City of St. Louis
Department of Streets
Refuse Division
Recycling Program

Note: Facilities located within the City of St. Louis are demarcated by the Arch decal. Facilities located within Missouri are demarcated by the state decal.

Household Hazardous Waste Alternative

What You Can Do:
Garden and Landscape with Native Plants

NOTE: The following information is also available as a downloadable PDF Flyer or Word Document.

Aromatic Aster Plants that are native to Missouri live with natural predators that can keep them in check or healthy, avoiding the need to douse our yards with synthetic herbicides or pesticides. Native plants can thrive without being watered; with less mowing; or without the addition of synthetic fertilizers or soil amendments because they evolved based on our local precipitation levels and soil types. These species are resistant to area pests, immune to local diseases, and less susceptible to climate changes and seasonal variations of temperature and rainfall. Native flora provides habitat for entertaining native fauna such as butterflies, hummingbirds, salamanders, songbirds, and toads in need of food, water features, or cover for shelter. These animals help to maintain the health and diversity of our community. To design your lawn or garden with the multitude of Missouri's native species, explore the following resources:

Tylka, D. (2002). Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People: How to Use Native Midwestern Plants to Beautify Your Property and Benefit Wildlife. Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri.

Center for Plant Conservation
Web: http://www.centerforplantconservation.org
Email: cpc@mobot.org
Phone: 314.577.9450

Their mission "is to conserve and restore the rare and native plants of the United States."
Gateway Greening, Inc.
Web: http://www.gatewaygreening.org
Email: gateway.greening@mobot.org
Fax: 314.577.9435
Phone: 314.577.9484
Mail: 2211 Washington Avenue, Suite 102, St. Louis, Missouri 63103
Each year we select several community gardening projects to be developed. These gardens take many shapes including…native plantings…" Criteria for assisting neighborhood groups, a list of resources provided, and applications are available online.
Green Landscaping: Green Acres
Natural Landscaping Workgroup - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Web: http://www.epa.gov/greenacres
Email: green.danielle@epa.gov
Mail: 77 West Jackson Boulevard (G-17J), Great Lakes National Program Office, Chicago, Illinois 60604
Their website offers an online viewing of the "Landscaping Naturally" video, landscaping tips on how to get started, brochures, fact sheets, case studies, and an online edition of the "Wild Ones Handbook."
Grow Native! - Missouri Department of Conservation
Web: http://www.grownative.org
Phone: 573.522.4115
Mail: Post Office Box 180, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
Via an online database, research native flowers, grasses, shrubs, trees, and vines by botanical name, common name, or shade/sun. Feature offers native species alternatives to commonly used plants, as well as a feature highlighting native plants for the current season. "Where To Buy" page lists retail garden centers and nurseries that sell native plants, as well as landscape design and installation services, landscape architects, and conservation contractors who work with native varieties.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Web: http://www.wildflower.org
Phone: 512.292.4100
Mail: 4801 LaCrosse Avenue, Austin, Texas 78739
Missouri Native Plant Society
Web: http://www.missouri.edu/~umo_herb/monps/index.html
Email: george.yatskievych@mobot.org
Mail: Post Office Box 20073, St. Louis, Missouri 63144
Missouri Prairie Foundation
Web: http://www.moprairie.org
Email: info@moprairie.com
Mail: Post Office Box 200, Columbia, Missouri 65205
Missouriplants.com
Web: http://missouriplants.com
Photographs and descriptions of local flowering and non-flowering plants of Missouri
National Wildlife Federation
Web: http://nwf.org/gardenforwildlife/nativeplants.cfm
Phone: 800.822.9919
Mail: 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, Virginia 20190
Their website includes a Native Gardening and Invasive Plants guide searchable by region.
Ozark Regional Herbarium
Department of Biology - Southwest Missouri State University
Web: http://www.biology.missouristate.edu/Herbarium
Plant Conservation Alliance
Web: http://www.nps.gov/plants
Email: plant@plantconservation.org
Phone: 202.452.0392
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW, LSB-204, Washington, DC 20240
Their website includes email discussion groups for alien plants, medicinal plants, and restoration efforts; and directories for restoration experts, native plant suppliers, and native plant events.
Shaw Nature Reserve
Web: http://www.shawnature.org
Email: helen.mccallie@mobot.org
Phone: 636.451.3512
Mail: Post Office Box 38, Gray Summit, Missouri 63039
They offer a year-round series of native plant learning sessions, host native plant and seed sales each year, and display native landscaping at the Whitmire Wildflower Garden.
The Green Center
Web: http://www.thegreencenter.org
Email: info@thegreencenter.org
Phone: 314.725.8314
Mail: 8025 Blackberry Avenue, University City, MO 63130
Get a first hand look at native Missouri habitats. "Outdoor spaces include learning and demonstration gardens, a half-acre prairie, a half-acre Missouri wetland, the 26-acre Ruth Park Woods, and an Arboretum."
The Missouri Flora Website
Web: http://www.missouriplants.com/index.html
Email: moflora@hotmail.com
View online photographs and descriptions of flowers; non-flowering plants; and grasses, sedges, and rushes by botanical name, flower color, or leaf characteristic.
Wild Ones - St. Louis Chapter
Web: http://www.for-wild.org/chapters/stlouis
Email: scott.woodbury@mobot.org
Phone: 636.451.3512
Meetings are usually held the first Wednesday of the month except December, 6:00p.m. Location varies. Open to the public. The St. Louis website includes calendar events and newsletter articles.
Local Nurseries and Retailers That Sell Missouri Native Plants

Bowood Farms
Web: http://www.bowoodfarms.com
Phone: 314.454.6868
4605 Olive Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63108
Garden Heights Nursery
Web: http://www.gardenheights.com
Phone: 314.645.SEED (7333) Fax: 314.645.0121
1605 South Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights, Missouri 63117
Hartke Nursery
Web: http://www.hartkenursery.com
Email: hartke@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 314.997.6679 Fax: 314.997.6778
1030 North Warson Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63132
Native Plant Classes

City of St. Louis Refuse Division
The City of St. Louis Refuse Division offers native plant classes locally. The class is a 50-minute overview about how you can garden and landscape with native plants. The classes are free-of-charge and are available throughout the year. Check our Calendar of Events http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/recycle/calendar.html to find a class that's convenient for you.
Native Plant School
Missouri Botanical Garden's Shaw Nature Reserve offers native plant education in their Whitmire Wildflower Garden, in Gray Summit, Missouri. Topics and dates for 2009 include those listed below. For more details (e.g., session descriptions, fees, hours, directions, etc.), visit http://www.shawnature.org/nativeland/NativePlantSchool.aspx.
Native Perennials and Grasses for Landscaping - Part 2: Summer Blooming, Thursday, July 9
Native Plant School Open House and Fall Native Plant Sale, Friday, September 4
Native Perennials and Grasses for Landscaping - Part 3: Fall Blooming, Thursday, October 8
Speaker's Bureaus

The following organizations offer speakers who will visit your meetings or take you on tours to present on the topics listed below:
St. Louis Master Gardener Program http://www.stlmg.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/programs.main/index.htm
"Enjoying Native Wildflowers"
"Landscaping with Native Trees and Shrubs"
"Tour - Native Shade"
"Tour - Native Sun/Prairie"