Missouri Botanical Garden

The Chinese Garden–February

Sunday was another cloudy day at the Missouri Botanical Garden, but this time there was no fog, which gave me a much clearer view into the Chinese Garden:

Running Through the Fog

I’ve photographed these sculptures of “Deidre” and “Maura” at the Missouri Botanical Garden before, and they’re always fun to see…I especially liked how it appeared they were running through the fog at the Garden last week!

Icy Waterfall

Visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden is always fun, even in the winter. You might think it’s not the best time of year to wander around a garden, but you get to see all kinds of cool things that just aren’t possible in the warmer months, like this waterfall fringed by ice in the Japanese Garden. I love that even though the waterfall was running freely, that didn’t stop the ice from building up around the edges!

Foggy Garden

Last week, we got to see the Missouri Botanical Garden in a whole new light (or lack thereof), when we visited during a dense fog advisory. It was really cool to see how it hung in the air and made everything familiar look new and different (and a tad bit creepy!).

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The Chinese Garden–January

Hey, remember when I used to photograph a landmark at the Missouri Botanical Garden every month for a full year? And then the pandemic happened, and I abandoned my photography project of the Ottoman Garden early in 2020. I decided to give it a go again in 2021, and I made it about halfway through the year when construction on the Ottoman Garden saw it close for months, and I had to give up again. Well, I’m back…not with the Ottoman Garden (I know they say the third time’s the charm, but I’m not willing to risk it), but with the Chinese Garden, which was the next spot on my list I was hoping to photograph.

I’m going to be upfront and say I don’t even know if I’ll be able to do this every month all year. Before we had children in college, and before Moose was in high school, it was much easier to find time every month to visit the Garden. And I really do want to get back into that habit, because we do have a membership, and because I like spending time outdoors, and because it’s so beautiful and different each time we’re there. But I can recognize my limits, and the limits of time, so if I don’t get there every month, I’m not going to sweat it. I’m going to do my best to photograph it as often as possible, though, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it changes through the seasons!

2023-24 School Year–Week Eighteen

What a week! We started with a significant amount of ice on Monday, moved on to rain and then dense fog, more rain, and even more fog, plus a bit more rain, but in spite of that, we found a good window for visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time in I can’t remember how long! It was blanketed in thick fog when we were there, which was actually pretty fun, because we’ve never seen the Garden like that before, and as an added bonus, we had pretty much had the whole place to ourselves!

Of course, we also did work during this chaotic week, too. Ladybug worked with vectors in pre-calculus. She continued reading “The Paradiso.” In physics, she learned about the Conservation of Momentum. She read about the Seventh Crusade and Louis IX of France in world history. In US history, she finished the book about the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. She continued to learn about macronutrients in health. She is almost done with her grammar curriculum for the year already!

Chickadee used what she learned about reciprocals last week to start dividing fractions in math. In science, she learned about the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. We got to read one of my favorite Bible stories in religion…the tale of Jonah. In history she learned about the Forbidden City in China, and the creation of Russia and a few of its early rulers, Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible. We’re about halfway through with The Hobbit.

I have another fun outing planned for next week, and I really hope it works out, because it’s something Ladybug has been wanting to do for quite a while!

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!

Chihuly Nights

I already shared a look at “Chihuly in the Garden,” the Missouri Botanical Garden’s summer exhibition…now it’s time for a look at “Chihuly Nights,” the special ticketed event they’re hosting Thursday through Sunday nights through August. It was a thrill to get see these beautiful glass pieces lit up as the sun went down!

First, a look at the indoor sculptures that I didn’t previously share, beginning with the pieces hanging from the rafters of the Linnean House:

There are many displays inside the Climatron:

I especially enjoyed the glass Ikebana:

There were also some pieces in the new Emerson Conservatory:

Including some unexpected neon:

We saw the installations throughout the garden at varying light levels…they all looked amazing! The evening events at the Botanical Garden are rare, but they’re some of my favorites, because I love seeing how the light changes as the sun sets!

And finally, a look at an old favorite from a previous exhibition that is permanently displayed at the Missouri Botanical Garden…we don’t usually get to see it lit up by anything other than the sun!

I doubt we’ll have another opportunity to see the nighttime exhibition, but I’m really looking forward to seeing all of this artwork during the day throughout the summer!