Garden Variety

The Mizzou Botanic Garden offers more than a thousand acres of fantastic flora.

We often think of gardens as contained spaces for cultivated splendor. But the Mizzou Botanic Garden (MUBG) is no such thing. There are no walls, no gates, no hours of admission. That’s because the garden encompasses the entire 1,252-acre University of Missouri campus.  

There’s a lot that can be done on that kind of expanse, and the MUBG crew makes the absolute most of it. Here you’ll find eighteen specialty gardens, 6,000 trees — in fact, MUBG recently attained two arboretum certifications — and an array of artful container plantings. Of course, well-known landmarks such as the Francis Quadrangle and Chancellor’s Residence are always dressed to the nines, but hidden treasures abound. The wildlife pond between Stephens and LeFevre Halls is a peaceful place to enjoy the shade of the river birches. Outside Eckles Hall, where you can buy a scoop or two at Buck’s Ice Cream, a butterfly garden beckons winged guests.  

MUBG Horticultural Manager Jenna Sommer says the gardens incorporate a mix of both native and ornamental species over a range of landscape features. “The point is to show people what’s possible,” she says.  

And the possibilities are ever-changing. Between 3,500 and 4,000 new plant cultivars hit the market each year, and warming weather patterns — in 2023 the USDA updated its Hardiness Zone Map, shifting Boone County from zone 6a to 6b — means some plants that previously might not have flourished might now make spectacular garden additions.  

“Why not push the envelope a little?” says MUBG Director Joe Kovolyan.  

Visitors wishing to learn more about how MUBG is pushing the envelope — and how they themselves might do so in their own spaces — have ample opportunity. There currently are three self-guided tree tours, and groups can request guided tours as well.