Spring has sprung in Southwest Germany, and an excellent way to celebrate the advent of the new season is with a garden-centered tour of some of the region’s most beautiful locations. With the Schlosscard Plus (Castle Card Plus), visitors have access to 24 monuments and four Year of the Garden Events. The card, which costs approximately $40, is available for purchase at participating gardens, palaces and monasteries.

Among the host of visit-worthy sites are the Renaissance ruins of Heidelberg Palace, where visitors can participate in ancient lawn games once played by royalty, then join a themed Through the Garden with the Herb Witch tour. Along the way, visitors can pick up historic gardening tips and learn how a healthy garden was essential to survival.

The Salem Monastery and Castle at Lake Constance, where more than 1,000 fruit trees planted in 1777 grace the orchards, is hosting special tours including Water – Fountains – Gardens. Elsewhere, a collection of original texts, garden designs and plans, along with the original plans for a French baroque garden, are part of an exhibition at The Zirkelgebäude. Among the other gardens are Schwetzingen Palace and Palace Gardens, Ludwigsburg Residential Palace, Weikersheim Palace and Gardens, the World Cultural Heritage site of Maulbronn Monastery and the Hohentwiel Fortress Ruins.