“FUTURE IN FLOWERS” FESTIVAL
The festival began on 21 May and ended on 8 July, on the last day of the RUSSIA EXPO. This large-scale flower marathon captured the whole VDNKh area, and unique art objects made of flowers were introduced in several locations simultaneously. Guests could witness more than 100 million flowers, flower exhibits from all 89 regions of the country, and designer flower compositions from institutions and state corporations. Future in Flowers workshop held floristry classes, lectures from well-known plant breeders, and fun trivia games. Visitors were shown the best achievements of national plant breeders: about 400 types of peonies, 140 types of lilacs, 120 types of irises, 250 types of roses, 30 types of dahlias, as well as other flowers and plants of Russia.
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Sunflower. Kherson region
The sunflower belongs to a vast polymorphic genus in the Asteraceae family. The Latin name of the genus, Helianthus, translates to "sun flower."
A sunflower is not just a single flower but thousands of tiny ones, called disc florets, because their centers form perfect spirals. The flowers in the center of a sunflower grow according to a precise mathematical pattern called the golden ratio.
The Russian name (“podsolnukh” that can be roughly translated as “under the sun flower”) arises from the ability of the flower heads to always turn toward the sun. Sunflowers have a special sensitivity to sunlight, which allows their heads to turn throughout the day, following the sun’s path across the sky.
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Lingonberry. Leningrad region
Lingonberry (Latin: Vaccinium vitis-idaea) is a small evergreen shrub of the Vaccinium genus in the Heath family. Lingonberry leaves are covered with a dense, glossy skin, and the dark red berries are known for their health benefits and bright, sour flavor.
Lingonberries grow in various regions of Russia, but they are especially abundant in the Leningrad region. In the fall, the forests here are covered with red carpets of lingonberries, and local residents go on quiet hunts for these tasty and healthy berries. The best harvest usually occurs in September when the fruits are full of juice.
In the past, lingonberry infusions and decoctions were used to treat colds and flu, and even today, natural lingonberry juice can benefit a body weakened by fever. Regular consumption of this vitamin-rich berry can strengthen the immune system and help you forget about illnesses altogether.
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Snowdrop anemone. Orel region
Anemone sylvestris, or snowdrop windflower (also known in Russian as forest anemone), is a delicate flower of the buttercup family. Its name, "anemos," translates from Greek as "wind." The flower received its airy name due to its weightless petals that flutter at the slightest breeze. In Central Russia, the Orel region boasts large quantities of this Red Book plant, as anemones grow best at the intersection of forest-steppe and steppe zones.
There is a paradox in the "botanists' jokes" series: the forest anemone does not grow in forests, and its relative, the oak anemone, does not grow in oak groves. Forest anemone prefers bright and fairly dry places, it is often found in pine forests and sparse oak groves, as well as at forest edges. However, its delicate flowers are especially stunning among the shimmering feather grasses on steppe slopes. In religious-themed paintings, scarlet anemones are often depicted because, according to legend, red buds grew from Christ's blood after the crucifixion.
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Wild rose. Arkhangelsk region
Wild rose (Rosa) is a modest, unpretentious shrub of the Rosaceae family found almost everywhere, except for the Far North. It is valued for the beauty of a large bush, an abundance of greenery and a unique composition of fruits. Due to the richness of vitamins and minerals, rose hips as its fruits are called can rightfully be considered a real Russian superfood.
Wild roses are the wild ancestor of cultivated roses. Wild roses are much more unpretentious and hardy than exquisite hybrid park roses.
In Russia, there are more than 80 species of wild roses. The shrub grows, forming large clumps, often penetrating into populated areas, where it neighbors near fences with elderberry.
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Field horsetail. Perm region
Field horsetail is a perennial spore-bearing herbaceous plant widely distributed in the Perm region. In folk, it is called "pestls", "pistils", field pine, earthy cones.
Horsetails are very ancient inhabitants of our planet, appearing on Earth 400 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs. But back then, they were trees - remnants of calamites, ancestors of the now living low-growing herbaceous "trees," which are found during coal mining. From these remnants, it can be concluded that calamites were huge trees, up to 30 meters tall and with a trunk diameter of approximately 1 meter.
The grass of horsetail contains flavonoids, organic acids (aconitic, malic, oxalic), salts of silicic acid, essential oil, bitterness, tannins, and other biologically active substances.
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Blue spruce. Kabardino-Balkaria
The blue spruce, also known as prickly spruce (Latin: Picea pungens), is an evergreen coniferous tree. The unusual coloring of needles is given by a thick layer of wax covering each needle, which protects the spruce from environmental influences. The natural habitat of the species is the west of North America, from where it was brought to Europe and then to Russia.
Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, is famous for its alleys of silver-blue spruces. It was here that the Soviet breeder Ivan Porfirievich Kovtunenko grew blue spruces, which today adorn various corners of our homeland. In 1918, Ivan Porfirievich started working in a nursery in Nalchik and for the first time encountered blue spruces, which at that time were a rarity for our country. Then seedlings of spruce trees were purchased for further cultivation to serve as decoration of parks and resorts of southern Russian cities.
Along with the RUSSIA EXPO, the flower festival is also coming to an end.
The "Future in Flowers" festival continues at the RUSSIA EXPO, where unique flowerbeds from all regions of our country can be seen at the "Space" pavilion until July 8.
The RUSSIA EXPO concludes on July 8, and with it, the flower festival will also come to an end.
