“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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Gazania. Republic of Mari El
Mari El is endless forests, free fields and flowering meadows. Here you can see a great variety of flora - from lily of the valley with honeydew to chamomile with cornflower.
Mari people have been cherishing and respecting flowers since ancient times. Until the 20th century there was a tradition not to pick flowers for bouquets. Plants were collected only for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, carefully preserving nature. Even the main national Mari holiday has a "floral" name - Peledysh Payrem (translated from the Mari language it means "holiday of flowers"). For the Mari people, this special day symbolizes the spring-summer rebirth of nature. Mari poets and writers used the images of flowers to praise their beloved, calling them "peledysh" (flower), "osh peledysh" (chamomile), "sandalvozh" (lily of the valley).
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Sweet alyssum. Republic of Ingushetia
Sweet alyssum is a perennial herbaceous strong branching plant with a very large number of small flowers. In Ingushetia it is found on rocks and limestone slopes. It is an excellent honey plant, during the flowering period it spreads a wonderful honey smell, attracting pollinators.
Alyssum is not only good looking, but also has medicinal properties. The leaves, stems and flowers have medicinal value. Raw material is harvested during flowering in April-June. They are dried in the shade under a canopy, in attics or in well-ventilated rooms.
The healing properties of rock alyssum are used in folk medicine, mainly as a laxative and diuretic. In the Caucasus, alyssum is used for kidney and lung diseases, for hernias (especially inguinal), colds, to remove kidney stones and to reduce swelling.
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Buckwheat. Altai region
The Altai region is a region of thousands of lakes and untouched natural corners, rich in historical and cultural heritage, with a favorable ecology and famous branded products. One of these products is buckwheat (Latin: Fagopyrum esculentum), a species of herbaceous plants of the buckwheat genus (Fagopyrum) in the family Polygonaceae. It is both a cereal and a honey plant.
The Altai region grows a quarter of the world's buckwheat crop. The Altai region can rightfully be called the buckwheat capital, producing up to 70% of all Russian buckwheat.
Historically, buckwheat grew in Northern India, the Himalayas, Southern Siberia, and the Altai region. Russian archaeologists continue to find fossilized buckwheat grains in burial mounds of the Altai people and in excavated Ural camps of Asian nomads dating back to centuries before our era.
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Artysh (Siberian juniper). Republic of Tuva
Artysh (Tuvan Siberian juniper or Juniperus sibirica) is a genus of evergreen coniferous plants in the Cupressaceae family of the order Pinales.
In the local language, it is called artysh, shaman herb, arsa, archa, shug-pa. Despite its name, its habitat is extensive. In the north, it grows in the Arctic zone, in the temperate zone, and in regions with a warm climate— in mountains at altitudes up to 4200 meters above sea level.
This is a very hardy plant capable of withstanding low and high temperatures. Moreover, its appearance changes little depending on the habitat and climatic zone. It is considered one of the most frost-resistant coniferous species. Among the shrubs of the undergrowth, juniper is the most long-lived. Plants aged 300–400 years are not uncommon.
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Siberian dwarf pine. Magadan region
The Siberian dwarf pine (Latin: Pinus pumila) inhabits the harshest areas of the Russian Far East. These low bushes spread across the taiga, forming dense, impenetrable thickets, earning them the nicknames "lying cedar" and "dwarf pine." In the Magadan region, it is ubiquitous and is the only coniferous tree in the area.
Siberian dwarf pine is among the leaders in the pine family for its high content of phytoncides, providing antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, calming the body, and boosting the immune system. Infusions made from the needles are rich in vitamin C. While modern people use these infusions to support their bodies during colds, three hundred years ago, they literally saved sailors from scurvy. Vitus Bering and his team never went a day without tea or kvass made from dwarf pine during the Second Kamchatka Expedition.
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Red clover. Kirov region
The Kirov region is classified as an area of risky agriculture. Therefore, the focus in agriculture is on livestock and fodder crops. Red clover is the most widespread fodder crop in the field grasslands of the Kirov region. Since fodder fields occupy the majority of the arable land in the region, clover flowers are probably the most abundant flowers in the Kirov region.
Red clover (Latin: Trifolium pratense) is a plant from the genus clover (Trifolium), family Fabaceae (legumes), subfamily Faboideae (Papilionoideae).
The Latin name of the plant translates to "three-leaved," as the three leaves are one of its distinguishing features. Four-leaved clovers, which are famous for being lucky charms, are much rarer.
Clover is of great economic importance to the region due to its high yield and nutritional and fodder value. Clover is a source of biological nitrogen accumulation in the soil. Its roots host bacteria of the genus Rhizobium, which assimilate molecular nitrogen and transfer it to the clover in exchange for carbohydrates. Additionally, clover improves soil fertility, as its deep roots extract potassium, calcium, and phosphorus from deep soil layers and leave them in the upper arable layer.
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.
