Missouri Botanical Garden Morning

In September, my annual convention took me to St. Louis. In my time before the convention began, I of course blocked out a full day for the Missouri Botanical Garden. I suspected this was one of the tops in the world, and my trip confirmed my suspicion.

Some facts for the botanical garden:
  • Founded in 1859 with 79 acres on land provided by wealthy immigrant Henry Shaw
  • Center for scientific botanical research
  • 1800 species in the daylily garden, and 1500 species in the iris garden
  • Over 50 water lily species (blooming while I visited)
  • Incredible web site for references and information
  • 24,000 square feet interior geodesic dome Climatron (enclosed greenhouse)

Some of my images that impressed me from the morning of my long, sweaty, late-summer day follow.

One of the water lily pools with Chihuly sculptures and the tropical greenhouse 'Climatron' beyond. I thought the large colorful sculptural balls detracted from the beauty of the water lilies.

Closeup of some water lilies.

Another Chihuly creation for the seating areas within one of the rose gardens.

Interior of the historic conservatory, probably the original.

The Ottoman Garden, a walled garden with Mediterranean plants, shady walks, water ...

... and an inward-looking perspective.

And an early sundial for timekeeping.

The playful fountain jumps from one pool to another overhead almost like it is alive and toying with you.

A landscaper's view of the Japanese garden based on open vistas of natural and harmoniously placed vegetation.

A carefully composed view from the bridge.

A Chinese garden with its more intimate enclosed spaces and landscape.

Autumn's Late Late Show

I occasionally spotted these around town blooming in very late autumn and often wondered what they were. When I discovered their name, I filed it in the back of my mind in the I need to get these some day folder. Then the chance came.

During a Master Gardener plant swap a few years back, a fellow gardener brought in some chrysanthemum labeled as Sheffield, with maybe 'Pink' in the name. I recognized that the name was familiar, but could not place it. After a quick search on the internet I discovered it was my 'Sheffield Pink' Chrysanthemum. I could not be happier to take it home.

It went into the side yard garden, and in a few years, has grown and spread -- not neatly, but rather haphazardly. Starting out slowly, it looks like nothing's happening throughout the summer -- no hint of what to come later. Sheffield Pink blooms in late fall when most everything else in the garden has past its glory.

A little untidy when compared to the artificial-looking mounding mums, it seems at home in a natural cottage garden and might even be considered as a ground cover because it easily multiplies with no attention or help from me.

It has past blooming a few weeks ago, but I snapped a few pictures at that time for a story. Just after the first frost, it was little past its prime.

For The Record:   • Moderately clay soil   • Well-drained soil at top of sloping bed   • Mostly sun but some shade during mornings   • No fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease

Popup Petunia

These purple petunias are spilling from a container on the back deck. This is noteworthy only in that they were self-sown seeds, survived winter in the container, and grew in spring. While deciding what to plant in the containers this past spring, I spotted about two dozen petunias sprouting where they had previously grown.

Now, petunias are one of those difficult plants to start from seed indoors, being small and taking their time to develop into something that blooms. I've tried. They are so much easier to buy in a nursery.

I had no idea what would bloom this spring after spotting the tiny leaves popping out. While growing up in New York, my mom had annual petunias that reseeded every year. They were a mix of colors -- purple, pink, white, magenta -- and were not large sized. This is what I was expecting.

What grew in my container ended up being dark purple hybrid-size blooms. I think I had these last year, or was it the year before? Two red blooming petunias in the bunch were a mystery -- I had never grown red petunias in there.

The red coleus is "Ruby Slipper". It did nothing all summer, and is only now, just before our first frost, beginning to look like something.