In the colder, winter months indoor cacti bring a fresh breath of air to your home. The spiny plants require little care making them ideal for a sunny window space. We asked local landscapers to share their favorite cacti.

Easter Lily Cactus

“For months of colorful blossoms try the Easter Lily cactus. Large pink flowers burst out from the white spine-jeweled ribs of this cylinder-shaped cactus. It brings year-round beauty for containers indoors and out.” Ann Lapides, Sugar Creek Gardens.

A walk through the Shoenberg Temperate House is a lovely respite from the blustery St. Louis weather.  Dedicated in March 1990, the building replaced the 1913 Mediterranean House on a site just north of the Climatron® geodesic dome conservatory.  Boasting 8,900 square feet of space, it displays warm temperate-zone species requiring special protection from our St. Louis winters. The largest portion of the house features species from five widely separated regions of the world known for their “Mediterranean” climate, chiefly characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters.

Just approaching Dr. Deb Carlin’s front door is a treat. Stroll along the walk and you encounter a planter overflowing with greenery that looks just like a red-rubber boot. Step a few more feet and encounter a colorful glass bauble reflecting light. In the autumn watch for pumpkins and squash tucked in among the plants. At the festive front porch seasonal ribbons twine their way through the wrought-iron railings and pumpkins, squash and mums cascade down the steps.

When the inclement fall and winter weather keeps you from your outdoor gardening, bring the outdoors in with indoor houseplants. SLHL asked local landscapers to share their favorite indoor plants. 

Treat out-of-town holiday guests to a walk through the Climatron® at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Climatron is the first geodesic dome to be used as a conservatory, incorporating the principles of R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic system. The Climatron opened to the public on October 1, 1960. The Climatron has no interior support and no columns from floor to ceiling, allowing more light and space per square foot for plants than conventional designs.

Melissa Losos, and anyone who has viewed her garden and knows the story behind it, would agree. That the 2015 St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles' Garden of the Year is genius, there is no doubt. Twice on the Missouri Botanical Garden tour of private gardens, which occurs once every three years, the breathtaking, serene, one-acre parklike space resembles something one would encounter on a tour of the Orient rather than in a back yard in Central St. Louis County.