Ryma Hurieva, originaria di Mariupol, lavora all’Orto Botanico di Kiev dal 2023, prendendosi cura delle piante sfollate e minacciate dalla guerra

Ryma Hurieva has been working at the botanical garden since 2023. She is an internally displaced person from Mariupol. Her family had to leave the city at the time of its complete occupation, when staying was no longer an option. Before the full-scale invasion, Ryma worked in retail but had always been interested in botany. She left her own bonsai tree collection behind in Mariupol, the fate of which is now unknown. After moving to Kyiv, she heard about a bonsai exhibition being organized at Hryshko Garden and joined as a volunteer. Later, she was offered the chance to lead the entire department.

>*“The plants I had in my garden in Mariupol may have survived, but there were frosts, and it’s unlikely anyone is taking care of them now. You could say the war gave me the chance to do what I love. The bonsai collection at the botanical garden has been here for a long time, and that’s what brought me in. Each tree is incredibly beautiful, but growing them takes decades of meticulous work, shaping every branch. Right now, I’m focused on preparing them for exhibition,” says Ryma.*

Read the article and see more photos here – [https://frontliner.ua/en/preserving-the-unique-collection-of-the-botanical-garden/](https://frontliner.ua/en/preserving-the-unique-collection-of-the-botanical-garden/)

Author: Artem Derkachov

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The white bird of paradise in the background looks very healthy! The philodendron I saw here the other day has leaf die off due to the recent extreme cold. Tropical plants can take freezing weather only for very short duration. I’m surprised the white bird of paradise is doing that well in such freezing temperatures. The bonsai tree looks magnificent. She’s doing a great job!

I don’t know if it’s possible to get in touch with her. Please give her the State of Florida’s (University of Florida) Master Gardener online resource called [IFAS/EDIS](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/). It’s a database for tropical plant care. The searchable knowledge base used by Florida Master Gardeners (EDIS) is available to the public completely free.