The Botanical Garden of I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University is one of Odesa’s cosiest spots: a lavender maze, hydrangeas, roses, a lily pond and a glasshouse the whole city helped rebuild after a 2024 missile strike. Thanks to the southern climate, something blooms almost all year, from February to December. Here is what to see, what blooms when, how to get there and how to plan a date or photo shoot.
More on this topic: green Odesa, Hryshko Botanical Garden, lavender, sakura.
The garden began in 1867 as a small glasshouse with 70 species and moved to the university’s estate at Maly Fontan in 1880. Today it covers about 16 hectares on two sites on Frantsuzkyi Boulevard: the “old” one at No. 87 (6.5 ha) and the “new” one at Nos. 48/50 (9.5 ha, since 1948). Self-guided walks are usually on the new site and tours on the old one. Don’t confuse it with the older city garden founded in 1819 by gardener Carl Desmet.For other gardens, see our guide to botanical gardens of Ukraine.
The collection has about 3,800 species and forms, some 2,000 of them under glass. The most photogenic spots are the lavender maze, the hydrangea collection, roses, cacti and succulents, and the lily pond. In spring 2026 dozens of magnolia and tulip varieties bloomed here, along with sakura. Read more about lavender.
The collection is planned so that something blooms from February until the December frosts. April: magnolias, sakura and tulips. Summer: lavender and roses. Hydrangeas last almost to November, and autumn brings chrysanthemums.
To reach the new site (48/50 Frantsuzkyi Boulevard), take tram 5, trolleybus 7 or 9, or a minibus. Entry is paid; the garden is usually closed on Mondays and the ticket office works during the day. Hours and prices vary by season, so check the university’s pages. A missile attack on 25 March 2024 destroyed the glasshouse, but by October it had been rebuilt with help from volunteers, students and fundraising.
Lavender, hydrangeas or roses: give the garden’s mood as a bouquet with flowers delivered in Odesa, to the seaside, a home or a café.
See roses and flowers in a box.
On Frantsuzkyi Boulevard: the new site at Nos. 48/50, the old one at No. 87.
In summer, roughly June–July.
Yes, but shoots are paid and by appointment only.
The glasshouse destroyed in March 2024 was rebuilt by October that year.
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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