Imagine gathering America’s most intelligent and well-known scientists in topics like biology and botany, with support from gifted artists, photographers and technicians to do research in one geographic area. Good idea, right? Even today, that would be a challenging task. The Harriman Expedition to Alaska, led by wealthy railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman in 1899,…
Tag: History
White Redbud Has History at the Garden
Missouri’s native trees put on quite a show in spring, led by the fuchsia flush of the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). This understory tree can be found in parks, home landscapes, and along roadsides throughout the state. The dense clusters of tiny pink blooms are a reminder that warmer weather and longer days have finally…
Cruise the Botanical Streets of St. Louis
You can learn a lot about St. Louis simply by reading the signs. Street signs that is. The city’s unique mix of Native American, French, and German influences are prominently posted on street corners in neighborhoods north, south, and everywhere in between. There are streets named after wives, daughters, lawyers, landowners, famous places, cultural icons,…
Climatron 60: The Talking Orchid
Is some parched stranger crying out for help behind that palm tree? Not quite.
Henry Shaw House for Sale (No, Not That One)
It’s not every day you have the chance to live inside a home Henry Shaw built.
Plant Profile: Osage Orange
It’s one of the most eye-catching things you’ll ever see on the ground, but do you know the story behind it?
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…
Shaw Nature Reserve and Route 66
Almost immediately after it opened to traffic, Garden leaders looked to put their own stamp on Route 66.
St. Louis Plants
First opening its gates in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden has a rich history of connecting St. Louis with plants. But did you know St. Louis’ ties to plants also include multiple cultivars bearing its name? The following are stories of three cultivars linked to the Gateway to the West. Nymphaea ‘St. Louis’ Nymphaea ‘St….
Collection Connection: John Muir
Through the plants Muir collected, we can catch a glimpse of the Yosemite he first experienced more than a century ago.
40 Years of Friendship
Like the roots of a plant growing deeper over time, the bonds between siblings often strengthen with age. As 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the sister city partnership between the Missouri Botanical Garden’s home in St. Louis, Missouri, and the city of Nanjing in the People’s Republic of China, the Garden continues to play…
The Science of Looking: The Vast World of Botanical Art
Science and the arts are often treated like totally separate worlds, but the two are not incompatible. They have more in common than meets the eye. “Science and art are really intertwined,” says Nezka Pfeifer, Museum Curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum. “They’re not these two separate specializations like we sometimes…