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Orto Botanico dell’Università di Ferrara was founded in 1771; a year later they published a catalogue of the plants, which included 2800 native and exotic species on a surface of 4500 square meters – with hedges with irregular forms – and 4 themed sections,“Sistematica”, “Piante Utili”, “Giardini a tema” and “Flora protetta”.

In 1963 it was transferred in the 16^th century palace Palazzo Turchi-Di Bagno, where it is still located.

The greenhouses enclose species of great interest, which are divided in a great unheated room with the double function of hot and temperate greenhouse. From Springtime till Autumn the plants are placed outdoors and so they form a fifth section, the exotic plants, which allows them to host water species which are guarded in the water garden, in the themed gardens. In the biggest basin there are ornamental plants like lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, Egyptian papyrus, Cyperus papyrus. The are also nymphaea, yellow water-lilies, hyacinths and water lettuces, but also rare water ferns coming from regions with subtropical and tropical climates.

The plants (1300 species coming from different climate areas)

Inside the botanical garden there are different themed gardens: the rocky garden, which hosts bulbous and orophytes of European and extra-european; Angolo ombroso, with herbaceous and schiaphilous climbing plants; Giardino mediterraneo, with the typical vegetation of the Mediterranean scrub, of garrigue of steppe prairies; Angolo delle igrofite, with plants from fresh and wet soils; Giardino d’acqua, with  specie ilophyte and hydrophilic of fresh water; Angolo delle officinali; Giardino inglese, with informal flowerbeds formed by natural hedges, ancient roses and other ornamental plants; Giardino italiano, with geometric flowerbeds of evergreen hedges, blossomed plants and citruses; lastly Giardino del tè, in Japanese style.

In the garden of Piante Utili the plants are organised according to their utility to humans: ‘il Giardino frutteto’, ‘Piante per l’industria’, ‘Piante aromatiche’ and ‘Piante medicinali’.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)