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Roses in Your Garden

Revered for its beauty, the rose has long been a popular flower among everyone from royals to home gardeners. They can be difficult to maintain, but the payoff of charming flowers is well worth the effort. Whether you’re trying to maintain the splendor of your existing roses or add more beauty to your garden, spring…

Plant Profile: Hops

Stop by the beer aisle at your local grocery store and you’ll find dozens, if not hundreds, of brands, styles, and flavors of beer to choose from. The selection can range from classic American lagers to stouts to more adventurous choices like imperial India pale ales. Despite the diversity, nearly all beers share the same…

20 Things to Love About the Butterfly House

It started small. The idea hatched in Evelyn E. Newman’s mind in 1993. Five short years later, the Butterfly House opened to the public at Faust Park in Chesterfield, Missouri, and visitors were introduced to the beauty and ecological importance of butterflies in a setting like no other. Shortly after opening its doors, the Butterfly…

Spotlight on Science: Dr. Christine Edwards

A monthly look at the people behind plant science at the Missouri Botanical Garden Dr. Christine Edwards Stephen and Camilla Brauer Conservation Geneticist Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development When Christy Edwards was about 8 years old, she would often accompany her mom, who was pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture, on field trips…

Answers to Your Recycling Questions

If the approach of Earth Day has recycling on your mind, you may be pondering some common questions. What exactly can be recycled? What do I do with items that can’t be recycled? Do I need to take any steps before recycling an item? Here are a few answers from the Garden’s EarthWays Center that…

Planting a New Tree

National Arbor Day isn’t until the end of April, but you can celebrate early with the annual Missouri Arbor Day Tree Giveaway at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Whether you pick up one of the native Missouri tree saplings available at the Garden’s Kemper Center or acquire one elsewhere, you may be a bit nervous about planting your…

Spotlight on Science: Tom Croat

A monthly look at the people behind plant science at the Missouri Botanical Garden Dr. Tom Croat P.A. Schulze Curator of Botany Tom Croat has been called the Indiana Jones of botany, and when you hear him describe his collecting journeys to the Tropics, it fits. Croat, 80, has spent about a third of his…

Plant Profile: Cacao

There are few plants whose scientific name translates as “food of the gods,” but the Greek name for cacao—Theobroma cacao —does. It makes sense that this plant, famous for being the key ingredient in modern day chocolate, has become important for many cultures around the world. Ethnobotany: The study of the relationships between people and…

Early Spring in Your Garden

Slowly but surely, temperatures outside are warming and spring is on the horizon. The change might have you thinking about your garden, especially those popular spring bulbs. You may already be seeing some flowers from early spring bloomers, like snowdrops, winter aconite or Siberian squill. The best part of this time of year is that,…

Team Spirit Garden: Cardinals

Whether you bleed blue or root for the redbirds, use your green thumb to highlight your love for our hometown teams. Garden horticulturist and St. Louis sports fan Tyler Prestien has assembled an all-star lineup for your home garden with a simple theme in mind — local teams, local plants. While these designs are divided…

Team Spirit Garden: Blues

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 2)

Conservation work on the Peter H. Raven Library’s copy of The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala has begun! Follow along as we document this painstaking restoration of one of the largest and grandest volumes in the Garden’s rare book collection. The Pages of Books Get Dirty Liquid spills, soiled hands, coal-burning furnaces, oil-burning lamps, drops to the…