Collections

• Photographs from the collections:
  • Greenhouses
  • Outdoor garden
• Plantation maps of Kaisaniemi

The peace and quiet of the Botanic Garden in Kaisaniemi can be reached either from the busy Unioninkatu street or from the adjoining Kaisaniemenranta road. In summertime, perhaps the most attractive part of the grounds is the central garden, an open area with ponds and flowers, bordered by the glasshouses and rose bushes. The well-established trees in the outer parts of the grounds provide welcome shade in the summer heat, a pleasant place to sit and read, to enjoy a picnic or to listen to the birds. Squirrels, hedgehogs, hares, and colourful butterflies can also be seen in the grounds.

The Garden provides plenty to see all year round. The tropical species of the historic Palm House welcome visitors in to experience the enthralling world of plants. The lush Rainforest House presents African plants including the coffee bush and an exceptionally large collection of wild African violet species. In the Desert House the so-called xerophytes, well adapted to extreme conditions, are particularly interesting, as are the floating aquatic plants of the Water Lily House. The leaf of the Giant Waterlily can grow to two metres in diameter and is capable of supporting the weight of a fully grown person. Aromatic plants can be found in the South African and Mediterranean Houses. In all, the greenhouses contain over 900 separately labelled plant species.

The garden’s new collections in Kumpula, some 3 km north of the city centre are open during the summer. Kumpula garden is used by researchers and teachers, and tourist groups can come on guided tours by prior arrangement. The Kumpula Garden includes only outdoor collections. These consist of sections for economic plants and geographical sections. A selection of cereals; vegetables; dye, perfume, and fodder plants; berry bushes; fruit trees; medicinal and spice herbs; and old rose cultivars are displayed. In the geographic sections the plants are arranged by the geographic origin of the species into sections for Europe; eastern North America; Western North America; the Far East; and Japan.