With potential as crops, there are within Nikita Gardens 8000 varieties of fruits and nuts, including:

From this collection, new varieties of peaches and apricots were selected, which now cover half of the planting territory in Ukraine for those two fruits. Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria have also planted these varieties. New garden crops of cherry-plum trees have high yields of 15-20 tons per hectare. New varieties of apples may be stored without refrigeration. Late blooming almonds and hardy varieties of quince and olives are becoming more popular. Quince annually brings 20 tons per hectare. Chinese dates and nuts have acquired commercial significance as well. All of these newly selected plants are the objects of interest for industrial gardening.

Of greatest commercial significance among fruit crops in Crimea, where Nikita is located by Yalta, are grapes -- grown to produce wine. In fact, a travel guide characterizes Yalta as "seated in a natural vineyard-ringed amphitheater of mountains ... on the southern tip of Crimea."

The sciences of grapes and of wine-making are not of direct concern to Nikita Gardens but rather to its sister organization, the nearby Magarach Wine Institute, whose scientists collaborate with Nikita scientists -- particularly with regards to issues relating to the commercialization and industrialization of the gardening of any fruit or nut crops.

That travel guide has this to say about half-day tours of Nikita Gardens, which include the tasting of wine, fruit and nuts:

"Next door to the Magarach Wine Institute, the gardens were laid out in beautiful terraces down to the sea in 1812 by a Russian botanist with the unlikely name of H.H. Steven. Here you can admire some 7,000 trees and plants, with a rose garden that has over 1,600 varieties, and other curiosities such as a 1,000 year old pistachio tree.

"As the treasury for development of most of the Southern Crimean parks, the gardens could impress any visitor with their magic atmosphere. Nikitski [a Russian variation of the name Nikita] Botanical Garden is situated about 7 kilometers from Yalta Sea Port (20-30 minutes by coach).

"The visit to the gardens should be conducted on foot. The excursion includes wine and fruit tasting. It will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to walk through the upper and lower parks and 45 minutes for tasting. The menu will include:

• zizifus compote (stewed fruit)
• feihoa compote
• green olives
• fig jam
• walnuts with honey
• ginseng extract
• Crimean herbs extract
• almonds

"Note: The menu is variable according to the season of the year."

... advises this excursion guide, prepared by Eugenia Travel Service of Yalta, Odessa and Kiev.

Nikita Botanical Gardens; 98648, Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine
Telephone: 380 (654) 33 55 30;  Fax: 380 (654) 33 53 86
Visit Nikita's bonsai miniature tree exhibit <=click here

Where Ukraine is in Europe

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Fly or take train to Simferopol, take trolly, bus or taxi towards Yalta; bus and trolly stop at upper part of Nikita Gardens, walk 20 minutes to main entrance. Or take minibus 34 or 2 from Yalta center to main entrance.