International Lilac Day

This date celebrating International Lilac Day was not chosen by chance: on May 18, 1893, the famous amateur breeder Leonid Kolesnikov was born, whose varieties of lilac are known throughout the world. 56 varieties of L.A. Kolesnikov, including the most popular in the world “Beauty of Moscow”, are currently growing in the botanical garden of Belgorod State University.

“Four years ago, we set the goal of becoming one of the world's centers for lilac selection. We can say that the "Belgorod Lilac" program is being implemented successfully: our lilac garden located in BelSU botanical garden is one of the largest in the world taking into account the number of lilac varieties and types and one of the largest in Russia”, said BelSU rector Oleg Polukhin.

The rector expressed hope that the two new selected varieties will be patented on the significant date – 145^th anniversary of the university to be celebrated on September 26, 2021.

According to Valery Tokhtar, Director of Scientific and Educational Center “Botanical Garden of Belgorod State University”, today the lilac collection at the botanical garden is represented by 378 varieties of well-known domestic and foreign selections, including those from the USA, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Belarus and Ukraine. In the context of the regional project “Belgorodskaya Lilac”, scientists of REC “Botanical Garden” are engaged in microcloning of rare lilac varieties, including those from the selection by L.A. Kolesnikov, as well as breeding their own.