Warm houses

The climate regime in individual greenhouses differs with regard to temperature and humidity. This provides a wide range of cultivation options for plant species from various vegetation units in the tropical and subtropical regions. A vast number of tropical plants are cultivated in the heated greenhouses – around half of the Botanical Garden's 13,000 plant species can be found here.

Space is usually in short supply in greenhouses and must be optimally utilised. In addition to the cultivation of large plants in ground-level beds (i.e. planted out in the ground) and the cultivation of smaller plants on shelves in pots, additional air and light space is utilised in almost all houses by tying plants to pieces of bark and hanging them from ropes. These are mainly tree-dwelling bromeliads orchids and bromeliadsorchids , which, as ‘aerial roots’, that do not need a pot or soil to absorb nutrients and water.  ... as the name suggests, they get everything they need from the air through special suction hairs or aerial roots.

Most of the plants in the warm houses are rare species that are cultivated for research purposes. As special safety precautions apply here, the warm houses are not open to the public. However, a selection of species is on display in the tropical house. In addition, a transparent glass front in the orchid house allows visitors to take a look inside. Opposite the glass houses there are also two showcases in which blooming orchids and bromeliads are on display during the summer months.