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[SOVIET FLORICULTURE IN THE 1940S] Tsvety v gorode [i.e. Flowers in the City]

Bazilevskaya N.A.

Item #902

[Moscow]: Gos. arkhitekturnoye izd-vo, 1947. 104pp.: ill. 20.7x16.7cm. In original publisher’s cardboards. Slightly bumped, Soviet bookshop’s stamp on the rear board and its recto. Otherwise a very good clean copy.

Scarce. First edition. An interesting guide dedicated to the Soviet floriculture of the 1940s written by the famous Russian botanist, member of the Soviet Botanist Association and student of the noted agronomist Nikolai Vavilov, Nina Bazilevskaya (1902-1977). This book provides a detailed information on the proper disposition of flowers in different urban areas: streets, garden squares, yards, parks, boulevards, private landholdings and territories of industrial enterprises.

The edition consists of three sections: Utilization of flowers in city greening; Flowers’ assortment for the city decoration; and Techniques of flower planting and care. “Creating a flowerbed and a parterre of flowers is a form of art which combines artistic taste and practical knowledge”, - states the author in the first chapter of the book and shares her thoughts about the effective flower arrangement and combination techniques (in accordance to colors, bloom seasons, etc.). Bazilevskaya also gives recommendations on how to achieve
4 seasons of colorful flowers, which plants should be used to decorate specific places, how to reduce expenses on floriculture without a decrease in quality, proper assortment of pot plants in different room temperatures, peculiarities of cut flowers, which elements of urban areas can be adorned with flowers, etc. The second chapter of the book features 5 tables: Perennial flowers; Annual Flowers; Cut Flowers – Perennials; Cut Flowers – Annuals; Immortelle. The tables provide information on the specimen flowers of each type, indicating their height, bloom seasons, color palette, places of utilization (for perennial and annual flowers), water resistance (for cut flowers), cutting time (for immortelles), and notes about their qualities and nature. In the third and final section of the edition the author elaborates upon the techniques of flower planting and soil preparation/enrichment methods. Interestingly, the chapter features a table defining rules of mixing fertilizer materials, a work schedule for florists, and sowing dates of annuals. The book features numerous black-and-white photographs depicting flowers and places of their utilization in Moscow (a parterre in front of the Red Army Theatre, a boulevard on Leningradskoye Highway, a garden square near red gates, a parterre in the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Rest, etc.).

No copies according to the Worldcat.

Price: $350.00