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.
Those
cherry varieties that came from southern countries were not frost-resistant,
and in order to preserve them in the cold Vladimir winter, they were dug up
every fall and put under a shelter where the trees could winter under the snow
cover.
It took at
least 300 years of patient selection to develop those varieties that could
winter in Central Russia, and by the XIX century hundreds of cherry orchards
grew around Vladimir. Cherries were supplied to Moscow and St. Petersburg as
fresh berries and in the form of cherry liqueurs, and the Vladimir cherry
rightfully became a trademark of the province.
Today there
are dozens of cherry varieties for Central Russia - with different tastes, with
different blooming and ripening dates, and few people remember that they all
come from a few saplings brought to Russia from Byzantium together with the
Orthodox faith and hope for a long prosperous future of the Vladimir land.
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.