On the night of May 20-21, a tree fell from gusts of wind near the entrance to the garden from Sadovaya Street. The large, old holly maple could not stand the weather. During the fall, a branch on a nearby tree was also broken off. Garden workers were not injured. Work has already been done on cleaning branches and a tree trunk from the central path.

Summer and Mikhailovsky Gardens are the oldest in St. Petersburg. Century trees prevail in the gardens of the Russian Museum, among which several dozen 300-year-olds are preserved. Most of the time, trees grew in adverse environmental conditions of a large metropolis. Thus, many trees have reached a critical age, and over their long and difficult life health problems have also accumulated – various rotten processes in the tree trunks, shoots, and, of course, the root system.

Infection during the life of the trees was facilitated by various injuries on the trunks: frost bombs in winter, broken shoots during strong winds, fragments of exploding shells and bombs during periods of war, wounds with a knife, nails in peacetime and other causes of bark damage. And as garden staff do not try to extend the age of trees growing in the gardens, sometimes they are knocked down or broken by the wind.

If you recall the history of the gardens, then the fall of trees has happened more than once. The garden was badly damaged during the terrible flood of 1777, when waves from the raging Neva turned trees upside down. Many trees were felled during the flood of 1924. Photos have been preserved where, in 1953, a large branch broke off in a summer garden near a stall on a tree. In 1993, a tree broke right at the root, and it fell into the Fontanka River, raining fences into the water. There were other cases in the gardens over the long time they existed.

Therefore, for the safety of you and your children, during the announcement of the storm warning, Summer and Mikhailovsky Gardens are closed for visiting. Take care of yourself and be healthy.

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