March 02, 2010 - 1:19 PM

Missouri Botanical Garden Orchid Show

Title: "Purple Orchid Group"

Location: Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri

Title: "Tight Pink Camelia"

Location: Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri

Is anyone else out there ready for spring?  I couldn't take the cabin fever anymore, and decided to visit the Missouri Botanical Garden's annual orchid show in Saint Louis, Missouri. If you live or are passing anywhere near St. Louis, I highly recommend this destination. The MOBG is one of the best in North America. Founded by Henry Shaw in 1859, it is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark.

The orchid show this year is placed against a backdrop of murals depicting a French cafe and garden.  Although attractive, the murals are strongly upstaged by the orchids and surrounding vegetation. (For a video tour, please click here).  What you won't see here is the enormous amount of work that lies behind the show's production.  It takes over a year to plan and execute the show, where over 800 plants are on display and up to 100 plants are switched out each week with fresh ones from the gardens extensive greenhouses.

The MOBG collection of over 8000 plants representing over 2500 unique species is one of the largest in the United States.  Some Vanilla Orchids in the greenhouses date back to 1901!

When you walk into the show from the browns and greys of winter, it becomes nearly a sensory overload.  A winding path takes you through a layered display that takes many "laps" around to fully take in all there is to see.  From ground dwelling species to the epiphytic tree dwelling species above, each pass through the garden brings new discovery.  

I highly recommend this show which runs through March 28th.  Take a stroll through the orchid show, then go upstairs for lunch or coffee at the Sassafras restaurant, then take another pass through the orchids - I'm sure you'll find a cure for the winter doldrums.

P.S.  Also don't miss the Linnean Garden house, where hundreds of Camelias are in bloom.