116 Botanic gardens are systematic. Sometimes that makes them feel stiff and constraining. Not Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden. It is vast, but it is planned around thematic areas, surrounded by patches of trees, which creates surprise and a sense of adventure. Every time you walk around a bend in the path, a new creation ofContinue reading “Edinburgh (iii)”
Category Archives: botanic gardens
Paris (ii)
115 I think the botanic garden in Paris very much follows the French style, more so than the Montpellier garden does – although, admittedly, I don’t really know what I’m talking about. What I mean with the French style is pictures I’ve seen from French castle gardens, especially the ones at Versailles. The open spaces,Continue reading “Paris (ii)”
Montpellier (ii)
114 There was no entrance fee to the botanic garden in Montpellier during my visit in 2016, and the opening hours were long, making it a place that locals and tourists alike seemed to enjoy visiting for a calm evening stroll. There were birds, and cats everywhere! I spent several hours walking around on theContinue reading “Montpellier (ii)”
Oaxaca (iii)
112 There is definitely a point to having a guide explain things in the ethnobotanic garden of Oaxaca. There were no signs, but the guide was very knowledgeable and explained all about the wild and the cultivated, the native and the species that were brought here by the Europeans. The state of Oaxaca, according toContinue reading “Oaxaca (iii)”
Oslo (ii)
111 The greenhouses in the Oslo university botanic garden are not large, no, quite small actually, and old. Two beautiful metal, wood and glass structures, one tropical with three separate wings, and the other a temperate palm house. When I first entered the wing with the water lily pond in the tropical green house, IContinue reading “Oslo (ii)”
Barcelona (ii)
110 Visiting new cities can be a tiring exercise. Maybe that’s a contributing factor to why I fell into the habit of visiting botanic gardens. Except for maybe Kew in London and Jadin des Plantes in Paris, my general experience is that botanic gardens are places in otherwise busy cities where you can get aContinue reading “Barcelona (ii)”
Meise (ii)
108 The greenhouse complex in Meise botanic garden is probably the largest I’ve seen. A long row of spacious, modern greenhouses, covering the major biomes on Earth. If there ever was a place to learn about botany from all corners of the world, this is it. Photo: Plantentuin Meise / Jardin Botanique Meise, Brussels, Belgium,Continue reading “Meise (ii)”
Kew (ii)
107 The little waterlily greenhouse, one of all the small greenhouses in Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. It is completely taken up of a round pool full of waterlily leaves. It was such a lovely little place during my visit to the garden in 2013, and so warm. London was cold and raw on this particularContinue reading “Kew (ii)”
Göttingen (ii)
106 Göttingen, being an old university town with biology and agronomy as two of their strong disciplines, has three botanic gardens. I managed to visit two during my visit in 2017. And I fell like a pine (as the Swedish saying goes). The old garden, situated on the edge of the old city center, isContinue reading “Göttingen (ii)”
Helsinki (ii)
104 The greenhouses in the Kaisaniemi botanic garden are made up of a main lush tropical palm house and several adjoining smaller greenhouses housing plants from biomes such as the Mediterranean and deserts, a water lily pond and even a gorgeous little room completely dedicated to African violets. My Swedish grandmother used to have theseContinue reading “Helsinki (ii)”
Katja Malmborg 