“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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Cherry tree. Vladimir region
The history of the appearance of the cherry tree on the Vladimir land has several versions, but all of them say that the cherry tree came to us from Byzantium together with Orthodoxy.
According to one version, the first saplings of the southern tree were brought by Andrei Bogolyubsky, according to another - by Athonite monks, according to the third - the cherry was brought in the wagon of the Kiev Metropolitan.
Delicate blossom, exquisite fruits - a tree unseen in Russia was a rare curiosity.
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Pontic rhododendron - an ancient ornament of the Adygea land
In the Republic of Adygea one can admire the blossoming of high-mountain vegetation - there is an abundance of Caucasian rhododendrons, primroses, anemones and a couple of dozens of other plants, many of which are unique relics and endemics.
Rhododendrons belong to the Heather family and are related to Ledum, cranberry, bilberry and lingonberry; they have medicinal properties. Modern medicine counts at least nine medicinal species among them.
Pontic rhododendron (Latin: Rhododendron ponticum) is a dense creeping multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 1.5-2.5 m, with evergreen leathery leaves of rich color. Flowers are 5 cm in diameter, purple, often with small greenish-yellow spots or veins, fragrant; collected in large ball-shaped inflorescences at the ends of shoots. Each of them contains from 8 to 20 flowers.
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Sea holly. Kaliningrad region
In the Kaliningrad region, there are 19 plants whose specific epithets include the words "maritime" or "seaside," including one in cultivation. Nine of them are found on the Curonian Spit. They are not botanically related and often belong to different genera and families. Their external characteristics also vary. However, all these species share a common trait: their proximity to the sea.
Among them, the sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) is the most recognizable and popular species on the Baltic coast. It was chosen by scientists of the last century as the symbol of the Prussian Botanical Society.
Sea holly is a real treasure trove of beneficial and healing substances that have a positive effect on the body. Healers have long used the root, inflorescence, stem, and leaves to prepare various infusions that significantly improve the well-being of people with kidney problems.
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Narrow-leaf fireweed (Ivan-chai). Tyumen region
Narrow-leaf fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop.) known in Russia as Ivan-chai (lit. Ivan-tea) is a perennial herbaceous plant, the type species of the genus Chamaenerion, belonging to the family Onagraceae. It is often considered part of the genus Epilobium. Commonly known as "Koporye tea" and "field tea," in Russia, it has been used to produce tea as a substitute for expensive Chinese tea since the XVIII century.
Fireweed is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, especially in the forest zone of Siberia, where it is one of the main honey plants. In the Tyumen region, it grows in the Tobolsk district and the Antipino area. Look for Ivan-chai on forest edges, ravine slopes, and riverbanks. This plant can quickly cover large areas in clearings and burnt-out areas due to its rapid vegetative reproduction, which helps restore soil fertility. Due to its ability to grow in fire-damaged areas, it is also called fire herb, garevik, pozharnik in Russia.
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Pansies. Bryansk region
If the beginning of spring was warm and sunny, then as early as in April pansies (called in Russian "Anyuta's eyes") begin to bloom on the meadows and forest edges of the Bryansk region. This is the folk name of the flowers, which botanists call Víola wittrockiána. In the language of flowers, the three colors of the petals have their own meaning: white is a symbol of hope, yellow is for surprise, and purple is for sadness.
Pansies are a long-known, but still popular hybrid of large-flowered European violets.
It is believed that the fashion for pansies in Russia appeared thanks to the work of L. Tolstoy's “Anna Karenina”, in which the main heroine decorated her outfits and hairstyles with these flowers.
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European olive. Republic of Crimea
The olive tree has been considered a symbol of peace since the time of the Great Flood. Noah released a dove several times to find out if the Ark would soon reach land. One day, the dove returned with an olive branch in its beak. Noah understood that God had turned His anger to mercy and forgiven humanity. According to legend, the olive tree was the first plant to grow on earth when the flood receded.
In Crimea, the olive tree appeared along with the first Greek colonists in the 2nd millennium BC. Today, the peninsula is home to a centuries-old olive tree recognized as the oldest tree in the region, and hundred- and two-hundred-year-old olive groves are scattered along the southern coast of Crimea. The first Russian olive oil in Crimea was produced in 1826 by order of the imperial court.
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.
