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        The license plate on his Toyota Tacoma pickup reads “conifer.” That is really all you need to know. Confers are Kerry Wright’s gardening passion. Simply described as “cone-bearing trees with evergreen needlelike or scalelike leaves,” Kerry’s spectacular, manicured one-acre garden near Festus is home to more than 500 varieties of conifers. They are beautifully woven into a lush textural tapestry incorporating sculpture, antique artifacts, stone pillars, perennials and annuals.

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    All of November

    Continue watering evergreens until the ground freezes. Soils must not be dry when winter arrives. 

    Remove the spent flowers and foliage of perennials after they are damaged by frost.

    November 1 – 15

    Fallen, spoiled or mummified fruits should be cleaned up from the garden and destroyed by burying.

    Plant tulips now.

    November 15 – 30

    Set up bird feeders. Birds appreciate a source of unfrozen drinking water during the winter.

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    The half-acre that fronts Diana and Craig Plahn’s contemporary home in the heavily forested Sugar Creek Valley in Kirkwood is filled with winding pathways, long stretches of colorful perennials and banks of glowing, green hostas. Retaining walls, spilling over with trailing sedum, resemble fluid green waterfalls. Evergreens, shrubs and small trees with interesting architectural shapes anchor the beds and provide height and structure to the garden. A small stream tumbling over rocks and splashing into a pond filled with waterlilies brings the soothing sound of water into the landscape.

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    All of August: Annuals may appear leggy and worn now. These can be cut back hard and fertilized to produce a new flush of bloom. Soak shrubs periodically during dry spells with enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of 8-10 inches.

    August 1 - 15: Madonna lilies, bleeding heart (Dicentra) and bloodroot (Sanguinaria) can be divided and replanted.

    August 1 - 15: Sow seeds of beans, beets, spinach and turnips now for the fall garden. Spinach may germinate better if seeds are refrigerated for one week before planting.

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    Thirty years ago, when Karen and Bob Noyes purchased their Brentwood home, the house needed some TLC. But oh, that row of hostas along the back fence; they caught Karen's eye and it was love at first sight. "I think I wanted the hostas more than I wanted the house," she ruefully admits.

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    Beyond water and sunlight, gardeners know that time, patience and a little planning are imperative to a beautiful and healthy landscape.  They also know that sitting back and waiting for the product of their toil to spring from the soil is painstaking, especially when plantings are new and the garden requires actual years to take shape. 

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