Hydrangea Path

The so-called Hydrangea Path connects the island’s high plateau to the lakeside garden and the harbour area. It goes past the Schwedenschenke restaurant and the Würstle grill down over the Comturey restaurant’s roof garden to the floral clock in the lakeside garden. Old plans and maps of Mainau Island show that a path has existed at this location for a long time.

White and red-flowering horse chestnut trees, some exceedingly mighty, line the path at its upper end. This part of the island is sheltered from the wind and faces north which makes it an ideal spot for hydrangeas.

Hydrangeas love a sunny or semi-shady sheltered spot and fresh humus-rich soil. These plants show some special characteristics: what laymen take for a single flowerhead is in fact an inflorescence, or in the case of hydrangeas a panicle. The inner flowers of a panicle are tiny but fully developed and fertile, which means that they have both stamens and carpels. The outer circle consists of undeveloped sterile flowers with much larger coloured sepals. This display apparatus serves to attract insects. Mophead hydrangeas often only have sterile flowers.

Attractions nearby

• 49

Beer garden at the harbour

Find out more

• 70

Historic Citrus Collection

Find out more