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Time for Tulips

Bursting into beautiful, vibrant blooms each April, tulips have become synonymous with spring. Tulips, or tulipa, are part of the lily family, Liliaceae. Although commonly associated with the Netherlands, their native range is actually in Central Asia and Southern Europe. Tulipa includes more than 100 different species, thousands of varieties, and flowers in many vivid…

Controlling Common Insect Pests in Your Garden

Spring means new life and new beginnings, not only for plants but also for the insects that have evolved to eat them. Dealing with insect pests is best done when populations are small and before infestations get out of hand. As we here at the William T. Kemper Home Gardening Center look ahead to a busy growing season, we…

Herbs of the Mediterranean

The St. Louis Herb Society Herb Sale returns to the Missouri Botanical Garden with a focus on Mediterranean herbs.

Chemical-Free Weed Control

Spring is upon us, and the signs of the changing seasons are all around: tulip leaves poking out of the soil, blooming magnolias, and weeds appearing in garden beds. This early in the season, these weeds seem innocuous enough, but soon they will be blooming and forming seed. Here are our tips for controlling unwanted…

Grafting the Grape: Behind the Artwork

Grafting The Grape: American Grapevine Rootstock in Missouri and the World is currently installed in the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, which is open for visitors Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30am-4:30pm. The exhibition content is available online through the Garden YouTube channel and the Museum Twitter account and Instagram account. Please check the Museum site for updates and…

Starting Seeds Inside in Winter

As cold temperatures and snow and ice persist, late winter has many gardeners missing their time planting outdoors. But this period is the perfect time to start planting certain vegetable seeds indoors. The William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening shares the following advice on seeding indoors in late winter. Seeds to start Cool season…

Critically Endangered Agave pelona Blooms in Garden Greenhouses

It was late January when Jared Chauncey, Senior Horticulturist and arid plant expert at the Missouri Botanical Garden, noticed that something extraordinary was about to happen: an Agave pelona was sending up a flowering stalk. It was about to bloom. These plants live for decades before sending up the only bloom of their lifetime—they are…

Bioculture: Plants and People Interacting

People and plants have been sharing the planet for a very long time, and, through the ages, a great number of plants have become important to human culture. The Garden’s William L. Brown Center is thrilled to present a free talk series that focuses on that relationship. The series, called Bioculture: Plants and People Interacting,…

Plastic Pot Recycling: Update and Perspective

Missouri Botanical Garden has been tracking and supporting plastic pot recycling issues and options for many years. This spring, we regret to report that public plastic pot recycling will not resume. Wasn’t Plastic Pot Recycling “suspended” for 2020-21? Why is it being ended now? The collection program did not re-start as usual in spring 2020,…

New Orchid Species Discovered by the Missouri Botanical Garden

In the Missouri Botanical Garden’s more than 160-year history, Garden scientists have discovered and named hundreds of new species of orchids. Most recently, the Garden’s orchid team in Africa and Madagascar, led by Garden Scientist Tariq Stevart, has taken the lead in orchid discovery. In the past, the Garden’s efforts focused on New World tropical…

Winter is for Witch Hazel

Winter can be a bleak time for your landscape, with leafless trees and few flowers in sight. To add a pop of color to a dreary winter yard, consider a Missouri native: witch hazel. About the plant: Hamamelis vernalis is commonly called Ozark witch hazel or vernal witch hazel. Its specific epithet vernalis means “spring…

Virtual Orchid Show

Most years, the Missouri Botanical Garden Orchid Show offers visitors the chance to see the Garden’s expansive orchid collection while it is at its most dazzling—right now is the time of year that many orchids bloom. This year, the Orchid Show is on hold while construction of the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center is…