Zugdidi Botanical Garden ( ka, ზუგდიდის ბოტანიკური ბაღი),

Zugdidi Zugdidi ( ka, ზუგდიდი; xmf, ზუგდიდი or ზუგიდი) is a city in the western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo (Mingrelia). It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kil ...

branch of Central Botanical Garden administered by the

Georgian Academy of Sciences The Georgian National Academy of Sciences (GNAS) ( ka, საქართველოს მეცნიერებათა ეროვნული აკადემია, tr) is a main learned society of the Georgia. It was named Georgian S ...

; was built in the late 19th century by the prince of

Samegrelo Mingrelia ( ka, სამეგრელო, tr; xmf, სამარგალო, samargalo; ab, Агырны, Agirni) is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelian ...

David Dadiani David Dadiani ( ka, დავით დადიანი; 23 January 1813 – 30 August 1853), of the House of Dadiani, was Prince of Mingrelia, in western Georgia, from 1846 until his death in 1853. A son of Levan V Dadiani, he became ''de fact ...

, near his residence. The garden now has over eighty genus of exotic plants introduced from southeast Asia, India, Japan, Mediterranean and the Americas.

History

David Dadiani ruler of Samegrelo began the construction of a decorative garden in 1840. That year, he fenced in a forest area surrounding the palace, which was he considered his "Baghdad Palace" and set up a specialist institution for horticultural sciences. Soon care and its management of the estate passed to his wife, Ekaterina Chavchavadze-Dadiani. Ekaterina was enthusiastic about her work, and in a short time had stocked the garden with a great variety of native and exotic plants.

Management

In 1922, the People's Commissariat of Education appointed Georgian scientist A. Chanturia as director of the garden. After 1926 the garden fell under the writ of the Georgian SSR Tbilisi Botanical Garden. The New Director of the Botanical Garden, I. Lomouri decried the dire state of the garden. He sent Professor Sosnovski, to describe and account for trees and shrubs, fenced garden area of a living fence, cleaned and restored some of the alley, planted box-curbs and so forth. Control of the garden changed hands a few times, before it fell in Zugdidi City Council, who turned it into a culture and leisure park hosting a varieties of events, entertainment, and attractions, but the care and development of the plant collection was neglected. Finally, in 1970, by a resolution of the Georgian SSR Council of Ministers in 1970, Zugdidi Botanical Gardens in Central Park was given to the Academy of Sciences and was renamed the "Georgian SSR Academy of Sciences, Central Botanical Garden Branch." A short period of time-consuming work brought the garden to conditions suitable for scientific research work. 350 new species and sakheskhvaobis saplings were added to the garden nursery, which will soon be moved to permanent areas in the park. In 2005, the Government of the Dadianis Palace Garden allocated 40 thousand lari for reconstruction. In May 2009 Zugdidi Chairman Otar Patsatsia, and Zugdidi Municipality MP Fridon Todua Alexander Kobalia made the decision to provide measures for heavy reconstruction in the Botanical Garden. The decision of the Zugdidi district administration from the local budget will come to 5,000 lari per month. http://www.opentext.org.ge/09/sakartvelos-respublika/097/097-10.htm ლადო ქირია, ზუგდიდის ბოტანიკურ ბაღს პატრონი გამოუჩნდა,"საქართველოს რესპუბლიკა, # 97 სამშაბათი, 19 მაისი, 2009 წელი, "

Plants of the Garden

Introduced Plants

Wetlands Plants

Arid Plants

References

External links

Botanical gardens in Georgia (country) Tourist attractions in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti {{garden-stub