Last weekend, the Feldman Ecopark traditionally opened one of the most famous festivals of floristics and landscape design – the Chrysanthemum Ball – for Kharkiv residents and the guests of the city. The visitors of the Ecopark came to like this holiday long ago, because it is possible to come here together with family or friends to look (absolutely free of charge) at the unique floral compositions covering the paths of the Regional Landscape Park.
White, scarlet, purple, yellow, orange, red and even two-coloured, there was a fantastic number of chrysanthemums this year: the specialists planted over 30,000 fragrant bushes. In order to create this beauty, the florists continued their tireless work during several weeks. Some chrysanthemums were delivered from Kharkiv oblast (like Baltika or Maslenitsa kinds), the other kinds were delivered from Western Europe (like yellow and white Eleonora). Planting the exotic beauties along the paths and walks of the Feldman Ecopark, the specialists took care of nothing preventing the flowers to grow and demonstrate their beauty. Before the beginning of their works, the floriculturists carefully monitored weather forecasts, because chrysanthemums should be planted when it is cloudy and rainy. In addition, these whimsical beauties prefer loose soil full of various valuable elements. In order the delivered chrysanthemums to meet the aesthetic expectations, they were “nourished” with peat and vermicompost. The efforts of the floriculturists were not in vain, as the Feldman Ecopark is simply buried in the abundance of chrysanthemum inflorescences now, making the guests and the workers happy. Even after a flower grows and blossoms out, the care is not finished: the specialists continue to regularly water them using settled or rainwater, to loosen the soil, to weed and to process the plants protecting them from parasites.
The Queen of Autumn is the status deservedly given to the flower of chrysanthemum by the breeders across the world, because these flowers are not afraid of cold weather, and match the other plants in gardens. They are fascinating and can actively bloom until November. A very important advantage of this wonderful flower is in its centuries-old history: chrysanthemum is nothing less than 2,500 years old. This period has passed since it was cultivated for the first time by the ancient Chinese people. Later, the baton of floriculture was picked up from them by the Japanese, who started to rear their own kinds. So, the modern cultivated chrysanthemums appeared during many centuries, which are currently used worldwide for the decoration of yards and houses. The Feldman Ecopark was imbued with the charm of this autumn flower so much that decided to devote a grandiose Ball to it for the fifth year running.
Not only the original chrysanthemum flowerbeds are presented at the traditional flower festival in the Feldman Ecopark. Only here, the pampered tastes of the guests will be surprised by the wonders of floristic art – the flower sculptures. There are more than ten of them in the Ecopark. The well-known ones include three monkeys embodying the Buddhist principle of rejection of evil. It is a central composition that is annually located on the main path of the Regional Landscape Park. The new heroes include a loving couple of turtles. These happy couple embraces while posing for the cameras near the central pond, which is one of the most romantic places in the Ecopark. By the way, the real pond sliders, as well as a couple of inseparable black swans live in the pond. Each sculpture of the exposition is saturated with love, though. The eye-catching heart-shaped sculpture is also among the new ones. The floral symbol of all lovers is not just another decoration of the Ecopark: it is one of the most popular photo-zones inviting the couples to make a romantic selfie. The organizers of the festival admit that they’ve selected these kinds of sculptures for a reason, because the Feldman Ecopark is a territory of tolerance, love, mutual understanding and support. There is no place for political discords, religious conflicts and other negative things overfilling the modern world today. The Ecopark’s team sincerely believes and hopes that arranging these astonishingly bright and cheerful events for the guests, it will help them to enjoy the beauty, to get a respite from the tense tempo of life by becoming completely filled with the bracing energy of Ukrainian nature.
Everyone is able to get into the fairy-tale land of eastern flowers Feldman Ecopark during the next several weeks. If severe frost does not occur in Ukraine, the Chrysanthemum Ball will bloom until November.
