Established on November 3, 1912, the Batumi Botanical Garden is now one of the largest parks in Georgia. Located 9 kilometers from Batumi, near the town of Green Cape in Adjara, the garden spans an impressive area of approximately 113 hectares.
The botanical garden is a significant attraction for visitors to the resort city of Batumi. It offers picnic areas, zones with free Wi-Fi, and benches for relaxation. Among locals, the garden’s ceremonial hall is particularly popular, often hosting the official segments of wedding ceremonies.
The creation of the Batumi Botanical Garden is credited to Professor Andrei Krasnov from Kharkiv University, who identified the primary mission of the garden as the acclimatization and cultivation of subtropical plants. The complex maintains scientific connections with universities and gardens in 140 countries, actively participating in international conferences and global scientific endeavors. It also publishes scholarly and educational literature, including the newspaper “Botanical Garden.” Within the garden, there is a scientific library and a herbarium. The staff considers it their mission to protect and preserve plant species for future generations.
The plant catalog of the Batumi Botanical Garden boasts 1,800 taxonomic units of woody plants, including 90 native to the Caucasus and 1,540 representing various foreign flora. The entire collection is divided into nine phytogeographic sections: Himalayan, Australian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Eastern Asia, New Zealand, North America, South America, and the humid subtropics of the South Caucasus. Visitors can explore collections of citrus, fruit-bearing, berry, and flowering herbaceous plants. The garden is particularly renowned for its collections of camellias and roses, and it offers a stunning spectacle in winter, as the subtropical climate allows plants to thrive comfortably.
The garden’s territory is divided into three zones: the Upper Park, the Lower Park, and the Primorsky Park named after Giorgi Gabrichidze. Visitors can enter the garden from three different sides, each featuring ticket offices.
Covering an area of 11 hectares, the Upper Park is home to approximately 200 species of woody plants and nearly 225 varieties of garden forms. This park is famed for its ancient trees, where visitors can admire the Canary Island date palm, the pencil eucalyptus, evergreen sequoias, Crimean pines, cypress trees, firs, maples, and more. In the summer months, the park bursts into color with blooming hydrangeas, abelias, and other flowering plants.
The Upper Park is the main attraction of the Botanical Garden, featuring the squares named after Jason Gordeziani and His Holiness and Beatitude Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, as well as the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and the Metropolitan of Pitsunda and Tsukhumi. Visitors can also view a stone-carved cross created by sculptor O. Darchia. Most exhibitions within the garden commence from this park.
The Lower Park spans 10 hectares and begins at the main entrance. According to inventory records, the park’s collection includes up to 95 species of woody plants. Here, visitors can find oaks, hornbeams, magnolias, dracaenas, strawberry trees, and other specimens.
A particular pride of the Lower Park is its collection of Japanese camellias, which present a breathtaking sight during their blooming period. This area is the most crowded section of the Batumi Garden, with panoramic viewpoints located at higher elevations.
Originally known as “American Boulevard,” this area was once home to plants brought from North America. However, during World War II, the “American Boulevard” was destroyed. Its revival began in 1950, led by agronomist-decorator Giorgi Gabrichidze. The new park was designed in a French formal style, allowing visitors to stroll along well-maintained paths and admire beautiful flowerbeds and tree specimens. In Primorsky Park, one can find palm trees, feijoas, rare magnolia species, and many other decorative plants.
Primorsky Park has direct access to the beach, where campers and picnic areas, cafes, bars, greenhouses, and hothouses are located. The park regularly hosts exhibitions, photo sessions, and wedding ceremonies, making it a vibrant part of Batumi’s cultural landscape.