Hi and Welcome, I am over in Warsaw near Truman Lake. I have found that the only way to plant here is by building flower beds or planting in containers. If I need to plant a shrub or tree need my son or husband with a pick and spud bar. I tried to put in and Iris bed when first moved here was impossible to dig. So I smoothed an area on the ground, put several wheelbarrow loads of dirt down, placed the Iris on top then covered them with more dirt. Worked out well. Have 8 Whiskey Barrels that I plant in, and am going to get more this year. You just need to be creative, I use just about anything that will hold dirt. Nancy

Nancy...thanks! My husband did use a pickaxe to get the small cedar tree and forsythia's in! hahaha....we filled the holes with tree&shrub soil from the garden center...

Wish us luck..I'm on a cove near the #44 MM. I love the lake but planting sure has become a chore...;-)

I'm doing window boxes this year too! Much easier!!

Thanks again!

I use boxes also. My son built me 3 for Mothers Day last year, they go over the railing on my front porch, the plan was in an issue of Birds and Blooms magazine. I plant them with Hummingbird plants since we have so many of them in this area. I hang hummer feeders above the boxes then sit on my porch swing and watch the show. They are such funny little birds. I planted a forsythia last year but it didn't take, was one I had started myself so this year am going to buy one already started and try that. Nancy

Hi All
Before we, the white man, invaded this area, there were thousands of species of absolutely magnificent wildflowers and grasses that had evolved and thrived in these Ozarks over millions of years. Check out Lewis and Clarks journal!
They still do exist, but you wont usually find them at the Wal Mart garden center. Take a walk at Ha Ha Tonka Park or any one of the many native prairies or glades around our state this summer Go to the Grow Native web site to envision the possibilities.
Why not plant stuff that wants to grow here rather than try to introduce some pampered cultivar from who knows where that was grown in a controled greenhouse environment and might not like it here.
Sorry to rant, but can you tell that I have a strong opinion on this?
Huzzah, Out!

Huzzah, alas that is true of the prarie area of Missouri but I am on a ridge where nothing grows under the trees but more trees. LOL. The first year here I spread thousands of wildflower seed, not one of them came up. Just not enough soil on top of the rocks. The trees seem able to just grow deep around the rocks. I saw a couple of large ones that got uprooted in a storm and there were very big rocks mixed into the root ball. Nancy

I do try to go native...since we see wild forsythia all over and cedar trees we figured those were good. I just wish instead of all the ant-eaten oaks we had to take down we could have had a dogwood or redbud! hahaha...I see them growing wild in the wooded areas too! So pretty in spring. Also cone flowers and iris seem to grow wild here too...I'm going to 'dirt up' the rock wall on our easement and try some of those. The rest I will just plant in boxes or large planters. We have a gentle slope to the lake and like I said a natural rock wall along the easement so it does lend itself to grass and just a few good things. No one had lived in our house full time before, just a weekend place so it was overgrown with trees. We had no driveway or any lawn at all. Most folks just do rocks but since we are 'full-timers' we figured we'd try a lawn. We took out 13 trees to make way for the drive and adding a screened in porch on lakeside. The saddest thing was a beautiful oak that was plunk in the middle of the drive area...I just hope with more room for the other oaks, hackberry, etc they'll come back to their glory!

I don't think that was a rant Huzzah, just good sense!

I appreciate any and all advice. We moved here from the coast of North Carolina and growing there is so very different! Not better, just different. I have to say though, that after growing up in Nebraska, Missouri is much better for yard gardening etc. (I don't 'do' vegetables, just flowers and shrubs) but the season is way way longer here and I like that!! :-D

It is way different growing native plants than most other species that you may have experienced.
most are perrenials that take several years before they will be mature enough to flower, but once established, they can return for many years.
Glades, prairies, savannahs, woodlands, are all common variations in the Missouri terrestial communities and all support unique flora.
Growing natives is not as simple as marigolds or petunias,
but t is worth looking into.
You might be pleasantly suprised by what can grow on a rocky ridge under oak trees.

I've just joined Garden Web, and am very interested in learning from all of you,
I've been trying to do perrenial gardens here since '02, and it's a challenge! I've got three raised beds, and have succeeded in getting the following things started in the native "soil". We had to use a pick and spud-bar for them. I've got Pampas, Maidenhair and Porcupine grasses started, and two Rugosa roses, both Ballerina. Also peonies, vinca, lily of the valley, and ajuga.
I also use 55 gallon barrels for climbing roses and clematis. It's been a struggle, and some perrenials don't do well even in the raised beds.
I'd like to know what types of fertilizers you find most effective around here. I'm at the 12 1/2 mile marker.
Thanks in advance.

I've got perennials all over..phlox, spirea, vinca, primroses, tulips, and iris, hosta, lily-of-the-valley, and of course the required day lilies!;-)I have a few azalea's just because my hubby loves them so. The one in the pot is just blooming now and the others are newly planted. They prefer shady areas so the verdict isn't in on them yet. I can't have roses because the deer eat them! We planted a japanese maple this year lake side also. I'm doing a butterfly bush this year. This is only our second growing season and it does take time, but perennials always do. Even in North Carolina where we came from hahah. I would like to try bleeding hearts and peonies next year. I think that's how we'll do it..plant a few each year and see what happens. I don't have a cutting garden though, and I do miss that. For annual's I do the planters and window boxes.

This year I have to say the phlox all along the driveway look so pretty! I love getting compliments too!!

Happy gardening!