Christmas at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Christmas at Tower Grove House

When we went to the Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden last month, we took the Christmas tour of Tower Grove House again. I was expecting it be pretty much the same as it was last year, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that quite a few of the decorations were different. I love how much attention went into decorating every room…even the bedrooms! It gives me something to aspire to for Christmas Future! I also love all the little details, especially the paper fans. Everything was so opulent and beautiful…more inspiration for the future!

img_3770

img_3792

2016 Wreath Auction

This is the second year that we’ve admired all of the wreaths available in the silent auction at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and I continue to be impressed with how creative and talented the people who made them are!

img_8759

It would be impossible to pick a favorite, but I have to admit that the Peter Rabbit one, as well as the one in the frame, are especially well done!

Photo Editing

One of the challenges when attending the Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden is figuring out how to best use the photo op stops. Night time photography is still a challenge for me in general, and trying to photograph people and Christmas lights together is particularly frustrating. I keep trying though, and I can usually come up with at least one decent picture.

When I was going through my photos from our visit a few weeks ago, I came upon one that I thought was pretty good, but I decided to try out the “auto enhance” feature in Photos, just to see if I could cut back on some of the glow on the children’s faces. I really don’t edit my photos much at all, beyond cropping, but I have used the auto enhance occasionally in the past, usually with pretty great results.

img_3732

Version 2

I was not prepared for the difference I would get just from that one edit. I went from a warm red glow, to an almost normal picture with the click of one button. Of course, you pretty much completely lose the effect of the Garden Glow, so in the end, it wasn’t a successful edit, but it was interesting to me to just how the editing program would try to correct and balance the colors and light!

Gardenland Express

This is only the second year we visited the Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pretty sure the theme would be different (it was), but how about the displays themselves? Would they be the same? (They weren’t.)

img_8691

img_8677

This year’s theme is “Home for the Holidays,” and focuses on four plant families from around the world, which include popular holiday plants. It was fun to see familiar buildings and flowers from last year arranged in new ways…it was like visiting an entirely new town!

Garden Glow 2016

On Friday, for the second year in a row, we attended the member preview night of the Missouri Botanical Garden “Garden Glow.” Some of it was the same as last year, and a few things were different, which I thought was the perfect combination. There were things we were really looking forward to seeing again (like the “light saber garden” and the tunnel of lights), but we also got to see some new things, too.

img_8632

img_3921

This is an incredibly beautiful and well-organized event, and now that we’ve been to it twice, I’m pretty sure it’s a new family tradition!

Wreath Auction at the Missouri Botanical Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden currently has 16 wreaths on display in the visitor center, and they are all part of a silent auction to benefit the Garden’s horticulture division. It’s amazing to see how different they all are, and all the different items used to make them!

Gardenland Express

Another fun Christmas event at the Missouri Botanical Garden is the Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show. In addition to charming vignettes depicting different wintry scenes, there are conifers from around the world, poinsettias, and other beautiful flowers:

IMG_8925

IMG_8929

IMG_8858

It’s amazing to me how much there can be to do at the Botanical Garden during a time of year when there is so little life outside. Christmastime is definitely full of fun activities there, however, so it’s worth your time to stop by and check it out!

Gourdaments

The Kemper Center for Home Gardening at the Missouri Botanical Garden is home to a beautiful Christmas tree:

IMG_9018

What you might not realize at first glance, is that this tree is decorated with “gourdaments.” These natural decorations are each unique and beautiful, and fit with the theme “All Around the World.” You can vote for your favorite, but it’s hard to pick one!

IMG_6884

There are other decorations mixed in, including felt cardinals and mice, origami stars, pinecones, and dried plants:

We even spotted “Henry Shaw” hiding in the branches of the tree!

IMG_9037

There are currently many fun Christmas activities at the Botanical Garden…while you’re there, make sure you stop by the Kemper Center and take a look at this tree!

Garden Glow

I realize we haven’t even made it to Thanksgiving yet, and here I am posting pictures of Christmas lights. But the Missouri Botanical Garden had a members’ preview night of the Garden Glow last Friday, and of course we were there!

It’s just as beautiful as you might expect, and then some!

It was fun seeing the homes on the property, from the gatekeeper’s cottage to Henry Shaw’s town house, to Tower Grove House, all decked out in white lights:

The tunnel of lights was a huge hit…we went through it twice!

IMG_6384

I really loved seeing the gazebo lit up…and the upside-down tree hanging in the middle looked like an over-the-top Victorian kissing ball!

Of course, the crown jewel of the event is the Climatron. You can’t even imagine how it sparkles!

I’m so glad we finally got to see the Garden Glow for ourselves…I hope you get a chance to see it, too!