MDC and partners host annual Native Landscaping Workshop and Plant Sale Feb. 28 at St. Louis Community College – Meramec

KIRKWOOD, Mo.— Attracting wildlife, reducing maintenance, and enjoying multi-seasonal beauty.  These are a few of the benefits homeowners discover when landscaping with Missouri’s native plants.  Planting natives can also make neighborhoods and communities greener and healthier. 

To help homeowners get started, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Partners for Native Landscaping are hosting the 2026 Native Landscaping Workshop and Plant Sale Saturday, Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will take place at the St. Louis Community College Meramec Campus in Kirkwood. 

This year, the event will feature keynote speaker Joey Santore.  Santore, an amateur naturalist, is known for hosting the popular YouTube Channel, Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't. 

“The Partners for Native Landscaping come together each year to present a program designed to inspire and help individuals create gardens that are beautiful and provide habitat for native wildlife,” said MDC Community Conservation Planner Aisha Muhammad. 

The workshop will begin at 8 a.m. with check-in and networking over coffee.  Participants should bring a reusable mug to reduce waste.  The program will be in the college’s theater.

Santore’s keynote address, "Native Plants as Infrastructure", will begin at 8:45 a.m.  Breakout sessions start at 10:45, and a guided tour of new facilities will run from noon – 1 p.m.

Native bare-root tree and shrub plants will be on sale throughout the workshop while supplies last.

Admission to the workshop is $10 and advanced online registration is required.  For more information and to register, go to http://short.mdc.mo.gov/owM.  

The St. Louis Community College – Meramec campus is located at 11333 Big Bend Road in Kirkwood. 

The 2026 Native Landscaping Workshop and Plant Sale is sponsored jointly by MDC, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s Project Clear, Shaw Nature Reserve, the St. Louis Community College Horticulture Program, the St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones, BiodiverseCity St. Louis and Grow Native!.

The Partners for Native Landscaping Workshop is part of MDC’s commitment to work with homeowners to sustain healthy and greener communities for both people and wildlife.

MDC is committed to accessibility at all its nature centers, regional facilities, and conservation areas. To request an ADA accommodation for participation in MDC programs, visit https://mdc.mo.gov/accessibility.