Belgorod State University Botanical Garden conferred on the top award of International Lilac Society

The decision of the Award Committee to confer an award on BelSU Botanical Garden was announced by the Head of the International Lilac Society Claire Fouquet at the VI International Scientific Conference “Syringa L.: Collections, Cultivation, Use. Outstanding Names of the Lilacs Community”.

The conference involving specialists from New Zealand, Canada, USA, China, Japan, the Ukraine and Russia was held via videoconferencing by the Botanical Garden of V. L. Komarov Botanical Institute in St. Petersburg.

The conference included a roundtable discussion on the lilac popularization including festivals and the use of lilac in cultural traditions as well as a number of other issues.

Currently, three lilac gardens have been laid out at the Botanical Garden of Belgorod State University. Belgorod collection of lilac includes over 400 varieties and species and is the largest in the former Soviet Union. The scientists agreed to create the largest collection of lilac in the world on the territory of BelSU Botanical Garden.

At the moment the Botanical Garden specialists are engaged in microclonal propagation of both popular and rare species of lilac including those for subsequent sale to the leading nursery-gardens of the country.