The seasons in the Garden

January-February

Wintertime in the Garden. Most woody plants are now leafless, and the herbs have given up their green shoots. They survive in the earth, and only discolored, yellow to brown remains are testimonies of their presence and dimensions. Snow is not a constant winter feature in Berlin, only some 10% of the winter days have snow. If you happen to be here when snow falls, do not hesitate and come to the Garden to see the "feathers of Frau Holle" covering everything. For flowering plants go to the greenhouses, where the Camellias are at their best now.

March-April

In early springtime the trees and shrubs are still without leaves, and the first flowers are to be found close to the ground. They are mostly produced by bulbous plants, which send their flowers out before the green leaves take the overhand. A spectacular view is formed by the myriad of crocuses and daffodils covering the meadows. In the European beech forest the anemones form white carpets in April. And late April - early May brings the spectacular flowering of many traditional fruit trees, like cherries, pears and apples, in the Useful Plants garden.

May-June

The high days of our Garden are definitely in these months. The rock gardens now show an endless variety of flowering herbs and shrubs. In the marsh garden orchids can be found and the meadows are blue and white and yellow from salvia, parsley and buttercups.

July-August

Mid-summer in Berlin is usually cool and sufficiently rainy. And when it is not, we help nature by profuse watering. This allows a great variety of herbs to show their abundant flowers. The system of herbaceous plants is perhaps the best place to show you the great variety in shapes and colors. In the rock gardens many shrubs are now in fruit and with sunshine you can hear them crackling when they open to spread the seeds. Cactuses and palms are now outdoors and create an exotic atmosphere.

September-October

The day length is rapidly decreasing now, and the temperature follows slowly. Nature does not miss the signs of the approaching winter and in the Garden the woody plants prepare themselves by shedding their leaves. But first these leaves assume vivid yellow to brown or even red colors. This is particularly conspicuous in the North America section, where the impression of an "Indian summer" is very strong. The Useful Plants garden shows a variety of ripe crops now.

November-December

Each year it is surprising, how fast the leaves disappear from the trees, forming red, yellow or brown floors in the woods. And all the more valuable is the odd early herb, which starts flowering long before the winter goes to an end, like the Hellebore.