Botanical Garden in Warsaw

Hello everybody, it is Ralph again. Rick got a call from Aleksandra with whom he was in Canada and Helsinki. They are now on their way to a new country. Since I was already in Warsaw, he asked me to entertain you for a week or two.

* * *

I will take you today to the botanical garden of the Warsaw University. In May, Rick has taken you to another one, located next to Warsaw, in Powsin. But the one I will take you to is much older, it was founded in 1818.

Next to the main entrance you can see the Astronomical Observatory of the Warsaw University. It is pretty old as well, since it was founded in 1825. At that time it was one of the most advanced observatories in Europe.

After entering the garden you will immediately notice the sweet smell of roses.

They are here in all colours. A little tip at the beginning, if you want to learn more about a plant look for a little information card next to it. The card will show you the Polish name, the Latin name and the origins of the plant. A red tag indicates an endangered species.

In summer time, the garden is full of colourful plants. This part represents the species typically found in gardens in the Kurpie region.

One of the benefits of the fact that the garden exists already for 200 years is that it is the house of many very old trees. Like this beech ...

... or this maple. Looking at its size I can only guess it could give a swimming pool of maple syrup.

Talking of swimming pools. The garden includes a section dedicated to water plants, including my favourite water lilies.

You can also see here little lakes, covered with duckweed. I believe Rick has shown it to you in natural environment, in the Biebrza National Park.

And look, here come lilies again, this time in the ground not in water. I just love this smell.

With so many flowers, the garden is obviously the house of many hard working insects called apidae (or simply bees). To help them, people have created for them small houses where they can lay eggs. I know it does not look like a typical beehive. This is because most of these bees do not live in colonies. They also do not make honey.

This huge green plant in the middle is the biggest of this type in the world. It is called Gunnera manicata and can be higher than a man.

Personally I am not really fond of green plants, I prefer plants with flowers in vibrant colours, like these fuchsias.

Speaking of flowers. I was told at the entrance that in this part of the year, the greatest jewels of the garden are the dahlias. Here they are.

And even more over there.

In the old days people used to come to this garden to find rest and peace of mind. They could then meditate in this little temple.

Unfortunately the temple undergoes now as you see some refurbishment. So I propose we sit next to the fountain.

Let's enjoy the sunlight and think of all the magnificent dahlias blooming just for me and you.