Christmas at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Glow with the Flow

We finally made it to one of my favorite events of the year…Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden!

Usually, we go on the member preview night, which is held sometime before Thanksgiving in November. But we wanted to wait until Bunny was home from college, so we went last week. I was worried that going almost a month later than usual would mean poor weather, but that wasn’t an issue at all…we’ve had much colder visits than we experienced this year!

We started by looking at the wreaths on display…I am always amazed by the beauty and creativity of the decor!

Then we stopped by the holiday flower and train show. I love all of the miniature buildings!

I had heard that Garden Glow was better than ever this year, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Central Axis was especially lovely!

Many of the displays were familiar, but there were some new things as well, and some improved routing of the pathway.

Here’s another look around the Central Axis:

These whimsical flowers were especially interesting to me!

Would it even be Garden Glow if I didn’t get a picture of the Fab Five?

This was definitely an evening worth waiting for!

The 10th Anniversary of Garden Glow

Can you believe that this year marks the 10 year anniversary of Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden?!? We attended the Member Preview night on Friday, and it was, as always, a great time!

I think it’s especially fitting that such a significant anniversary is taking place the same year the new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center was opened to the public…it’s a beautiful space!

While there were some familiar displays, there was a lot that was new this year, and I thought it was really well done:

There was also a new photo spot, and I really liked it as a backdrop for a picture of the Fab Five!

It was a cold but beautiful night!

This is always one of my favorite Christmas activities, and now I’m really in the holiday spirit!

Garden Glow in the Time of Construction

So many things in the last…almost two years?!?…have been different, and Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden is no exception, but not for the reason you might think…their big construction project has put a spin on how the event is taking place this year!

The biggest difference is at the start of the event. The entrance is through the temporary Visitors’ Center and Linnean House (the latter is the location of the Blizzard Bar which is usually at the tram shelter), and the big Christmas tree is in the Gladney Rose Garden, which is actually kind of a great location for it. The tree is a different style this year, too, which we really liked, and the topper is awesome!

A lot of stuff was the same, although the routing of the path for the first part of the displays was pretty different. The lights around the Central Axis and Climatron are always my favorites, and we got to see them first thing after the big tree!

There were some new things (like a new flower garden), and one notable admission (The 12 Days of Christmas), and many familiar favorites:

For some reason, I especially liked the hedge maze this year:

Another notable change comes right at the end, as the exit is routed through the Ottoman Garden. I don’t think that particular location has been open during Garden Glow before, and it was pretty cool to see some of the trees covered in lights as we said goodbye!

So, Garden Glow was a little weird this year. It was nice to have a different experience due to something other than COVID-19, though, and we liked the new additions…maybe they’ll keep them around!

Garden Glow in the Time of COVID-19

On Sunday night, we went to the festival member preview of Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Things were (of course) different this year:

But some things were reassuringly familiar:

I tried to see some things in a new way:

My favorite part might have been the gingko leaves on the ground around much of the Garden. Garden Glow started far earlier this year than it has in the past, so we’re not used to the golden carpet they provided. It was a beautiful, if not strange, sight, and added an extra pop of color to the lights:

The exit was routed through the new visitor center (which is a fantastic building!), and this guy was right outside:

I only took one video this year, but I think it was a good one:

It was strange attending Garden Glow so far in advance of Thanksgiving. It’s also strange to know that this might be the only Christmas event we attend this year. But I’m really glad the Missouri Botanical Garden found a way to host it safely, and I’m especially glad we got to do something that felt almost normal in this very strange year!

Gardenland Express 2019

I was a little worried that we weren’t going to make it to the Gardenland Express holiday flower and train show at the Missouri Botanical Garden this year. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was so short, and December was so busy, we just couldn’t find the time. Finally, Saturday morning, we were able to venture out, and I’m glad we did, because the theme of a Victorian-style holiday with a heavy emphasis on oranges (The Linnean House, the oldest greenhouse west of the Mississippi, was originally built as an orangery), was unique and fun! I really loved the unexpected color palette and the local landmarks on display!

And of course I look for any chance I can find to take a picture of the Fab Five:

Merry Christmas!

Garden Landmarks at Gardenland Express

We always look forward to visiting the Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and I think this year’s show was my favorite yet! I especially liked it because it contains so many garden landmarks:

The rest of the display is quite lovely, too…I really enjoyed the flocked trees!

I’m always amazed by how much attention to detail goes into this show…I can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year!

The Linnean House–December

And just like, we’ve made it through another series of “MoBot through the Year” photos!

Just kidding. Kind of. When I saw the Linnean House in miniature at the Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show, I knew I had to get a picture of it. Here’s the real picture to round out 2018:

I’m still considering my options for my fifth year of monthly photos at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Right now, the Ottoman Garden and the English Woodland Garden at the top of my list, but you’ll have to wait until 2019 to see what I choose!

Garden Glow 2018

It’s Garden Glow time at the Missouri Botanical Garden! We attended the member preview night on Friday, and as always, we had a fantastic time.

Right off the bat, we were greeted by a new display in the fountain at Spoehrer Plaza. The lights in the center of the tree changed colors…I liked this particular combination best. I think it was a great addition to the decorations!

As always, some things were the same, and some were different. The biggest difference, though, was the snow that was still on the ground following our November snowstorm. We’ve never seen the lights of the Garden Glow reflecting off of snow before, and it looked amazing!

They had a 12 Days of Christmas display again this year, but they changed a few of the decorations, and I really like the updates…some of them show the Garden staffs’ great sense of humor!

There was even fake snow at the end, which just enhanced the Christmas-y atmosphere:

As always, I can’t recommend this event enough. It’s such a pleasant way to spend an evening, and see the Garden in a whole new light!