1889-1915
The largest crowds at the Garden are for the two open Sundays and for the flower shows.

Chrysanthemum Show. People waiting to enter show in 1920.

Chrysanthemum tent in front of Linnaean House exterior in 1905.

Interior view of the chrysanthemum tent in front of Linnaean House for the 1905 show.

During the years from Shaw’s death through the early 1900s, the Garden was only open on two Sundays a year. Thus for workingmen, the garden was effectively only available on those two days. Most visitors, therefore, saw the garden either on one of these open Sundays, or for the flower shows. The Garden began holding the annual chrysanthemum shows in 1905, and it was an immediate success. In 1905, over 100,000 people took the streetcar down Tower Grove Avenue to the Garden. Thousands of chrysanthemums were arranged into beautiful displays for these mum shows. The Garden was finally opened on every Sunday in 1915.