Trees: National Botanical Garden of Georgia

The National Botanical Garden of Georgia in Tbilisi was once known as the Tbilisi Botanical Garden, and is often still called by its former name. But in Soviet times it was called the Central Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republics, so the National Botanical Garden of Georgia (NBGG) is easier to say. Sometimes it’s called Tree-bilisi Botanical Garden due to the vast areas of trees.

The Narikala Fortress started the gardens in 1625, but it was officially opened in 1845. The ruins of the fortress are now a tourist attraction on top of the ridge. The National Botanical Garden of Georgia is located behind Sololaki Ridge in a hilly valley, with the River Tsavkisi running through it. There are plants and trees from China, the Himalayas, Japan, North America, Turkey, Siberia, and the Mediterranean.

It’s well known for its trees, especially its cedar grove. Currently the main trees and plants are cotoneasters, pyrachantha (firethorns), honeysuckle, European barberry (Berberis), hawthorn, Himalayan cedar, mock orange (Philadelphus), spruce, pine, and cypress. There’s even a gorge called Fig Gorge.

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