The Palm House and Botanical Garden

Posted on by Stephen Edwards

Copenhagen, Denmark

Finding cool gardens and garden structures is a common theme in our travels, and I was glad that we visited the Palm House and Botanical Gardens in Copenhagen. The steel-and-glass structure was constructed in 1874, inspired by the Crystal Palace in London, built 20 years prior. The house and gardens provide the largest collection of plants found in Denmark.

During our visit, the Palm House was undergoing a major renovation. 150-year-old buildings need repairs, and this glass-and-steel structure is no different. For us, it meant we had temporary entrances and were unable to visit the center part of the house. We did get to go into two rooms of the Palm House, the cacti house and the butterfly house. While I have seen many of these plants in other locations, it is a treat for the citizens of Copenhagen to have this resource in their city. While we were visiting on a beautiful, sunny day in May, having an environment for tropical plants can be a blessing during the long, cold Scandinavian winter.

It is possible to see some of the barricades that kept us out of visiting the main house. The Palmehuset is an extraordinary structure that provides a permanent home to hundreds of plant species.

The Palm House collection was well established. One plant in the collection that can stand out is Amorphophallus titanum, commonly known as the corpse flower. This flower is native to the island of Sumatra and only blooms once every few years for 2-3 days. When the flower blooms, it is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom. When the flower blooms, it is literally breathtaking, as the flower gives off the smell of rotting flesh. The flower is considered endangered, with only about 1,000 in the wild. We did not see the flower in full bloom, but it was still great to see that this was an important part of the Palm House Collection.

Horticulturists will set their clocks to see a corpse flower in bloom, as the blooming time is minute compared to the life cycle of the plant. The places that have corpse flowers in their houses will typically invite guests for special viewings during the couple of days the flower is in bloom.

A plant specimen that caused me to laugh was Tradescantia zebrina, commonly known as Purple Wandering Jew and also by the less xenophobic name, inch plant. Anyone who has ever operated a teaching greenhouse is well aware of how easy it is to propagate and grow this plant, especially for hanging baskets. Because Tradescantia zebrina is so easy to propagate from stem cuttings, it is commonly used to teach new horticulture students this plant propagation method.

Tradescantia zebrina is a common find in middle and high school classes across the United States. I used to joke with my high school students that this plant would develop new roots if you looked at it funny. Native to Central America, the plant is commonly found in hanging baskets and planters.

Another of my favorite plants on display is the gigantic water lilies with huge leaves. There are three species of these plants: Victoria amazonica, the Amazon Water Lily; Victoria cruziana, the Santa Cruz Water Lily, and Victoria boliviana, the Bolivian water lily.  I first saw the Amazon Water Lilies many years ago on our trip to Kew Gardens, and it is rather fascinating to see these plants that can hold up a child while floating in the water. According to the University of Copenhagen and my own photo, the water lilies that we saw were the Santa Cruz Water Lilies.

The Santa Cruz Water Lilies are a little smaller than the Amazon Water Lilies. I found out that one of the key differences between the two is that Amazon Water Lilies have red color veins, while Santa Cruz has greenish veins. The different water lilies are located in different climates in South America.

We also enjoyed the cactus and butterfly houses. Many of the cacti were in bloom during our visit, a great reminder of how colorful desert landscapes can be around the world. It was also great to experience the butterflies, which here is a pretty good deal, since many butterfly houses I have been to before are in more touristy, less research-driven areas like the University.

Inside the butterfly house, it is easy to see dozens of butterflies in a confined location. This short clip was filmed on my iPhone.
Cactus blooms can be very showy, as shown by the Astrophytum ornatum, or Star Cactus. This plant, native to Mexico, is well adapted to the desert climate, as it can go long periods without water and is cold-hardy to 25°F.

The Palm House and Botanical Gardens are part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, although the Palm House requires a separate ticket. There is no charge to go to the botanical gardens. We entered the Palm House (or Palmehuset in Danish) by using our Official Copenhagen Card. It is possible to enter the Palmhuset separately with a current cost (2026) of 70 Danish Krone. It is easy to spend at least an hour at the Palm House, and if you are a plant geek, it would be easy to linger for hours. person. As for me, I’m always a fan of checking out new conservatories and greenhouses, so this structure was right up my alley for a quick, perfect stop in the city. After visiting the Palm House, we only spent a brief period of time in the botanical garden before we went to another area of the city. On a return trip, the botanical gardens would have been a perfect place to lounge and enjoy the plants for a while. The Botanical Gardens are a great free attraction within the city. The Palmhuset is a must-see for plant lovers, a cool structure for architectural fans, and an engaging spot for photography enthusiasts. The Botanical Gardens are a great place for people-watching and spending time with the Danes.

The botanical gardens are easily worth a visit in the city, but a traveler has to make sacrifices to see the places they want to go on their voyage. For us, the Botanical Gardens were a quick stop before we proceeded to our next destination. I would definitely come back here when I have more time to linger.

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