Essen Cvetličarna

With the Ruhr River on one side and the Rhine-Herne Canal on the other it is no wonder that the city of Essen almost always has flowers in bloom throughout the spring and summertime. One place where one can see a wide variety of flowers regardless of the season is at Grugapark, the city’s magnificent botanical gardens. Here visitors can wander through beautifully maintained flower beds that contain many species of flowers native to the region, along with some that contain an assortment of blooms from around the world. During the cold winter months there is a lighted trail through the Alpine Garden that gives it a magical feeling and when spring arrives the beds are filled with crocuses, tulips and edelweiss. In the Forest Valley visitors can marvel at giant cacti and ancient bonsai trees, and there is even a Tropical Grove that is home to lilies, hibiscus and even bromeliads. The Westphalian Farmer’s Garden is the perfect place to see tall yellow, orange and russet colored sunflowers, some standing over 7 feet high. There is also a Rhododendron Valley for lovers of azaleas, and the Rose Garden is a sight visitors shouldn’t miss when the teas, hybrids and climbers burst into bloom.