I presently visited the Orto Botanico di Padova, the original of all botanical gardens throughout the world and I was appalled by this place. The leading role in the introduction and study of many exotic plants was difficult to detect and the museum is farcical. Even if the garden is notable for its age it is not in a really good condition when you are focussing on plants and not on historical design. There is no reason to bewail the size of the squares where plants are allowed to grow because of the size of the garden. But there are no excuses for that concussive way of presenting plants - in any botanical garden. Many of the herbaceous plants were undernourished or even absent (please have a look on the photograph). I commendatory can say that every square has its nameplate but it really shocked me to discover for example missing Thyme which is very robust genus and able to cope with fierce conditions. In my eyes it is also questionable whether strawberry can be seen as a poisonous plant. Maybe the classification into that category portends that the leaves can be pharmaceutical useful but classifying Fragaria vesca as poisonous is incorrect. Anybody might explain this decision to me.

For me the visit in the Orto Botanico was a degrading event which really upset me a fortiori if you see this garden from an angle of an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It might represent the birth of science and scientific exchanges but I was not able to find the conception for establish understanding of the relationship between nature and culture - unless plants are not in important anymore and the garden can be seen as a sign for the progress in technology and there is no need to waste time and manpower.