GIE 2003: Garden Party

More than 100 grounds maintenance professionals strolled through the highly manicured acres of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Wednesday, Nov. 5, as part of an insider’s tour arranged by the Professional Grounds Maintenance Society.

Founded in 1859, the gardens are the oldest botanical park in the nation. Henry Shaw, who founded the gardens, came to St. Louis from England in 1819 and made his fortune outfitting westward settlers. “He was in St. Louis in the right business at the right time, because this was the jumping-off place before settlers went west and Shaw was in the hardware business,” said Jim Cocos, operation manager, Missouri Botanical Garden.

“Shaw retired at 39, with his fortune amassed, as well as owning hundreds of acres in the area,” Cocos continued. “After he acquired his wealth, Shaw went back to England and noticed many of the country’s lovely botanical gardens. And he decided that he would like to do that in St. Louis.”

Shaw built a home on the grounds, now called the Tower Grove House, and at the time the grounds were essentially prairie land. Over a number of years, with the help of countless gardeners and employees, Shaw transformed the area.
Shaw also maintained a home in downtown St. Louis, which was located in the area around what today is Busch Stadium. When Shaw died in 1889, the home was moved to the Missouri Botanical Garden and now serves as an administrative building. Shaw was laid to rest on the grounds of the garden in a mausoleum located in the east portion of the grounds.

Today, the Garden is both a National Historic Landmark and a world-renowned scientific and educational institution. The garden is operated by a private trust established by Shaw, as well as an endowment, tax revenue, and fees from more than 35,000 members.

With botanical researchers in 30 nations around the globe, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a leader in promoting conservation and sustainable development worldwide. “There are some very renown scientist that work here doing very deep botany all around the world, from Central America to Madagascar to Africa, mainly in those hot zones, where there is so much biodiversity,” Cocos said. The Garden has more than 5 million specimens in its database. “If you are a botanist, that definitely makes you go ooh and ah,” Cocos added.

More than 120,000 children and teachers benefit from the Garden’s math and science education programs each year, and the Garden works with businesses and organizations in the community to promote energy efficiency and help protect the environment.

PGMS TOUR
The 100-plus PGMS group was treated to an insider’s tour of the Garden, which includes 79 acres of magnificent gardens, greenhouses and fountains. The 3-hour walking tour marked the fourth trip to the Garden for Brian Smith, grounds lead, Progressive, Mayfield Village, Ohio. “This is really a remarkable place,” he noted. “It’s easy to spend the whole day here and still not see everything.”

Chris Fay, vice president, PGMS, said, “This is one of the most highly attended tours we’ve had, so it’s really exciting to be here. We really want to thank Jim Cocos and his staff.”

The tour included a stroll through the Seiwa-En Japanese Garden, as well as a “back stage” look at the Garden’s greenhouse, which is not usually open to the public.

Cathy Pauley, greenhouse supervisor, shared some key facts about the Garden with the PGMS group, which included:

FUTURE VISITS
For those who would like to stroll the Missouri Botanical Garden themselves, the facility is located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard, and can be contacted at 800/642-8842, or online at www.mobot.org. The Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.

The author is Editor of Snow Business magazine and a Contributing Writer to Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at ssmith@lawnandlandscape.com.