Summer in the (botanical) garden

Gardens, parks, vegetable gardens: Trentino features many beautiful botanical treasures, most of which are open only for the Summer. Take advantage of this opportunity and visit them as soon as you can! Some of the most important gardens are briefly described below.

Vast and ancient

One of the greatest and most ancient botanical gardens in the Alps is the Giardino Botanico Alpino di Viote in Monte Bondone, which lies at an altitude of 1,500 metres a.s.l., covering no less than 10 hectares and containing more than 10,000 different plant species from mountains around the world, many of which are in danger of extinction. The reserve was created in the 1930s and is open to the public from June to September, with numerous events and initiatives (including apéritifs based on wild herbs) and a range of special activities (have you ever tried a vegetable-based dye?)

http://www.muse.it

Ducal Arboretum
Of the vast gardens that Archduke Albert of Habsburg (a cousin of Emperor Franz Joseph) created around his mansion at the end of the 1800s, only the Arboreto di Arco remains. Here you can admire holly oaks, an enormous sequoia, Californian cypress and many exotic plants including agave, prickly pears and Constantinople acacia. The Arboretum features more than 200 species in a one-hectare area. The botanical garden is managed by the Municipality of Trento in conjunction with personnel from the Provincial Service for the Conservation of Nature and the Environment and the Science Museum in Trento.

http://www.muse.it
http://www.gardatrentino.it

The wildness of nature

The botanical garden at Passo Coe is truly extraordinary. Located at an altitude of 1,610 metres a.s.l. on the slopes of Monte Maggio (on the upper reaches in Folgaria) the garden extends over an area of three hectares and features a rich and important variety of wild flowers and plants, all growing and thriving in their natural habitat: bluffs, rocks, fields, meadows, woodland, mountain pastures and screes. Other spaces are reserved to the cultivation of medicinal plants and vegetable gardens, with buckwheat, potatoes, barley and cabbage.

You can choose from four different trails, each along different soil: the paved path (where you can admire the poisonous plants), the Alpine spring trail (where you will pass Alpine springs and willow), the trail through the woods (discover the trees where the woodpeckers feed) and the pasture trail (where you can see the sheep in the fenced area). The garden is open during the Summer (generally in July and August).

http://www.museocivico.rovereto.tn.it

Plants and flowers from Monte Baldo
Also open during Summer there is the Orto dei semplici, a botanical garden which, as in the case of the botanical garden in Passo Coe, is supervised by the botanical section of the Civic Museum of Rovereto. The botanical garden is situated near the Palazzo Eccheli-Baisi in Brentonico, and features 500 species of plants divided into two sections: the Orto dei semplici and the botanical garden in Monte Baldo. The former comprises twelve beds containing native species from Monte Baldo, subdivided according to the way they are used. In the second section, natural micro-environments have been recreated for the various plants (again, those native to Monte Baldo, but subdivided according to their environment and rate of growth).

http://www.museocivico.rovereto.tn.it/orto_brentonico

All the roses in the world

Twelve thousand rose bushes and 400 species of roses – what more do you need? You will find them all in the Rose Garden in Ronzone, which offers a splendid panoramic view of Val di Non. So many types of roses – botanical, ancient, native to the Alps, Japanese, Bourbon, English and climbing varieties (take a stroll beneath the 400-metre rose bower) flower freely next to perennials and bulbs. The materials used to create the gardens are all biodegradable and the rose garden blends in with the surrounding landscape thanks to the apple and pear trees planted in each of the beds. There is also a workshop which produces rose-based cosmetics for sale to visitors. The garden is open to visitors from May to October.

http://www.giardinodellarosa.it/