South Grand Business District (Arsenal to Utah Street)
St. Louis, MO
Photo of Pretty City maintaining the planting: Michael Kilfoy (Studio X)
Size: 6.5 city blocks, a parking lot, and pocket park
Year established: 2013
Year inducted: 2022
Category: Professionally managed with volunteer assistance
Maintained by: Pretty City Gardens and Landscapes and Hansen’s Trees Service
Entrance Fee: Free
Description: The gardens of South Grand Business District in the heart of South City consist of 14 rain gardens and a total of 32 bump-outs along 6.5 city blocks between Arsenal and Utah Street, and also include a parking lot along with some natives in Ritz Park — a pocket park. All of the gardens are directly in the sun. Parts of the garden are more formal and demonstrate how the native plants grow in and are affected by the urban environment, and other areas are more wild. Butterflies, bees and rabbits have been spotted in the garden, and the plants serve as hosts for caterpillars for numerous species of butterflies and moths.
Maintenance is twice a month from March to December. Pretty City Gardens and Landscapes is contracted to maintain all the native plants, and Hansen’s Tree Service is contracted to trim the trees in the winter when needed. Pretty City Gardens and Landscapes monitors the natives to make sure they do not get aggressive and overwhelm the gardens. Mulch is applied to the district gardens in March or April, although over the years, much less mulch has been applied. In December, the natives are cut back slightly but with enough seedheads remaining to allow to allow plentiful seeds for wildlife. Once a month from March to December there is a volunteer day when the South Grand EcoCrew assists with maintenance, which helps offset costs and educates the community about the importance of native plants and how they play a vital role in our ecosystem.
What Makes this Garden Excellent:
This garden’s location in a busy and dense metropolitan area in the midst of heavy car traffic makes it an excellent demonstration site to show how native plants can be utilized effectively in an urban environment. The rain gardens demonstrate how native plants can contribute to filtering pollutants and capturing stormwater in areas dominated by hard surfaces, while also providing valuable habitat for urban wildlife. South Grand Boulevard is also one of the “Great Places in America,” as designated by the American Planning Association.
Ten Great Native Plants to See Here:
Amsonia illustris (Shining blue star)
Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats grama)
Carex muskingumensis (Palm sedge)
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf coreopsis)
Dalea purpurea (Purple prairie clover)
Pycnanthemum teniufolium (Slender mountain mint)
Ratibida pinnata (Gray-head coneflower)
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little bluestem)
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed)
Symphyotrichum oblongifolum (Aromatic aster)
Signage: Six walking tour signs throughout the district explain how the 14 rain gardens help capture stormwater.
Accessibility: ADA-compliant sidewalks with crosswalks and ADA parking at intersections. There is fencing around the rain gardens for safety.
Location:
3012-3310 South Grand Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63118
(also the South Grand Parking Lot located at 3500 Hartford and Ritz Park pocket park at 3147-3151 South Grand)
Coordinates:
38°35’57.2″N 90°14’32.9″W
38.599217, -90.242483