Guided tour to the old Botanic Garden and tea at Café Botanik 2014

On November 14, 2014, we visited the untiversity's Old Botanical Garden situated between Nikolausberger Weg and the inner city. The Old Botanical Garden is as old as the university itself: The widely-known Albrecht von Haller founded it in 1736 as a "hortus medicus", garden for medical plants. Many famous and important persons paid a visit to this garden, as custodian Dr. Michael Schwerdtfeger explains while he shows us around the grounds. The green area at the heart of Göttingen is nowadays mainly used as recreation area for students and residents alike, but the Old Botanical Garden still retains its function as educational establishment for students. New areas are constantly added, while older areas get further refined.
Now, in November, there is not much to see on the grounds, so we step into the greenhouses. They present us with a huge variety of exotic plants and habitats: In the rainforest greenhouse Michael Schwerdtfeger tells us all about life high above the ground in the crowns of the large rainforest trees. For example, tiny frogs live there in rain-filled ponds on bromeliad plants, they never leave the treetops in their life. The fern greenhouse also has its very own magical atmosphere: One just has to close one's eyes, take a deep breath of the moist warm air and savor the lush smell of the plants. The soft ripple of water falling into the small pond completes the impression of being somewhere far, far away in an exotic enchanted forest.
Exoticism of a more arid kind is to be found in the cactus greenhouse and in contrast, the Victoria greenhouse features various species of waterplants and the rare Victoria waterlily, after which it is named. In july, the huge waterlily will present itself in full bloom.

The last demonstration on our guided tour shows us a plant that lives completely without roots: Spanish moss sits and hangs from all places that seem somehow suitable, like trees, overhead lines or rainpipes and absorbs water and nutrients only through its tiny suction scales that cover it completely. In a dry state it looks grey (in the background), but once it is wet, the air within the scales is replaced by water, making the plant look green.
After this nice and varied guided tour we relocate to Café Botanik and continue to talk about life in Göttingen and the university while having a coffee.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for this great afternoon!