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Keeping Your Plants on the Bright Side

How to Make Sure Your Plant is Getting Enough Light in Winter The shortest day of the year has passed, but St. Louis days are still averaging only about 9 and a half hours of daylight. That’s a far cry from the summer solstice in June, a day when we see almost 15 hours of…

10 New Plant Species Described by the Missouri Botanical Garden in 2020

Each year, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Science and Conservation staff discover and name about 200 plant species new to science. That’s roughly 10 percent of all plant species discovered by scientists worldwide annually. Discovery is the first crucial step in plant conservation. Until a species is described, we cannot think about conservation status or ensure…

Botanical Books to add to your Holiday Wish List

Whether you’re already a plant enthusiast, or you’re looking to explore a new hobby in the new year, the holidays are the perfect time to stock up on plant books. With such a broad category, you may be struggling to narrow down your options. Leave it to the experts! The Earth in Her Hands: 75…

The Plantmoji Project: 2020 Updates

Gardening 🌿 teaches us many things, including patience and the acceptance of failures 🤦‍♀️. So too, it turns out, does emoji-making. In 2019 the Garden submitted 📩 a proposal for an official orchid emoji to the Unicode Consortium, the governing body that oversees emoji. One year later the orchid remains close to reaching its goal…

Cold Weather Kale and Cabbage

Cabbage and kale are popular cool-weather vegetables known for their many health benefits, but did you know these lovely leafy greens come in ornamental varieties, too? Ornamental cabbages and kales have showy, colorful foliage and are typically grown as annuals in fall container plantings or massed for a late-season bedding display. The leaves come in…

Plan a #Plantsgiving Feast

Turkey is the headline-grabbing star of most Thanksgiving meals. But plants are the real heavy-lifting heroes. From savory seasonings to sweet desserts, almost every dish on the dinner table will have at least one botanical ingredient. Whether you are preparing the food or just enjoying it this Thanksgiving, give thanks to the plants making this…

AIP Masters Program — Advancing Higher Ed Beyond the Classroom

As we search for ways to thrive along with the astounding biodiversity around us, some in St. Louis are expanding their understanding of human and ecological communities through the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP). AIP is a master’s degree program that links study at the Missouri Botanical Garden with online courses from Miami University in Ohio….

Scroll Through the Garden: October

See the Garden in its October colors in these 30 favorite photos of the month.

Storm Drains are for Rain

This year, many of us have been cooped up at home and are looking for new and interesting ways to get outside and help our communities. One Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) project, coordinated by the EarthWays Center, is providing scouts, families, municipalities, and just about anyone in the area with just such an…

National Geographic Honors Garden Researcher for Conservation Work in Madagascar

Jeannie Raharimampionona has dedicated her life to conserving the flora of her native Madagascar. With more than half of plant species facing extinction in Madagascar, some may find the never-ending work to save them to be too daunting. But Raharimampionona can’t imagine doing anything else. “Sometimes I think of each plant species as a gorgeous,…

Take Our Tree ID Quiz

These thorny questions may leaf you feeling nuts, but see if you can conquer these ten questions about trees.

Garden Study on Biodiversity Helps Focus Conservation Efforts

Around the world, tropical forests are disappearing at alarming rates. As conservations race against time to protect these ecosystems, it’s crucial to know where it would be most fruitful to focus their efforts. Key to that is data. While it has long been understood that Latin America is richer in plant species than tropical Africa, scientists…