Botanical garden in Essen, Germany
bonsai part of the Botanischer Garten Grugapark
The Botanischer Garten Grugapark is a municipal
botanical garden located in the
Grugapark at Virchowstraße 167a,
Essen ,
North Rhine-Westphalia ,
Germany . It is open daily; an admission fee is charged.
The garden was established in 1927 for recreation, teaching, and research. Parts of the garden were destroyed in
World War II but gradually rebuilt and re-designed for the Essen
Bundesgartenschau of 1965. Today its major sections are as follows:
Alpinum - mountain plants from the
Caucasus , the
Carpathians , and the
Apennines , including
gentians , alpine violets,
asters , and pine trees, as well as
Taiwania .
Asia section -
dove tree ,
Japanese elm , and
Asian
hydrangeas ,
maples , and
walnut trees.
Climbing plants - self-described as Germany's largest collection of climbing plants, including
clematis ,
honeysuckle , climbing
hydrangea ,
wolfberry , and wild
vines .
Conifers (planted 1927) - self-described as one of Europe's largest collections, including
native
conifers ,
araucaria ,
thuja ,
ginkgos ,
sequoia ,
dawn redwood , and the oldest
cryptomeria group in
North Rhine-Westphalia .
Forest valley - American
sweet gums ,
pin oaks ,
bald cypresses , and a meadow with wild herbs.
Herb garden - medicinal
herb garden in a
medieval style.
Mediterranean orangery (built 1987) -
acacias ,
bay laurels ,
date palms ,
fig trees, and
lemon and
orange trees.
Rhododendron valley - 500
rhododendron
species and
cultivars .
Rose garden (planted 1927) -
rose cultivars and
water lily pond.
Sensory garden - primarily
roses and
herbs .
Shrubbery (planted 1964) - several thousand
shrubs from
Asia , the
Americas , and
Europe , as well as
cowslip ,
delphinium ,
Carpathian harebell ,
heuchera ,
lupin ,
red hot pokers ,
primrose , and giant
rhubarb .
Westphalian cottage garden (circa 1925) - medicinal and culinary
herbs and local
vegetables representative of a
Westphalian farmer's garden.
Wetlands -
bald cypress ,
bamboos ,
reeds ,
willows , etc.
The garden also includes three
greenhouses , built in 1985, for its tropical
rainforest collection,
succulents , and primeval plants from
Australia and tropical
South East Asia . Other features of interest include a
bonsai garden, a scenic pond (the Margarethensee ), and a
Ronald McDonald House designed by
Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 2005.
51°25′41″N 6°59′15″E / 51.4281°N 6.9876°E / 51.4281; 6.9876