Outdoor collections
The outdoor plant collections include the Plant System with about 1500 species from 85 families of vascular plants situated on an area of 0.3 ha in front of the greenhouses. There is also an example of the Linnaean System. The remaining outdoor parts of the garden comprise plant assemblages organized according to ecological and phytogeographical principles following the original design of Josef Podpěra. The plant communities of southern Moravia and mountains of Central Europe are represented for example by:
Oak-hornbeam forest, the predominant type of potential natural vegetation of southern Moravia, with trees of Carpinus betulus and Quercus petraea, shrubs of Acer campestre and Ligustrum vulgare, herbaceous species such as Hepatica nobilis, Pulmonaria obscura, Stellaria holostea and spring geophytes including Anemone nemorosa, A. ranunculoides, Corydalis cava and Isopyrum thalictroides.
Carpathian beech forest with species typical of the mountain forests of eastern Moravia and Slovakia, in addition to Fagus sylvatica most notably Carex pilosa, and also Actaea spicata, Dentaria bulbifera, Galium odoratum, G. sylvaticum, Hordelymus europaeus, Polygonatum multiflorum and Viola reichenbachiana.
Montane spruce forest and tall-forb grassland give an impression of the mountain vegetation of the Western Carpathians and the Sudetes, including Picea abies, shrubs of Lonicera nigra and Rosa pendulina, numerous ferns (e.g. Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris filix-mas and Polystichum aculeatum) and tall herbs such as Aruncus dioicus, Cicerbita alpina and Veratrum album subsp. lobelianum.
Floodplain forest and meadow containing, in particular, the flora of the lower Dyje and Morava floodplains in southern Moravia, e.g. Euphorbia lucida, E. palustris, Filipendula ulmaria, Gratiola officinalis, Iris pseudacorus, Leucojum aestivum and Lythrum salicaria.
Forest-steppe vegetation represents famous sites in southern Moravia, notably the Pavlov Hills and the Pouzdřany Steppe. These plant groups include various species of Festuca and Stipa, Adonis vernalis, Allium flavum, Iris pumila, Potentilla incana and many other continental or southern European species.
Sand-dune vegetation gives an impression of the sand-dune area near the Morava River between the towns of Hodonín and Bzenec in south-eastern Moravia and in south-western Slovakia, with species such as Armeria elongata, Dianthus serotinus, Gypsophila paniculata and Peucedanum oreoselinum.
Serpentinite vegetation is a representation of the Mohelno Serpentinite Steppe in south-western Moravia, including Allium flavum, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Festuca pallens, Genista pilosa, Stipa dasyphylla and Teucrium chamaedrys.
Mire vegetation presents examples of species of Central European bogs and minerotrophic mires with various species of Carex and Eriophorum, and Menyanthes trifoliata in pools.
Aquatic and wetland vegetation is displayed in several garden pools, including species typical of wetlands in the Dyje and Morava River floodplains in southern Moravia. Stratiotes aloides is a remarkable species that was introduced to the garden from southern Moravian floodplain pools before WWII. It later became extinct in the wild and the native plant material preserved in the garden was used as a source for the re-establishment of its populations on original sites.
Weed vegetation of arable land is presented in a small cereal field, including both common weeds and those that have experienced a dramatic decline in Central Europe due to agricultural intensification since the mid-20th century.
The geographical plant groups include European temperate mountain flora displaying plants from the Alps, Carpathians, Pyrenees and Apennines, Balkan mountain flora, Eurasian continental temperate flora (the Caucasus, Siberia and the Himalayas), East Asian temperate flora (mainly China and Japan), Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean flora and a group of North American woody plants. There is a roof garden on the top of the greenhouses featuring succulents and other drought-adapted plants.