GROWTH INDUSTRY: DINOSAURS NEW AT MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Japanese Garden is designed to be beautiful in all four seasons. This photo was taken in the spring.

This is the Drum Bridge in the Japanese Garden.

Wildflowers are among the sights at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

The dinosaurs were created by Guy Darrough for the Missouri Botanical Garden.

ST. LOUIS -- As if being one of the top three botanical gardens in the world weren't enough, the Missouri Botanical Garden now has added dinosaurs to the profusion.

The dinosaurs are actual-size models appearing in the Climatron through July 31. The Tyrannosaurid nest along with the Velociraptors made famous in the movie "Jurassic Park" are among the nine different species represented.

The models fashioned by a self-taught paleontologist are mixed in with the very real plants, birds and butterflies in the Climatron, a geodesic dome that creates a tropical rainforest environment.

"This is `Jurassic Park,'" said one little boy there on a visit with classmates last week.

More than 1,100 different species of tropical plants grow inside the Climatron, all of them labeled with interpretation that explains why one is called a "chocolate tree" and another is useful in controlling an irregular heartbeat.

The 79-acre Missouri Botanical Garden is an amalgam of horticultural, botanical and historical collections. Incorporated is a wide-ranging sculpture collection that includes pieces by Henry Moore and Raffaello Romanelli, whose "Fountain Angel" came from the 1904 World's Fair.

The garden was founded by Henry Shaw, whose hardware and cutlery business grew, expanded and produced a fortune that enabled him to retire in 1839 before his 40th birthday. His land holdings totalled about 1,000 acres.

A frequent traveler, he was inspired to create for St. Louis a garden like those he saw in Europe. He began with 10 acres and opened the garden to the public in 1859.

Shaw's country house along with a house he moved from the city remain on the grounds. Today, the annual attendance is over 750,000.

The garden includes a herbarium, a storehouse of botanical specimens visited by scientists from around the world, along with a library. As such, it's role as a research institution distinguishes it from mere showplaces.

"It's a cross between a museum and a university," says Leslie Taylor, public relations coordinator for the Missouri Botanical Garden.

There's a different kind of garden for every taste, including lovers of roses, azaleas, bulbous plants, dry streams, herbs and on and on. A scented garden was designed for the visually impaired and uses Braille and raised-letter labels.

The Biblical Garden offers plants that are mentioned in the Bible. Henna, for instance, is found in the Song of Solomon: "My beloved is to be a cluster of henna blossoms in the Vineyard of En-Gedi."

Taylor's favorite is the English Woodland Garden, a peaceful stroll under a tree canopy and through several small clearings.

Water figures prominently at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Nowhere is that as true as at the Japanese Garden, called Seiwa-En ("Garden of pure, clear harmony and peace"). At 14 acres it is the largest traditional Japanese garden on the continent.

The garden was designed with the help of Zen Buddhist monks. The islands in the middle of the lake are considered sacred and are off limits to visitors.

Huge koi of many colors congregate beneath the Flat Bridge, hoping to be fed.

This garden must be slowly and quietly observed and contemplated to be fully appreciated.

If the Chinese Garden seems bereft of plants, it's intentional. Chinese gardens are built to help humans experience spiritual harmony and accomplish this by creating a "borrowed landscape" enclosed by walls, bridges and pavement mosaics.

The Missouri Botanical Garden is on the National Register of Historic Places, but it's very much of the present and future as well. The Kemper Center offers, cooking, art and gardening classes. Among the 23 display gardens are a family vegetable garden, a butterfly garden, a children's garden and a secret garden.

A volunteer master gardener will answer questions from 9 a.m.-noon weekdays at (314) 577-5143.