Tropical plants from Hryshka’s botanic garden may not survive the cold

Tropical plants from Hryshka’s botanic garden may not survive the cold

Wikipedia

4,000 tropical and subtropical plants from the collection of the Mykola Hryshko Botanical Garden are under threat due to Russian shelling.

They may not survive the cold caused by a power outage, writes The Guardian.

The Hryshko Botanic Garden is the largest in Ukraine and one of the largest in Europe. About 13 thousand species of trees, flowers and other plants from all over the world grow here.

The tropical and subtropical collection of botanic plants includes 4,000 species. Among them are bromeliads, tillandsias, stars, orchids, and azaleas.

Humania Yazychkova from the Bromiliye family

Hryshka National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

“The most valuable thing is that we have plant species brought by the correspondent member of the National Academy of Sciences, Tetiana Cherevchenko, directly from nature – from the Amazon, Vietnam, Greece.

We saved them all. But now we don’t know what will happen to them.” – the director of the botanic garden Natalia Zaimenko said in a comment for “UP. Life”.

Also, 45 species of orchids from Vietnam, where their habitat was destroyed, grew in the botanic garden. Ukrainian specialists bred them and returned them to their homeland.

“We don’t just save plants, we really work hard” – emphasized the biologist.

In addition, representatives of the collection include spotted Paphiopedilum bellatulum (egg-in-the-nest orchid), green ludisia and Doritis pulcherrima, which is derived from a plant sent into space in 1986.

However, this collection may not survive the winter, because plants from the tropics and subtropics cannot withstand temperatures lower than +10℃.

During the February blackouts, one species of azalea, bred in Germany in the 1930s, lost most of its leaves.

Cymbidium Orchid Showgirl Rose Greer

Hryshka National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

“Younger, smaller plants survive better.

It’s like losing a relative or a pet. I think of them as my children. I water them, take care of them, talk to them.” – Iryna Yudakova, an employee of the bot garden, told The Guardian journalists.

During the Russian attacks, there was no direct hit in the botanic building. However, shrapnel shattered glass, and once the blast wave dislodged a piece of wall and knocked over plants.

Last winter, with donations, the botanic garden was able to purchase 242 tons of fuel pellets to keep the plants going. A wood-burning stove was installed here, which can be lit during power outages.

Also, last year, three heat pumps were installed in the botanic garden to maintain the temperature at +20-22℃. However, there was no backup power.

As Nataliya Zaimenko said, the boatyard was given a generator for uninterrupted operation. However, there are no funds to maintain it. Moreover, the problems did not end there.

“Currently, the botanic garden has a great need for glass, which cannot be bought in Ukraine. Also, during the tests, our heating pipe blew, now we need new pipes. The only saving grace is alternative heating, which allows you to regulate the heat supply.” – said the director.

Currently, the botanic garden is helped by about a thousand volunteers who take care of the plants.