DECORATIVE PLANTS
The role of decorative plants in nature and human life is well-known. They beautify our squares, gardens, parks, streets, and homes, evoking positive emotions. Decorative plants are widely used for various celebrations. Many of them (fir, pine, juniper, walnut, bird cherry) release phytoncides and help purify the atmosphere of pathogenic bacteria. Plants such as false acacia (Robinia), gleditsia, linden, and others are also excellent honey plants.
Decorative trees and shrubs planted along streets trap dust, muffle sounds, and positively influence human psychology. Most decorative plants evaporate a lot of moisture, which not only humidifies the air but also lowers its temperature, which is very important for the dry and hot climate of Kyrgyzstan. The role of decorative plants in absorbing carbon dioxide, which accumulates in the atmosphere, and releasing oxygen, essential for living beings, should not be overlooked.
Decorative plants have not only significant sanitary and hygienic but also architectural and artistic value: they emphasize the beauty of buildings. Their educational function is also important: such plants serve as objects for studying biological patterns in schools and universities. Finally, green plantings play a role in fire prevention.
Kyrgyzstan is rich in decorative plants. More than 200 species of wild and cultivated decorative plants grow in the territory of the republic. Various species are cultivated in squares, parks, and private gardens across the republic.
Among decorative shrubs, lilac is the most widely cultivated. There are many varieties of lilac—over 100, with flowers in shades of lilac, violet, burgundy-violet, white, and other colors. There are both double and single forms of astonishing beauty and delicate fragrance.
In spring, forsythia with bright yellow flowers is extraordinarily attractive, blooming before the leaves unfold. It can be found in squares, parks, and near cinemas, already blooming in February and March.
Hybrid petunia has small white flowers, but there are so many that the entire bush appears white. This shrub is extraordinarily beautiful. The boulanger is beautiful with its flowers gathered in spherical inflorescences. Jasmine with white fragrant flowers is delicate and attractive.
In Frunze, various types of the queen of flowers—roses—are widely used in plantings. Currently, over 100 varieties of roses with red, pink, yellow, white, and cream flowers of extraordinary beauty and fragrance are used for greening cities and towns in Kyrgyzstan.
The assortment of trees used for greening cities and towns is rich and diverse. This includes false acacia (also called white acacia) with clusters of white and pink fragrant flowers, catalpa, or Adam's tree, with very large leaves and extraordinarily delicate whitish-pink flowers, and ailanthus with wonderful feathery leaves.
Most commonly found in street plantings, squares, and parks of the republic are various species of birch, linden, oak, poplar, elm, maple, ash, gleditsia, and other tree species.
The assortment of annual and perennial herbaceous decorative plants is extraordinarily rich.
Canna with blood-red large flowers and large leaves, blood-red and scarlet sage create stunningly colorful flowerbeds. Sage blooms until frost and beautifully decorates settlements.
Tagetes, or marigolds, with yellow-brown fragrant flower baskets are also extraordinarily attractive.
Clove of various colors—red, white, pink—decorates squares, parks, and flowerbeds. It is sold at flower markets all year round.
Cosmos with delicate leaves and flowers resembling daisies is grown in clumps in private gardens.
Zinnia is often planted in squares and parks. Its flower baskets come in various colors.
They are beautiful and original. Zinnia blooms for quite a long time.
Asters with various shades of their flowers are autumn flowers. They adorn squares and parks.
Hybrid petunia with fragrant and delicate bell-shaped flowers blooms from May until frost.
Currently, fragrant tobacco is often sown in Kyrgyzstan, whose flowers emit a subtle aroma. Tobacco is especially often used for greening resorts on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul.
In spring, squares and parks are bright with stunning red and yellow tulips, delicate hyacinths, and crocuses.
In summer, phloxes and gladiolus with various flower colors are planted in squares and parks, creating beautiful and fragrant flowerbeds.
In autumn, summer flowers are replaced by stunningly beautiful chrysanthemums, dahlias, asters, and other seasonal flowering decorative plants.
About Decorative Plants
Many books have been written about decorative plants in Kyrgyzstan. For a more detailed acquaintance, we refer readers to these interesting literary sources, in which the decorative plants of Kyrgyzstan are described in great detail.
In concluding the discussion of this group of plants, a few words should be said about wild decorative plants that are widespread in the republic.
In Kyrgyzstan, out of 116 families of angiosperms, 47 families contain 128 species of decorative plants.
Many of them are quite promising for cultivation. The following species are among them.
IxioLirion tatarsky. Grows in semi-deserts and steppes. Blooms in spring, in April—May. The flowers are blue and resemble bells.
Greig's Tulip. One of the most beautiful tulips not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in all of Central Asia. Its flowers are large and bright red. It blooms at the end of April, in May. It grows in the Chui Valley and in the foothills of the Kyrgyz Ridge.
Currently, it is listed in the Red Book.
Zinaida's Tulip. A plant with red-yellow flowers, also extraordinarily beautiful. It blooms in May. It grows in semi-deserts and steppes.
Medium Peony, or Maryin Root. Grows in meadow steppes, in tall grass meadows. It has large raspberry flowers of extraordinary beauty.
Siberian Clematis. This is a vine with very beautiful leaves, flowers, and fruits. The flowers are large, tender white, slightly creamy; the fruits are fluffy. It grows in forests among shrubs.
Gentian of Karelin. It has bluish-blue large flowers. It grows in forests, among shrubs, in tall grass meadows.
Tangut Lomonos. Uniquely beautiful with its brick-orange large flowers. It grows in high mountain steppes.
Eremurus, or shiryashi. There are several species, and all have large candle-like inflorescences with many beautiful flowers.
Olga's Eremurus — with pink flowers, and burnt Eremurus — with yellow. These plants could beautifully decorate our flowerbeds and flower patches. Eremurus grow abundantly in steppes and semi-deserts.
Kostychev's Pulsatilla. It has large, pink-red, original flowers. It grows in high mountain steppes.
Karelin's Aquilegia. Its flowers are purple, very large, and original in structure. They are quite beautiful, perhaps even more beautiful than the Aquilegia grown in flowerbeds.
Among cushion forms, acantholimon, some saxifrages, and fluffy rupture have good decorative qualities. Their cushions are very beautiful, especially during flowering.
Among grasses, there are also decorative plants, such as red eriathus and Transylvanian pearl grass.
They could beautify our flowerbeds, patches, and parks. Artificial ponds can be decorated with wild plants such as bulrush, water buttercup, floating pondweed, water pine, and others.
Wild decorative plants are good not only for their novelty of forms but also for a number of biological features that can be used for a continuous floral "conveyor" and for creating unique borders, rockeries, and group plantings.
The gene pool of wild decorative plants should be used more widely for introduction and selection.