Missouri Botanical Garden

Missouri
Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-577-9400

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Missouri Botanical Garden's Orchid Show,

Visitors pass through a replica of the Moon Gate (the iconic, rounded entrance to the Missouri Botanical Garden's Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden) to enter a tropical setting of lush greenery infused with Chinese-themed accents at the Annual Orchid Show celebrating "Year of China".

Orchid Show Celebrates "Year of China" With Silk Lanterns and Chinese-Themed Accents
ST. LOUIS (SLFP.com) - Visitors can step into an indoor Chinese strolling garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden's Orchid Show, through Sunday, March 25, 2012.

The 2012 Orchid Show celebrates the Garden's "Year of China" and the 25th year of work on the Flora of China project. Pass through a replica of the Moon Gate (the iconic, rounded entrance to the Missouri Botanical Garden's Grigg Nanjing Friendship Garden) to enter a tropical setting of lush greenery infused with Chinese-themed accents.

Discover water features, small stone lanterns and other statuary. Bright silk lanterns swaying overhead add stunning pops of color. Bamboo shoots are shaped into artistic arrangements providing texture and elevation. Replicas of a small stone footbridge and a stone pagoda are nestled in the moss-covered, orchid-filled flower beds.

The much-anticipated Orchid Show offers visitors the once-a-year opportunity to see an incredible display of 800 blooming orchids from the Garden's renowned collection. Plants are rotated in and out of the display as the weeks progress to assure the freshest blooms and offer rare glimpses of varieties not often seen by the public.

"Each year visitors will see something different because not all orchids bloom at exactly the same time," said Babs Wagner, the Garden's orchid grower for 16 years. "This provides the opportunity to visit several times and see something different at each point during the show's two-month run. The Garden's collection is very diverse and consists of orchids of all colors and sizes."

At every turn, orchids of many colors burst from the landscape. Approximately 800 orchids are on display at any one time, including Cattleya, Laelia, Epidendrum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum and other varieties. Orchids are displayed as they would be found in their natural habitats, with terrestrial orchids at ground level and epiphytic orchids suspended at eye level atop tree branches. Several hundred tropical plants, including bamboo palms (Chamaedorea seifrizii), heavenly bamboo nandina (Nandina domestica) and assorted ferns help fill the scene.

Stroll through the blossoming landscape of fragrant blooms and Chinese-themed accents through Sunday, Mar. 25, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Show admission is $5, in addition to regular Garden admission.

Docent Fredric Rissober enthusiastically explained how a natural source of vanilla is derived from a vine-like orchid (Vanilla planifolia) that produces flowers which blooms for one day only and when polinated produces a seed pod with thousands of tiny aromatic seeds.

Visitors can stroll through the blossoming landscape of fragrant blooms, including the Cymbidium Valley Blush 'Magnificent', seen near once of numerous Chinese-themed accents.

Water cascades over a Chinese-themed fountain behind a display of orchids, including the Cymbidium Valley Glory 'Pink Halo' and smaller Paphiiopedilum Winston Churchill 'Indomitable.'

Discover the Hidden Beauty of Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden, fondly known as Shaw's Garden to St. Louisans, contains a formal English garden, traditional Japanese garden, Margaret Blanke Grigg Chinese garden, the Flower Trial Garden, greenhouses and extensive landscaping. The garden also features the Climatron Complex, water lily reflection ponds and the William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening.

The Climatron® geodesic dome and rainforest conservatory was dedicated 40 years ago in October 1960, replacing an old house built in 1913. The structure incorporates principles established by innovative architect R. Buckminster Fuller and was the first application of geodesic engineering for a greenhouse. The St. Louis architecture firm of Murphy & Mackey developed plans for the facility with Garden director Frits W. Went, who coined the term, Climatron.

The dome is 70 feet high and 175 feet in diameter, permitting tall palm trees to tower majestically above the tropical vista of streams, waterfalls and 1,200 different species of exotic trees and plants. Temperature ranges from 64 to 74 degrees and average humidity is 85 percent.

Visitors can enjoy a sense of being in a jungle while making their way by orchids, passion flowers, hibiscus flowers, cycads and a number of endangered species. In 1976, the dome was named one of the 100 most significant architectural achievements in United States history.

The Garden, covering 79 acres, is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd, just south of Hwy 44 between Vandeventer and Grand. Extended summer hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays only from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Free parking on premises, as well as an extensive gift shop and restaurant with patio dining. For more information, call the GardenLine at 314-577-9400 or 800-642-8842.

Archived Stories:

'Best of Missouri Market' 2011 Showcased Homegrown Food & Crafts

Chinese Lantern Festival to Illuminate Missouri Botanical Garden in 2012

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