Photos courtesy MOBOT.
by Don Corrigan
St. Louis area residents are once again getting into the holiday spirit at Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Garden. The show runs through New Year’s Eve and beyond.
Two-million lights await visitors, but these are not ordinary twinkling bulbs. Displays are extraordinarily high-tech and environmentally responsible.
According to the Garden’s Elves:
• All displays are LED and use minimal electrical energy.
• Glow is an immersive walking experience, rather than drive-thru.
• As an on-foot exhibit, the walkable displays reduce emissions.
• Food vendors use almost exclusively compostable containers.
• Trees used in displays are used to maximum sustainable advantage.
“Sustainability is at the heart of all we do at the Missouri Botanical Garden,“ said Catherine Martin, senior public information officer for MoBot.
“We continue to adapt Glow each year in sustainable ways
“Energy conservation is among the criteria for selection as we add new displays,” added Martin. “Garden Glow is carefully designed in coordination with our Horticulture staff to protect our living collection of trees and plants.”
Cut trees in installations, including the Frosted Forest, come from sustainable tree farms and help preserve the Garden’s collections. They prevent damage to other living plants, according to Martin.
After Garden Glow, these cut conifers will be chipped up and used as mulch to help the Garden grow, she explained.
“One neat feature this year is new fence posts – decorated for the holidays and part of the Glow display,” said Martin. “They are made from wood from our Shaw Nature Reserve.
“These eastern red cedars were taken from Shaw Nature Reserve as part of the Wolf Run Grassland Restoration Project,” explained Martin. “This is a 120-acre ecological restoration of prairie, oak woodlands and savannas.”
Martin stressed that in the absence of fire on the landscape over the last 150 years, cedar abundance has greatly increased across Missouri to the detriment of our state’s native flora.
Removing the eastern red cedar helps improve the Shaw Nature Reserve ecosystem health and native species biodiversity.
New this year at Garden Glow:
• Visitors can dance on interactive tile floors that change color with movement.
• Large 6-foot to 10-foot dandelions have been added to the “Springtime” display, joining large glass lilies that light up in sync with music.
• No matter the weather forecast, visitors can expect flurries from a new snow machine as they exit through the Ottoman Garden.
• A new “S’more Shack” is now selling elevated s’mores at Garden Glow.
• Those looking to make a night of it can rent a VIP firepit experience for a special celebration with family and friends. The two-hour rental includes s’mores kits and hot cocoa for up to 20 guests.
Classic favorites like “Big Blue,” a sweet gum wrapped in 800 strands of lights, returns to this one-of-a-kind holiday experience. Garden Glow also features festive drinks, snacks, and unique photo opportunities.
The Holiday Flower and Train Show will once again be in the Emerson Conservatory through Jan. 1. Visitors of all ages will delight in watching G-scale trains and trolleys travel through the Conservatory amongst hundreds of vibrant poinsettias.
The Holiday Wreath Auction, which features creations from some of St. Louis’ finest florists, returns this year. Designs range from traditional to whimsical and are sold by silent auction bidding, with proceeds benefiting the Missouri Botanical Garden.
The Holiday Flower Show and the Holiday Wreath Auction are included in Garden Glow admission. Both are also on view during the Garden’s daytime hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Garden Glow hours vary by date. Advanced tickets are strongly encouraged to guarantee the date/time of your choosing. Tickets range from $5 to $24. Family Nights, which include $5 children’s tickets, are Wednesday nights through Dec. 14. For more information, visit mobot.org/glow.
The Garden’s eleventh annual Garden Glow is presented by Wells Fargo Advisors and runs nightly from Nov. 18 to Jan. 6.
Environmental Echo 