Gardens in Merano and environs: from Trauttmansdorff to the Hohenwart garden in Schenna
Merano and its surroundings are shaped by gardens. Not only because some of South Tyrol’s most beautiful gardens can be found here, but because this feeling of greenery, light and cultivated nature seems to run through the whole region: along Merano’s promenades, between palms and cypresses, through vineyards and apple orchards, on sunny slopes, beside shaded Waalweg water channels and wherever alpine freshness meets Mediterranean ease.
For garden lovers, there are many special places to discover around Merano: the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, Kränzelhof Estate in Tscherms/Cermes, Orchid World in Gargazon/Gargazzone and the green promenades of the spa town of Merano. Each tells its own story of nature, climate and culture.
And then there is the Hohenwart garden in Schenna. A garden that is not only beautiful, but part of the life of the hotel. It gives shade, frames views, fills the air with scent, decorates tables, finds its way into the spa, appears in a glass and even accompanies guests into their rooms.
At Hohenwart, garden culture becomes part of the holiday. Mediterranean and alpine. Grown over time and lovingly cared for. Generous, varied and natural.
Merano and environs as a garden region
Garden culture has a long history around Merano. The mild climate of the spa town, its sheltered position at the foot of the mountains and the rare combination of alpine landscape and southern vegetation have created an environment where plants from different worlds grow side by side.
Palms with mountain views. Cypresses beside apple trees. Roses near vineyards. Olives, lavender and herbs in a landscape shaped by mountains, water and traditional Waalweg paths.
This is what makes Merano and environs so special for garden lovers. It is not only about individual places to visit. The entire region carries this green, cultivated character within it: Merano with its promenades and parks, Trauttmansdorff with its botanical abundance, Kränzelhof with art, wine and labyrinth, Orchid World in Gargazon with its exotic plants, and Schenna, sunny and elevated above the spa town, with views towards the mountains and down into the valley.
At the centre of this landscape lies Hohenwart. A hotel above Merano that does not imitate this garden culture, but continues it in its own quiet way.
The Mediterranean-alpine Hohenwart garden
The Hohenwart garden is not one single garden space. It is a weave of places, paths, scents, terraces, retreats and views. It connects Mediterranean ease with alpine garden culture and reflects exactly what also defines the hotel’s location: Schenna above Merano, between mountain village and spa town, between southern warmth and the freshness of higher ground.
Lavender and rosemary grow here alongside roses and leafy trees. Mighty walnut trees cast shade over the terrace. The view opens towards the Texel Group, and on warm days the air carries the scent of herbs, flowers and sun-warmed stone. The result is a garden that does not feel staged, but grown. Not a show garden, but a green home.
This garden is closely shaped by Christine Laimer. She knows its corners, its plants and its moods. For her, it is generous, diverse and naturally grown. A place that breathes with the seasons: with the first spring bulbs and the pink blossoms of the Judas tree, with lavender, roses, herbs and countless shades of green in summer, with golden leaves, asters and warm light in autumn.
In the morning, there is birdsong. At midday, bees and butterflies move among lavender and roses. In the afternoon, guests find a place in the shade. And in the evening, the terrace becomes the relaxed close of a Hohenwart day.
Garden spaces and favourite corners at Hohenwart
Perhaps the Hohenwart garden is best understood as a series of garden spaces. Each has its own atmosphere, its own purpose and its own time of day.
Beneath the walnut trees on the terrace, a light, airy shade appears on warm days. This is a place for breakfast, for the afternoon Marende, our South Tyrolean afternoon snack, for dinner or simply for a quiet moment in between. The scented meadows with lavender, rosemary and roses tell the garden’s most sensory story. They are fragrant, alive with bees and butterflies, and connect beauty with ecological value. Those who love scent should also discover the herb garden below the terrace, where curry herb grows alongside lavender and rosemary.
The lawn by the 25-metre sports pool is the summer garden space: water, grass, sun, shade and movement come together here. Below House Christine, quieter and more hidden corners invite guests to read, dream and breathe. Families, too, have their own green space, with a playground set into the garden landscape.
And then there is the garden above the garden: the rooftop terrace of the VistaSpa with its Kneipp hydrotherapy circuit, panoramic views and special sense of calm above the rooftops. Here, the garden becomes a wellness space. Sun, water, views and the feeling of your own body come together in a place that is not only seen, but felt.
Garden to Table, Spa & Room
At Hohenwart, the garden does not stop at the garden gate. It continues into the hotel: onto the table, into the glass, into the spa and all the way into the rooms.
Roses, lavender, rosemary and mint tell this story especially well. Roses grow throughout the grounds: along the terrace, beside garden paths, on house walls and as natural dividers between the different garden spaces. Some are native wild roses, such as sweet briar and dog rose. They stand for variety, beauty and connection and appear as cut flowers on tables, as decoration in the house and in the rituals of the VistaSpa.
Lavender stands for summer, scent and memory. After flowering, when it is cut back, Christine collects it together with the housekeeping team and turns it into lavender sachets. Placed in the wardrobes of the rooms, they preserve the scent of summer and carry a piece of the garden into the guests’ private retreat.
Rosemary and mint connect the garden with the bar. Peter or Angelo cut them fresh whenever they are needed for cocktails. Rosemary, in particular, is part of the Hohenwart Spritz and brings the Mediterranean character of the garden into the glass.
In this way, the garden is not only looked at. It is smelled, tasted, touched and taken with you. As a flower on the table. As a herbal note in an aperitif. As a scent in the room. As a small ritual within the day.
La Vie En Rose
This connection becomes especially sensual in the VistaSpa. Here, the garden becomes part of the treatment.
In the rose ritual, arrival begins with a soothing foot bath in a singing bowl with rose petals. This is followed by a full-body massage with rose oil and warm rose stamps, a rose oil facial massage and time to rest with a glass of Prosecco. Here, roses are not understood only as fragrance, but as a ritual for body and face.
Roses also play a role in the wellness foot treatment: a foot bath with fresh rose petals, a rose salt peeling, care and massage. The garden becomes a physical experience. Quiet, natural and deeply sensory.
What blooms outside continues to have an effect inside. This is Garden to Spa in the Hohenwart sense.
A garden with responsibility
At Hohenwart, a beautiful garden is not enough. It should also be meaningful, resilient and responsible.
That is why planting decisions are made consciously. Bee- and butterfly-friendly plants play an important role. Native and robust species, including wild roses and historic local pear trees such as the Palabirne, have their place. Drought-tolerant plants such as lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, myrtle, pomegranate and walnut trees suit sunny locations and a climate that is changing.
The care of the garden follows the same idea. Resistant varieties help reduce the need for plant protection. Green roofs cool the building, create habitats and support biodiversity. The garden is watered at night so that less water evaporates. Hohenwart uses rainwater from underground tanks for this, and irrigation is adjusted according to season and weather.
This creates a garden that does not work against nature, but with it. A garden that is beautiful because it is alive. And responsible because it is meant to last.
Gardens near Merano worth visiting
Guests staying at Hohenwart are surrounded by one of South Tyrol’s most distinctive garden regions. Some of the most beautiful garden experiences near Merano are close enough for an easy excursion.
The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle
The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle are the great classic in Merano and among the best-known gardens in South Tyrol. They bring together international botanical worlds, water features, viewpoints, seasonal blossoms and the Touriseum, South Tyrol’s museum of tourism.
They are ideal for anyone with an interest in plants, but also for guests who simply want to spend a few hours among colours, scents and views over the spa town of Merano.
Kränzelhof Estate in Tscherms/Cermes
Kränzelhof tells a different garden story. Here, nature, wine, art and labyrinth come together in a more intimate and contemplative setting. It is not only a botanical garden, but a place to experience slowly: walking, looking, pausing and allowing yourself to be surprised.
It is a lovely idea for guests looking for a quiet, slightly different excursion, with greenery, culture and atmosphere.
Orchid World in Gargazon/Gargazzone
Orchid World is a small journey into an exotic landscape. Orchids, tropical plants, vivid colours and unusual settings make it especially interesting for families, plant lovers and guests curious to discover another side of the plant world.
It is an easy stop to combine with other places in the area, especially on days when you are looking for a shorter, colourful and pleasant experience.
Green Merano
Merano itself is also a garden town to explore on foot. The Tappeinerweg trail, the promenades along the Passer River, Elisabeth Park and the tree-lined streets all reveal the green, elegant side of the spa town of Merano.
It is the perfect idea for a walk before or after a coffee in the centre, a little shopping or a light afternoon among water, light, plants and architecture.
And afterwards? The way leads back to Schenna. Back to Hohenwart. To the place where the garden is not only an excursion, but part of the day itself.
Returning to the Hohenwart garden
After a day among the gardens of Merano and environs, the way leads back to Schenna. Back to Hohenwart. To the place where the garden is not only somewhere to visit, but part of the holiday itself.
You find it again at breakfast beneath the walnut trees, in the scent of herbs, in the VistaSpa, in an aperitif with rosemary, in the quiet of a shaded corner or in the lavender scent that recalls warm days even in winter.
Find your favourite corner. And discover how much garden can belong to a day at Hohenwart.
A garden that lasts. In the place that lasts.