“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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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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Flax. Smolensk region
Common flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a plant that grows up to about 120 cm tall. Its flowers form an "umbrella," and after blooming, seed capsules appear in their place. Flax is a valuable agricultural crop used in the textile, chemical, and even food industries. For example, strong linen threads are made from its stems and leaves, and its seeds are pressed to produce oil that is extremely beneficial for health and beauty. Additionally, flax is used to make medicines, nutrient substrates, and components of technical mixtures. In recent years, specially bred varieties of flax have become a popular choice for landscape designers.
Flax has been known since ancient times and has always been revered as a symbol of light, purity, and fidelity. High priests of Egypt could enter temples only in linen clothing, and pharaohs' mummies were wrapped in linen fabrics. Herodotus mentioned that among the gifts brought by one of the pharaohs to the temple of Athena in Rhodes, the most valuable gift was linen fabric.
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Stankevich pine. Sevastopol
Stankevich pine, also known as Sudak pine, grows on the slopes in the east of Crimea and the southwest, in the Balaklava area. It is a relict endemic species listed in the Red Data Book. The pine is named after the scientist Vaclav Stankevich.
This tree, reaching up to 25 meters in height, has a sprawling, uneven crown with an unusually whimsical shape, resembling mythical creatures. The branches are horizontal, twisted, and resistant to strong winds. The pine is undemanding to soil, surviving even on rocky cliffs and tolerating salty sea water.
This species of conifer is found only in Crimea. The largest grove of Stankevich pine on the peninsula is located in the "Novy Svet" nature reserve, with about 5,000 specimens.
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Fern. Jewish Autonomous Region
The Jewish region is located in the south of the Far East. Among the rich vegetation, the fern — a symbol of the beginning of life and the Far Eastern talisman — stands out.
Fern is a relict plant, one of the oldest on Earth, its history goes back millions of years. Ferns grow in forests and swamps, prefer wet places and fertile soil. This plant can be found in many different parts of the world, including Europe, Asia and America. And one of the most famous and favorite fern species in the Far East is the eagle fern with beautiful leaves up to 1 meter long.
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Adams' rhododendron. Irkutsk region
Adams' rhododendron is a small evergreen shrub with a pleasant scent. The flowers are small and pale pink. It is endemic to Eastern Siberia and is listed in the Red Book of the Irkutsk region. The plant is named after the naturalist and botanist Johann Friedrich (Mikhail Ivanovich) Adams, who first described it in his report following an expedition to Eastern Siberia. It does not grow in artificially created environments and is found only in nature.
For the indigenous peoples of Siberia, sagan dailya — as they call Adams' rhododendron - has always been considered a miraculous plant. They prepare a tizan (herbal drink) from it, which was used in magical rituals and ceremonies at the imperial courts of the Qing dynasty in China. In Buddhist mythology, rhododendron is one of the seven plants surrounding the god of medicine and health. Siberian shamans brewed an aromatic drink from it to communicate with the gods. The plant is shrouded in legends.
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Fern, or Common Ostrich Fern. Kemerovo Region
The common ostrich fern (Latin: Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a perennial fern, a species of the genus Ostrich Fern from the Onocleaceae family. This hardy, shade-tolerant ornamental plant is listed in the Red Books of several regions of Russia.
The common name for this fern comes from the resemblance of its fronds to ostrich feathers. The broad, feathery foliage of the ostrich fern is colored in an emerald hue, although the color can range from light green to brown. The height of the plants can range from 1.5 to 2 meters.
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.