Exoticism in the heart of the capital

We went for a stroll in the botanical garden to catch the autumnal vibe

The Central Botanical Garden of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences is one of the most picturesque places in the capital, attracting visitors all year round. Nature lovers rush to the botanical garden for inspiration, original photos and tranquillity. Many even have their favourite spots here, while the landscape designers of this natural gem never cease to amaze with new ideas. What is on this season? Follow us.

It is definitely impossible to get around the whole territory in a day. The Central Botanical Garden of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences is one of the largest in Europe, with more than 15,000 species of open and closed ground plants collected on 90 hectares. However, we managed to explore the most interesting and beautiful places.

  
















Japanese Garden exposition in Central Botanical Garden, Minsk                          Aleksandr Kulevsky

This year a new location opened here — a Japanese garden, created according to all the canons of the East. Now Belarusians have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of mysterious Japan without leaving the capital. Interestingly, there are no analogues in the country, so the garden is truly exclusive. Notably, our tour began with it, accompanied by Maria Klyga, the leading engineer of the landscape architecture sector.
“When you walk among the decorative conifers, it feels like you are transported to another world for a moment,” I shared my admiration with the guide.
“Visitors say the same thing. After all, we have different climatic zones and culture from Japan. Therefore, the work on this project is unique,” noted Maria Klyga. “Of course, we were worried and anxious at first, because we had not created such gardens before. True, we exchanged experience with colleagues from Moscow, participated in international conferences, after which we decided to take a chance and develop our own oriental garden. We tried to make it interesting primarily in terms of plant biodiversity. We chose Japanese flora, despite the fact that the climate there is completely different. We had to carefully select plants that could adapt to the Belarusian climate. Among them is the niwaki pine, which needs to be pruned in a specific way.”
Staff began work on the project back in 2022. Today, the composition of stones, water, conifers and dwarf trees creates an atmosphere of contemplation and peace.
The organisation as a whole has a fairly well-developed phytodesign direction. The main task is the landscaping of the botanical garden’s territory. However, some time ago, designers also participated in the development of projects at a number of significant sites in our country, including the Winter Garden in the Palace of Independence, landscaping projects for the National Library and the Minsk Zoo’s exotarrium. Employees also visit the sites of local residents who come to the botanical garden for help and advice on landscaping their territory.
Meanwhile, we continued to move towards the oriental garden. The first thing that caught our eye was the entrance gate, called ‘torii’ in Japanese, followed by a pergola with a bench and a traditional tea pavilion. The territory also features a water cascade, adjacent to groups of pines, coniferous shrubs and ground cover plants.
“It is important to understand that a Japanese garden is not just a beautiful location for photo sessions, but an entire philosophical concept embodied in landscape design. Each element here has a deep meaning and serves a specific purpose — creating a harmonious space for contemplation, reflection and meditation,” Maria Klyga emphasised. “But, of course, we never refuse our visitors a photoshoot.”
The oriental garden looks fascinating at any time of year, but it is especially picturesque during the golden autumn. We recommend that all Minsk residents and visitors to the capital see this magical place at the earliest opportunity!
We continued our promenade, this time accompanied by guide Margarita Stoma. “The lemon tree nursery deserves special attention — a greenhouse of tropical and subtropical plants, which contains about a hundred species of citrus fruits, including rare specimens and varieties of our own selection. It opened for visits and excursions in October. In addition to citrus fruits, the lemon tree nursery contains feijoa, pomegranate, fig and papaya,” Margarita Andreyevna shared. “Another popular attraction is the tropical plant greenhouse, located under a multifaceted glass dome. Here you can see more than two thousand exotic plants: lianas, palms, succulents, cacti, bamboo, laurel, olives and even a fruiting pomegranate. Of particular interest are such rare plants as banana, cocoa and breadfruit.” 

  















BELTA

The greenhouse is open all year round according to the botanical garden’s schedule and differs fundamentally from others in the placement of plants: they are located in conditions as close as possible to natural ones. We looked around — trees, shrubs, grasses, a pond with water lilies, fish and turtles were all around. A little further on were exotic parrots, with huge lianas entwining two floors.
“Certainly, the main function of the garden is to preserve the biodiversity of plants. The organisation has over 15,500 varieties. However, scientific activity also plays a major role. We have enough laboratories where experienced staff are engaged in the introduction and protection of local flora. After all, plants, unfortunately, get sick, like people. Scientists help them adapt and take root, and each collection has its own supervisor who is engaged daily in weeding, watering and feeding the plants,” said Margarita Stoma, describing the nuances of plant care.
“What is the best time to visit the garden?” I asked.
“The season usually opens in early May and lasts until the end of October. However, there is enough to see in the botanical garden all year round. If it is autumn or winter, the emphasis is on the exhibition greenhouse; at the end of March, the first flowers bloom. The baton is taken up by magnolias, cherry blossom (sakura), hyacinths, tulips, daffodils and lilacs. Then peonies, roses and many other plants bloom. In autumn, you can enjoy the colours of collections of flowering dahlias and chrysanthemums: as one fades, another starts to bloom — that is the principle. In the quiet winter period, cultural and educational work with visitors is actively conducted, and various festivals and exhibitions are held.

There is always something to show, despite the fact that the whole garden is covered in snow,” shared Margarita Andreyevna. “All the collections are our national heritage, so we always try to tell people about them, because this is the wealth and value of our country.”

Incidentally, quite recently Belarusian developers launched an audio guide, Botanical Garden Minsk. It allows taking a tour of the garden and learning more about the flower collections, the ‘Island of Arts’, the ecological trail, and the greenhouse with tropical and citrus plants.

By Yekaterina Kvachenok