Zugdidi Botanical Garden

The history of the Botanical Garden is related to the history of the construction of the residence of Samegrelo Rulers the Dadianis. The foundation for its cultivation was made around the second half of the 18th century, while these areas were still covered by impassable forests, characteristics of Kolkheti area since ancient times, from the shores of the Black Sea to the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains.
In 1840, Davit Dadiani, the head of Samegrelo, made the foundation for European-style decorative garden. Queen Ekaterine Chavchavadze-Dadiani ordered the necessary material (seeds and seedlings) from the garden of the King Louis Philippe Palace of Versailles (Paris) and Milan (Italy), and invited the famous specialist gardener Joseph Babin from Trieste (Italy) to plan the garden.

Based on French symmetrical style and Italian principle of cultivation, Joseph Babin arranged a European-style decorative garden with flowerbeds, lawns, artificial and natural landscapes, alleys, an island, a nursery and an orangery, which contains rare varieties of exotic plants.

Since then the introduction of species of rare plants, previously unknown to Georgia has begun. In 1869, the second stage of garden renovation begins, when Queen Ekaterine invited a gardener-decorator Gaetano Zamberletti (later his brother - Giovanni) from Farese (Italy).

The Botanical Garden is an important part of the history of Zugdidi, an example of cultural heritage of national importance, which has a noteworthy historical value. The garden has played an important historical role in shaping the unique appearance of the city and creating a rich collection of exotic plants, as well as a large educational function. It became the hub of introduction of valuable plants in Samegrelo, from which hundreds of foreign plants were widely expanded among the population, many gardens, squares and parks were cultivated in the villages, towns and cities of Samegrelo

Cultural, educational and research activities

Zugdidi Botanical Garden periodically hosts various cultural, educational and research activities. Of particular note is the training seminar course held last year, which aimed at raising awareness among students for the school's eco-clubs on the following issues:

1. The importance of botanical gardens,
2. A brief history of the Zugdidi Botanical Garden, and
3. The principles of arranging an ethnobotanical corner. In order to ensure maximum public engagement  in the process of restoring the alley of Colchis boxwood (Buxus colchica) a three-day masterclass of boxwood cuttings was held in Zugdidi Botanical Garden.

Together with the world's leading universities and research organizations, Zugdidi Botanical Garden participated in the World Experiment of Oaks, initiated by the University of Granada/ Spain (Comparison of growth intensity of locally propagated oaks in open and closed ground, summarizing and sharing results), in the framework of which the seeds of Imereti oak (Quercus robur subsp. Imeretina) common in western Georgia were collected, processed and planted in open and closed ground in the garden area with the involvement of students from Ilia State University and Agrarian Universities.

On the basis of a letter of permission from the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, a Colchian dendrium for scientific-educational purposes is being arranged with seedlings obtained in the wild. Workshops on environmental issues, the importance of biodiversity and ex situ conservation of plants are held periodically. The establishment of a local flora herbarium fund for scientific-educational purposes has started in the garden. Which involves local scientific expeditions in various types of ecosystems typical of the Caucasus (semi-desert, arid forest, field, water, summer green deciduous forests, mixed forest, alpine and subalpine meadows), plant collection, drying, morphological-systematic examination and labeling.

In cooperation with Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi Botanical Gardens, Zugdidi Botanical Garden monitors the spread of pests and diseases of local oaks and the effectiveness of measures to combat them.

Zugdidi Botanical Garden has signed memoranda of scientific and educational cooperation between Shota Meskhia Zugdidi State Teaching University and Ilia State University.