Zugdidi Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Georgia. Planted in the first half of the 19th century, the botanical garden is renowned for its inclusion of plants listed in the 'Red Book' and 'Global Red List.' It is also known for hosting valuable endemic and exotic plants. Its construction began actively in 1840, with Davit Dadian taking care of the garden and subsequently entrusting its management to his wife, Ekaterine Chavchavadze-Dadian.
Ekaterine Chavchavadze, originally from France, sourced various kinds of seeds and trees from the Versailles garden of King Louis Philippe. The main architect of the garden was St. He invited the gardener Joseph Babbin from Trieste, who completely transformed the garden's appearance. Babbin planned it in the French symmetrical style and created an artificial lake with islands. In 1896, specialist horticulturist-decorators, brothers Gaetani and Giovano Zamberletti, were brought in to work on the garden. They obtained extremely rare and valuable seeds and seedlings of exotic plants from St. Petersburg, which were used to enhance the existing plant collection.
Today, the botanical garden offers a range of services. Visitors can enjoy picnics and camping, rent boats, avail themselves of guided tours, hold wedding ceremonies, meetings, trainings, exhibitions, and various events. The garden also features a dedicated area for the entertainment of young children. It is possible to feed the fish living in the botanic pond and purchase different types of potted plants.
Zugdidi Botanical Garden is an ideal destination to escape the heat, relax with family, and enjoy camping with friends.
