St. Louis Native Plants

Welcome!

Welcome to St. Louis Native Plants! We are a landscape consulting and design company that works with only native plants in an effort to have a positive impact on the environment & our local ecosystems. Through thoughtful planning, designing, and picking the right plants to match the site conditions, we can help you with tougher growing areas (bad drainage, poor soil, etc.) and bring vibrance and more local wildlife (including insects) to your yard. Designing & maintaining a native garden is like composing & conducting a symphony. Many parts of an orchestra are brought together to make a unified sound. Sometimes individual instruments may stand alone and shine; other times, the group sound is what’s notable. This is true for native garden design. We can bring together plants & practices to create a beautiful outdoor space where some plants might shine on their own, but together you’ll have beautiful composition of plants & practices that work together to best harmonize with their environment. That’s what we are here to help you do!

What We Can Do

We hope to provide helpful information and resources about the native plants of St. Louis, Missouri. We also offer services to anyone in the area looking for help regarding use of more native plants in their home landscapes.

Consultations: Coaching and ideas on plant species selection, appropriate placement, ecological/habitat consulting, sources to get plants and supplies, maintenance techniques, & other information to support your project.

Landscape Design: Everything the consultation includes as well as the design for the project, accompanied by a site plan with measurements & specifications, a basic maintenance guide, & time to go through all of it together in detail. We specialize in designs which are attractive to & supportive of wildlife while still aesthetically pleasing to people.

Education: Informational talks, presentations, classes or tours on native plants, wildlife and insects.

*Currently serving St. Louis City and County within the boundary of Highway 70 north, Mississippi River east, Highway 270 south and just outside of Highway 270 west.

The Person Behind the Plants

Susie Van de Riet loves sharing the benefits of native plants with others. She obtained her bachelor’s in Women’s Studies and AAS in Horticulture. She is an ISA Certified Arborist and an ANFT Certified Guide. Landscaping with native plants since 2009, she founded St. Louis Native Plants LLC in 2014, offering native landscape design, consultations, & education to homeowners. She recreates landscapes to work with their natural environment rather than against it and loves helping her clients to do the same.

Susie has volunteered with multiple organizations including Grow Native, St. Louis Audubon Society’s “Bring Conservation Home” program as a Habitat Advisor, Shutterbee, & Open Space StL. She is a member of Grow Native and Wild Ones and worked as an intern, gardener, & horticulturist at Forest Park for 5+ years. She attained Platinum Certification with the BCH program for her outdoor space at both her previous & current residence.

Her articles feature in notable publications such as Missouri Prairie Foundation and Wild Ones journals. Additionally, she has been interviewed on St. Louis Public Radio and designed a publicly accessible St. Louis Native Landscape for the National Wild Ones organization.

Publications

St. Louis Native Garden Design for Wild Ones

Purchasing Native Plants

Garden Heights Nursery in Richmond Heights
Greenscape Gardens in Ballwin
Missouri Wildflower Nursery in Jefferson City. They deliver too!
Papillon Perennials Contact them to place an order (pick-up available in Kirkwood or Robertsville).
Shaw Nature Reserve at the Spring and Fall Wildflower Sales.
Grow Native has a list of certified “Grow Native” nurseries.

*Be sure to call first if there are particular plants you are looking for*

Seeing Native Plants

Citygarden in downtown St. Louis features a beautiful combination of native and non-native plants with artistic sculptures.
Forest Park has a number of spaces to see almost any native plant habitat.
MO Natural & Conservation Areas
MO State Parks
Tower Grove Park Check out the Nee Kee Nee Stream!
Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit features a more manicured look in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden and more wild surroundings in the rest of the trails.