Spring it may be with the Azaleas in bloom but here at the end of April I remember it being a rather brisk day although the Oriental Spruce is still budding. The photographs that follow were taken in the Climatron which maintains a rather pleasant temperature year round.
The Prickly Pear Cacti was quite obviously in the desert garden but I think the Spurge may have been outside by the back entrance. Wondering where the name came from I found this link explaining that several varieties were pre drug store laxatives or purgatives and the fat leaf weed that invades our lawn, sidewalk, and dry areas is another variety.
In the much more humid tropical section I think these two photographs are the same waterfall with the closeup viewed from the path under the upper lip. It is very possible to get just a little damp walking behind the falling water.
Finishing up the architectural details is an overview of the Moorish Garden and I'll just complete this visit to the Climatron with flowers and flowers and flowers.
Here the pink flower is called Brazilian-Plume. For the white stalks I photographed the adjacent sign but it is obviously not Angel-wing Begonia. The garden was kind enough to correctly identify it as Palisota alopecurus. The red spikes are Aphelandra.
On the red flower I walked into a controversy. The tag on the tree uses the older name Callistemon acuminatus stubbornly held onto by the Australians where it grows while the rest of the world calls it Melaleuca flammea or commonly tapering-leaved bottlebrush. The yellow is Jerusalem Sage from the eastern Mediterranean.
Now again to dazzle you the white puff is California Horse Chestnut otherwise known as California Buckeye and I though all the worthless nuts were in Ohio. The purple is an Iris that I am familiar with since Lori likes them so much. The hanging flower is a Pink Lantern and the red stalk is a Heliconia. Finally the yellow stalk is a Golden Shrimp Plant.
The tree on stilts is called a Screw Pine from the twisted growth pattern most prominent in the leaves but also evident here in the branches. And finally to finish this visit to the Climatron is an actual Begonia.
Returning for another visit in June after our Great Train Adventure the weather was much more pleasant and the Boxwood Garden is filled with fresh plantings for the summer. This is also a Maze Garden with curving paths and culdesacs. It's not much of a challenge with the Boxwood so low but gives a nice structure.
The Japanese Garden is located at the far end away from the entry and we normally get distracted or like in April we did not want to make the cold walk. I think these three photographs were taken basically from the same viewpoint or at least within the same 92 seconds and show how wonderful a well designed garden can change as your eyes shift with any view relaxing.
Forty minutes later and most of the way around the lake is another view of the lake. Then I found a purple Iris for Lori and I have no clue what the six lobe purple flower is except pretty.
Keeping with the oriental theme but located on the other side of the Boxwood Garden is one of the step stones at the Chinese Garden that has an entirely different flavor.
The Missouri Botanical Garden along with the adjacent Tower Grove Park was originally the personal garden and home of Henry Shaw and this link is a good primer on the early town of St Louis. Tax assisted but not tax supported like the St Louis Zoo and the History Museum at least with our reciprocal garden membership it is free to us. Rather good deal also with admission costing as much as our annual membership at a more economical garden.
Since this was our first visit I am including quite a few pictures which I'll add to with future years and we came nowhere close to seeing the entire garden. Later some special exhibits will even need to be split off into their own page. After getting in past admissions, up the stairs, and finally out of the new Ridgeway Visitors Center, this programmed variable height fountain welcomes you to the garden. During evening hours and special exhibits it also has variable color lights that I will include on another page later.
This may be September but it was still hot and I need to point out the Climatron dome in the background which can be a good refuge from the heat or cold. Taking the big right turn in front of the fountain and continuing past the tram station I spotted this huge (better than a foot across) fun guy.
Along the walkway to the dome are the purple Giant Meadow Saffron
and as near as I can tell a thornless variety of prickly pear, rather a contradiction that reminds me of Fuzzy Wuzzy.
Inside the Climatron would be a huge open space if it was not filled with plants on multiple levels. In the main tropical area the upper level looks down on the waterfall and the Moorish style courtyard. I'll continue to show more plants from the tropical area but there is another whole section that is both hot and dry for the desert types. The purple clumps are American Beauty Berry
.
The fat red flowers are called Pineapple Ginger
and on the far right is one of the pitcher plant varieties that capture insects which are in rather short supply indoors. Someplace in my pictures I have the red and yellow spikes identified but it would take a long time to find them and I'll just add it when that happens.(Check 2011 above)
The fern with a white spike is a Cycad
, the middle flower is a type of hibiscus, and the red flower with the yellow spike is called anthurium
and closely related to the spathiphillum
which is white and often called the Peace Lily
. The red anthurium requires direct sunlight where the spathiphillum does not.
Again no clue of the yellow flower except pretty, in the center is a type of frilly orchid, and the branch filled with berries is a Portea
.
Finishing the Climatron is the purple flower and the purple poison dart Frog.
The Lily pads are in the reflecting pond just outside the Climatron exit.
In Henry Shaw's time the reflecting pool was right at the garden entry and I'll feature it in some later years along with the special exhibits.
At this point I'm getting a little lost. The brick building is Linnean House a big left turn from the entry fountain and the last remaining greenhouse structure from Henry Shaw's time. Typically the big green leaves are called Elephant Ears
but these seem to be a sightly different shape. Unusual is these big green leaves have rather sharp thorns which probably does a lot to discourage the deer.
I know these are all about in the same area with the gourds forming a canopy leading to the peacock fountain with the small green balls on a bush in the same area but I'm really lost.
I think the otter fountain is around the back side of the home gardening center. I have considerable difficulty navigating in this part of the garden because in a lot of areas you can't get there from here but have to go some place else first. Some areas you can walk through but others have only a single entry/exit location and a series of gardens leads to a dead end.
So I'll just finish up this visit to a wonderful garden with another flower bed and a few pictures of the butterflies they attract. Part of getting lost is I can either look at the things around or keep track of where I am going. Looking normally wins. On this first visit I especially missed going to the Japanese Garden but it is way out and like I have repeated it was still hot as well as humid for walking.