Tulips – spring flowering perennial bulbous plants with summer rest period. In nature there are more then 140 species. The plants can grow in deserts, half-deserts and dry steppes of Asia and Europe, from China up to Pyrenees including also Mediterranean Africa seacoast. Central and Middle Asia is the center of the most beautiful wild species of tulips. It is natural that for the first time the tulips were introduced in culture just in the countries in Asia. In Persia and then in Turkey the flower was honored for high ornamental quality.
The garden tulips were introduced in Europe from Turkey in 16 century. The beauty of the tulips won all hearts of Europeans and especially Dutchmen. More then 450 years Holland is the leading producer of tulips bulbs on the world market. Today 3500 industrially important varieties have been registered and the assortment is constantly renewed.
In Nikitsky Botanical Gardens the tulips have been growing since the time of its foundation. The breeding work started in 1961. The varieties with high ornamental qualities resistant to unfavourable weather conditions of the South of Ukraine have been bred.
The tulip-show begins from the last decade of March and up to the middle of May. More than 150 varieties of tulips are in blossom here. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth.
The collection of Irises – The iris is perennial grassy plant. It was named in honour of goddess of rainbow Irida. Due to remarkable wealth of colours and hardiness the irises are one of the most popular plants for growing in open air. On the exhibition exposition in upper park of Arboretum the representatives of all gardens group of irises have been collected: dwarf, middle and high. 134 varieties were introduced and bred in NBG-NSC.
The periods if Iris-show – the third decade of April-the end of May. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth.
Hemerocallis – multifunctional perennial plant with beautiful flowers, which is used in all types of flower design.The exposition of hemerocallis in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens includes 90 varieties introduced by the scientists of the Gardens. The representatives of all gardens groups have been collected here: from dwarf with small flowers up to high and “gigantic”. The flowers have different forms: from usual (stars-like) up to round and spider-like. The colours of flowers are also impressive: from all range of white up to the dark-claret (except blue and dark-blue).
The periods of Hemerocallis-show – the second decade of June-the third decade of August. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth. In Autumn many varieties have the second blossom.
Rose, queen of the flowers, charms the visitors of Nikitsky Botanical Gardens with its beauty and fragrance not only in spring and summer but also in Autumn. The collection of roses in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens is one of the best in Eastern Europe and consists of more then 1000 varieties, species and forms from 30 gardens groups. Among them you can meet dwarf roses (10 cm high) from the group of miniature roses and gigantic roses from the group of climbing roses (10 m high). There are varieties blooming only 10-20 days in June and varieties blooming 200 days just up to the first snowfalls on the South Coast of the Crimea.
Roses varieties from the collection have been obtained in best firms of USA, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, Holland. Varieties bred in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens have the longest period of blossom and are abundant in flowers in the conditions of the South of Ukraine. The breeding work started in 1812. The first remarkable variety of domestic rose Countess Vorontsova was bred in 1829 by the second director of Nikitsky Botanical Gardens N.A.Gartvis. About 100 varieties from gardens groups of Chinese roses, floribunda, grandiflora, climbing, half-climbing, miniature, polyant and soil-cover roses were bred in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens at the end of the last century and at the beginning of the new one.
Periods of Rose-Show – the second decade of May and up to the end of December. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth.
Clematis – perennial liana with beautiful flowers are successfully used in vertical landscape gardening.
The clematis-show in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens includes about 50 varieties introduced and bred in NBG-NSC (Nikitsky Botanical Gardens-National Scientific Center). This assortment is quite diverse: bushy lianas, straight lianas and climbing half-bush, grassy perennial lianas. The length of lianas of some varieties reaches 10 m and the height of some bushes is 30-60 cm. Here you can meet species and varieties with different forms of flowers. There are also varieties with fragrance and double flowers. The color of flowers is very different as well: from white and yellow up to blue, violet and carmine-red with numerous tints. Many varieties were highly evaluated and received the rewards on international exhibitions and took the leading positions on the market of clematis.
Periods of Clematis-Show – the second decade of May-the first decade of September. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth.
Canna – beautifully flowering ornamental rhizome plant which is successfully used in all types of flower design. Fifty varieties of foreign and domestic selection have been presented on the canna-show in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens. Here you can meet varieties from two groups: Krozzy (dwarfs with height about 50 cm) and Orchid-like (giants up to 2-3 m). The cannas flowers are not only unicolored ( cream, pink, red, orange and yellow) but with contrast edge, different colored spots, strokes, with marvelous large leaves of the most astonishing colors: from different range of green up to claret-brown. There are also varieties with striped leaves.
Periods of Canna-Show – the second decade of July – September. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth.
Chrysanthemum is one of the most ancient ornamental culture. Chrysanthemum came from China and Japan where they were cultivated 2500 years ago. The first 14 varieties of chrysanthemum appeared in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens in 1812-1820 thanks to the first director of the Gardens Christian Steven. The breeding work actively began in 1939. Since 1953 every year the chrysanthemum-show has been taken place in Nikitsky Botanical Gardens.
The collection numbers 350 varieties of small-flowered and large-flowered chrysanthemums. The collection consists from varieties bred in the Gardens and varieties of foreign selection. On the chrysanthemum-show you can see flowers of every possible color ( from white to green) and also of the most varied forms.
To admire this magnificent show you are to visit our Gardens in the second decade of October up to the middle of November. According to the weather conditions the periods of blossom can be removed on 7-10 days back or forth.