Large diversity of lichens in the Hortus botanicus Leiden

Last year, biology student Harold Timans started making an inventory of lichens in the Hortus as part of an Honours course. The inventory showed that there are 111 species of lichen in the garden, some of which are rare or even very rare. Harold wrote an article about it, which was published in Buxbaumiella, the magazine of the Bryological and Lichenological Working Group (BLWG).

Summer tours

This summer you can join guided tours on Thursdays and Wednesdays. Check out the program below for detailed information on dates, times and registration forms.

Leiden Marathon

On Sunday 15 May 2022, the Hortus botanicus Leiden will be difficult to reach because of the Leiden Marathon. Many roads in the city centre are closed, also for pedestrians.

Second entrance to Talcott House reopens

From 30 April until September 2022 the second entrance to the Hortus, the Talcott house on the Sterrenwachtlaan, will be open again. So on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 to 18:00, curious walkers can also enter the Hortus from the back of the garden.

Now on display in the Hortus botanicus Leiden: 100,000 trees and ‘een bos van draad’

From April 27 to July 3, 2022, the textile artwork "100,000 trees and 'een bos van draad' (a forest of threat) by Sara Vrugt (1981) is on display in the Hortus botanicus Leiden. The artwork, an immense embroidered forest on a 100 m² canvas, was created in 2020 with the help of more than a thousand volunteers. In several pop-up studios, one of which was also in the Hortus in the summer of 2020, many hands collaborated on this special work.

Gekskap (Fool’s cap) on display in the garden

This week (Monday 25 April 2022 to Sunday 1 May 2022) a special work of art can be seen in the garden: Gekskap by Regula Maria Muller. The work depicts the tulip mania of the 17th century: in the Netherlands and Europe, people were so crazy about the tulip, it was as if they had gone mad.

Visit the Old Observatory

The Old Observatory of Leiden is the oldest extant university observatory in the world. From 1 April 2022, you can visit the Observatory by taking an exclusive tour.

Large team will unravel the hidden biodiversity in the city

Which 'hidden' organisms live in the city? How can we use these organisms to help trees grow better, make concrete more plant-friendly and measure heat stress? Will city dwellers act more environmentally conscious if they let their gardens grow wilder and know more about what lives there? A broad consortium led by Michael Stech will conduct research over the next four years to answer these questions.

Hortus botanicus puts plants in focus during Leiden2022

On Saturday 23 April 2022, the Hortus botanicus Leiden will start the new programming around science festival European City of Science; in short Leiden2022. Leiden is the first European city to organise a 365-day science festival packed with knowledge, art and skill, intended for everyone with a curious mind. The Hortus, the city's only botanical garden and one of the few places where education and research into plants is facilitated, naturally also plays a role in this. Under the title 'Plants in focus', we offer in-depth activities for people of all ages.

The Hortus botanicus Leiden can open again

From Wednesday 26 January onwards, we are allowed to open our doors again. And we are so glad: we really missed being able to share the garden with our visitors.

DNA sampling

Planting Moment Tulip Mania

This spring, residents of Leiden can take part in a soil study during the citizen science project 'Tulip Mania’. With the project, DNA researcher Leonie Kaptein and partner Leiden Centre for Applied Bioscience (LCAB) (Hogeschool Leiden) want to learn more about the biodiversity in garden and potting soil.