Fomin Botanical Garden Kyiv: Hours, Glasshouse, Blooms, Photos

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The Academician Oleksandr Fomin Botanical Garden (Fomin Garden) is Kyiv’s oldest botanical garden, founded in 1839 right in the city centre beside the university’s Red Building and St Volodymyr’s Cathedral. It has palms over 150 years old, thousands of cacti and succulents, and magnolias, lilac and rhododendrons in spring. Here is its history, what to see, what blooms when, how to get into the glasshouse and which collections matter most.

More on this topic: Hryshko Botanical Garden, when lilac blooms, houseplants, indoor palms.

History of the Fomin garden

The garden was founded on 22 May 1839 at Kyiv University. Its layout was designed by architect Vikentii Beretti, creator of the Red Building, and its first director was botanist Rudolf Trautvetter. Its first collections came from the closed Kremenets Lyceum — see our guide to Kremenets Botanical Garden.

Through the 19th and 20th centuries the garden grew and gained new glasshouses, and in 1935 it was named after academician Oleksandr Fomin, the botanist who led it for many years. It survived both world wars and kept some plants over a century old. A new palm house over 30 m tall was built in the 1970s. Today the garden covers about 22 hectares and belongs to Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Other gardens in Ukraine are covered in botanical gardens of Ukraine.

What to see: palms, cacti and the glasshouse

The collection holds about 8,000 plant species. Its pride is the 1970s palm house, over 30 metres tall, with 63 palm species, some 150–200 years old. Do also see the cactus and succulent collection of more than 2,500 species. To grow something similar at home, start with indoor palms.

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The Fomin garden in numbers

• About 8,000 plant species in the whole collection.
• Over 4,000 tropical and subtropical taxa under glass.
• Over 2,500 succulent species, including more than 1,500 cacti.
• 63 palm species in the 30-metre palm house; some trees are 150–200 years old.
• Over 170 rhododendron cultivars.
• A magnolia garden from 1976 with Kobus and saucer magnolias.
• Veteran trees — old oaks, black walnut, ginkgo and lime from the garden’s early decades.

What blooms at the Fomin garden month by month

Dates shift each year with the weather, so use the Kyiv bloom calendar as a guide:

• January–February — even in winter something flowers: witch hazel, wintersweet and Viburnum × bodnantense, plus tropical plants under glass.
• March — crocuses, scillas, primroses and the first early rhododendrons.
• April — the magnolia garden planted in 1976 (Kobus and saucer magnolias) — the most popular time for walks and photos; sakura and fruit trees bloom.
• May — lilac, spiraea and rhododendrons: over 170 rhododendron cultivars, one of Ukraine’s largest collections.
• June–August — roses, tulip tree, daylilies, salvias and summer beds; cooler than the streets of the centre on hot days.
• September–October — chrysanthemums, asters and dahlias, golden ginkgo, maples and hornbeams, and bright rowan, hawthorn and barberry fruit.

All year — palms, cacti and succulents under glass; some tropical plants bloom even in winter.

Opening hours, entry and the glasshouse

Address: 1 Symona Petliury Street, Kyiv. One exit of Universytet metro station leads straight into the garden; the other entrance is through the arch opposite St Volodymyr’s Cathedral.

Grounds: at the time of writing, open daily for walks with free entry.

Glasshouses: by guided tour only. Group tours run daily except Monday at 11:00, 12:00 and 14:00; arrive 10 minutes early at the entrance to the research section on Symona Petliury Street. Groups of 10 or more can book a separate tour. Prices and times may change, so check before visiting.

Getting there and what is nearby

• Universytet metro — one exit leads straight to the garden; the easiest option.
• On foot from the centre — about 15–20 minutes from the Golden Gate or Khreshchatyk via Shevchenko Park.
• From Taras Shevchenko Boulevard — through the arch opposite St Volodymyr’s Cathedral.

Nearby are the university’s Red Building, St Volodymyr’s Cathedral, Shevchenko Park and the Golden Gate, so the garden fits easily into a walk around the historic centre. If you have a whole day for botany, compare it with the large Hryshko Botanical Garden in Pechersk: Fomin for a short central visit, Hryshko for half a day.

What visitors value most

According to city guides and media, visitors most often praise:

• the location: right in the centre, with a metro exit leading straight into the garden;
• free entry to the grounds;
• the cosy, historic atmosphere: founded in 1839, with old glasshouses and hilly terrain;
• the palm house with century-old trees, and the cactus collection;
• spring blossom of magnolias and lilac, and shade and coolness in summer.

Note that the glasshouse can only be visited on scheduled tours, so plan ahead.

Fomin Botanical Garden: photos

More shots worth taking through the seasons:

[photo: inside the palm house, looking up]

[photo: the cactus collection]

[photo: the magnolia garden in April]

[photo: rhododendrons in May]

[photo: witch hazel in winter]

[photo: roses in summer]

[photo: golden ginkgo in autumn]

[photo: chrysanthemums and asters in September]

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Tips for your visit

• It is loveliest in April and May, with magnolias and lilac in bloom.
• The glasshouse is by guided tour; avoid Mondays.
• Combine it with a walk through the centre: the cathedral, Golden Gate and Shevchenko Park are nearby.
• Do not pick flowers or branches; the garden is a protected site.

Flowers for a city walk

Spring tulips, summer peony roses or a boxed bouquet: flowers delivered in Kyiv turn a walk in the garden into a real date.

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See roses and flowers in a box.

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FAQ

Where is the Fomin Botanical Garden?

In central Kyiv, 1 Symona Petliury Street, by Universytet metro.

Is entry free?

At the time of writing, entry to the grounds is free.

How do I visit the glasshouse?

On a guided tour, held daily except Monday; check the price with the garden.

What blooms in winter?

Witch hazel, wintersweet and Viburnum × bodnantense outdoors, and tropical plants under glass.

How many rhododendron cultivars are there?

Over 170 — one of Ukraine’s largest collections; peak bloom is in May.

How long do I need?

About an hour for the grounds, 1.5–2 hours with a glasshouse tour.

When is the best time to go?

April for magnolias, May for lilacs and rhododendrons; the glasshouses are worth it all year, especially in winter.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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