1CHOOSE
YOUR LOCATION Select a space with partial to full sun and choose native flowering plants according to your site conditions. Include both host plants for caterpillars and nectar-producing plants for adult butterflies. |
2
DESIGN
YOUR GARDEN Design your garden according to plant height and aesthetic preferences. For a formal look, create a border with bricks or rocks. For a more natural feel, forego a border altogether. |
3INSTALL & MAINTAIN YOUR GARDEN
Every garden needs periodic watering, weeding, and other seasonal maintenance. |
Materials Checklist
- HAND TOOLS (Tip: borrow from Brightside St. Louis)
- Gloves
- Shovels
- Rakes
- Trowels
- NATIVE PLANTS
- MULCH
- Keep moisture in and weeds out with 2-3" of hardwood or leaf mulch
- EDGING
- Option for a more formal look: Use bricks or rocks around your garden's edge
Local Resources
- BRIGHTSIDE ST. LOUIS
- Neighbors Naturescaping Grants
- MISSOURI PRAIRIE FOUNDATION
- Prairie Garden Small Grant
- GREEN CITY COALITION
- Funding & technical assistance
- NATIVE GARDENING INFO
- Grow Native!
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Shaw Nature Reserve
Design & Maintenance Tips
THE RIGHT CONDITIONS
Most butterfly-attracting plants need at least six hours of sunlight each day. When selecting native plants, choose ones that exhibit a variety of seasonal bloom times to ensure butterflies and other pollinators have nectar from spring until fall.
LIMIT YOUR SELECTION
Determine your area’s primary pollinator(s) and fill most of your garden with 1-2 plants that they like. Next, select 2 or more plants that attract other pollinators or native insects throughout different times of the year, and sprinkle them throughout the garden.
Most butterfly-attracting plants need at least six hours of sunlight each day. When selecting native plants, choose ones that exhibit a variety of seasonal bloom times to ensure butterflies and other pollinators have nectar from spring until fall.
LIMIT YOUR SELECTION
Determine your area’s primary pollinator(s) and fill most of your garden with 1-2 plants that they like. Next, select 2 or more plants that attract other pollinators or native insects throughout different times of the year, and sprinkle them throughout the garden.
MAP OF LOCAL PROJECTS
You can view the map legend by clicking the icon in the top left corner.
If you would like to add your community greening project to this map, please submit a contact form.
MEET THE TEAM
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St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative
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Green City Coalition
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Arbolope Studio
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The Vacancy Collaborative is a coalition of community representatives, private and nonprofit stakeholders, and City agencies, committed to reducing vacant property in the City of St. Louis. Reducing the negative impact of vacancy is a complex puzzle that requires coordination to achieve a shared vision. The Vacancy Collaborative is not a stand-alone entity—it was created to coordinate existing vacancy efforts under one umbrella, and to support the public and private sectors in working together toward comprehensive solutions.
The Reinvestment & Reuse Working Group, one of six collaborative working groups, focuses on identifying and promoting financial and sustainable solutions to equitably reinvest in vacant property. Topics include small contractor and rehabber development, financial reinvestment tools and historic preservation, and alternative land uses like those presented in this guide.
The Reinvestment & Reuse Working Group, one of six collaborative working groups, focuses on identifying and promoting financial and sustainable solutions to equitably reinvest in vacant property. Topics include small contractor and rehabber development, financial reinvestment tools and historic preservation, and alternative land uses like those presented in this guide.
Green City Coalition (GCC) is a collective initiative of state, city, community organizations, and neighbors working collaboratively to develop and conserve green spaces that promote healthy, vibrant and engaged St. Louis neighborhoods.
GCC has cooperative agreements with the Missouri Department of Conservation, City of St. Louis, St. Louis Development Corporation, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, and Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, with additional members varying by neighborhood, program, or project.
GCC has cooperative agreements with the Missouri Department of Conservation, City of St. Louis, St. Louis Development Corporation, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, and Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, with additional members varying by neighborhood, program, or project.
Arbolope Studio is an award-winning Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Public Art practice based in St. Louis, Missouri, focused on creating innovative and impactful landscapes that balance high-quality design, social equity, and environmental resilience.
Arbolope works with a variety of local, national and international clients including universities, institutions, corporations, and communities – at scales ranging from intimate landscapes to large urban plans.
Arbolope works with a variety of local, national and international clients including universities, institutions, corporations, and communities – at scales ranging from intimate landscapes to large urban plans.
If you have questions, comments, or additions for this toolkit, please submit a contact form.