Per se, plants do not travel much but with a little help from humans and animals they can easily move from one country to another and even from one continent to another. This exhibition seeks to give a glimpse of the historic travels of plants useful to man from their natural habitat to the areas they are cultivated today. Everyone knows that potatoes originate from America but, for example, tomatoes, peanuts, cocoa and tobacco come from there too. The exhibition also reveals the significance of Alexander the Great’s raids to the East where acquaintance was made with many new wild plants that would later be cultivated. From these raids, many fruits and seeds of plants well-known today were brought back. Do you know where cucumber, pumpkin, wheat, rye and many other today’s everyday nutriments come from and how they came to arrive on our tables? Do you know the oldest cultivated plants in the world? The exhibition will provide answers to all these questions.

March witnesses the flowering peak of numerous exotic orchids. Many of these extraordinary plants open their blossoms in March – some capturing the eye with their vibrant colours, others with their peculiar form. Some orchids have blossoms so tiny that they are almost invisible without a magnifying glass. These flowers have the power to turn an ordinary day into an exciting adventure in the world of plants.
Among greenhouse plants, the Tallinn Botanic Garden Orchid Exhibition showcases orchid varieties both from the nature as well as those bred by man. In addition to the familiar moth orchids (Phalaenopsis), a wide range of other tropical orchids will be on display: Venus slippers (Paphiopedilums), Vandas, Boat Orchids (Cymbidiums), and Epidendrums, Dendrobiums, Masdevallias, Oncidiums and many more.

Clematises and phloxes are the beloved beauties of Estonian flower gardens. Clematises charm viewers with their marvellous flower colours. These are essential plants in vertical gardening. Over 5,000 varieties of clematis have been developed in the world, with 150 of them bred by Aili and Uno Kivistik at their Roogoja Farm. In addition to clematises, the exhibition features phloxes, hostas, coral bells, coneflowers and other perennials grown at Nõrga Farm.
Grape growing has become increasingly popular in Estonia in recent years. The exhibition provides a good opportunity to see the varieties suitable for growing in open fields or in greenhouses. You can use the exhibition as an opportunity to ask for advice from experienced plant-breeders and to buy transplants of clematises, grape wines, phloxes or other perennials. The displayed clematises and grape wines were grown at Roogoja Farm, while the perennials are supplied by Nõrga Farm.

Honey has a large number of beneficial health effects. What plants are the main sources of honey? In this exhibition, we will present the most important honey plants. The flowering periods of honey plants are part of crucial information for honey farmers. In terms of flowering seasons, honey plants are classified as spring (coltsfoot, willow, maple), summer (white clover, linden) or autumn (heather, betony) plants. The colour, taste and composition of honey varies depending on the plants from which it is collected. Many people like heather honey for its reddish brown colour, strong aroma, slightly bitter taste and richness in proteins and minerals. Dandelion honey is yellow, has a strong smell and a sharp taste. Willow honey is characterised by a light colour and very slow crystallisation. The quality and quantity of honey depends on the diversity of the plants on the farming area.

In addition to honey plants, the exhibition will also feature fragrant plants. Why do plants have fragrance? What are ethereal oils? How to use fragrant plants and ethereal oils in daily life? These are only a few of the questions that will be answered in the exhibition.

The genus of saintpaulias includes six species of perennial flowering plants growing in Eastern Africa.  They are commonly known as African violets but are not related to real violates at all. The family of Gesneriaceae comprises 2,900 species and 139 genera of plants, including trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, lianas and epiphytes. In addition to saintpaulias, the best-known representatives of this family include sinningia, codonanthe, magic flowers, lipstick plants, cape primroses, episcia, goldfish plants and chirita. The exhibition, created in cooperation with private collectors, features 200 varieties and species of Gesneriaceae. During weekends you can buy rare varieties and leaf cuttings of saintpaulias and other Gesneriaceae species, as well as suitable substrate and special fertilizers. Consultations on growing house plants are offered. On the opening day, a jury will select the most beautiful saintpaulia and Gesneriacea.

Tallinn Botanic Garden’s Tulip Festival traditionally opens on Mother’s Day, this year on May 11th!

Come and spend a fun day in the botanic garden with your mother, and enjoy the beautiful tulips and good music. You can participate in educational excursions and children are welcome to take part in a workshop where they can prepare marzipan treats. On the opening day of the festival you can enjoy a concert with Tanel Padar performing.

This is an exhibition to celebrate Palm Sunday. According to various sources, the Bible mentions about 110-128 plant species. Figs, olive trees, vines, cedars, cypresses and several other plants are still well known. However, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life are meaningful symbols, the true prototypes of which are still under debate.

In Christianity, the feast of Palm Sunday commemorates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem when worshippers welcomed him with palm branches. The Bible includes over 30 mentions of the date palm, an important source of food in the Holy Land. Several other palm species are on display in the exhibition alongside date palms. The variety and high number of palm species is quite surprising. The visitors of this exhibition will learn that there are 2,581 palm species of 184 genera in the world. Have you ever heard about walking palms, zombie palms or sex-changing palms? The family of palms includes giants with leaves growing up to 25 m in length as well as small plants with only 15 cm of height. Palms are an important source of food and income for the inhabitants of tropical regions.

Although the calendar still shows winter, the exotic orchids already wear their spring blossom.

Orchids have an exceptional position in the realm of plants. They hypnotize with their unearthly beauty, fascinate with cunning tricks, and you will be shackled by them forever. This way these flowers turn a routine day into an exciting adventure in a mysterious world of plants.

In the exhibition, orchids have cleverly fit themselves amidst greenhouse plants. The species originating from the nature and varieties created by human efforts are exposed side by side. The visitors can decide, if the creation of humans or nature is more successful.
In addition to the well-known moth orchids (Phalaenopsis), the exposition includes also a broad selection of other tropical orchids: Paphiopedilums, Vandas, Cymbidiums, Epidendrums, Dendrobiums, Masdevallias, Oncidiums and many more.

In the exhibition it is possible to see rare species from various places of the world.

We know that some people are smart and other less so, some are distinguished and others amusing. Perhaps surprisingly the same applies to the realm of plants, as it can feature truly unique and peculiar specimens. Some plants can be strikingly scary while others are breathtakingly beautiful. Some plants can leave you sneezing for hours if you get too close. You may be surprised by the smart adaptability of some plants to the conditions in water, air or on land. Plants have devised several clever methods and tools for catching their prey. They also use a variety of baits and tricks to attract pollinators.  Many of those fascinating pranksters are on display in this exhibition. Visitors can meet worm-eating philcoxia, heath spotted orchid, jackal food, dead man’s fingers and even a Montserrat pribby. Plus about one hundred other adorable eccentrics. 

The Tallinn Botanical Garden is closed on 24 and 25 December. The opening hours on other days, including 31 December 2013 and 1 January 2014, are as usual. The Botanical Garden wishes you a joyous Christmas season!

The preparation of the most known drinks of the world includes usually the usage of herbs. It is also hard to imagine the seasoning of dishes without using our „green friends“. The visitors get acquainted with the herbs from which rum, tarkhun, mate, Benedictine, claret wine, calvados and other beverages are made. What are pu-erh, oolong, rooibos, muira puama and ayahuasca? There is a possibility to get to know various love drinks, magical beverages, drinks that help to fall asleep and healing beverages. We exhibit also different seasoning herbs from all over the world and different usages of them. The exhibition is arranged in association with the limited company Meira Eesti OÜ and non profit organization MTÜ Complete World.

At the exhibition we present fabulous local and foreign fruits, bulbs, tubers and seeds, out of which many are suitable for preparing food or drink. We present the fruits of quite rare species as balsa tree, golden shower tree, barringtonia, mountain ebony, flamboyant, various palm trees and other exotic plants, we also introduce the methods how to use them. The new and old, local and foreign varieties of potato are on display, the excitement is added by tricky potato breeds. Beside potatoes there are exhibited apples, cereals, tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, onions, peas, beans and other species.