The Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world and is located within the center of the city which makes it very convenient to visit. And it is perhaps one of the smallest too, tiny even but it is relative to the size of the city rather than dominating it.
Tiny it may bet it certainly still packs a punch!
I'll let Wikipedia and it's own website do most of the talking when it comes to more information about it. For now let me share to you first some of the few photos we've taken outside before we give a tour of its three greenhouses on separate posts:
The entrance to the Three Climate Greenhouse
Winter still has its grip of the city and there's not much going on outside apart from the resilience of the evergreens. Phyllostachys to the left and Cortaderia to the right.
I thought it was a Schefflera at first but it was Daphniphyllum macropodum
Nice looking building but not open to the public, although parts of it can be hired for private parties. At other times I can imagine this is where most of their administration work is done.
Before we continue let's have a very quick look at their plant sales area first...Hostas in leaf like it's late May already...
And Hydrangeas in bloom! This is Holland afterall...
Now on to other parts outside:The Palm House, one of its three greenhouse attractions. The structure looks a lot newer than it's age of almost a hundred years old.
Winding paths with herbaceous beds in between
Carnivorous plants beds just outside the Three Climate Greenhouse. Hardy but scruffy!
Nice enough place to pause and sit. I wonder if next month the pansies will be replaced by tulips in bloom...
A small Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) still in a cage??? We can't believe this gimmick is still being done!
Perhaps an instruction is written on the tag when they bought it saying - must be placed in a cage if to be planted in a botanic garden. Ah well, a little plant drama never did harm.
We only took a few photos outside especially as it seems winter still has its grip on the place but I can imagine change is about to happen pretty rapidly in the next few days. The biggest highlights of our visit were a look a look into their three greenhouse attractions which we'll feature on upcoming posts!Mark :-)