2009 Will Mark 150 Years For Missouri Botanical Gardens

By Karen Hagenow

St. Louis, MO - The Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), a renowned center for horticultural display and scientific research in the heart of St. Louis, celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2009.

The Garden opened to the public on June 15, 1859, making it the oldest botanical garden in continuous operation in the nation. The Garden will honor the occasion with activities and events throughout the year to celebrate the institution’s heritage and champion a sustainable future.

The anniversary theme, “Missouri Botanical Garden: Green for 150 Years,” acknowledges the institution’s past and present leadership in sustainability. Emerson, a global manufacturing and technology company based in St. Louis, is the presenting sponsor of the sesquicentennial celebration.

Celebrating the Garden’s Heritage
Henry Shaw, a native of Sheffield, England, came to St. Louis in 1819 and established a business selling hardware and cutlery on the Mississippi River. Thanks to the great westward expansion, his business boomed, and Shaw retired a wealthy man before he was 40 years old. He spent retirement touring the world, and was especially taken with the great gardens of Europe. Inspired, he set about creating a gift for his beloved City of St. Louis: the Missouri Botanical Garden. Today, the Garden showcases 79 acres of landscaped displays and historic structures.
In 2009, “Shaw’s Garden” will pay tribute to both its Victorian and St. Louis roots with a custom-created, 20-foot-by-20-foot floral clock. Floral clocks date back to 1903 in England, when they were popularized as a form of carpet bedding garden displays. In 1904, St. Louis was the site of a famous floral clock at the World’s Fair. The Garden’s floral clock showcases seasonal flowers of varying colors and textures, moving clock hands, and a working cuckoo bird chirping every quarter hour. The living spectacle is on display from April through October near the historic reflecting pools.
Shaw kept hand-written journals of his European travels in the 1850s, documenting the places he saw, foods he ate, books he read, and more. These never-before-seen travelogues are one of the few personal documents written by Shaw that exist today, and will be made public for the first time in 2009.
Glimpse history and experience Travels with Henry throughout the year by visiting the Garden’s Web site www.mobot.org for regular postings of Shaw’s journal entries.
When Shaw established the Missouri Botanical Garden “for all time for public good,” he could scarcely have imagined how the institution would change and grow over time. Take a cell phone audio tour of the Garden grounds to hear what he might say about his beloved Garden today. Listen as “Shaw” describes the landscape in 1859 to discover how the grounds have been enhanced over the past 150 years.
Gardens and plants may grow and change, but heirloom plants have stood the test of time. “Heirloom” plants have maintained their original traits for 50 years or more through open pollination by birds, wind, or other natural methods. The William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening will display several heirloom vegetables from the second half of the 19th century in its Family Vegetable Garden. Beets, cabbage, beans, eggplants, tomatoes and squash varieties grown from seed will reach peak bloom from late spring through summer.
The annual Orchid Show and Holiday Flower and Train Show will also look to the past for inspiration in 2009. Jan. 31 through Mar. 15, “Henry’s Garden” will feature 800 orchids from the Garden’s premier collection displayed in a formal Victorian setting. Stroll through lush greenery and past a courtyard fountain, admiring the Phalaenopsis, Cattleyas, Cymbidiums, Vandas, and more. Wrought iron lamp posts, urns, and benches will adorn the scene. The “Gardenland Express” will bid farewell to the sesquicentennial year with a tribute to 150 years of MBG. Colorful holiday blooms will surround Gscale model trains, traveling around mini-scenes of notable Garden structures surfaced with natural materials. The show chugs into town on Nov. 25, 2009 and ends Jan. 3, 2010.

Championing a Sustainable Future
Pledge to “Grow Green with the Garden” in 2009 by resolving to make sustainable lifestyle choices. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the resources available to future generations. Pick up a pledge card on-site or visit www.mobot.org to select one or more environmentally-friendly choices with quantifiable benefits to Earth. Monitor the program’s universal progress throughout the year inside the Ridgway Visitor Center.
Learn more about sustainable living at the green living expo. Visit the Brookings Interpretive Center from May 1 through Oct. 31 to peruse select booths showcasing goods, services and information with an environmental edge. The expo is an extension of a Garden-sponsored green living weekend at the Saint Louis Science Center in early spring 2009.
Learning to care for the planet isn’t just for grown-ups. Earth’s plants form the basis of life as we know it, providing oxygen, food, medicine, fuel, beauty, and much more. Children in kindergarten through twelfth grades can join the Garden to creatively spread the word about plant “superheroes” through the “Power of Plants” contest. Students are challenged to pick a plant that does great things for people and tell its story through a two- or three-dimensional work of art. Entries are due Jan. 31. Winning projects will be on display at the Garden through June 15. Visit www.mobot.org/power for contest information.
In 2009, the Garden will also offer a first-of-its-kind lecture series, “The Global Garden.” Six prominent experts will address today’s important issues impacting people, plants and the planet. The series reflects the Garden’s core objective to help people throughout the world conserve and manage Earth’s resources and ecosystems.

Experiencing the “Unseen Garden”
The Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) spans the globe in support of its mission “to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment, in order to preserve and enrich life.” It operates one of the three largest plant science programs in the world, with researchers in 36 countries on six continents. Learn more about this “Unseen Garden” of science and conservation efforts with new display panels illustrating the countries in the world where Garden programs are active. New signage on the grounds also informs visitors about plants that heal and help humankind, including species that are medicinal in nature or have other useful properties.
The Garden joins forces with the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University to present a two-day community celebration of plants on July 17 and 18. Business leaders and interested individuals are invited to attend a plant science symposium on Friday, focusing on the science, study, and business of plants in St. Louis’s “BioBelt” region. On Saturday, visitors can pay tribute to the healing power of plants like the rosy periwinkle (used to treat childhood leukemia) with engaging activities and informative offerings.
Several photographic exhibits in 2009 document the wide world of plants that the Garden works to conserve. Jan. 9 through Mar. 29, fine art orchid photography by Charles Rowden highlights the world’s largest flowering plant family. Apr. 3 through June 28, National Geographic’s “Through the Eyes of the Condor” features images from Latin America by renowned aerial photographer Robert B. Haas. July 3 through Sept. 30, “Madagascar,” showcases works by famed National Geographic nature photographer Frans Lanting. Oct. 1 through Nov. 15, “Losing Paradise? Endangered Plants Here and Around the World,” an exhibition of original artworks and illustrations by The American Society of Botanical Artists, reinforces the Garden’s work through the Center for Plant Conservation.

Commemorating 150 Years
The Garden’s commemoration of its sesquicentennial kicks off on Jan. 1 at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Ca. The City of St. Louis float, made possible by Anheuser-Busch, honors the 75th anniversary of the Budweiser Clydesdales and the 150th anniversary of the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Garden’s historic Linnean House conservatory, famous tropical water lilies, and a young Henry Shaw are surrounded by flowers on the Clydesdale-drawn display.
            The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park will present a historical exhibit of archival Garden images and artifacts from February through November. Download the exhibit podcast to an mp3 player to hear interpretive commentary about the Garden’s 150 years.
            MBG will host the 2009 American Public Gardens Association (APGA) annual conference in St. Louis, June 23 through 27. The gathering of public garden professionals from throughout North America will celebrate “The Global Garden” to honor 250 years of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 150 years of the Singapore Botanic Gardens; and 150 years of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
            From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Garden will keep its doors open late on Thursdays from 5 to 9 p.m. for sesquicentennial summer nights. Enjoy entertainment for all ages, or take a scenic stroll through blooming display gardens. Plan a daytime visit earlier in the year to see over 150,000 bulbs in springtime bloom to honor the historic anniversary.
            Own a piece of the Garden with signature souvenir merchandise from the Garden Gate Shop. The new coffee-table book, Missouri Botanical Garden: Green for 150 Years, illustrates the Garden’s history through rare, never-before-seen archival photos and contemporary images by noted garden photographer Ian Adams. Note cards, posters, ceramic mugs, and more feature a pencil and watercolor print created especially for the Garden by St. Louis artist Jon Pils. Go green with a Kleen Kantene bottle bearing the Garden’s founding year.

            The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis, less than 10 minutes from downtown and easily accessible from Interstate 44. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round; closed Dec. 25. Admission is $8 for adults and free for children ages 12 and under. St. Louis City and County residents enjoy discounted admission. Special rates apply for some events, exhibits and amenities.
            For more information, visit www.mobot.org or call the 24-hour recorded hotline at (314) 5779400 or toll-free, 1 (800) 642-8842.         

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, 150 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science, conservation, education and horticultural display. Missouri Botanical Garden: Green for 150 Years.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in St. Louis, just south of I-44 at Vandeventer-Kingshighway (exit #287B). Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Dec. 25. Grounds open at 7 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday. Admission is $8; free children ages 12 and under and Garden members. St. Louis City and County residents are $4 and free every Wednesday and Saturday until noon (exception: special admission rate events). Park for free on site and two blocks west at the Shaw-Vandeventer intersection. (Note: the Garden’s main vehicle entrance at 4344 Shaw Blvd. will be under construction from Oct. 2008 through Mar. 2009 for improvements. Follow signs to temporary parking lot entrances around the corners at 2019 Tower Grove Ave. and 1940 Alfred Ave.) The Garden is easily accessible by taking the MetroLink commuter rail line to the Central West End station and picking up a Metro bus (www.metrostlouis.org). For general information, log on to www.mobot.org or call the 24-hour recording at (314) 577-9400 or 1-800-642-8842. For membership information, call (314) 577-5118 during weekday business hours. For volunteer opportunities, call (314)-577-5187 or visit www.mobot.org/volunteer. The Missouri Botanical Garden is a tobacco-free environment.

(Note: A section of the I-64/U.S. 40 highway is under construction through 2009. Before traveling, check www.thenewi64.org for updates or visit www.GetAroundStL.com for other helpful information.)