Goderdzi Alpine Botanical Garden

The Goderdzi Botanical Garden features a wetland, lake, forests, and sunny, exposed slopes.

In late July, the Ruderal team conducted field research at the Goderdzi Botanical Garden for projects we’re developing in similar regions in alpine Western Georgia.

The Goderdzi Botanical Garden is in the Beshumi climate resort. Located 1850-1900m above sea level in the Adjara mountains and 140 km east of Batumi. We approached from the east on a challenging dirt road under construction. When complete, the route will connect to Batumi on the coast to Akhaltshke in Samstkhe-Javakheti.

Traditional Adjaran wooden houses.

The Goderdzi pass area features traditional Adjaran villages of wooden houses, a handful of roadside cafes, and the new Goderdzi ski resort. There are alpine meadows and forests of beech, fir, and pine. The climate is primarily known for its cool summer temperatures and air quality. Beshumi’s salubrious climate is noted in “The Health Resorts of the Georgian SSR: (1987)

Climatic peculiarities are determined by the resort's location in the forest zone of the subtropical belt in the mountains. Winter is moderately mild with abundant snow average monthly temperature of January is -5°C. Summer is moderately warm (average monthly temperature of August is + 17°C). Precipitation totals 1100 mm per annum. Average annual relative humidity of air is 72 per cent. There are about 2000 hr of sunshine per annum. Weak western winds are typical. The air is extremely clean and clear. There are springs of mineral waters (chalybeate-sulphate and sulphuretted) 2-3 km from Beshumi. The medium alpine type of climate (the upper belt) is conducive to curing chronic diseases of respiratory organs (of non-tubercular character) including bronchial asthma. The air of the place is especially efficacious in the prevention of the above-mentioned diseases among children.

Our tour traversed the multiple zones of the garden - the fir and beech forest, wetland and lake, alpinarium (rock garden), and the plant nursery.

Highlights:

A patch of volunteer vegetation growing on spoils from the garden road construction, including Inula Grandiflora, Kemulariella caucasica, Polygonum carneum. Roadsides spoil areas in subalpine feature such showy species.

Minuartia and Alpinarium rock textures. Designed and installed in consultation with Helmut Wiismet, the Gardener of the Munich-Nymphenburg Botanical Garden (Germany) and Pascal Salze, of the Lautaret Alpine Garden (Grenoble, France.

On sunny slopes: Sedum , Silene, Digitalis ferruginea.

Sorbus boissieri, Daphne albowiana, and Vaccinium arcostaphylos (looks like Manzanita. The shrub collection was a highlight of the trip for planting concepts.

A red-listed Salix kikodseae that Vasadze saved from construction site. Textures and gradients of the lake and wetland, featuring many species of Juncus.

Alpine Garden nursery, where staff grow protected species from seed. Betula litwinowii and Paeonia macrophylla