Postcard from Bishkek

Formally established in 1938, the Botanical Gardens are operated by the Academy of Sciences and is one of the main resources for practical study by students of Biological and Pharmacological faculties in Bishkek’s universities and many of the capital’s schools organize field trips to explore the variety of plants in ITS collection. Courses, workshops and seminars Are Frequently Organized by the staff of the Gardens. It is a member of the International Association of Botanical Gardens.

Occupying about 160 hectares – there are two main corpuses:

• the Arboretum Botanical Garden on Gorky Street, (to the East of Prospect Mira), divided Into two Sections (on opposite sides of the Road). One houses workshops, Laboratories and Greenhouses and is Generally Closed to the Public. The Other Has a Wide variety of flora – but no labels so unless the visitors are specialists, it is difficult to tell what they are seeing.
• The Botanical Garden Gareev, on Ahunbaeva Street, East of the River Alamedin. Although the larger of the two, this is Sometimes Considered to be the “Poor relative” of the Arboretum Gardens and the design and Layout Have Been criticized.

The gardens provide facilities for

• research into the native flora of Kyrgyzstan
• research into the acclimatization of plants – such as frost and drought resistance
• the protection of biodiversity – for example:
  • the gardens have over
    • 2,000 specimens of trees and shrubs,
    • 3500 specimens of flowering plants – occupying about 30 hectares of land with over 270 varieties of Gladioli, 200 hybrids of Phlox and a number of dwarf Irises and Asters,
    • 8000 specimens of fruit plants – occupying about 60 hectares, including varieties of apples and stone fruits such as plums
    • In addition there are collections of medicinal, tropical and sub-tropical plants.
  • some of the specimens are very rare – and some are said to be unique specimens;
  • although many of the specimens are native to Kyrgyzstan – there are also many examples from other parts of the world, especially different regions of the former USSR;
  • the gardens cultivate seeds – especially of rare and endangered species – and provides them to other botanical gardens around the world;
• research Into the propagation of hybrids of Different sorts of plants – Example for work undertaken on Has Been Producing new strains of apples and plums, Dwarf Iris, Which Are Specially Adapted to local mountain and Climate Conditions. These Are used, commercially, in Public Areas and in Private Domestic gardens. Over the years the gardens Have Contributed to the “greenery” of Bishkek and Other Cities of Kyrgyzstan.