The Missouri Botanical Garden is a prominent botanical garden in the Midwest. It features educational and research facilities unmatched throughout the area. Some highlights include the oldest operating greenhouse conservatory in the nation, called the Linnean House. The Climatron conservatory is a stunning half acre creation that houses plants in a natural, tropical setting. It is like a rainforest within St. Louis! A combination of old and new architecture and fascinating history make this Garden famous. Make sure to visit the Victorian Area, the English Woodland Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the Chinese gardens.

This garden is also the site of quite possibly the oldest Metasequoias on this side of the Pacific Ocean - not to mention their impressive height! The Missouri Botanical Garden is in the heart of St. Louis, on the Western edge of the vast Eastern broadleaf continental forest. It is within Hardiness Zone 6, a temperate zone. The winds are light, precipitation is average, and the dominant soil order is Entisols.



In these very temperate conditions, Metasequoias have thrived. The Missouri Botanical Garden was possibly the second garden to receive seeds from China, through the Arnold Arboretum. These seeds were received on December 26th, 1947 and sown in January of 1948. These trees were moved in 1952, to their current location outside of the John S. Lehmann Building. The trees vary from about 65 to 95 feet tall, with impressive bases of 34 to 42 inches in diameter. A total of ten Metasequoias populate the garden.

These trees are second in the region to those at the Bernheim Arboretum. All in all they do not disappoint, yet have not grown as impressively as those in Kentucky, as none have reached 100 feet tall.

Missouri Botanical Gardens

4344 Shaw Boulevard

St. Louis, MO 63110

http://www.mobot.org/

Photos and data courtesy the Missouri Botanical Garden. Images copyright Missouri Botanical Garden.

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