June 10, 1811, with the active participation of the well-known botanist, sericulture inspector south Rosii M.Bibershteyna in Petersburg was signed “Decree on the establishment of the Imperial treasury in Crimea Botanical Garden.” That same year, the village of Nikita (now Village Botanical) from the local landowner Smirnov bought 375 acres of land. As director of the garden M.Bibershteyn asked his assistant, 30-year-old scientist H.H.Stevenu. Already in September 1812 made the first landing. That was the beginning of the modern State Nikitsky Botanical Garden. Over 14 years of tireless work H.H.Steven, called afterwards “Nestor Russian botanists,” brought together more than 450 species of exotic plants.
Now live collection garden has 30 thousand species, hybrids and varieties of almost all countries of the world. In Lower Park garden growing Californian oak (more in this country never occurs), and the Seaside – the most heat-loving trees and shrubs: myrtle, myrtle, orchid tree, hamerops (palmetto). Nikitsky Botanical Garden is in Aleppo pine, Numidian (Algerian) fir, oak travolistny (California) and Arizona cypress, red cedar and the only instance of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden “iron wood” – parottii Persian. The tree is 6 meters tall, has a crown of wide oval leaves that fall take a pink-orange color.
Tour of the Nikitsky garden begins with the Upper Park, along with carefully decorated malls can be found planting plants brought from all over the Earth: Bamboo from North China, evergreen holm oak, powerful tree fir, sycamore, giant sequoias (Mammoth tree). In this part of the garden is growing yew, reaching 500 years of age, recalling bygone relic of the local forests.
Lower Park – the oldest part of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, founded in the first half of XIX veka.Zdes attract attention olive grove, planted more than 160 years ago, other heat-loving plants: fig, loquat, persimmon. Of particular interest are the old trees strawberry tree (arbutus red), listed in the Red Book. Next, Seaside Park, better than any other protected surrounding mountain ridges, the climate is milder, and therefore this part of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden presents the most heat-loving evergreen plant forms: a variety of palms, cedar and osmanthus, pistachio mastic, numerous brightly blooming subtropical shrubs.
On both sides of the Seaside Park are two more interesting object Nikitsky garden. In the east – reserve “Cape Martian”, which remains the most valuable relic sub-Mediterranean area of the forest, which are grown in the pristine conditions of rare trees, shrubs and grass – only about 500 species – and all this wealth on 120 acres of protected land! Reserve is a natural laboratory for scientists garden, so massive tour is closed.
West of Seaside Park, close to Yalta, the park is located on the Cape Montador, where, along with native species – oak, fluffy, juniper – grows a number of exotic conifers relic: many types of pine trees from around the world, with a gentle Metasequoia, falling needles. Here you can admire the planting of pine pitsundskoy, natural stands of which survived in the Crimea on the south coast at Cape Aya only in the West and in the New World in the east. Surprises visitors and old redwood grove of trees, planting cypress Mexican, gutta-percha tree and other exotics.
Nikitsky Botanical Garden – a place where you want to visit more than once. Each time, you will discover more and more details. As in a museum that stores the works of the great masters. Here the role of the master genius made by nature. A man made this beauty accessible to everyone, gave her a decent frame, planted a tree, from which suddenly smells on you in November spring honey aroma, a bridge across streams, build a swimming pool and charming observation platform …
