Botanical Garden Of The Slovak Agricultural University In Nitra

BS Director Eric Mnyagonchakova

Slovakia is an amazing European country with a mild climate, picturesque meadows, wooded mountain slopes of the Carpathians and a good-natured people. In the northeast of Bratislava, at the foot of Mount Zobor, is the ancient city of Nitra, founded in the Middle Ages by Benedictine monks and is one of the spiritual and cultural centers of the country. On the streets of Nitra, young people are often met - students of the Slovak Agricultural University (Slovenská poľnohospodárska univerzita v Nitre), whose buildings with numerous faculties occupy a significant part of the city. The university has a national status in the dissemination of knowledge in crop production, livestock and food industries. For the completeness of the educational process, a botanical garden (Botanická záhrada Nitra) was conceived and founded in January 1982,which became for students and researchers a platform for floristic knowledge and research, and for visitors - a place for excursions, walks and recreation.

I managed to visit this still young garden twice, in spring and at the end of summer, to note how the plants look in different seasons, and how rapidly it changes from year to year. The initial design of the garden was created by landscape architect A. Glaus. After 1987, with the participation of the architect Vladimir Dědeček, the garden was replenished with new subdivisions and planted rocks. Currently, the botanical garden in Nitra covers an area of 21 hectares and is supervised by the director, Ph.D. Erika Mняahončáková (E. Mňahončáková).

Chinese wisteria (Wisteria shinensis)

Erect campsis (Tecoma stans)

Already at the entrance to the garden in spring we see the flowering of the luxurious Chinese wisteria (Wisteria shinensis). The powerful liana is strewn with large clusters, up to 25 cm long, of violet-lilac inflorescences that emit a delicate sweet aroma. At the end of summer, at the entrance to the botanical garden, visitors are attracted by the bright flowering of another liana - this is Kampsis, or Tecoma stans. Its homeland is Mexico, where the Indians made tea from its flowers and leaves.

Botanical garden plan of the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra

A plan with the designation of areas occupied by various plants helps to navigate the garden.Garden paths have been laid along the arboretum, here there are plantings of conifers - thujas, junipers, larches, pines, spruces and firs. Among deciduous trees, very young seedlings are often found. The sacred vitex (Vitex agnus - castus), a shrub called the "Abram tree" or "monastic pepper", is blooming with sakura. Recently planted Ginkgo biloba, a deciduous tree cultivated in gardens around the world, wildly growing only in China, is a "living fossil" descendant of ferns from the Permian period. Other woody plants have already acquired an overgrown crown, bloom profusely and bear fruit, like Gleditcia tricanthos, anagiroid bean, also known as “golden rain” (Laburnum anagyroides), with honey-colored golden flowers 1.5 cm in diameter.

Site of the Botanical Garden of the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra

Fragment of the arboretum of the Botanical Garden of the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra

Sacred Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus)

Sakura blossom

Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgo biloba)

Anagyroid bean (Laburnum anagyroides)

A tree from East Asia, Koelreuteria paniculata (Koelreuteria paniculata), has reached a large size. Although she has large odd-pinnate leaves, like legumes, she is from the Sapindov family; blooms with loose yellow inflorescences, and in August it is strewn with a mass of fruits - brown boxes with black seeds. This tree is often used in European parklanding, and in North America it has become an invasive species that spontaneously spreads to nearby areas.

Gledicia tricanthos (Gleditcia tricanthos)

Koelreuteria paniculata (Koelreuteria paniculata)

In the garden, a large bush of Amelanchier alnifolia from North America has grown lushly. It blooms profusely and bears fruit, gives massive self-seeding, especially under the crown of a bush. The trunks of large trees in the botanical garden are entwined with ivy. Grafted standard forms, landscape groups with Thunberg barberry (Berberis thynbergii), especially its red-leaved Atropurpurea form, look good on open meadows. The maintenance of the plantings throughout the territory is mainly the responsibility of the students, and technique is used in lawn mowing.

Irga alnifolia (Amelanchier alnifolia)

Ivy braiding trees

Weeping form on the trunk

Barberry Thunberg (Berberis thynbergii)

Mowing lawns in a botanical garden

The central part of the botanical garden in Nitra is occupied by a large lake, to which gentle slopes lined with junipers descend. There are benches where, in good weather, you can sit and admire the landscape, see how the water lilies planted in the lake are blooming. Almost 600 species of aquatic and marsh plants grow in the garden. Not far from the lake, on a hill, there is a small gazebo, here visitors like to sit and relax, from here beautiful views can be seen.

A reservoir in the Botanical Garden of the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra

Water lilies in a pond

Pond and buildings of the Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra

Leisure benches

Gazebo on a hill

Nearby, the slope is terraced, stones are laid out in a semicircle and an original rock garden with rock plants is organized. In the spring, several species of sleep-grass (Pulsatilla pratensis, P. patens, P. vulgaris), spring adonis (Adonis vernalis) with golden flowers, alpine razuha (Arabis alpina), muscari, etc. are blooming there. Very graceful and beautiful Armenian Veronica (Veronica armena) formed a dense carpet turf with pale blue flowers and subulate leaves.

Rock garden with rock plants

Alpine rezuha f. terry (Arabis alpina var.flore-pleno)

Spring adonis (Adonis vernalis)

Backache, or sleep-grass

Common lumbago (Pulsatilla vulgaris)

Armenian Veronica (Veronica armena)

The botanical garden contains nearly 1900 species and varieties of annual and perennial plants, grouped into decorative groups. In the spring, anemone, berry, hellebore, hazel grouse and tulips bloom, as well as the relatively rare Camassia cusickii in the gardens with blue flowers and large bulbs.

Blooming tulips

Camassia cusickii

It is useful for students to get acquainted with plants - halophytes that live in mountain steppes, salt marshes, sandy communities and on the seashore. For example, seaside katran (Crambe maritima), which grows on shallows and pebbles. The Armenian winged grass (Aethionema armenum) loves sandy soils, forms dense turf 10 cm high, has narrow-linear leaves, blooms with lilac-pink flowers from May to June. Draba aizoides is a representative of the highlands, forms a pillow with pubescent leaves, blooms with yellow flowers.

Armenian winged grass (Aethionema armenum)

Mountain beetroot (Alyssum montanum)

Low almond (Prunus nana)

The chalky rocky slopes are characterized by calcephilous plants, for example, mountain beetroot (Alyssum montanum), called "hiccup grass", with small golden flowers that do not fade from April to June, spreading a honey aroma. The same soil conditions are suitable for low shrubs - low almond (Prunus nana) and Japanese chaenomeles (Chaenomeles jap onica). From the Mediterranean species, there is a semi-shrub - evergreen Iberis (Iberis sempervirens) with white inflorescences that appear in early summer.

Japanese chaenomeles (Chaenomeles japonica)

Iberis evergreen (Iberis sempervirens)

In the area set aside for peonies, in spring, the flowering of the lactic-flowered peony (Paeonia lactiflora), the medicinal peony (P. officinalia), the narrow-leaved peony (P. tenuifolia) and large flowers of the tree peony (P. suffruticosa) are observed.

Thin-leaved peony (Paeonia tenuifolia)

Tree peony (Paeonia sufruticosa)

At the end of summer, the original varieties of gladiolus bloom - 'Andews', 'Priscilla', 'Amsterdam', 'Fiorentina', 'Far Wes't' and others. I did not see the areas with heathers and roses in bloom. In the garden, specially for students, areas are allocated where they learn the systematics of plants.

Gladiolus "Andrews"

Gladiolus "Priscilla"

Among the ornamental herbaceous plants in the botanical garden are phlox subulata (Phlox subulata), lunar lunar (Lunnaria annua), Chery lacfiol (Cheiranthus cheiri), weida dye (Isatis tinctoria), elegant double form of oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) and much more. At the end of the summer, there was still an elegant area with plantings of summer people: zinnias, tagetis, etc.

Oriental poppy f. terry (Papaver orientale f. Plena)

Marigolds among the annuals

Summer landings

Kalina wrinkled (Viburnum rhytidophyllum)

After passing through the entire territory of the botanical garden, once at the exit, you find yourself in an arboretum with coniferous and deciduous plants. Attention is drawn to the powerful bush of the wrinkled viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum), which in central Russia does not reach such a size and abundant fruiting.

A greenhouse has been built in the botanical garden, it contains 4000 species and cultivars of tropical and subtropical flora. Visitors get acquainted with the collections of orchids and bromeliads brought in in the 1980s by expeditions from Ecuador, Peru and Nicaragua; consider flowering cacti, insectivorous species and the fruiting of bananas. In greenhouses from ornamental crops, gardeners form street containers intended for landscaping the city. We hope that over time, the number of species and varieties in the collections of the botanical garden will become even larger, and the already planted trees will be even larger and more beautiful.