2017

Barberry Day at the Embassy of Latvia's State Forests

On Wednesday, 6 September, everyone is kindly invited to attend the Barberry Day to be held at Latvia's State Forest (LVM) Embassy. Here visitors will have an opportunity to buy barberries and receive specialist advice on issues related to growing and taking care of this very special berry. Barberries (Latin: Berberis) with their magnificent blooms decorate gardens not only in May and June, but also throughout the summer and even in autumn.

The event devoted to barberries will please visitors with a wide range of barberry seedlings. Throughout the day guests will have an opportunity to explore and purchase a variety of barberry seedlings, as well as the most recent new breeds grown in LVM nurseries: "Anna", "Lime Star", "Orange Ice", "Red Tower", "Ruby Star" and "Yellow Tower". Every purchase made during the Barberry Day will participate in a special lottery.

From 17.00 to 18.00 it will be possible to receive advice from LVM nursery professionals on the history, breeds, growing peculiarities and other issues related to these beautiful shrubs.

Barberries are generous; all parts of this plant are useful to human health and beauty. Although most commonly fruit of this plant are used in medicine, also barberry wood and bark can be a valuable natural cosmetic product. Already in the seventeenth century, pasta made of burnt barberry ash and water was used to improve the health of the hair. After regular use of this product, the hair gained a brighter shade, but women who already had light hair got a beautiful yellowish shade. Because of this yellowish hair, women with light hair were called "barberry blondes" .

The healing properties of fruit were already highly appreciated among ancient Egyptians. History shows that the Egyptians used to make a syrup, which consisted of different plant extracts and barberry juice. This syrup was used to protect people from measles. Modern scientists believe that the use of this remedy could have been justified, since barberry juice has strong antibacterial properties.

Latvia's State Forest Embassy is a place to maintain a dialogue with the forest, and take a small part of the forest home with you. If you wish to feel a little closer to nature, but the large number of recreation facilities seems confusing, the Embassy offers informative materials and specialist advice on the recreational areas and lakes managed by LVM. The Embassy of Latvia's State Forests in Riga, at 1 Vaiņodes Street, is open on weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00, and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 15:00. For the latest news about things happening in forests and gardens, visit the Embassy's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LVMVestnieciba.