March So Lovely, Part IV

The annual Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden has been running for almost two months, and today was the last day. So after church, we headed for the garden, had lunch in the lovely Sassafras Cafe, and then ventured into the exhibit hall to enjoy this extraordinary collection!


This morning started out snow-covered, but with brilliant sunshine there was little of it left by 2 p.m. when we got to the garden. I was chagrined that I had left my camera at home. Then I remembered that my cell phone has a camera. Duh. I wasn't sure how good the photos would be, but many of them turned out well. A few were out of focus, like this one above.

We made three separate trips through the exhibit. On the first trip I was taking a lot of pictures and even got Norm to hold still for this one. On the second trip we looked up and down to see some plants we had missed the first time through. On the last trip, we took the route backwards to get a different perspective.

The many varieties of orchids are always amazing, and we see something new and different every year. The bright reds, yellows and oranges are always quite eye-catching.








Every variety was my instant favorite, but these beauties, that reminded me of day lilies, simply glowed. I wish my hand had been steadier or that I had a better command of the phone's zoom feature.







These creamy yellow blossoms with touches of orchid were one of Norm's favorites. Maybe my hand didn't shake. Maybe it was the light breeze blowing through the hall that made them wiggle.





Tucked in a corner was this unusual orchid variety. The spiky blooms reminded me of some types of Liatris (also known as Blazing Star or Gayfeather) that I have seen growing in gardens. These were a typical "orchid" color, though.

The plants are arranged in color families, or in contrasting colors. This nook was an oasis of cool and calm colors. The orchids are kept in a greenhouse and rotated in and out of the exhibit over a course of weeks. One year we saw a very rare "blue" orchid, but none was to be seen today.

These orchids are striking because of their upright habit and bicolor appearance. I think I have to take a picture of them every year! We finished our trip to the garden with a visit to the Garden Gate shop where we stocked up on organic plant sprays in anticipation of the coming growing season. We also got a new rain gauge to replace the old one, which was cracked.

Here is the most unusual orchid we saw today. These spiky flowers grow along a horizontal stem. They look like some kind of secret weapon. Perhaps their prickly appearance helps discourage predators. I didn't write down the variety, although the tag is visible...but a little too small print to read. We treasure our St. Louis botanical garden and bless the memory of Henry Shaw, an Englishman who made a fortune in hardware, loved plants, collected them, and willed his "country" home to the city of St. Louis over 150 years ago.