Compositions of open spaces in the works of the outstanding landscape architect Leonid Ivanovich Rubtsov

Abstract

Aims. To explore open spaces of the arboretum of the M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and other landscaping facilities created by L. I. Rubtsov. Methods. We carried out the research in the arboretum of the M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine during 2018–2022 and by analyzing materials of the archive of the Institute of Urban Design "Dipromisto". To study open spaces, we used the landscape classification technique of L. I. Rubtsov (Rubtsov, 1977). Results. As a result of the research, we made conclusions that when creating unique areas in the botanical garden, Leonid Ivanovich created open spaces in different types of garden and park landscape. In the M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, open spaces were created in the lilacs garden (garden type of landscape). In some areas of the arboretum: the birch grove, the leguminous area with "the meadow of dancing giants", the garden of mock oranges, the meadow of horse chestnuts and tree peonies, the forsythia garden (the "Golden Valley"), the garden of ornamental apples, the magnolia garden, and also in the Great Steppe Meadow of the "Askania-Nova" Arboretum in the Kherson region, open spaces are used in a park-type landscape. Meadows were designed and created with different compositional structures: 1 — a meadow with backstages, 2 — a meadow with beautiful flowering flanks, 3 — a meadow with individual trees, shrubs or herbaceous perennials. In the valley of the Mountain Garden in custom design by L. I. Rubtsov, open space was created in an alpine type of landscape. Open spaces often served as distant perspectives, through which visitors could see architectural objects located outside the botanical garden (a panorama of the Vydubychi Monastery through the lilacs garden, a panorama of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra through the meadow of the Birch Grove). Currently, the open spaces created by Leonid Rubtsov are actively used for recreation purposes: exhibitions, concerts and other recreational mass events for visitors of the botanical garden. Conclusions. Compositions of open spaces created by L. I. Rubtsov, have scientific, cultural and functional value, they became a recreational environment.