Rize Ziraat Botanical Garden, also known as Rize Botanical Park or Rize Ziraat Tea Garden, is a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
located 2 kilometers southwest of
Rize
Rize (; ; ; ka, რიზე}; ) is a coastal city in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the seat of Rize Province and Rize District.[Zihni Derin
Zihni Derin (1880–1965) was a Turkish agronomist and agriculturalist noted primarily for his pioneering role in tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinens ...]
and gardener Emil Vlakov, whom Derin brought from
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...
. The garden was initially built on 15 decares of land. The first plants cultivated in the garden included tea saplings,
mandarin orange
A mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), often simply called mandarin, is a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Treated as a distinct species of orange, it is usually eaten plain or in fruit salads. The mandarin is small and oblate, unlike the ...
,
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...
, orange,
grapefruit
The grapefruit (''Citrus'' × ''paradisi'') is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. The flesh of the fruit is segmented and varies in color from pale yellow to dark red.
Grapefru ...
,
citron
The citron (''Citrus medica''), historically cedrate, is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick Peel (fruit), rind. It is said to resemble a 'huge, rough lemon'. It is one of the Citrus taxonomy#Citrons, original citrus fruits from which al ...
, and
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
. Additionally, ornamental flowers such as
mimosa
''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and ...
, imported by Zihni Derin from Batumi, were introduced to the garden. The successful cultivation of tea plants in this garden confirmed Rize's suitability for tea production.
Facilities
The facility covers an area of 250 square meters and includes a tea factory where visitors can observe tea processing, a viewing terrace, a children's park, a traditional nayla (storage structure), the Atatürk Tea and Horticultural Research Institute, a 200-square-meter tea sales shop, and a restaurant called Çayla. Additionally, the site includes a 500-square-meter parking area. Renovations in 2022 introduced stone walls made of Rize's distinctive black stones, a bust of Zihni Derin, and old-style fountains from Rize.
Transportation
The botanical garden is accessible via Zihni Derin Street. Municipal buses and minibuses provide transportation to the facility.
References
{{Coord, 41, 01, 15, N, 40, 30, 38, E, display=title
Botanical gardens in Turkey