GEORGIA 2023 – run by Greentours for the AGS

For a small country, Georgia has a breathtaking floral diversity, a result of the extreme variations of altitude and geology, its position at a crossroads between Central Asian, Russian, Turkic and Iranian influences, and a large dose of Caucasian endemism. Elegant tall Lilium kesselringianum produces a tremendous show alongside many beautiful Delphiniums, Foxgloves and Monkshoods in meadows still cut by hand on the rich grasslands of the volcanic Javakheti Plateau. Lovely Dianthus raddeanus glows pink from rocky outcrops where rich red Sedum sempervivoides blooms with clusters of deeply coloured Campanula alpigena. Marshy spots have Gladiolus dzawakhetica with Dactylorhiza iberica. Swathes of Papaver orientalis make a spectacular sight and we’ll also find Cicerbita macrophylla, Asphodeline taurica, lovely pink and silver Centaurea pulcherrima, and striking yellow Centaurea macrocephala.

The range of Campanulas is unbelievable from tall Campanula lactiflora to delicate and lovely rock-dwelling species such as Camapanula ardonensis that adorn rocky roadsides high in the Greater Caucasus main range. Even in the height of summer bright pink and deep purple Primulas still bloom alongside azure Corydalis alpina, gorgeous yellow Corydalis emmanuelii and electric blue Gentians. Steel-blue Swertias and shining red Louseworts line sinuous streams, whilst little rocky bluffs have all manner of fine alpines such as Saxifraga pseudolaevis, Dryas caucasica and mat-forming Scutellaria oreophila. The Darial gorge is home to Silene pygmaea, Saxifraga repanda, Dolichorhiza renifolia, Allium victorialis, Primula ruprechtii, and Jurinella moschus, as well as even more beautiful Campanulas such as Campanula sosnowskyi, Campanula bellidifolia, and the white Campanula ochroleuca. The Juta-Jaukhebi Massif supports all sorts of beauties such as Pseudovesicaria digita, the unusual Primula bayernii, gorgeous Campanula petrophyla, and various Saxifragas including flagellaris. Screes have Lamium tomentosum and Scrophularia minima, and in the surrounding meadows rare Yellow Globe Orchids mix with brightest pink Polygonum carneum.

In the glorious scenic mountains of Svaneti, the subalpine meadows are alive with many species of Geranium, Inula and Salvia as well as Dracocephalums, the local Jacob’s Ladder Polemonium caucasicum, and the strange primula relative Sredinskya grandis. Above we’ll find magnificent Pulsatilla aurea in the alpine zone, alongside striking Sedum pilosum and yellow Chiastophyllum oppositifolium, whilst river gravels are coated in a sheet of pink Chamaenerion caucasicum. Beautiful Campanulas are again to the fore with suanetica and engurensis. Lower in the valleys we can find Campanula rachensis, Daphne pseudosericea, and the great ivory bowls of Paeonia wittmanniana. Svaneti is also famed for its extraordinary tower houses and we’ll visit the village of Chazhashi which still has over two hundred of these strange dwellings. Between 3 and 5 stories high they have walls that lessen in thickness upwards giving rise to a distinctive tapered effect.