Posted:
11/25/2024 |
Print Friendly Version
Throughout the holiday season the Missouri Botanical Garden is hosting its annual Holiday Flower and Train Show, and this year the display features some jaw-dropping replicas fans of the Garden will recognize.
Each year, the Holiday Flower and Train Show showcases whimsical scenery for its model G trains to traverse through using festive plants like vibrant poinsettias and small characters dispersed throughout a charming, miniature holiday town. This year at the center of that landscape, sits an astonishing and fittingly botanical replica of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Applied Imagination, Ltd. was commissioned by the Garden to recreate some of the Garden’s most beloved and iconic buildings. These five hyper-detailed and realistic replicas took nearly 1,400 hours to craft, and they are entirely made of natural materials like bark, acorns, and leaves.
“Botanical architecture was initially developed by Applied Imagination’s founding visionary, Paul G. Busse,” the creators explain. “Founded in 1991, Applied Imagination was the convergence of Paul’s work with landscaping, garden railroads, and his unique use of plant material. We are so thrilled to bring our unique creations to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Holiday Flower and Train Show. For over 30 years, our artisans have evolved this unique style of modeling, each building taking 100-500 hours to complete.”
Among the recreated landmarks are Linnean House, Tower Grove House, the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum, the Mausoleum and Herring House. The designers of the Holiday Flower and Train Show have integrated these new pieces seamlessly into the already beloved show, using the plants from the Garden’s living collections to create a scenery around the Garden replica.
Along with the Garden landmarks, Applied Imagination also recreated several homes from the Shaw Neighborhood that can be spotted throughout the display. These replicas also are constructed from botanical materials and took an additional 700 hours to craft.
The new replicas can be seen at the Holiday Flower and Train Show, located inside the Emerson Conservatory connected to the Garden’s Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center. The display is included in both daytime admission (9 a.m.–3 p.m.) and Garden Glow each night through January 1. The trains and trolleys are active 10 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5–9 p.m.