Oleg Valenchuk: We create a living memory of the past.

      This year, more than 3,000 trees were planted in the Kirov region alone and more than 200 celebrations were held, which left not only the scent of blooming apple trees and lilacs, but also a deep sense of unity and pride in our country and the immortal feat of our ancestors.

      The idea, which originated in 2015 in the walls of the Seleznikha village school in the Kirovo-Chepetsky district, has turned into a truly popular movement. The support of Oleg Valenchuk, a State Duma deputy and chairman of the Russian Horticultural Union, helped spread the project throughout the country.

      Exactly 10 years later, on May 19, 2025, the Memorial Gardens were re-established at the Seleznikha village school. The first apple trees have been blooming for a long time and delight the children with fruits. Then, in 2015, Dmitry Alexandrovich Yelkin, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and Maria Zlobina, a girl who was just about to go to school, took part in their planting. And so, in the year of the next anniversary date, she again took part in the action.

      – I am very glad that all 40 apple trees planted back then have taken root, – says Maria. – Today I am already in the tenth grade and I am proud to take part in the campaign again. It's great when you realize that you're not just doing a good thing, but also leaving a memory for the kids who have yet to come to our school.

      10 years have passed unnoticed. Schoolchildren, teachers and parents took care of the garden together, and he responds with gratitude, gives rich harvests.

      – Now we want to expand the campaign and transfer apples to rehabilitation centers where the participants of the SVO are recovering, – said Lydia Samoylenko, director of the Seleznikha school.

      If apple trees and lilacs originally decorated school grounds, kindergartens, hospitals and parks, then this spring the "Gardens of Memory" flourished in the courtyards of Kirov high-rise buildings, uniting residents in a common good cause.

      – Thanks to the Union of Gardeners of Russia for the donated apple and lilac seedlings as part of the "Gardens of Memory" campaign! This is a valuable contribution to the preservation of memory and greening of our territories," said Yulia Kolesnikova, an activist at house No. 138 on Moskovskaya Street. – It is very pleasant to receive such support and the opportunity to plant living symbols of memory and hope. We will take care of the plants with love and remember the importance of this project.

      In the year of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, the inhabitants of Vyatka once again contributed to the preservation of the memory of the heroes by taking an active part in the noble initiative — the laying of Memorial Gardens.

      – It's impressive: people united by a common goal create a vivid memory of the past, showing an example of cohesion and unity. This is precisely the deep symbolism of the project: by planting a tree, we are passing the baton of memory to future generations, fostering in them feelings of patriotism and respect for history," said Oleg Valenchuk, State Duma deputy, Chairman of the Russian Horticultural Union.

      Over the years of the project's implementation, more than 25,000 trees and shrubs have been planted in the Kirov region. But the Gardens of Memory is not just an environmental campaign. This is an essential component of patriotic education, along with such mass movements as the Immortal Regiment and the St. George Ribbon. And, of course, the tradition will continue, because the "Gardens of Memory" have no time limits. They will grow with the country, reminding of the importance of unity and respect for the exploits of their ancestors.