A project has been launched to study dendrological rarities in the historical garden of Pēteris Upītis
We are currently working on the implementation of the project “Research of dendrological rarities of the Pēters Upītis Historical Garden and their involvement in the creation of a new museum offer for various target audiences.” Breeder P. Upītis has worked with 24 plant groups during his lifetime, both well-known and little-known fruit plants, as well as ornamental plants.
As part of the project, we want to identify and highlight the dendrological rarities and values of P. Upītis' historical garden. These plants are an important green heritage of P. Upītis, which is important to identify and preserve.
The research phase of the project has been completed, in which, by analyzing the museum collection (garden plans, letters, photographs, etc.), information was compiled about P. Upītis' work with lesser-known and rare plants, which are considered to be of dendrological value. When inventorying the historical garden (currently the Science Garden of the Institute of Horticulture), dendrologist Andrejs Svilāns, Director General of the Nature Conservation Board, was invited as an expert.
In total, 82 plants were examined and evaluated, of which 73 were recognized as historical plants, mostly related to the time of P. Upītis, or the time shortly after his death. The species of plants that are more difficult to identify were determined in order to create informative descriptions. The museum's outdoor exhibition will be supplemented with 40 information boards about the dendrological values identified in the garden, which will form an educational walking trail.
We will soon tell you about the most interesting and valuable plants of the P. Upītis historical garden!
The project is implemented with the support of the State Cultural Capital Fund.