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The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri.
Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical institutions in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. The Garden is a center for botanical research and science education of international repute, as well as an oasis in the city of St. Louis, with 31 ha (79 acres) of horticultural display. It includes a 5 ha (14 acre) Japanese strolling garden named Seiwa-en, the Climatron geodesic dome conservatory, a children's garden featuring a pioneer village and Osage camp, and garden founder Henry Shaw’s original 1850 estate home. It is adjacent to Tower Grove Park, another of Shaw’s legacies.
Every year the Garden is a place for many cultural festivals including the Japanese Festival and the Chinese Festival. During this time, there are showcases of the culture's botanics as well as cultural arts, crafts, music and food. The Garden is known for its Bonsai growing, which can be seen all year round, but is highlighted during the multiple Asian festivals. Major garden features include:
- Blanke Boxwood Garden (1996) - walled parterre with a fine boxwood collection.
- Climatron (1960) and Reflecting Pools - the world's first geodesic dome greenhouse; lowland rain forest with approximately 1500 plants.
- English Woodland Garden (1976) - aconite, azaleas, bluebells, dogwoods, hosta, trillium, etc., beneath tree canopy.
- Linnean House (1882) - Said to be the oldest continually operated greenhouse west of the Mississippi River. Originally Shaw's orangerie; converted largely to camellias in the late 1930's.
- Gladney Rose Garden (1915) - Circular rose garden with arbors.
- Grigg Nanjing Friendship Chinese Garden (1995) - Designed by architect Yong Pan; major features were gifts from sister city Nanjing, and include a moon gate, lotus gate, pavilion, and Chinese scholar's rocks from Tai Hu.
- Seiwa-en Japanese Garden (1977) - chisen kaiyu-shiki (wet strolling garden) with lawns and path set around a central lake (4.5 acres). Designed by Koichi Kawana.
- Tower Grove House (1849) and Herb Garden - Shaw's Victorian country house in the Italianate style, with tower over the central entry way.
- Victory of Science Over Ignorance - Marble statue by Carlo Nicoli; a copy of the original (1859) by Vincenzo Consani in the Pitti Palace, Florence.
See also
External links
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Climatron history and architecture
- The Japanese Garden
- BUILDING BIG: Databank: Climatron (pbs.org)
- Tower Grove Park
Botanical gardens in Missouri | Landmarks in Missouri | St. Louis, Missouri
"Missouri Botanical Garden"