Botanical Books for your Holiday Shopping List

Looking for a perfect gift for the green thumb on your gift list? Or how about a foodie, Garden enthusiast, or nature lover? Check out these book recommendations from the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Department, which might be just what you’re looking for. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Highly recommended by multiple members of…

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…

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 7)

Conservation work on the Peter H. Raven Library’s copy of The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala is underway! Follow along as we document this painstaking restoration of one of the largest and grandest volumes in the Garden’s rare book collection. As of March 2019, Bateman’s Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala had been surface cleaned, mended, filled…

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 5)

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. What Is Alum? Alum is an aluminum salt that has been used for hundreds of years to process…

From the Library: Context be Damned | Bacon’s New Atlantis

Francis Bacon is largely known for his Novum Organum Scientiarum (the philosophy that established the scientific method), Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Human (proposing that higher education of everyone is beneficial to society as a whole), and New Atlantis. It is this last tract in Bacon’s oeuvre that is most misunderstood—and in…

The Garden in 100 Objects: From the Iconic to the Rare

A new exhibit offers a fascinating firsthand look at Garden history through 100 unique objects. Objects help bring history to life, and with nearly 160 years of history behind the Missouri Botanical Garden, rich stories can be found in virtually every specimen, structure, and artifact in the Garden’s diverse collections.     For example, the…

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 4)

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 Peter H Raven Library’s copy of Bateman’s Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala was issued in several parts…

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 3)

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 Can Tear and Chip Paper is generally a very stable substrate for printing…

Collection Connection: Whiskey and Research

“There’s a deeper story to almost all of these,” says Ralph Haynes as he peers into a box of dried corn cobs. The co-founder of Pinckney Bend Distillery is meeting with Garden research staff, exploring the herbarium, and flipping through the pages of rare botanical books—taking a deeper look at the intersection of his passion…

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…

From the Library: Rebuilding the Bateman Book (Part 1)

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. James Bateman, a wealthy English orchid collector, was responsible for the creation of The Orchidaceae…

Give the Gift of the Garden

Struggling to find the perfect present for your favorite outdoor enthusiast or backyard horticulturist? Put some Garden in your gift giving with the help of our holiday gift guide. Garden Membership Treat your loved one to four seasons of fun with a gift membership for the Garden. Available at every membership level, gift memberships offer…