Urban Roots
The St. Louis Planter Project
Donate About Urban Roots Plant Collections The St. Louis Planter Volunteer| Gateway Greening's efforts to enliven downtown St. Louis streets made a big splash in 2006 with the addition of The St. Louis Planter, a unique embellishment to a public plaza. |  |
Inspired by St. Louis' French heritage, the fleur-de-lis dominates a landscape planter unique to St. Louis. Conceived in 2004 by a Gateway Greening board member, the planter was designed by SWT Design, a landscape architecture firm, and crafted in 2006 by Cassilly and Cassilly studios. The first 14 St. Louis Planters for Kiener Plaza were made possible by funding from the Gateway Foundation.
Design criteria for creating The St. Louis Planter included a size appropriate for an urban-scale setting and the durability to withstand heavily used public spaces. The size needed to allow healthy growth of large-scale seasonal plantings. The appearance required clean, contemporary lines and an elegant reference to the rich history and heritage of St. Louis. The proportions were designed to allow for the creation of a 3-size set. The goal of The St. Louis Planter is to encourage enthusiastic community support.
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During their inaugural year, The St. Louis Planters at Kiener Plaza featured new introductions and uncommon tropical plant combinations. The summer plantings transitioned into a fall and winter display featuring the colors of World Champion St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, including flowering kale and decorative twig and berried branches. |
The professional design of the 2007 summer, fall and winter displays was donated by four Landscape and Nurserymen's Assocation of Greater St. Louis (LNAGSL) member companies. Maintenance of the displays will continue to be provided by St. Louis Master Gardeners and Gateway Professional Horticulturalist Association volunteers with contracted assistance by Horstmann Brothers Landscape Services.
As part of the “75 Years of Service” celebration, professional designers from eight LNAGSL member companies will bring living color to the St. Louis Planters at Kiener Plaza during the 2008 seasons. We are excited to have the participation of:
- Bowood Farms of St. Louis (Central West End), MO
- Effinger Garden Center of Belleville, IL
- Garden Heights Nursery of Richmond Heights, MO
- Greenscape Gardens of Manchester, MO
- Hillermann Nursery and Florist of Washington, MO
- Passiglia’s Nursery and Garden Center of Wildwood, MO
- The Garden Kingdom of Glen Carbon, IL
The St. Louis Planter has received recognition from Janis & Dave Murray's FOX2/KTVI Home Garden segment, St. Lous Post Dispatch, Suburban Journals, Gateway Gardener Magazine and other community publications.
The Parkway Edition, is a larger version (6'diameter) of the current Park Edition (4'diameter) to complement the streetscape environment. A pair of these planters now resides at the east end of Kiener Plaza, near the Broadway entrance.
St. Louis Planter Sponsorship Opportunity
Interested in sponsoring a St. Louis Planter to support additional planters in downtown St. Louis and throughout the gateway region? To learn more, contact Gwenne Hayes-Stewart by email or call 314-588-9600.
