Chenshan Botanical Garden among top 10 characteristic plant areas in Shanghai

Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden recently made this year's list of the top 10 characteristic plant areas in Shanghai with ornamental grass being its characteristic plant.

The city's park management affairs center, a unit that operates under the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau, has selected the top 10 characteristic plant areas of the city's urban parks every year since 2020 in order to promote the construction of urban parks with their own characteristics and provide more high-quality parks for citizens and tourists.

The Hecao Garden at Shanghai Chenshan Botanical Garden is the largest ornamental grass garden in East China with the most abundant collection of ornamental grass resources. It covers an area of 20,410 square meters and has more than 160 species of ornamental grass in eight families and 33 groups.

The Hecao Garden is divided into six areas, including the Resource Collection Area, the Landscape Display Area, the Edible Grass Area, the Cultural Display Area, the Original Seed Display Area, and the Rain Garden Area. Ornamental grass resources such as sedges, wick grass and cattails are collected and displayed around dry streams, wetlands and mixed flower fields in the garden.

Medium and small types of ornamental grass are planted in groups in the garden with flowers and shrubs, and large ornamental grass types serve as the skeleton. The ornamental grasses are planted near dry streams, wetlands, mixed flower landscapes and other areas to form a wild landscape that integrates the Rock Garden, the Rain Garden and the Ornamental Grassland. Ornamental grass has a different appearance during all seasons in the garden, and autumn is the most colorful season to visit the garden, with mid-August to mid-November being the best time to see the ornamental grass.