The Schau- und Sichtungsgarten Hermannshof (2.2 hectares), also known as the Hermannshof Weinheim, is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

at Babostraße 5,

Weinheim Weinheim (; pfl, Woinem) is a town with about 43,000 inhabitants in northwest Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region, approximately north of Heidelberg and northeast of Mannheim. Weinheim is known as the "Zwei ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It is open daily in the summer and weekdays in the winter, and admission is free. Today's garden was first established as a private garden over 200 years ago. It was acquired by the Freudenberg industrialist family in 1888, and in the 1920s, it was redesigned by landscape architect Heinrich Friedrich Wiepking-Jürgenmann. In 1981 to 1983, it was again redesigned as a public garden by landscape architect Hans Luz of Stuttgart. It is now a scientific institution jointly owned by the Freudenberg Company and the town of Weinheim. The garden cultivates about 2500

taxa In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...

arranged in naturalistic plantings, including two theme gardens: a

peony The peony or paeony is a flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'' , the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae . Peonies are native to Asia, Europe and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguished ...

collection (created 1998) and North American

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

garden (2001, 1500 m²) containing over 350 plants. It also contains a number of notable trees, including specimens of ''

Platanus orientalis ''Platanus orientalis'', the Old World sycamore or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red ...

'' and ''

Platanus × hispanica ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All except ...

'' that are over 230 years old, as well as ''

Cedrus atlantica ''Cedrus atlantica'', the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco ( Middle Atlas, High Atlas), and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre ''Cedrus'' ...

'', ''

Ginkgo biloba ''Ginkgo biloba'', commonly known as ginkgo or gingko ( ), also known as the maidenhair tree, is a species of tree native to China. It is the last living species in the order Ginkgoales, which first appeared over 290 million years ago. Fossils ...

'', ''

Magnolia denudata ''Magnolia denudata'', the lilytree or Yulan magnolia (), is native to central and eastern China. It has been cultivated in Chinese Buddhist temple gardens since 600 AD. Its flowers were regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang Dynasty and it ...

'', ''

Magnolia × soulangeana ''Magnolia'' × ''soulangeana'' (''Magnolia denudata'' × '' Magnolia liliiflora''), the saucer magnolia, is a hybrid flowering plant in the genus ''Magnolia'' and family Magnoliaceae. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in ...

'', ''

Myrtus communis ''Myrtus communis'', the common myrtle or true myrtle, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It is an evergreen shrub native to southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Macaronesia, and the Indian Subcontinent, and ...

'', and '' Sequoia'' dating from the late 19th century.

External links

Schau- und Sichtungsgarten Hermannshof

Garden map

Garden brochure

Qype entry, with photographs

GardenVisit entry

Ultraviolet and bee vision photography done at Hermannshof
Botanical gardens in Germany Gardens in Baden-Württemberg Buildings and structures in Weinheim {{Germany-garden-stub

See also

External links