Missouri Botanical Garden to open historic tribute
A new George Washington Carver Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden Garden – the first of its kind at a botanical garden – will open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 15.
The garden will honor the life and accomplishments of Dr. George Washington Carver, the extraordinary Missouri native scientist who greatly influenced 19th and 20th century agriculture and education.
Carver was born into slavery in 1865, in Diamond Grove, Missouri, a few miles southeast of Joplin. His interest in nature and plants developed early, and by the age of 12 he was known in the local farming community as “the plant doctor.”
By the end of his life, Carver was an internationally renowned figure, one of America’s greatest scientists, teachers, humanitarians and advocates for productive, sustainable agriculture.
He was the first African American to study at Iowa Agricultural College and later served on its botany faculty. At the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he revolutionized farming in the South by introducing plant diversity, crop rotation, natural fertilizers and conservation methods.
Witnessing the destructive effects of centuries of cotton farming on the South’s natural resources, Carver found crops that would restore depleted soils – notably peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans and black-eyed peas – and developed hundreds of by-products and uses for them that would increase their market value for Southern farmers.
The one-and-a-half acre Carver Garden, built by ICR Construction Services of St. Louis, is designed for peaceful contemplation and learning. It is located on the western edge of the botanical garden, between the Seiwa-en Japanese Garden and the Kemper Center for Home Gardening.
Entering from the south, visitors will proceed down a path lined with inspirational inscriptions from Carver’s writings and speeches, emerging at a central reflecting pool. Benches and a small amphitheater surrounding the water will provide a quiet place to relax. The garden will be landscaped with fragrant viburnums, hydrangeas, callery pears and sweet potato vines to give a secluded, intimate feeling.
The focal point will be a life-size bronze of Carver by acclaimed African-American sculptor Tina Allen of California, who will attend the garden’s dedication. The six-foot statue shows a mature Carver of about 65 years old, wearing a lab jacket and a wise, gentle expression as he stands holding a small plant to the sunlight. Allen’s other works include statues of Sojourner Truth, Alex Haley, Ralph Bunche and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Carver Garden will be not only a memorial but also a learning laboratory for youth, including a kiosk for educational instruction and a school curriculum written by Missouri Botanical Garden educators.
“The addition of the new George Washington Carver Garden creates the opportunity to renew Dr. Carver’s legacy for thousands of visitors and students,” said Dr. Peter Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden. “It provides a means for his accomplishments and values to influence new generations.”
Many prominent members of the local African-African community have fully embraced the project and are among those who serve on the Carver Garden Advisory Committee, led by Missouri Botanical Garden trustee Arnold Donald.
The project is funded by the Stewards of the Earth capital campaign, the Missouri Botanical Garden’s $71 million drive to support and strengthen its critical role as a world leader in plant sciences, education, interpretation and display. The Garden raised $1.4 million to build the Carver Garden.
The Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. Admission is $7 adults, $5 seniors, free for Garden members and children age 12 and under. St. Louis City and County residents pay reduced admission of $3 adults, $1.50 seniors. City and county residents are admitted free on Wednesdays and Saturdays before noon (except during major special events). Free parking is available on site. For information, visit www.mobot.org or call (314) 577-9400.
