Alley Asters
Alley asters is a volunteer-run ecological gardening program in St. Louis, Missouri, with the mission of beautifying the alleys of South City with native perennial plants. We convert unloved alley spaces into ecologically productive native habitat.
Why are alleys a good fit for this work?
- Community members tend to be less concerned (or not concerned at all) with the formality of alley plantings, which means they are more likely to allow these spaces to be converted to natives compared to their front/back gardens. Therefore, they're an excellent opporunity to introduce our community to native plants.
- Unloved alley spots often host invasive species, so this work allows us to remove them.
- Alley soil tends to be unimproved, allowing native plants to survive/thrive.
- Alleys are frequently used by local community members, offering neighbors an opportunity to deeply learn the lifeycle of native plants in their alley.
- As ecologist Doug Tallamy argues, a network of small native plantings distributed across a neighborhood is more resilient than a single large conservation plot — if one site is lost, the rest of the network continues to sustain local habitat and wildlife.
Our ecological goals:
- Create habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects with plantings that provide shelter and forage throughout the growing season.
- Provide food sources for birds through native seed-producing plants and the insect populations they support.
- Remove invasive species from neglected alley spaces to minimize their spread and impact.
How we engage the community:
- Signage at every garden identifying the native plant garden and its benefits.
- Collaborate with groups to put on native plant walks around Tower Grove South that feature our gardens as well as plantings in Tower Grove Park and along South Grand.
- Presentations, hosting school field trips, and other one-off events to introduce people to the value of native plants.
How to get involved:
- Interested in contributing/collaborating in any way? Send us an email at alleyasters [at] gmail [dot] com — we'd love to hear from you.
- Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on our meetups and volunteer events.
Who We Are
Myles Tan
Myles started Alley Asters when he fell in love with native plants in 2022 and ran out of space in his own yard to plant. A software engineer by day, what Myles lacks in knowledge and experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm for the cause.
Rachel Rigden
Rachel is a St. Louis born and raised science educator and primary school teacher. Her background in ecology and science outreach help Alley Asters engage with our community.
Laurie Sax
Laurie is a Missouri Master Naturalist, and is essential to our certification and grant writing efforts.
Beth Austin
Beth is a master gardener and brings decades of green industry experience to our team. Beth's wisdom and experience is invaluable in guiding our site implementations.
...and you!
We rely on the amazing people that come out to our social events to learn and help steward the sites, as well as the homeowners who allow us to plant on their property and contribute to our cause.
Gardens
3884 Connecticut St
First planted: Fall 2023
Removed: daylilies, chameleon plant
Initial planting: 30 plants
Size: ~100 sq. ft
Notes: The front of these beds are community herb gardens.
Initial planting (east bed)
1st year spring (east bed)
1st year summer (east bed)
1st year (west bed)
3891 Connecticut St
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: n/a - was bare dirt
Initial planting: 13 plants
Size: ~10 sq. ft
Before
Initial planting
3847 Connecticut St
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: hostas
Initial planting: 18 plants
Size: ~25 sq. ft
Before (east bed)
Initial planting
1st year
Before (west bed)
Initial planting
1st year
3614 Wyoming St
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: daylilies and grasses
Initial planting: 30 plants
Size: ~55 sq. ft
Before, trimmed (east bed)
Solarization
Initial planting
1st year
Before, trimmed (west bed)
Solarization
Initial planting
1st year
4020 Hartford St
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: n/a - mulched dirt
Initial planting: 30 plants
Size: ~55 sq. ft
During planting
Initial planting
1st year
3895 Connecticut St
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: misc weeds
Initial planting: 15 plants
Size: ~25 sq. ft
Notes: A butterfly garden is being attempted behind the recycling bin. Along the side of the garage, a less formal planting of golden ragwort and cliff goldenrod was used.
Before (east bed)
Cleared (east bed)
Initial planting (east bed)
Initial planting (west bed)
Mann Elementary
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: misc weeds
Initial planting: 130 plants
Size: ~200 sq. ft
Before
Solarization
Initial planting
1st year (spring)
1st year (summer)
4309 Norfolk
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: n/a - mulched dirt
Initial planting: 60 plants
Size: ~65 sq. ft
Initial planting
1st year (summer)
3807 Humphrey
First planted: spring 2025
Removed: n/a - bare dirt
Initial planting: 25 plants
Size: ~30 sq. ft
Before
Initial planting
3801 Humphrey
First planted: spring 2025
Removed: Tall grasses
Initial planting: 5 plants
Size: ~6 sq. ft
Initial planting
3711 Humphrey
First planted: spring 2025
Removed: bare dirt
Initial planting: 5 plants
Size: ~6 sq. ft
Before
Initial planting
3975 Wyoming
First planted: spring 2025
Removed: bare dirt
Initial planting: 10 plants
Size: ~6 sq. ft
Before
Initial planting
0th year (fall)
3920 Potomac
First planted: spring 2025
Removed: bare dirt
Initial planting: 10 plants
Size: ~12 sq. ft
Before
4045 Humphrey
First planted: fall 2024
Removed: grass
Initial planting: 60 plants
Size: ~100 sq. ft
Before
Initial planting
1st year (spring)
Thanks To
- St. Louis Native Plant Swap Facebook Group for being a constant source of volunteer plants!
- Dig Annuals and Perennails for their significant plant donations throughout our operation.