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In the Footsteps of Humboldt

Alexander von Humboldt is one of the most influential people you’ve probably never heard of. Yet you’ve likely heard the name, whether you know it or not. His name adorns cities and schools, mountains and glaciers, and a dozen plants and animals including the Humboldt penguins at the St. Louis Zoo. When combined, there are…

Go Solar with Grow Solar STL

As we look to the future, solar power is one of the most promising energy sources. It’s efficient, it’s renewable, and St. Louis gets more than enough sunlight to be an ideal location. Perhaps the most significant downside of solar power is the cost of installation, which tends to be higher than other energy options….

Garden News and Notes: September 2019

Current Events Garden Party Lights Garden Treasure Hunt Leafing Through History: Plants That Make Paper Garden Named an Official Red List Partner The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has named the Garden an official partner presiding over the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™—the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation…

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 8)

Conservation work on the Peter H. Raven Library’s copy of The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala is almost complete! Follow along as we document this painstaking restoration of one of the largest and grandest volumes in the Garden’s rare book collection. The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala has been disbound, cleaned, mended, guarded and washed (at…

Picking the Perfect Plant for Your Dorm Room

For many, a college dorm is the first “home” outside of their parents’ house. It’s a place to call their own, and a place where they’ll spend much of their time as they start college. If you’re headed to college and getting ready to deck out your dorm, consider adding a houseplant to the mix….

The Garden Events Green Team

Zero Waste Ambassador volunteers help reduce the “waste line” of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s signature events. You can join this movement as a volunteer. It’s educational, impactful, shady and fun! Signature events like Japanese Festival and Best of Missouri Market are among the most popular activities at the Missouri Botanical Garden, offering thousands of visitors…

The Biggest Pest Problems of 2019

The Kemper Center for Home Gardening is the largest non-profit gardening information center of its kind in the nation. That means they get a lot of gardening questions every week. Many of those questions are about pests wreaking havoc on home gardeners. The type of pests doing the most damage varies from year to year,…

Leafing Through History: The Plants That Make Paper

After one year back in operation, the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum presents its first fully interdisciplinary exhibit: Leafing Through History: The Plants that Make Paper. “I know how intimidating a science museum can be to a non-science audience,” says Nezka Pfeifer, curator of the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum at the Missouri Botanical Garden….

Spotlight on Science: Matthew Albrecht

Dr. Matthew Albrecht, Associate Scientist Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development Growing up in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden was, of course, a destination for Matthew Albrecht on family outings. He always thought it was a great institution in his hometown, but it wasn’t until later that he grasped the impressive scope of its…

Plants of Demerit

Recently, the Kemper Center for Home Gardening shared a blog post on the 2019 Plants of Merit, which are easy to grow, noninvasive, ornamentally attractive, less susceptible to common problems like insects or diseases, and reasonably available to purchase. To really provide a full picture of what works, and doesn’t, in Missouri backyards, the Kemper…

Moon Trees and Space Gums

From moon trees to shuttle gums, trees are tied to the history of space exploration.

The Case for More Plantmoji

There are nearly 3,000 emoji available at your fingertips ☝️. These images depict everything from emotions 🤪 to animals 🦎, national flags 🇺🇸 to sports equipment 🏒. Emoji have become an integral part of how we communicate in a digital world 📱. Emoji have grown to be more diverse 👶🏻👩🏽‍🦱👨🏾‍🦱 and inclusive 👳🏼‍♂️👨🏿‍🌾👩‍🔬, at least…