2022 Ukraine Botanic Garden Appeal

Botanical Garden of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University

The Chernivtsi Botanical Garden was created in the romantic style by Karl Bauer in 1877 by order of the board of the Imperial-Royal Franz Joseph University in Chernivtsi. It holds collections of many Chinese , japanese and American flora and the arboretum holds collections of 100 to 200 year old specimens. Among the herbaceous plants of the open grounds, the collection of rare species of the flora of Ukraine deserves special attention, particularly native species of flora of Bukovina and the Ukrainian Carpathians.

Collections at Chernivtsi Botanical Garden

These are majestic age-old tree exotics that adorn the Garden, in particular: Liriodendron tulipifera, Pinus strobus, Abies cephalonica, Abies nordmanniana, Juglans nigra, Platanus x acerifolia, Fagus sylvatica, Fagus sylvatica ‘Atropurpurea’, Quercus rubra, Taxodium distichum, etc. The herbaceous collection include species listed as Threatened under the IUCN Red list and which are not found in any other botanical garden in the Ukraine: Iris bransae Prodan; Ligularia glauca (L.) J. Hoffm., Primula farinosa L. (has the category of Extinct in the Wild in Ukraine).

How has the war impacted the garden?

Only one employee has left (30 employees currently). 10 employees have a family member fighting at the front – this is a common nervous background. There is almost no funding for actual repair and maintenance work and needs. Many excursionists from the number of refugees attend our excursions that are free for them. Volunteers appeared from the number of refugees, for whom working with plants is therapy.

How will the funds from the Appeal be used?

We will introduce new excursions for refugees and other visitors; we will support laboratory assistants and curators of collections – tour guides; we will attract more refugee volunteers for hortitherapy in the Garden