THE GREAT PERENNIAL DIVIDE
The Great Perennial Divide is St. Louis' largest gardening volunteer event involving more than 2,500 individuals from across the metro area. Supporting the Divide means investing in people who are tending gardens on abandoned land in order to change the face of St. Louis neighborhoods. Here are the event's most frequently asked questions…
What is the Great Perennial Divide?
For the past five years, gardeners from the entire St. Louis region have turned their trowels into weapons against urban decline by donating thousands of plants dug from their own yards during the Great Perennial Divide. Plants donated by these gardeners are shared with 160 Gateway Greening community gardens and citizen-managed green spaces in the inner city core. These beautiful gardens are located on formerly abandoned land in the heart of neighborhoods, boulevards, schoolyards, and street entrances.
Why do we do it?
Gateway Greening gardens erase criminal activity from vacant lots, increase property values, bring people together in safe places, teach children to be caregivers, and grow food for the table and food for the soul. How could we not do it?
Who is involved?
More than 600 volunteer gardeners from the following areas actively participate:
- More than 80 garden clubs and plant societies (Please scroll down to see the list)
- Many of St. Louis' Master Gardeners
- 2,000+ St. Louis City and County gardeners
- Generous area nurseries donating everything from pots to plants
Gateway provides perennials to greening groups, including:
- St. Louis area schools with outdoor classrooms
- St. Louis City community gardens and groups
- St. Louis County community gardens and groups
- Jefferson County Schools
- Neighboring communities in Illinois
How does it work?
- Gardeners must divide perennials for healthy growth. They pot up and take extra divisions to one of 10 collection sites throughout the Greater St. Louis area.(Please scroll down to see the list) Collection sites are situated at private homes and staffed by volunteers, knowledgeable about plant care and identification. Donors receive information about the GPD plant sale at the collection site. Extra potting soil and pots are available at the sites.
- Digging crews are available for donors who cannot physically dig plants or have a large quantity of plants.
- Community gardeners fill out wish lists of plants needed in their community gardens and neighborhood green spaces. The lists are sent to Gateway Greening and matched with donations as closely as possible.
- Plants are amassed and sorted for distribution into "orders". Volunteers assist community gardeners in packing up the plants. Plants are planted immediately in community gardens in ornamental borders, butterfly gardens or entrance plots.
- Donors and volunteers are eligible to come to the GPD plant sale. Proceeds are used for waterlines, fences, and tools for Gateway Greening new and expanded projects.
- Plants needed are hardy, Missouri natives, sun perennials, rock plants, ground covers, shady perennials, iris, hosta, daylilies (not orange) and all kinds of garden tools, hoses, wheel barrows, weed whips, mowers. Seeds and seedlings are also needed.
Note: the following TV stations have featured the "Divide" as a news story every year since 1998: Fox 2, KSDK Channel 5, Channel 4,and Channel 30
What plants are usually requested?
The most commonly requested perennials are:
- Aster
- Astilbe
- Black Eyed Susan
- Coreopsis
- Daylillies
- Gloriosa Daisy
- Hollyhock
- Hosta
- Iris
- Lamb's Ear
- Missouri Primrose
- Mum
- Ornamental grasses (Fountain grass, Blood grass, Zebra grass, etc.)
- Peony
- Phlox and Creeping Phlox
- Pinks (Dianthus)
- Purple Coneflower
- Russian Sage
- Salvia
- Shasta Daisy
- Tulips
- Yarrow
When does it happen?
- Great Perennial Divide Committee Meeting March 8 at 10am at Gateway Greening's Office, 4475 Castleman 63110
- Collection sites open April 18-24, 2005
- Great Perennial Divide Plant Sale April 29-30, 2005. Located at St. Louis Community College, Meramec. The times of the plant sale are, April 29th 9am-7pm and April 30th 8am-noon.
- Great Perennial Divide Set Up, May 4, 2005 (9am-3pm)
- Great Perennial Plant Transport, May 5-6, 2005 (9am-3pm)
- Great Perennial Divide, May 7, 2005 (7am-2pm)
Volunteers Needed
- Digging crews and potting crews
- Collection sites
- Van and truck drivers
Collection Sites 2005
To Date: stay tuned for updates on locations!
- Affton, Crestwood, Mehville: Patrick O'Neill, 10706 Larkspur Dr.,63123, 314-843-7744
- Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights: Patti Donovan, 14129 Cross Trails, 63017, 314-576-2938
- Des Peres, Valley Park: Carol Wellman, 12911 Beaver Dam Rd., 63131, 314-966-8404
- Fenton, South County: Terri Bonebrake, Bonebrake Heating & Cooling, 1071 Gravois, 63026, 314-680-4769
- Hazelwood, Florissant, Ferguson: Nancy Senter, 8822 Heather Ln., 63042, 314-521-6534
- Kirkwood, Sunset Hills: Gwenne Hayes-Stewart, 1244 S. Geyer Rd., 63122,314-966-6232
- Lake St. Louis, St. Charles: Joan Grossman, 65 Harbor Bend Ct., 63131, 636-561-4038
- Ladue, Clayton, University City: Donna Steinhoff, 26 Berkshire Dr., 63117, 314-995-9828
- St. Louis City:Gateway Greening, 4475 Castleman, 63110, 314-577-9484
- Town & Country, Manchester: Sue Reed, 12907 Topping Est., South Dr., 63131, 314-965-6813
- Webster Groves, Brentwood, Richmond Heights, Maplewood: Tammy Behm, 114 Bompart Ave., 63119, 314-961-9942
- Wildwood: Leigh Walker, 16502 West Glen Farm Dr., 63011, 636-458-2932
The Great Perennial Divide is sponsored by the Spectrum Brands, the makers of Schultz products.
Garden Clubs and Plant Societies
- Baby Bloomers GC
- Bell Community Garden
- Bennett Hills GC
- Blue Bell Clan of Glasgow
- Bowood Farms
- Bridgeton Fancy Plants
- Chaminade High Students
- Chesterfield Hill GC
- Claybreakers GC
- The COBS
- Concord GC
- Cottage Garden Nursery
- Country Woods GC
- Daylily Society of Greater St. Louis
- Eckert's Orchard
- Edgewood Community Garden
- Eliot Chapel Nursery School
- Evergreen GC
- Exhibitors GC
- Fancy Plants GC
- Farm Trails GC
- Forget-Me -Not GC
- Forsythia GC
- Four Winds GC
- Fox Park GC
- Garden Appreciation Club
- Garden Club of Ladue
- Garden Club of St. Louis
- Garden Guild GC
- Garden Writers of America
- Gateway Greening Board
- General Grant Hills GC
- Gilberg's Perennial Farms
- Good Earth GC
- Greater St. Louis Iris Society
- Hanley House Volunteers
- Heather Heights GC
- Hillsboro GC
- Horticultural Study Club
- Horticulture Jobs Partnership
- Hosta Society of St. Louis
- Jardin du Lac GC
- Jefferson County Iris Society
- Kehrs Mill View GC
- Kirkwood GC
- Kirkwood Iris Society
- Kirkwood Kultivators GC
- Kirkwood Men's GC
- Lafayette Square Gardening Group
- Lafayette Square Restoration Society
- Lake James Manor GC
- Master Gardeners, University Extension Service
- Master Gardeners, St. Charles UES
- Mayberry Community Garden
- Mehlvillle GC
- Members, Gateway Greening
- Members, Missouri Botanical Garden
- Missouri Native Plant Society
- Missouri Mycological Society
- Moon flowers GC
- National Nursery Products
- North County Tech Students
- Oakcrest GC
- Oakville GC
- Old Fashioned Gardening
- Orchid Society of St. Louis
- Parkview Horticultural Society
- Petunia GC of LeMay
- Primrose GC
- Ritnour GC
- River Valley GC
- Rowena Clark GC
- Sassafras Farms
- Seven Pines GC
- SnapDragons GC
- Soulard Community Garden
- Soulard GC
- South County Tech Students
- Southwoods GC
- Spectrum Brands
- Sprig and Twig CG
- St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus
- St. Louis Composting
- St. Louis Herb Society
- St. Louis Horticultural Society
- St. Louis Native Plant Society
- St. Louis Rock Garden Society
- St. Louis University Students
- Sugar Creek Nursery
- Sunset Hills GC
- Tishomingo GC
- Treeland
- Valley of the Flowers GC
- Village GC
- Webster Groves Daffy-Dils
- Webster Groves Herb Society
- Webster Groves Horticultural Society
- Webster Groves Nature Society
- Webster Groves NSS
- Webster Groves #4 GC
- Westhampton GC
- Westwards Hoe GC
- Wild Ones