I am going to take a few posts to share with you where we went and what we saw. I didn't get pictures of everything because there are some places that you just have to see. Plus, I was using a 35mm film camera I haven't used in over 15 years and forgot how to turn off the flash. Oops.
Our first stop was in St. Louis, Missouri. We didn't go to the arch, we didn't go see any of the sports venues, we didn't go to a brewery. Shocker as St. Louis is home to Anheuser-Bush. Nope, we went to the Missouri Botanical Garden. If you have any love for the botanical arts, I highly recommend a visit here.
The garden was founded in 1859 by Henry Shaw on his property. It is one of oldest and continuously run botanical gardens in the country. Mr. Shaw began life in St. Louis selling hardware and cutlery, expanding into other fields as the city grew around him. He built his country home on this property and it became known at Tower Grove House. The house still stands today and visitors are encouraged to explore it to their delight.
The gardens are on 79 acres of land and house more variety than I think I have ever had the privilege to see in one space. There are 39 points of interest listed on the garden map. The themed gardens include the Bavarian Garden, the Japanese Garden, the English Woodland Garden, and our favorite, the Bulb Gardens. The Bulb Gardens include a garden dedicated to Daylilies and one to Irises.
The Bulb Gardens are a joy to behold. They are home to more than 1,500 irises and 1,800 daylilies. My husband nearly burst looking at all of the varieties available. Several we have in our own garden at home.
The English Woodland Garden was a lovely shade garden over 3 acres. The trails are almost hidden, and seem to be well hidden making this a needed respite from other visitors. This would be a beautiful place for proposal or a moment of peace.
Near the back of the garden is the Center for Home Gardening. This building houses information for creating your own garden at home. We found two interesting things here. In one section of the building were windows facing three directions, and within these windows were houseplants that grow best in those particular directions. The other place we spent quite a bit of time was the beehive. There is a glass enclosed beehive where you can watch the bees do their thing. It was fun to watch them fill each comb with honey, and how the chambers look different for honey as opposed to those for young.
The Climatron is glass dome filled with a wonderful assortment of tropical plants. We saw how things like cashews, pomegranate, and pepper grow. There are of course a lot of other fruit plants and trees there as well. The orchids abound in this greenhouse. Pay attention because it's easy to miss most of them. They are growing in every corner and from nearly every tree. The bromiliads are breathtaking.
Overall we had a wonderful visit. It was hot the day we were there, but there is an abundance of very large shade trees to help keep you out of the sun. Some of the trees have been there since the 1904 Worlds Fair! How cool is that? The cost of admission is so reasonable considering the immensity of the grounds. All in all it was a place that we will happily return and encourage you to do the same.
