The Prague Botanical Garden is situated in the suburb of Troja, adjacent to Prague Zoo. So our journey to get there on Monday 23rd July was exactly the same as the one I described in my earlier post about our visit to the zoo. We had only visited the Botanical Garden once previously, about three years ago, and it proved to be somewhere well worth re-visiting.
The southern section of the garden consists of a series of beds planted with a whole variety flowers from across Europe and beyond. The photograph on the left is of a bed of perennial and annual plants which over the summer months, sees more than 300 species in bloom. These beds are surrounded by manicured lawns with plenty of space for people just to sit and relax and enjoy the beauty of the flowers.
Another area is given over to plants that enjoy more moisture and has a small lake at it centre. Other areas that have more trees feature flowers and plants that prefer a little more shade.
Immediately below the southern section lies the much longer-established St. Claire’s Vineyard, now incorporated within the Botanical Garden. The vineyard takes its name from the little chapel dedicated to St. Claire that is situated right on the top of the south-facing slope of the vineyard. The photograph below was taken from alongside the chapel.
Below the vineyard, but outside of the Botanical Garden, is Zámek Troja. It too is surrounded by very attractive gardens including a long-established maze. But because the Zámek is now an art gallery in the care of Prague City Council, like nearly all art galleries and museums in the Czech Republic, it doesn’t open on Mondays. And unfortunately, as we discovered, the same applies to the grounds as well as to the Zámek.
Adjacent to the more ornamental beds of the southern section of the Botanical Garden is a separate Japanese Garden. It features broadleaved trees of Japanese and Chinese origin, together with a stream and small lake. Most significantly, it also has a collection of bonsai trees, one of which can be clearly seen in this photograph on the left.
The larger, wilder northern section of the Botanical Garden lies further uphill with more than half of it being forested. However, two sections display different aspects of the natural world of North America. One area is has plants from the prairie whilst another displays plants and flowers from the semi-desert regions including these bright purple flowers below.
With an entry fee of just CZK 50 for Sybille and only CZK 25 for me being ‘senior’ aged 60-69 🙂 , we shall certainly return to see the Prague Botanical Garden in another season. But we’ll try and avoid going on a Monday so we can visit the gardens of Zámek Troja as well!
