One of the most colourful and unforgettable events of the Crimean autumn - the traditional chrysanthemum ball - will be held this year in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden for the 66th time. It is going to break records of all past years both in the variety of breeds and hybrids and in total number of planted bushes.
The chrysanthemum ball - 2019 is called the "Golden Flower», which stands for the word "chrysanthemum" in Greek. Nikitsky Garden has the oldest collection of chrysanthemums. It has been formed since the first years of the foundation of the Garden. The chrysanthemums started being breeded in the park exactly 80 years ago, in 1939, and the realisation of the initiative can be attributed to Ivan Zabelin, who created more than a dozen varieties and hundreds of promising forms of garden chrysanthemum. In the following years, his work was successfully continued by other breeders who managed to grow numerous highly decorative varieties and breeds adapted to open land conditions.
“They will see 472 varieties and hybrid forms, 37 of them are new introduced breeds and 94 are new hybrid forms of the Nikitsky Garden breeding.”
This year, a gigantic eight-petal flower graces the center of the exposition with large-flowered varieties and small-flowered breeds are “scattered” around the perimeter. In total, the area of 0.36 hectares, including the adjacent border territory with chrysanthemums, is covered with about 50 thousand bushes. The grand opening of the Golden Flower Ball will take place on October 25 at 12 o’clock. The fest will be held the whole month attracting both tourists and Crimean citizens. An adult ticket costs 300 rubles, children pay 150 rubles, the garden is open from 8.00 to 18.00.
