4# – Orchid collection moved, due to pollution

Voice: Jennifer Wolff


I’m Jennifer Wolff. Our orchids have a long and proud history at the Garden, but they didn’t always grow here. Back in 1926, the orchids were threatened by dirty city air from coal smoke and industrial pollution. So, the Garden moved them 30 miles west, out to Gray Summit, to what is now the Shaw Nature Reserve. Greenhouses were built there especially for this purpose. The next year, in 1927, an orchid seedling department was started.

From the late 1920’s until 1958, the Garden sold cut orchid flowers to local florists. This business grossed over $700,000, and made up to $50,000 at one time. The sale of orchids covered all costs associated with the collection, as well as the operation of what was then known as the Shaw Arboretum.

Through propagation, gifts and collecting, the orchid collection grew in size and prominence. In 1954, St. Louis hosted the first World Orchid Congress. By 1958, the city’s air quality had improved, and so the orchid collection returned to its original home here at the Garden, where it has remained ever since.