Pumpkin Contest @ Kress Farm

The winner of the pumpkin decorating contest on October 17th, at the Fall Festival held at Kress Farm. It may have been cold but everyone had a great time. The chili was the best and the hot chocolate disappeared quickly. The festival is held the third Saturday of October every year.

New Find at Kress Farm on September Workday

While cleaning out a very large barberry patch at Kress Farm the Jefferson County Master Gardeners found an old "Fire Plug". It took several "young" master gardeners to moved the heavy old fire plug to a newly reclaimed area just outside the pavilion area. Dorothy Schuette renamed this area the "dogie park".

Old to New at Kress Farm

Bill Cannon has revamped the old pump house into a very useful garden shed. This is one of the original buildings at Kress Farm, now it has a new purpose. Bill spent many hours this summer reworking the building inside and out.

Bounty of Baby Boo Pumpkins at Kress Farm

Bunnie Gronborg of Festus, Mo. brought to Kress Farm Plant Sale the first Saturday of May three baby boo pumpkin plants. Two were sold and one was planted in the vegetable garden. This is the bounty of one plant. These will be sold at the Kress Farm Fall Pumpkins Festival on October 17, 2009.

New Flower Pot for Kress Farm

Mary and Ray Stroups of Barnhart, MO have donated an old apple butter kettle with stand to Kress Farm. Mary became a master gardener in 2008 with the Jefferson County Master Gardeners Program held every spring at Kress Farm. Mary has volunteer many hours at Kress and one day she thought the old apple butter pot in her front yard would make a great addition to the decor at Kress Farm. Mary wanted her "grandchildren to remember how much she enjoyed gardening" and helping the volunteers maintain the beauty at Kress Farm. Their son Jason helped moved the heavy kettle to the farm.

Daylillies have arrived at Kress Farm

Dennis Cordray, the owner of "Show Me More Daylilly Farm", has planted several daylillies of various cultivars at Kress Farm. Daylillies can be cut back and divided now to late fall. Cut back the tops to about 6 inches before transplanting in a sunny area.

Show Me More Daylilies Garden Tour

Dennis and Sharon Cordray the owners of "Show Me More Daylily Farm" will be adding to the flora at Kress Farm this summer with some of their fabulous daylilies. Dennis raises over 700 types of daylilies. He gave Kress Farm members a tour of his farm last month and delighted us with his assortment. Dr. Jay Kress advised members of Kress Farm that he has always had a fondness for daylilies, so come next summer Kress will have a great variety of cultivars blooming in early, mid and late summer. Daylilies have a wide range of colors and grow in any soil and blooming in either full sun or partial shade. Ideally, six hours of sunshine is preferred.

Day Lillies At Kress Family

Kress Farm Work Day

This Saturday is Kress Farm's workday! This is an important endeavor in that our dedicated members and Jefferson County Master Gardeners all put hands to dirt to keep Kress Farm looking beautiful year round. As with most garden clubs, the lack of beautification projects never seem to run out. We pull weeds, mulch, tend to the vegetable garden, sweep, transplant (if needed) and socialize with our fellow garden members (sometimes the "socialization" is the best part!). You would not believe how quickly time flies when the work group gathers! Grab your work gloves and join us on Saturday, August 8th from 9:00-1:00. Anytime you can make for Kress Farm would be greatly appreciated. You might also note that a lunch will be provided! (Isn't that an offer you can't refuse?) In the meantime, enjoy some more beautiful photos of Kress Farm.

Walking Through Kress Farm Garden Preserve

Taking a drive in the country means many things to many people. For Kress Farm members, "taking a drive in the country" is what we do every week when we visit or volunteer to work in the garden. From the minute you turn off the paved road to our gravel driveway, your burdens seem a little bit lighter. Feel free to take a walk through Kress Farm and you will see many hidden treasures, from the ornamental statuary, blooming flowers, various shrubs and trees to the creeping ground cover, cactus garden and pavilion. You can even walk the 2 mile trail that takes you past the pond and past a waterfall. Meanwhile, watch the bees in the field gathering nectar. Kress Farm is off-the-beaten path, and worth every bit of the effort.

Become A Jefferson County Master Gardener

Many of the members of Kress Farm Garden Preserve are Master Gardeners. They share a passion and delight in learning as much as possible about gardening. You can become a Master Gardener--and see more of Kress Farm in the process--as several of the classes are held at Kress Farm! The next Master Gardener program begins April 15th, 2010. Classes run for twelve weeks and take place on Wednesday evenings beginning at 6:30 p.m. A variety of subjects will be taught. More details will follow.

Community Service

In May 2009 the Kress Farm members partnered with Jefferson County Executives to put in a new garden at the county courthouse in Hillsboro. We had quite a project, but one worthy of our effort owing to the fact that there were Veteran's Memorials that were unkempt. The project took several site visits and a several days of prepping the ground. We used the "Lasagna Gardening" book as a guide and therefore, this alleviated the need for tilling and heavy digging. With help from several of our volunteers, you can see the before pictures and after--we feel this was a very worthwhile project many years to come!

Becoming A Member

Kress Farm Garden Club welcomes anyone sharing our philosophy of preserving and protecting nature. Dues are $35.00 per year. Members are encouraged to help with the upkeep of the grounds and participate in club activities. Please membership payment to: Kress Farm Garden Preserve, 5137 Glade Chapel Road, Hillsboro, Missouri 63050. All contributions are tax deductible as provided by the law.

Ozark Regional Land Trust

In 2005, Kress Farm Garden club members voted to join forces with the Ozark Regional Land Trust. This joint venture assures us that the property can never be developed for housing or commercial ventures. The land trust protects the perimeter of the property yet allows us to continue with our own plans and programming.

Dr. Jacob Kress, Founder

Dr. Jacob Kress is the man behind the drive to preserve Kress Farm. He was born in Piqua, Kansas in 1923. He came to St. Louis in 1944 as a soldier assigned to Jefferson Barracks. In 1945 he entered the St. Louis University School of Dentistry. Subsequently, he practiced in South St. Louis County for 26 years. Dr. Kress purchased the present property in 1961 and along with his long time friend Warren Lorella, worked tirelessly to make the farm what it is today.

The History of Kress Farm Garden Preserve

The Kress Farm Garden Club was founded by Dr. Jacob Kress in 1997. Since then, a small, but dedicated group have undertaken the task of preserving the 150 acres of woods, fields, and gardens into posterity so that generations to follow will have the opportunity to contemplate, study and observe nature and wildlife.

Welcome to Kress Farm

Welcome to the new Kress Farm blog. Kress Farm Garden Preserve's mission is to plan and preserve Kress Farm in its entirety by conserving native plants and wildlife habitat for the future education of the greater community. Kress Farm values gardens, wildlife and stewardship of the land.