dit seizoen in de hortus
In de Hortus worden doorlopend activiteiten georganiseerd. Bekijk hier het actuele programma.
Alle activiteiten
word vriend van de hortus
Als lid van de Vereniging van Vrienden van de Amsterdamse Hortus steun je de Hortus en kun je bovendien voor โฌ47,50 per jaar ieder seizoen de tuin bezoeken.
word vriend van de hortus
September in the Kitchen Garden = harvest season! ๐ฅ๐ฟ๐
Thereโs something to eat around every corner: vegetables, herbs, fruits, edible flowers and plenty of plants you might not expect to find on your plate.
๐How many can you recognise?
Yes, that enormous, knobbly thing hanging from the tree is a fruit. Breadfruit (๐๐ณ๐ต๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ด) can grow surprisingly large, with mature fruits weighing several kilograms. The tree is native to the Pacific and belongs to the same family as figs and mulberries, the Moraceae.
๐When cooked, the starchy flesh has a texture and flavour that can resemble freshly baked bread.
๐ธPossibly the cutest flowers in the entire Hortus right now๐ฅน. Knopies (buttons), waterblasies (water blisters) or dumplings: this is Conophytum, a genus of succulent plants native to southern Namibia and the western and southern Cape Provinces of South Africa. They are now flowering in our nursery greenhouse and we think they`re IRRESISTBLE.
๐คIn their natural habitat in tropical South America, Victoria flowers have a surprisingly elaborate way of getting pollinated.
When the flower opens in the evening, it can become much warmer than the surrounding air. This is called thermogenesis: the flower actually produces heat through its own respiration. But why bother? One reason is to attract its pollinators. The warmth also acts as a kind of energy-saving reward for the beetles that spend the night inside: when the white flower opens in the evening, it attracts beetles of the genus Cyclocephala with its colour, scent and warmth. Once they crawl inside, the flower closes around them - making sure they do their pollination job!
The first-night flower additionally produces a strong, fruity scent that has been described as smelling like pineapple or butterscotch. Together with the white colour and the heat, this scent helps advertise the flower to its beetle pollinators. ๐ธ๐ชฒ
A little throwback to one of our favourite seasons. ๐
We`re already looking forward to mornings like these - with our beautiful Palm House glowing through the trees.๐
๐How many babies can you spot?
Quietly growing among the trees in our conifer garden is this ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข fern.
Like other ferns, this species also produces spores on the underside of its leaves. So it has two ways to spread: cloning itself through baby plants and creating genetically diverse offspring through spores!
Did you know ferns could do this?๐ถ๐ป
๐ฎOut of the bare earth, the ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐บ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ (๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ) suddenly sends up these delicate lilac flowers. Almost as if theyโve been conjured overnight!๐โจ
The autumn crocus is sometimes called `naked boys` or `naked ladies`: because the flowers emerge from the ground long before the leaves appear.
Not ready for autumn yet? Neither are we. ๐ฟโ
While the rain pours outside, our tropical greenhouse is bursting with life, colour and jungle vibes. Your green escape is waiting!
