The Gateway Gardener October 2026 by The Gateway Gardener

Gateway Gardener

OCTOBER 2026

THE

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

Keystone Plants Unsung Native Flora The Buck Stops Here Humidity and Temps for Indoor Plants FREE Courtesy of:

Gateway Gardener THE

Your Guide to Enjoyable Gardening and Easy-Care Landscapes

OCTOBER 2026

Volume 22, Number 6

Founded in 2005 by Joyce Bruno & Robert Weaver Publisher and Editor Robert Weaver Columnists Abby Lapides Sugar Creek Gardens Steffie Littlefield Edg-Clif Winery Scott Woodbury Cacalia Native Garden Design and Wilding Samantha Zale Greenscape Gardens Printing: Breese Publishing, Breese, IL The Gateway Gardener® is published 7 times/year by Double Dig Communications, Inc. to promote enjoyable, successful gardening and livable landscapes in the St. Louis greater metropolitan area. The magazine is distributed free to the public at designated garden centers, nurseries, garden gift shops, lawn equipment rental, repair and sales establishments, and other locations supporting sound gardening, lawn and landscaping practices. Please send letters-to-the-editor, questions, event announcements, editorial suggestions and contributions, photos, advertising inquiries and materials, and any other correspondence to:

The Gateway Gardener Magazine® PO Box 220853 St. Louis, MO 63122 Phone: (314) 968-3740

info@gatewaygardener.com www.gatewaygardener.com The Gateway Gardener® is printed on recycled newsprint using environmentally friendly soy-based ink, and is a member of the PurePower® renewable energy resources network.

From the Editor

n this issue, Abby Lapides introduces us to “Keystone” native plants on page 4, those plants she describes as “holding the living world together” by providing “an outsized share of food and habitat…that keep our ecosystem functioning.” I was pleased to discover that, of the 6 plants she features, 3 can be found in my tiny yard, and two of the other 3 are represented by family members of different species.

And she’s right—all those represented in my landscape are either pollinator magnets or favorites of seed-and-insectseeking birds or nut-seeking mammals. Once, a decade or so ago when native plants started trending up in home gardens, I spoke with a representative of our friends at Missouri Wildflowers Nursery at a plant sale. “This is the first year,” he said, “when I’ve noticed more people asking about what plants DO, rather than what they LOOK LIKE.” While I still have some favorites in the garden that appeal to me for their aesthetics, more and more, the standard that gives me the most pleasure is when I see the busy activity around plants that are doing

something.

That said, there are many examples of plants that can multi-task and do both! Scott Woodbury focuses on native plants for us in every issue. In this issue, Scott leaves the assumption unspoken that most native plants do indeed DO something for the critters around us, and focuses on a few examples that carry their own weight aesthetically at the same time, from providing winter interest to adding a different texture to just being so darn pretty! See page 8. Of course, what good is a plant to gardeners who want to feed the birds and bees or feed the eyes with beauty if all they end up doing is feeding the whitetailed deer?! Many a growing

On the Cover...

Certain native plants, such as this aromatic aster, are described as “keystone” plants for their outsized role in contributing to the ongoing functioning of our ecosystem. Abby Lapides tells us more on page 4. Photo by Robert Weaver.

season has begun with gardenof-the-month ambitions only to disappear after a midnight marauding by Bambi and her siblings. Fences are costly and repellents are sometimes smelly and discoloring, if not just plain ineffective (though there are some that are none of those). Best to start with plants that deer just don’t care much for. On page 10, Natalie Carmolli offers up some suggestions of shrubs that deer generally turn their cute little noses up at. After a summer of heat alerts, wildfire smoke and late-season drought, I think I can speak for most readers that the promise of cooler, wetter conditions of fall is a welcome promise, indeed.

Good Gardening!

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IN THIS ISSUE 4 Keystone Plants 8 Unsung Native Flora: Part I 10 Plants Deer Actually Leave Alone 12 Temperature and Humidity for Indoor Plants 14 Dig This

Keystone Plants:

Powerhouses that hold our Ecosystem Together by Abby Lapides

Ann Lapides

Oxeye Sunflower

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ome plants do far more than decorate our landscape, they hold the living world together. Keystone plants provide an outsized share of food and habitat for the insects, birds, and wildlife that keep our ecosystems functioning. A small percentage of native plants support the vast majority of insect species, forming the foundation of the food web. Learn about some keystone plants that work well in most anyone’s garden.

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Smooth Hydrangea Aromatic Aster – Symphyotrichum oblongifolium

All native asters are considered keystone plants, as they serve as host plants for many butterfly and moth species and deserve a spot in the garden, but the masses of soft lavender blossoms of the aromatic aster wins out in beauty. Blooming from late summer into fall, aromatic aster’s petals surround yellow centers. This late season bloomer provides food for native bees, migrating Monarchs, and countless beneficial insects during this late season push.

Oxeye Sunflower- Heliopsis helianthoides

Few plants brighten a garden like oxeye sunflower. Golden daisies shine from early summer into fall, feeding a parade of pollinators. It hosts several butterfly and moth species, and its long bloom season provides nectar when many other plants fade. Birds relish the many seedheads in fall and winter. This long blooming beauty is one of the easiest ways to boost wildlife support in sunny St. Louis gardens.

American Hazelnut - Corylus americana

A multi‑season shrub with excellent ecological and ornamental

Ann Lapides

Aromatic Aster

value, American hazelnut provides pollen for early‑emerging pollinators, dense cover for nesting birds, and nutritious nuts for other wildlife. Its catkins appear in late winter, one of the earliest food sources available for pollinators awakening from dormancy. Hazelnut’s graceful form and adaptability to sun or part shade makes it a versatile choice for hedgerows, naturalized borders, or mixed native screens.

Smooth Hydrangea -Hydrangea arborescens

Beloved for its soft, mophead blooms, smooth hydrangea supports a wide array of native insects. Lacey flowers provide a multitude of nectar and pollen, while its dense rounded structure cont’d. on next page Abby Lapides is owner and a speaker at Sugar Creek Gardens Nursery. She has degrees from the University of Missouri, and is a member of the Landscape and Nursery Association of Greater St. Louis. You can reach her at (314) 965-3070.

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Bur Oak offers shelter for wildlife. Smooth hydrangea thrives in part shade and moist, rich soil, perfect for woodland edges or north‑facing beds. Its combination of ornamental beauty and ecological importance makes it a must‑have for gardeners seeking both elegance and habitat value.

Bur Oak - Quercus macrocarpa

Showy Goldenrod No plants support more life in North America than oaks, and bur oak is one of Missouri’s finest. Bur oak hosts over five hundred species of caterpillars and provides acorns, shelter, and nesting sites for countless wildlife. Bur oak’s rugged beauty, broad canopy, and impressive longevity make it a legacy tree. Planting one is an act of generosity to future generations of both people and wildlife.

Showy Goldenrod – Solidago speciosa

One of the most important late season nectar sources, goldenrod feeds just about any and every pollinator, especially migrating Monarchs, and hosts many butterflies, moths and other insects. Choose clump forming species for garden beds, like the showy goldenrod, to support a bustling autumn ecosystem without worrying about spread. Showy goldenrod’s plump golden plumes glow in fall over grass-green foliage. Planting even a handful of keystone plants helps bolter our natural world and connects us to the natural heritage of our region.

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Courtney Celley USFWS

Missouri Botanical Garden

cont’d. from prev. pg.

THE BUCK (no longer) STOPS HERE

Tired of deer destroying your landscape? Every variety in the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Deer Proof ™ program has been university tested for deer resistance, so you can have the beautiful garden you deserve. Just look for the Deer Proof logo at a garden center near you. Learn more at ProvenWinnersColorChoice.com

OCTOBER 2026

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SCAN TO LEARN MORE

Naturally Natives

Unsung Native Flora: Part I

Text and Photos by Scott Woodbury

n this first of a two-part series, I highlight several somewhat elusive garden plants to create interest in them and to encourage nurseries to start dabbling in their use and production. This year, giant hyssop (Agastache nepetiodes) towered at 9 to 10 feet tall in my trampoline garden. Normally, at 6 or 7 feet, it’s big enough to impress, yet isn’t influenced by gravity. This season, a few caved under pressure. Being slender, it tucks itself politely between other tall plants. It shares air space in my backyard with Joe pye, Indian plantain, and even a neighboring black gum. I’m enjoying its pale green seed spikes somewhat now, but

I’m really waiting for the chocolate-brown spikes that stand at attention in winter. Arrowleaf Aster (Symphyotrichum urophyllum) is one of nine DWAs (damn white asters) native to Missouri. Though white asters tend to be similar, two stand out to me as strikingly different and useful garden plants. Arrowleaf aster has dark stems and pure white flowers with yellow or raspberry centers. It is native to open woodlands and is a favorite of whitetail deer. This aster species grows 3 to 4 feet tall, is strongly upright and narrow, and weaves nicely between other perennials in the garden. Heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) is the opposite, growing in full sun with a soft billowing shape. They can be pendulous, spilling over and softening retaining walls.

Wherever they’re grown, their ultra-fine texture and myriad tiny flowers add a misty quality to the garden.

False Boneset The appeal of the next odd-ball relative of the aster family, the commercially elusive false boneset (Brickellia eupatorioides), may be a head-scratcher for most of the year (when it is drab green). But when it goes dormant in autumn, its white fluffy seeds hold on tight and shine brightly. Unlike asters and goldenrods, whose fluffy

It’s where the best

natives 8

begin!

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Tips and Resources for Growing and Landscaping with Sustainable Native Plants seeds blow away in the wind, false boneset seeds do not. Their showy seeds hold on tight through much of winter.

Indian Plaintain with flowering Columbine The commercial availability of great Indian plantain (Arnoglossum reniforme) is sparse, especially of the smaller Ozark ecotype. This species is smaller than others in this genus, growing 3 to 5 feet in height, though most of the foliage is held at about 2 feet. Its 6- to 10-inch leaves are scallop-shaped, giving this woodland plant a dramatic standout appearance. Tick trefoil, sometimes called beggar ticks (many species in the Desmodium genus), has seeds that notoriously hitch a ride on clothing. Pointed-leaved tick trefoil (Desmodium glutinosum) is a spectacular woodland plant with threefoot graceful flower stems. With leaves bunched below, and leafless, wiry flower stems arching high above, its clear pink flowers appear to be floating in air. This is easily one of my favorite plants, yet it is not easy to find for sale. Deer tongue grass (Dichanthelium clandestinum) gets its name from its wide, sometimes scurfy leaves that resemble a deer’s tongue or bamboo

Deer Tongue Grass

Lastly, Indian physic (Gillenia stipulata) captures my attention in all four seasons. Blooming in late spring with showy, white star-shaped flowers, it is a showstopper. It’s also highly rabbit- and deer-proof. The foliage is ferny and contrasts nicely with other nearby plants. Also, I’m easily impressed by its dark, wiry red stems that stand out and add significant value to the garden, especially during the offseason, between bloom time and fall color. Speaking of which, this plant’s fall leaf, stem, and seed head color is a rich, glowy orange, apricot, or yellow, followed by dark, wiry naked stems and seed heads that starkly contrast with pale grasses in winter.

leaves. It is a drought-tolerant plant that does well in infertile, dry, shady areas. Birds and small mammals love eating the seeds. I occasionally meet with customers who have large, old oak trees in their yard, where more native sedges These plants are truly some of my and grasses exist than turf grass. These favorites in the garden. I hope someday open, shady yards are a perfect place to they become yours as well. forget about mowing turf and let deer tongue grass naturalize. Slender bush Happy gardening, y’all! clover (Lespedeza virginica) and violet lespedeza (Lespedeza Missouri Wildflowers violacea) are perfect Nursery dry-loving companion 9814 Pleasant Hill Rd plants. Both are Jefferson City MO 65109 native to dry open www.mowildflowers.net woodlands, and their mowldflrs@socket.net 573-496-3492 seeds are also highly attractive to birds. I see Meet us at one of these St. Louis locations. many neighborhood Give us your order at least five days before the sale, parks with acres of and we will bring it to the sale. mowed woodland, an Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd. St. Louis, Mo 63110. Event: Best of Missouri Market, Admission charge varies, oxymoron if I ever details: mobot.org. Oct. 9, 10 & 11, Friday, Oct. 9: 9 am - 5 pm; saw one. They could Oct. 10: 9 am - 5 pm (members only hour 8 - 9 am): Sunday, Oct. 11: 9 am - 5 pm. be easily transformed Tower Grove Park - Roman Pavilion, 4378 Northwest Dr, St. into diverse habitat Louis MO 63110. Bring Conservation Home Expo & Native Plant for pollinators and Sale. Sun., October 18, 10 am to 2 pm. wildlife. Just stop Iron County Courthouse, 250 S. Main, Ironton MO 63650. Mountain Music Festival - MWN Native Plant Sale. mountainmusicfesmowing, add the tival.net October 17, 9 am - 4:30 pm right seed, scout for

Scott Woodbury is the owner of Cacalia: Native Garden Design and Wilding, and he is a Grow Native! professional member. Find suppliers of native plants and seed, as well as landscaping services, at grownative.org. OCTOBER 2026

honeysuckle, and treat it when found.

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We’re open weekdays, year-round at the nursery (9814 address above) and weekends now until October 11. Open 9 to 5 Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 Sunday.

We can ship your order! We ship plants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays all year. UPS usually delivers the next day in Missouri and to the middle of surrounding states. Shipping charges apply.

The Buck Stops Here

Choosing Plants Deer Actually Leave Alone

By Natalie Carmolli for Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs Forsythia Show Off®

very gardener who shares a zip code with deer knows the ritual. You plant something beautiful in the evening, and by morning it looks like it lost an argument with a lawnmower. Torn stems, stripped buds, jagged leaves. Deer don’t have sharp upper teeth, so they don’t nibble politely. They tear. For years, the standard advice has been to plant “deer resistant” varieties, which sounds simple enough until you’re standing in a garden center reading plant tags and wondering who, exactly, decided these plants were resistant, and whether the deer got the memo. Plenty of gardeners have brought home a shrub labeled deer resistant only to watch it disappear, one bite at a time.

What Deer Resistant Really Means

Deer resistance isn’t a yes-or-no proposition. It’s a spectrum. Deer gravitate toward soft, succulent growth, plants with high water content, and tender flower buds. They tend to steer clear of anything fuzzy, leathery, bitter, strongly scented, or armed with irritating sap. A plant lands somewhere on that scale based on its natural chemistry and texture, and some land much further from the salad bar than others. 10

Viburnum Space Cowboy®

Potentilla Happy Face®

That’s the thinking behind the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Deer Proof program, which takes the guesswork out of buying deer resistant varieties by putting the Deer Proof logo right on the container. Every shrub in the program is University tested to be rarely damaged by deer.

As the air warms, viburnum takes the stage. Spice Cowboy®, a Koreanspice type (Viburnum carlesii), sends out snowballsized flower clusters with a spicy-sweet fragrance that finds you before you find the plant, then finishes the year in shades of orange and red.

Of course, when a deer is hungry, it will try most anything, but these are the plants that consistently rank at the bottom of a deer’s wish list. In a landscape full of choices, they’re the ones most likely to be passed over.

Summer belongs to the workhorses. Potentilla (Potentilla fruticosa) blooms tirelessly through heat and drought, and Happy Face® Yellow potentilla keeps its oversized, cheerful flowers coming for months. In warmer gardens, Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense),

Proof That Deer Proof Isn’t Dull The pleasant surprise is how much variety survives the vetting. Consider what a garden built from this list could look like across a season.

Spring opens with forsythia (Forsythia), and few do it better than the Show Off® series of forsythia, their stems so densely packed with yellow blooms they look highlighted by hand. The Gateway Gardener™ OCTOBER 2026

wild. In neighborhoods with serious deer pressure, it pays to protect new plantings with repellent or netting for their first season while they toughen up.

Chinese Fringe Flower Jazz Hands®

Boxwood Neatball®

holds down the color story with burgundy foliage, and Jazz Hands® Variegated adds a swirl of pink and cream variegation topped with fuchsia blooms.

grows in a natural, compact globe and stays deep green through winter, no shearing required, hardy even into USDA zone 4b.

Then autumn delivers the showstopper: beautyberry (Callicarpa). Pearl Glam® Callicarpa x pairs dark purple foliage with clusters of berries in a shade of violet so saturated it hardly looks real. And through it all, boxwood (Buxus) quietly holds the structure together. Neatball® boxwood

A Word About the First Year

OCTOBER 2026

One honest footnote: a shrub fresh from the nursery is more tempting than one that has been in the ground a while. Containergrown plants are well watered and well fed, which makes their growth softer and more succulent than anything growing

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It’s also worth knowing what deer resistant plants won’t do. They won’t shield the vulnerable plants growing beside them. Deer will happily walk past your boxwood to reach your hydrangea. But fill the front line of your landscape with plants deer dislike, and you’ll spend a lot less time surveying the damage and a lot more time enjoying the view. The full lineup of Deer Proof varieties can be found in the Plant Guides section of the Proven Winners ColorChoice website. At the garden center, just look for the Deer Proof logo on the distinctive white Proven Winners containers, and let the deer take their appetite elsewhere. Natalie Carmolli is a Shrub Expert for Proven Winners® Color Choice® Shrubs. Photos courtesy Proven Winners®.

Gardening 101

Humidity and Temperature for Indoor Plants By Samantha Zale

ost houseplants originate from tropical or subtropical regions, making indoor environments challenging. Understanding humidity and temperature helps plants thrive rather than merely survive.

Humidity

Plant parents should know that humidity refers to moisture in the air. Dry indoor air—especially in winter—can cause brown leaf tips or slow growth. Simple solutions include grouping plants, using pebble trays, manual misting, or running humidifiers.

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When grouping plants together, you do want to be mindful of not crowding them together too much because this can create an environment for pests to easily spread. If you are not able to run humidifiers in your house, then manually misting the plants regularly and using trays filled with water & pebbles can help to increase the humidity level in the vicinity of the plants.

The pebbles help to raise the plants out of the water so their roots are not directly in contact. Not all houseplants like water in direct contact with their roots over the long term. A popular tropical brought indoors for the winter season is citrus. These plants need good air flow and shouldn’t be touching each other. They’ll often lose several leaves when first brought in and can continue to be sensitive to change even after that. Any slight shift in temperature, humidity, or watering habit can cause leaf drop, so consistency matters more with citrus than almost any other houseplant. Following these recommendations can help minimize the effect of the transition.

heat sources can dry out the air and bring down the humidity in the space and therefore dry out the plant prematurely. This is especially true in the winter months when there is a wide range of temperature swings, putting additional stress on the plant. This kind of additional stress can also make the plant an easier target for pests.

Advanced plant parents pay attention to microclimates. Bathrooms, kitchens, and areas with plant groupings often have higher humidity. Monitoring seasonal changes helps prevent stress.

Rather than chasing perfect conditions, aim for consistency. Plants adapt better to stable environments than constantly changing ones. As always, please swing by your local garden center and talk to those folks if you have further questions about your houseplants. Happy Gardening!

Temperature

Temperature stability matters more than exact numbers. Most houseplants prefer temperatures between 65–80°F and dislike drafts, heaters, and sudden fluctuations. These can be drafts from being close to a forced air vent, a window with a bad seal, or ceiling / floor fans. Heating the spaces that your plants will be is important to maintain the ideal temperatures, however, the plants need to be away from the source of the heat. This is because these

Samantha Zale has degrees in Horticulture, Anthropology and Biomedical Science. Over the years she has worked at The Missouri Botanical Garden, garden centers, and The Webster Groves Parks Department. Now you can find her at Greenscape Gardens, where she is a content creator as well as their Retail Manager!

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Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News Webster Groves Women’s Garden Association’s Gardens of the Month 2026

Hannah Hagar for 2026. 60 N. Gore Ave. Webster Groves, MO 314-962-3311 rollingridgenursery.com

Glow up your garden Serving St.Louis since 1959

Each month, The Webster Groves Women’s Garden Association (WGWGA) awards recognition to a homeowner in the city honoring the landscape as its Garden of the Month. Below are the recipients

The May Garden of the Month honor was presented to Hannah Hagar of 2 Cara Avenue. Over 10 years, Hannah has transformed a bare, rock-hard front yard and a backyard filled with orange daylilies into a charming cottage-style garden. Over the years, she’s added an extended deck and fence, installed a small pond, and planted a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and perennials, including veronica, lungwort, penstemon, salvia, wisteria, clematis, and several types of hosta. At the corner of the property, her “lollipop” cherry trees stand out—carefully shaped over time through pruning. She also treasures a group of 40-year-old peonies that came from her parents’ home, which she describes as “very special.” Another favorite spot is her small pond, tucked beneath a Japanese maple, with a butterfly garden now taking shape just behind it.

The June Garden of the Month was awarded to Richard Ficker at 916 Tuxedo Boulevard. A retired nurse with a lifelong passion for gardening, Richard has spent ‘sRichard Ficker the past 40 years transforming his Tuxedo neighborhood home into a serene, Zen-inspired landscape that complements his adobe-style house. Over the decades, he has thoughtfully adapted the property to overcome a variety of gardening challenges. The landscape features a diverse mix of plants, including a variety of hostas—from the miniature ‘Mouse Ears’ to the giant ‘Sum and Substance’—as well as hydrangeas, ninebark, heuchera, yarrow, sweetspire ‘Fizzy Mizzy’ and many others, along with a graceful Japanese yew. July’s awardees were Jeff and Idania Rombach of 43 Sylvester Avenue. Jeff and Idania “love flowers and bright colors” both inside and outside their home. Their garden mixes Missouri natives, hybrids, and perennials, with bright annuals in pots adding extra color as seasons change. Right now, the yard features hydrangeas,

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Dig This!

Gateway Gardeners and Businesses in the News roses, daisies, dark purple salvias, dahlias, black-eyed Susans, and hibiscus. In the spring, white iris from Jeff’s extended family bloom, addJeff and Idania Rombach ing a special family touch. An English-style garden with layered plantings and constant blooms, the Rombachs’ yard is a delight for neighbors who enjoy its color and variety.

Surviving August to gain recognition was Jen Getz of 215 Selma Ave. Jen’s cottage-style garden features a vibrant mix of native plants, perennials, annuals, vegetables and dwarf fruit trees. A white picket fence, WGWGA representative Cindy Moll, arbor, trellises and left, with Jen Getz. water features frame the densely planted landscape, which has gradually replaced much of the home’s original lawn. Personal touches throughout the garden include a thrifted miniature orange wheelbarrow planted with orange flowers, a nod to Webster Groves High School, and a bubbling water feature fashioned from part of a chimney top from Getz’s childhood home. Erin and Dan McCarthy’s Elmwood Avenue home earned September honors.The McCarthys have lived on Elmwood for five years. In that time, they replaced an ivy- and euonymus-covered front yard with a layered garden built for color, texture and wildlife. The planting plan emphasizes Missouri natives, including beautyberry, celandine poppy, coneflower, fennel, milkweed, OCTOBER 2026

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goldenrod and blue star amsonia. Non-natives and companions such as hydrangeas, alliums, cosmos, lilacs, hosta, butterfly bush, herbs, sedum, creeping Jenny and pumpkin vines fill in the gaps. Tucked along the side of the house, an arbor, an estatestyle fountain and Erin and Dan McCarthy a charming chicken hutch add structure and character. The space is also a family hub. The McCarthys’ two boys and two chickens each find their place in the garden.

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