Missouri Botanical Garden

The Garden is open all holiday weekend long (Monday included!). Make sure to stop by the Lehmann Rose Garden and Gladney Rose Garden on your visitthe roses are showing off right now. Reserve your tickets at mobot.org/visit : Cassidy Moody

The 2021 Plants of Merit are here! Plants of Merit are chosen for outstanding quality and dependable performance in Missouri, southern and central Illinois, and the Kansas City metro area. If gardening is on your agenda this holiday weekend, this list is a must-read.

-, the Japanese Garden, is a favorite spot of many Missouri Botanical Garden visitors. In these excerpts from his autobiography, Dr. Raven remembers how it grew from just an idea and became the magnificent space it is today. The full autobiography is available for purchase at mbgpress.org.

Starting June 3, you can spend your Thursday and Friday evenings in the Garden at Origami After Hours. Whether enjoying an after-work walk, spending quality time with the family, or meeting friends for a patio drink and live music, join us all summer long to experience the stunning large-scale sculptures of OrigamiintheGarden as the sun goes down. Learn more and reserve your tickets at the link below:

Peonies are still in full swing at the Garden, but they won't stick around long. This is the week to see them! Visit mobot.org/visit to reserve your tickets. : Kristina Schall DeYong

Join our hosts for a virtual tour to see the Goodman Iris Garden at the peak of its bloom. Also on the tour: peonies, orchids, and the Victoria water lilies' first appearance of the season.

Today's the day, St. Louis! This #GiveSTLDay, visit givestlday.org/mobot to support our commitment to enrich lives and protect our environment. : Cassidy Moody

#GiveSTLDay is this Thursday! Donate early or the day of at https://www.givestlday.org/mobot to support the Garden's commitment to enrich lives and protect our environment. : Cassidy Moody

Columbine is in bloom at the Garden. This particular species, , is known as Utah columbine. : Tom Incrocci

Here's a throwback for your Thursday afternoon: this photo from our archives features a crowd attending the 1970 Orchid Show. The Missouri Botanical Garden has a long and proud history of involvement with orchids. The first specimens were given to Henry Shaw in 1876 by Mrs. Henry T. Blow. Her collection was the result of plants collected in Brazil by her husband while he served as Minister to Brazil under President Grant. The collection grew steadily until 1918, when the largest public display of orchids ever held in St. Louis was held at the Christmas Show. #tbt #VirtualOrchidShow

Cattleyas are the beautiful, showy orchids that helped to jumpstart the Garden's orchid collection. In the 1920s, prominent horticulturist George Henry Pring, then the Missouri Botanical Garden superintendent, was enamored with these flowers on a trip to Panama and Columbia and returned with thousands of these orchids. It's easy to see why Pring was drawn to them; their decadent, ruffled petals are magnificent. Their appeal has made them a longtime favorite, and in the 1950s and 60s, cattleyas became a popular flower for corsages, giving them their common name, "corsage orchid." #VirtualOrchidShow : Claire Cohen, Tom Incrocci

This Thursday and Friday, the Garden is offering free admission when you use the code CHILLY21 at checkout so that you can escape the single-digit temperatures and take a trip to the Climatron, where orchids are on display all year long. Get your free tickets at mobot.org/visit. Our horticulturists work to feature a wide variety of orchids in the Climatron throughout the year by changing out the displays every week to highlight new flowers. You'll notice that some orchids are... displayed in the trees in the Climatron, so look up into the branches to spot them! They are arranged this way to mimic the way that epiphytic orchids grow in the wild (an epiphytic orchid is one that grows on another plant). Epiphytic orchids are not parasiticthey don't take any nutrients or resources from the plants they choose to grow on; they simply use them for support. #VirtualOrchidShow Tom Incrocci, Trenton Almgren-Davis

Did you know that the vanilla extract you have in your kitchen came from an orchid? In the wild, vanilla orchid vines can grow 6080 feet up a tree, and it is only when they turn around and grow back downward that they will begin flowering and produce the pods from which vanilla can be collected. Between growing time, ripening, hand-pollination, and harvest, collecting vanilla is a very lengthy process, which is what makes vanilla extract such an expensive pantry item. The Garden is proud to have 16 different species of vanilla in our conservatories, including the pictured here. #VirtualOrchidShow : Dan Brown

With temperatures predicted to dip into single digits, we're inviting you to escape to the Climatron, on us. Receive free admission to the Garden Thursday and Friday when you purchase tickets online and use the code CHILLY21. Tickets must be purchased day of. Tickets are available at mobot.org/visit. : Tom Incrocci

This orchid, , is native to Africa and is considered endangered in the wild. Here at the Garden, our conservation goals lead us to target rare or endangered species like this one for our collection, where we can study and preserve them for the future. #VirtualOrchidShow Tom Incrocci

Make time this morning for a moment of zen among the fall color at the Garden. Tune in to the peace of nature as you watch the light of the sun filtering in and out from behind the clouds. : Kristina Schall DeYong

Can't make it to the Garden in person this week? Tune in on our Facebook page at 10:00 Friday morning and enjoy a moment of zen among the fall color. : Cassidy Moody

November is Honeysuckle Sweep Month. St. Louis area conservation organizations are joining forces to educate the public about invasive bush honeysuckle and to remove it so that large swaths of land can become productive areas for native habitat, recreation and enjoyment. Become part of the movement at https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org//honeysuckle-sweep

This holiday season, give the gift of a whole year of Garden views. Get 20% off when you purchase, gift, or renew your membership now through November 15. Learn more at https://events.missouribotanicalgarden.org/member-appreciat : Cassidy Moody

On Wednesday, November 11, bring a non-perishable donation to Garden Glow for the St. Louis Area Foodbank and post a picture with the hashtag #GardenGlowFoodDrive to be entered to win tickets to the 2021 OrigamiintheGarden exhibit. : Ning He

This week, we're celebrating our members during Membership Appreciation Days. Get 20% off when you buy, gift, or renew a membership from November 815. Find out more about Membership Appreciation Days discounts, virtual events, shopping perks, and more at https://events.missouribotanicalgarden.org/member-appreciat : Kristina Schall DeYong