Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

St. Louis, MO

Garden sw wild sweet William and woodland stonecrop in forground

Yellow and black bumble bee on purple coneflower

Yellow and purple flowers in green foliage

Photos: Jim Carrington and Kari Frey

Size: 6 acres

Year established: 2016

Year induced: 2021

Category: Professionally managed

Maintained by: Compass Native Landscapes

Entrance Fee: None
Visitors are welcome to tour the six-acre prairie planting outside of the main building

Description: This six-acre planting, located just outside the main building at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, was initially established in 2016 using a seed mix from Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Missouri. The prairie planting replaced a large lawn and non-native landscaped beds. 70 species of native grasses and forbs were planted, making this garden very diverse. The planting has been subsequently reseeded in recent years to further increase its biodiversity. In 2019, seed harvested from Golden Prairie, a Missouri Prairie Foundation property, was added to the landscape.

At more than six acres, the Danforth Center Prairie has become a wildlife haven and a beautiful natural landscape in a densely populated area of Saint Louis County. In the summer, purple coneflowers, wild sennas, and native mints attract a large number of bumblebees and other pollinators. Blazing stars, mallows, bergamots, and many species of milkweeds also add diversity and color to the landscape. Monarch butterflies flock to the garden in the fall where they feast on a rich collection of asters and goldenrods. In winter, many of the seed heads are left standing in the garden, increasing aesthetic interest and providing food and shelter for wildlife. The landscape also has bioretention basins for stormwater control incorporated into the native landscape. This prairie planting also has reduced the Danforth Center’s carbon footprint in keeping with the organization’s mission to “improve the human condition through plant science.”

What Makes this Garden Excellent: The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is one of the world’s leading institutes in botanical and agricultural research. Many of the plants that are used in this garden are ones that researchers at the Danforth Center are studying. For example, big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indian grass are being studied by Dr. Elizabeth Kellogg in her lab. Dr. Chris Topp’s lab is studying the root systems of switchgrass, another species that is well represented on the prairie. Additionally, Dr. Allison Miller’s lab is studying several species of wildrye (genus Elymus) to investigate whether they could be domesticated to serve as perennial grain crops.

Ten Great Native Plants to See Here:
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Baptisia australis (blue false indigo)
Dalea purpurea (purple prairie clover)
Elymus glaucus (wild rye)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Ratibida pinnata (grayhead coneflower)
Salvia azurea (blue sage)
Solidago speciosa (showy goldenrod)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (New England aster)