gorgeous-flowers-that-repel-flies-with-fragrant-container-color?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20260526_XGK_NWL&utm_content=20260526_XGK_NWL&utm_term=31060374&m_i=xugQAvQ2OfMON87TQqsKTiGWZG396NnIMjgM4A376kMnKeoC3l1GckSqKMYGzoCLLpHdAoIl4UsM5RNXRIZuYm_oG7ykqx_dxB

The second article from the Uni ersity of Missouri Extension is especially timely: MU Extension recommends treating clothing to repel ticks. It can be found at:
https://extension.missouri.edu/news/mu-extension-recommends-treating-clothing-to-repel-ticks?utm_campaign=1276125_June%202026%20Crop%20management&utm_medium=email&utm_source=email&utm_Link_Name=repeal%20ticks&dm_i=42N5,RCNX,17WA7U,3BJ2E,1,0,0,1MR5

Another article from Gardening Know How has this to recommend for ticks: Worried About Ticks? Create an Easy No-Go Zone With This Simple Barrier Trick You Can Complete This Weekend. It is at this website:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/insects/create-a-simple-tick-barrier-around-yard?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20260525_XGK_NWL&utm_content=20260525_XGK_NWL&utm_term=31060374&m_i=szp0OuRVaRkvUaDCAptr4MYc9lFZ0fcTas_RvgtzxpqbF7b0z9KI3hbybLBhOcGxiWG0YxtFjhN7kByEzvA%2B1%2BnNjHmWcgY7sw

Finally, my personal nemesis, chiggers, have caused me much distress lately. This timely article ino dea the Bob Villa website by Nicole Shein has some insights on how to with these critters. You can find it at:
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-chiggers/?utm_source=googleads&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=23133494052&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23133500370&gbraid=0AAAAAqKPjn3wjuxkrVJd8PVHfDYRx3pYc&gclid=CjwKCAjw857RBhAgEiwAI-1yKMn3KX4aDQ-Y5MGuHQxpgTJTugZyJrGZ-8jDwaaTr7ydtMt-hYnVWBoCN4YQAvD_BwE

Join us this Saturday if you can! Public parking is available on Lockwood just east of Rock Hill. See you soon!

The next Metro Garden work day is coming up on June 13th! Show up with your favorite weeding tools when you can between the hours of 8am and 10am. We'd love to have your help for as long as you're willing and able to give it.

Meet other club members and swoon at the plants in their splendor!

The next Metro Garden work day is coming up on June 13th! Show up with your favorite weeding tools when you can between the hours of 8am and 10am. We'd love to have your help for as long as you're willing and able to give it.

Meet other club members and swoon at the plants in their splendor!

Please reach out to the WG CLT if you’d like to lend a hand in the garden beds.

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Join us in the yard! Thankfully the May community work day was a huge start and we’ve made it to the fun part. Comment here or email to sign up.

A group of club members had an exclusive tour of the Missouri Botanical Garden Herbarium and Peter H. Raven Library on this rainy morning. First, we had a demonstration of the herbarium collection processes and storage rooms. There are lots of careful steps that go into transporting, mounting, and identifying new plants. Then, we went up to the library and spent most of our time in the preservation lab and rare books room. The staff are so knowledgeable and take loving care of their collections. It was an enriching experience overall!

Please visit our friends at their plant sale this weekend. It is the 100 year anniversary of the WGWGA and they will be the Grand Marshals at the Community Days parade on July 4th! Congratulations! 🎉🍾

Congratulations to Natalia Rosales, winner of the plant sale raffle Hoya Carnosa Compacta! The blooms will be a real treat!

FREE TREES - short leaf pine and swamp white oak

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Webster Groves Parks & Recreation has tree saplings available at the Benny Gordon Recreation Center on a first-come, first-served basis.

Varieties include: short leaf pine and swamp white oak. The trees came from the George O. White State Forest Nursery through the Missouri Dept. of Conservation.

Residents may wish to bring a grocery bag for transport. The trees are available free of charge.

📸 Wyatt Glave, Parks Maintenance

Congratulations to this year's peony raffle winner... Alyson Snelling!! 🌸