Henry Shaw Archives

Henry Shaw

Shaw’s Garden It’s the birthday of the man who created the Missouri Botanical Gardens, also known as “Shaw’s Garden,” or “Hank’s Garden” – the great horticulturist and botanical philanthropist Henry Shaw. Henry is celebrated on the St. Louis Walk of Fame with this epitaph: “Henry Shaw, only 18 when he came to St. Louis, was…

July 24, 2020 Moss by Robert Miller, Benning Wentworth, Henry Shaw, Alexandre Dumas, Pigeon Peas, Chasing Eden by Jack Staub and Renny Reynolds, and the Dial-A-Garden-Tipline

Today we remember the man who brought Lilacs to America. We’ll also learn about the man who created the Missouri Botanical Gardens, also known as “Shaw’s Garden.” We celebrate the French author, who exchanged his personal library for a lifetime supply of cantaloupe. We also look back at an article from 1938 and the topic…

Henry Shaw

Shaw’s Garden It’s the birthday of the man who created the Missouri Botanical Gardens, also known as “Shaw’s Garden,” or “Hank’s Garden” – I’m talking about none other than the great Henry Shaw who was born on this day in 1800. Shaw is easily in the top ten of any list of great American botanical…

July 24, 2019 Basilmania, Benning Wentworth, Henry Shaw, Pigeon Peas, John Clare, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West, Planting a Clock Garden, and Dial-A-Garden-Tip

Are you a fan of basil? A few years ago, I produced an entire long-format show about basil for the Still Growing podcast. It was Episode 573, and I called it Basilmania. At one point or another, we’ve all needed an introduction to basil and pesto. So, if you’ve never grown basil, or smelled basil,…

Henry Shaw

The Founder of the Missouri Botanical Gardent On this day, May 3rd, in 1819, botanist and philanthropist Henry Shaw arrived in St. Louis. St. Louis had been founded over fifty years before Shaw’s arrival, and the population by 1820 was just over 10,000 people. Shaw is commemorated on the St. Louis Walk of Fame with…

May 3, 2019 National Garden Meditation Day, Walter Elias Broadway, Henry Shaw, Saks 5th Avenue, Valley of Flowers Festival, Charles Joseph Sauriol, American Eden, Victoria Johnson, Panoramic Photos, and Remembering Plant Names

Today is National Garden Meditation Day. Forget about your troubles Go to the garden (if you’re not there already). Feel the breeze or the sprinkles. Smell the rain. Look at all the signs of life around you… all the shades of green emerging from the ground. Listen to the sound of spring. Garden time is…

Henry Shaw: Plants were his Children

“Madame, did you ever know a mother to forget the names of her children? These plants and flowers are my little ones.” May 3, 1819 On this day, botanist and philanthropist Henry Shaw arrived in St. Louis. St. Louis had been founded over fifty years before Shaw’s arrival, and the population by 1820 was just…