>> Oh, if you haven't already figured it out...you can click on the pictures and see them all full-sized!! So yea....do that :)
After our little jaunt to see the Gateway Arch we decided to hit up the botanical gardens because if you know me, you know how much I love plants. People say I have a green thumb or a special way with plants but it really didn't start out that way. A few years ago, I moved into my own apartment (no roommates, nothin!) and my mom decided I needed some cute things for my door so she bought me a doormat and my first plant, a geranium (Pelargonium hortorum). Suuuper easy plant to maintain and I somehow managed to get it infested with white flies and then kill it hahah A year later I decided to take a couple horticulture classes and since then I've been working with different plant species and making my new place into a veritable jungle.
So the Missouri Botanical Garden was a real treat and such a haven. It was still raining a bit when we got to the gardens so we didn't get to see half of it but the Temperate House and Climatron were enough and we easily spent two hours there without realizing it. There were sooo many species I have never seen and many I had forgotten about. Another awesome facility they had on the grounds was a Home Gardening Center where they knew everything about what plants were best for which windows and how to grow in and around your home. Awesome resource for the casual, backyard gardener or someone like me who wants a little backyard farm. Here are some of the better pics we got of the grounds and the favorite plants we saw. I meant to get all the names of the plants but there were SOO many hahah so if you know what some of these are give a shout in the comments section.
The Climatron
loved these pitcher plants Sarracenia spp.
more pitchers
Begonia spp.
Ficus benghalensis - Banyan tree
Dracaena draco - Dragon palm
Those huge fan palms in the back are from a Double Coconut palm (Lodoicea maldivica) they have the largest seeds (coconuts) which can weigh as much as 50 lbs each.
Anthurium spp.
Loved the indoor ponds and waterfalls, it was like being in another world :)
Hibiscus spp.
Phalaenopsis spp - Moth Orchid
these made me decide I'm starting to grow orchids when I get back home
Carludovica drudei
Pachystachys lutea - Golden Shrimp plant
Most bromeliads are epiphytes meaning they grow on another plant/structure, non parasitically. Their roots are for stabilization and attachment and they derive water from the air and rainfall. This bromeliad is collecting water in its inner cup and will absorb it through the surface of its leaves if necessary. Very cool & diverse plants. Many orchids are epiphytic too.
Musa spp. - Banana tree
We loved this moss
And these Anthurium leaves
Alpinia vittata - Striped narrowleaf ginger
More Musa
Poison dart frogs
And I loooved the cool texture of these geckos :) So awesome.
Allium cepa - Onion
Canna spp. - Canna lily
I can't wait to get back to California, hunt down the nearest botanical garden and LIVE IN IT!
ok that was my weekend of fun in St. Louis and now I'm off to cook my Chicken Parm for the family and then do what I do best...sleep!...well a little more work then sleep :)
I head to VA late Tuesday/early Wednesday and then real party starts Thursday so keep checking back for more updates/pics/posts!!
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