May in Kyiv is traditionally associated with the blooming of lilacs on the slopes of the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of the NAS of Ukraine. This year, the famous syringarium turns 80 years old. In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, the head of the dendrology department of the Botanical Garden, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Yuriy Klymenko, spoke about the history of the creation of the lilac garden, unique Ukrainian breeding varieties, and modern scientific research.
According to the scientist, the syringarium was founded in 1946 by the outstanding landscape architect Leonid Rubtsov. The basis of the collection was seedlings brought from Germany after World War II – some of them were given as reparations, others were purchased to form the collection. Some of those plants have been preserved in the Botanical Garden to this day.
Today, the syringarium collection includes almost all natural species of lilac, more than 100 varieties, and unique interspecific hybrids. Among the special exhibits are the yellow lilac variety Primrose, the netted lilac Beijing subspecies, which grows in the form of a tree, as well as varieties of Ukrainian breeding.
Yuriy Klymenko paid special attention to Ukrainian lilac varieties created in the Botanical Garden. One of the most famous is the Lesya Ukrainka variety, bred in 1996 by Vasyl Horb. The flowers of this lilac can have up to 50, and sometimes even up to 100 petals, which is a unique indicator in world breeding.
Last year, the Botanical Garden registered four new lilac varieties: Malynovyi Dzvin, Svitanok Oboloni, Smuhlyanka, and Ivan Mazepa. Scientists are also working on creating dwarf forms of lilac, which in the future may become an important achievement in world botany.
As Yuriy Klymenko noted, the syringarium is currently being gradually renewed with young seedlings, preserving the historical layout and composition of the garden. Despite the war, the Botanical Garden remains one of the favorite places of rest for Kyiv residents and visitors to the capital.
Read the interview