Education and research
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Education and classes in the Garden
One of the main tasks of a botanic garden is to be a public ‘place of learning and education’ (A. Heinz, 1892). Indeed, it is possible to learn something about every single plant in our collection, but also about the buildings, projects, history etc. Information is available from our written publications, this web site, official facebook page and directly during guided tours and in workshops and lectures (Activities). Visitors of the Garden are a diverse group, ranging from preschool children to senior citizens, professional botanists to amateur plant enthusiasts, pupils and students… Each year thousands of elementary and high school pupils visit us from all parts of Croatia and even neighbouring countries, and field classes are organized for students of biology, geography, geology, forestry, horticulture, medicine, pharmacy and biotechnology in studies of basic and advanced botany, taxonomy, systematic, palaeobotany, evolution, horticulture and dendrology.
We are also growing plant material necessary for practical work in botany studies (anatomy, morphology, Physiology and molecular biology), as well as research plants for colleges from Divisions of botany and molecular biology.
Botany lessons in the Garden (Faculty of Science students)
Scientific research plants cultivation in test-beds
Regional biology teachers meeting in the exhibition pavilion (2017)
Since most of the children growing up in urban areas do not have the opportunity to grow plants, the Children’s Flower and Vegetable Garden was built and opened to the public in 2013. The children from the nearby primary school and kindergarten use the designated, fenced area to grow vegetables and flowers in an organic manner, assisted by their teachers and the botanists working in the Garden. They sow seeds, replant and transplant the seedlings, prepare the soil and plant young plants, as well as take care of them throughout the season until the autumn harvest. They also pull out the weeds and eliminate the parasites (without using pesticides or herbicides).
Children’s garden opened in 2013
First spring planting in the Children’s garden
Eco-vegetables harvested in the Children’s garden
Professional and scientific research
ollection curators in charge of the Garden are botanists, each specialised in different area of botany, from chorology, systematics, in vitro techniques and physiology. Periodically we participate in fundamental scientific research, but we are mostly oriented in research of which results are practically used in the Garden. Such is the ongoing research of Natura 2000 species germination ecology, resulting in establishment of small ex situ populations in our test fields.
Other research project concentrated on micropropagation (in vitro cultivation) of Croatian endemic plants, in particular those species with endangered and small wild populations with narrow distribution. Previous studies include researches in acclimatization of alochtonous species to continental climate conditions, solar UV impact on defence mechanisms in mountain plants, effect of slag on growth and physiology of plants, relationships and chorology of endemic bluebells, flora and vegetation of Croatia etc. We are also involved in monitoring programs, environmental impact studies and tree health and statics assessments.
Small in vitro lab with acclimatization section
Germination conditions research using growth chamber
Velebit degenia (Degenia velebitica) propagation from seeds in vitro
Checking of in vitro seedlings
Endemic subspecies of Alyssum (Alyssum montanum var. pluscanescens) redy for acclimatization phase
