A Garden for Enjoyment and Education

Henry Shaw “wanted clarity, not mystery, order, not irregular incident, and plants for study, not repose” (vii).

The Book

Henry Shaw’s Victorian Landscapes: The Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park by Carol Grove invites the reader to go behind the scenes of one of America’s oldest botanical garden. The book is both a biography of Henry Shaw and two of his greatest achievements: the Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park.

Henry Shaw immigrated to America from England in 1818 and quickly adopted St. Louis as his new home. After years of success in various business ventures, Shaw decided to incorporate his interest in gardening with philanthropy. He purchased the land the garden and park sits on in 1842. The garden opened in 1859 and the park opened in 1872. In Shaw’s opinion, the garden was a way to elevate citizens and an instrument of reform that would cultivate taste. The park would serve the same function as libraries and museums.

Henry Shaw’s Victorian Landscapes is well-written and caters to a wide variety of interests. Grove helps the audience visualize the city of St. Louis during the late 1800s and the development of the garden. There is just enough outside informative to be interesting, but not distract from the main story. Grove does include some detailed information regarding gardening, but it is written in a way that appeals to most knowledge levels. It is easy for a reader to come away with a greater appreciation for the Missouri Botanical Garden and the science behind gardening.

The Place

The Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park are southwest of downtown St. Louis. Visitors will need to purchase tickets for the garden, but the park is a municipal park. Since the garden and park are mostly outdoors, the best time to visit would be when the weather is nice.

Once inside the garden, a visitor will quickly appreciate the hard work of Shaw and his successors. The garden includes plants from America and around the world, interactive fountains, and unique architecture. One of my favorite areas was the Bakewell Ottoman Garden and my favorite plant was the chocolate flower (which really does smell like chocolate). It is easy to get lost wandering the trials of the garden and park, learning about different plants, and stopping to investigate a new smell.