Herb Garden

The St. Louis Herb Society Herb Garden is located on the south side of the historic Tower Grove House (Henry Shaw’s country home) at the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) and was completely renovated in 2004. With the cooperation of the MBG, the Herb Society members designed a garden featuring hundreds of “plants with a use”. Completely new irrigation and drainage systems and soil from the Missouri-Mississippi confluence enable herbs to thrive.

The Herb Garden is our outdoor classroom. Four areas are devoted to highlight a specific use: culinary, medicinal, fragrant, and utilitarian herbs. Parterre gardens showcase silvery plants, while display areas feature unusual varieties of lavender, rosemary, basil, and sage.

In 2013, a new container garden was installed south of the original herb garden.  The container garden was made possible by a contribution from The St. Louis Herb Society to the Missouri Botanical Garden and designed in concert with the Horticulture and Living Collections Division.  Fifteen large containers, imported from Italy, sit on durable concrete pads, creating significant space between the containers where hardy perennial herbs are planted.

Herbs grown in the Garden are used in Herb Society education classes for demonstrations of cooking, crafting and making various herbal products such as potpourri, bouquet garnis, and tussie-mussies.

Two sculpture areas are included: a sundial statue in a bed of thyme, and a millstone fountain surrounded by bright flowering annuals.

Herb Society members work in the Herb Garden on Tuesday mornings from April through October, from 8 to 10 a.m., weather permitting, and are available to answer any questions.