What's in Bloom

The Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard; 314-577-5100 or www.mobot.org) would be a spectacular sight at any time of year, what with its exotic, colorful blooms, but it's especially welcome in this, the dreariest month of all. To effectively shake off the winter shivers and blahs, be sure to take a stroll through the garden's Orthwein Floral Display Hall, where hundreds of strikingly lovely flowers will greet you around every turn. This year, the focus of the orchid extravaganza is on Madagascar and the garden's conservation and research efforts there, so also expect to see plants native to the country, lemurs made out of plants (!) and more Malagasy-style marvels. The show is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Saturday, February 2, through Sunday, March 31, and orchids are switched out often to ensure maximum blossom-age for all visitors. Orchid Show admission costs $5 per person in addition to regular garden admission ($3 to $8).
Feb. 2-March 31, 2013