Entering the Karlsruhe Botanical Gardens is like entering a small paradise. Depending on season, a variety of fruits and flowers can be seen, creating a colorful diversity from all over the world.
Water lily pond in front of the gatehouse.
Lawns are punctuated in several areas by interesting trees. An impressive weeping beech stands near the orangery. Its branches almost reach the ground, creating a virtually enclosed chamber. Near the gatehouse is a giant sequoia from the United States and a monkey puzzle tree from Chile with bizarre needle-like leaves. The round basins full of water lilies, carp and goldfish and the collection of cherubs created in 1938 by Wilhelm Kollmar (1871–1948) are small oases.
Magnificent citrus flourishes here.
Approximately 300 potted plants and planted trees grow in the garden today, interspersed with lots of Mediterranean plants, including fig, olive, bay and citrus trees. Anyone curious about where pink peppercorns come from can admire a Brazilian pepper tree in the botanical gardens. Of course there are also showy blooms: for example, the bright blue lily of the Nile.
Kaiser Wilhelm: the oldest German dahlia variety still in existence today.
Blooming bright in front of the gatehouse in late summer: the dahlias. Historic varieties–single and double blooms–highlight the achievements of Andreas Hartweg (1777–1831), a garden inspector at the Karlsruhe court. In 1808, he succeeded in cultivating the first "full double" dahlia. At the end of the 19th century, grand ducal garden director Leopold Graebener created the Yucca x karlsruhensis by crossing two yuccas. Its offspring still grow in the botanical gardens today.
