Missouri Botanical Garden
- Nature & parks
- In St. Louis, Missouri
- 0.9 mi from Route 66
- National Register of Historic Places
The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, MO, dates to 1859 and is still called Shaw's Garden by many locals, after its founder Henry Shaw. It is a National Historic Landmark and a serious research center, with one of the largest collections of pressed plants in North America. For Route 66 travelers it is a green half-day in the city, and it holds the Seiwa-en Japanese garden within its grounds.
What is Missouri Botanical Garden?
Behind the flower beds and lawns sits a scientific institution. The garden's herbarium, a library of dried and pressed plant samples, holds upward of 7.5 million specimens. Only the collection at the New York Botanical Garden is larger in North America. Scientists cite specimens from it with the short code MO.
The Peter H. Raven Library is just as ambitious. It covers about 85 percent of everything ever published on how plants are classified and named.
History of Missouri Botanical Garden
Henry Shaw, a philanthropist, founded the garden in 1859. The nickname Shaw's Garden has stuck ever since. The site is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a National Historic Landmark, a rank given to places of national importance.
The garden is organized as a nonprofit, and its research side and its public side have grown up together: the same institution that tends flower beds for visitors also keeps one of the continent's great plant archives.
Visiting Missouri Botanical Garden: tips
Plan on two to three hours to see the main gardens without rushing. Restrooms are on site, and the garden reports wheelchair access and activities suited to kids.
Do not miss Seiwa-en, the 14-acre Japanese strolling garden within the grounds; it is the largest garden of its type in North America. Seiwa-en was designed by Dr. Koichi Kawana and dedicated in 1977; look for its lake, islands, bridges and carp, and for cherry trees that flower near its entrance each spring. Afterward, the Bel Air Motel is about 2 miles away.
Practical info
- Address
- 4344 Shaw Boulevard, Saint Louis, MO 63110
- Phone
- +1 314-577-5100
- Website
- missouribotanicalgarden.org
- Hours
- Daily 9–5
- On site & nearby
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
Where to eat near Missouri Botanical Garden
All diners on Route 66 →
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Questions about Missouri Botanical Garden
Why is it called Shaw's Garden?
The nickname honors Henry Shaw, the philanthropist who founded the garden in 1859.
Is the Japanese garden part of the Missouri Botanical Garden?
Yes. Seiwa-en, a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, sits inside the grounds.
Own or run Missouri Botanical Garden? Send us a photo or a correction.