SPRING AT THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

ST. LOUIS):  Spring is just weeks away and the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the loveliest – and busiest – places to visit when leaves and blossoms emerge! From vibrant bulbs and delicate flowering trees to activities for all ages, the Garden is full of ways to “get growing” again.

As winter’s last chill shivers through, the indoor respite of the annual Orchid Show draws thousands to see the Garden’s amazing collection. Hundreds of exotic, rare and fragrant blooms grow among tropical plants and scenes inspired by children’s Storybook Classics, Feb. 2 through Mar. 16.  The historic Linnean House conservatory is a great place to bring your sweetheart in mid- to late February, when camellias and sweetly fragrant olive and jasmine are in bloom. Jump-start your home gardening plans with tips from the experts at the Gardening Blitz, Feb. 23 and 24. Choose from 20 of the Garden’s most popular classes in one weekend. Register in advance at (314) 577-9441.

Snowdrops and crocus are the first signs of spring to appear in early March at the Garden’s south end, near founder Henry Shaw’s mausoleum. Nearby, Shaw’s original country estate, Tower Grove House, re-opens for the season on Mar. 1 with a new audio commentary this year.

Mid- to late March heralds the arrival of the renowned daffodil (Narcissus) collection of nearly 1,000 varieties. It is the first in the U.S. to be honored as an American Daffodil Society Sanctioned Display Garden. Witch-hazels, magnolia trees and forsythia buds start to open in early spring. Share the view with your little one and enroll in Strollerobics, Little Sprouts or Garden Buds programs, which begin in March. See the Garden in a new light at the photography exhibition, The Garden at Night by Linda Rutenberg, Mar. 21 through May 18.

Gorgeous pink and white blossoms on the Japanese Garden’s yoshino cherry trees are always a highlight of late March to early April. Tens of thousands of tulips in the Samuels and Heckman Bulb Gardens create a spectacular display of spring color in April.

On Apr. 1, the Doris I. Schnuck Children’s Garden: A Missouri Adventure reopens for the season. New in 2008, St. Louis City and County residents are admitted to the Children’s Garden free on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon. Thirty-minute narrated tram tours of the Garden grounds also resume in April.

Stop by the Kemper Center for Home Gardening on Apr. 4 for its Arbor Day tree giveaway. Shumard oak, bald cypress and blackgum tree saplings will be given away while supplies last starting at 9 a.m. From Apr. 16 through 19, “Herb Days” offer a huge selection of potted fresh herbs, with expert advice and demonstrations by the St. Louis Herb Society. On Apr. 19, learn how to protect our planet at Earth Day, which includes behind-the-scenes greenhouse tours at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

In mid- to late April, look for azaleas in many colors, followed by rhododendrons, and showy tree peonies in the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. The Niki exhibition opens on Apr. 27 with 39 imaginative mosaic and painted sculptures by fine artist Niki de Saint Phalle throughout the grounds through October. “Niki Nights,” on Thursday evenings, begin in May.

Hundreds of iris cultivars in the rainbow-shaped Goodman Iris Garden are especially lovely around Mother’s Day. On May 8, shop the annual Greenhouse Plant Sale for a large and interesting variety of plants grown by the Garden’s horticulturists. On May 17 and 18, Chinese Culture Days offer a weekend of entertainment that includes special tours of the Chinese Garden, a 70-foot dancing dragon leads a Grand Parade, a food court and much more.

Search for current plants in bloom, answers to gardening questions, recommended Plants of Merit for home gardens, class information and more at www.gardeninghelp.org. Horticulture Answer Service experts are on hand Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at (314) 577-5143.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis. Admission is $8 adults (St. Louis City and County residents, $4 adults, $2 seniors). Children 12 and under are free. Special rates apply for some events and amenities. Visit www.mobot.org for details or call the recorded line at (314) 577-9400. 

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NOTE: Check the online Media Room for downloadable news releases and images at www.mobot.org/press.

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s mission is “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life.” Today, 149 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in St. Louis, just south of Interstate 44 at the Vandeventer-Kingshighway exit. (Note: A section of the I-64/U.S. 40 highway is under construction through 2009. Before traveling, check www.thenewi64.org for updates. Go to www.GetAroundStL.com for other helpful information.) The Garden is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Christmas, Dec. 25. Grounds open at 7 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday. Admission is $8 (St. Louis City and County residents pay $4 ages 13-64; $2 age 65+); free children age 12 and under, and members. Admission is free for [Back to Press Releases Main]