We continue to talk about the spicy, medicinal and vegetable plants that grow in the beds of the “Red Garden” bosquet.

Fragrant rue (Ruta graveolens L.) is currently not a very popular spice in our country. Many visitors to the garden with this plant often ask the question: “What is this and how to use it”?

Even the ancient Greeks used fragrant rue in cooking and medicine. In the Moscow gardens of Alexei Mikhailovich, rue was grown in large quantities. Young leaves were used as a spicy salad plant. Usually, young rue leaves were sprinkled on bread and butter. The taste of rue leaves is pungent with a peculiar aroma. At the beginning of flowering of this shrub, its tops were cut off and used as a flavoring for drinks and as a medicine. During flowering, rue leaves irritate the skin. Therefore, if you grow rue, then you need to take this into account.

On the beds of the Summer Garden, fragrant rue appears from Moscow gardens already in 1704. Until the end of the 19th century, rue is grown in the gardens and vegetable gardens of St. Petersburg, then the culture of this plant gradually ceases. Today, rue is grown in aromatic gardens as an ornamental plant. In the southern regions of our country, rue can be found in the wild. We do not recommend walking through the thickets of fragrant rue on sunny days.

In the Red Garden, the rue is separated from visitors by a lawn and a path made of broken bricks. Therefore, it is safe to admire the rue.

Enjoy your walks in the gardens of the Russian Museum. We will wait for the resumption of botanical excursions around the “Red Garden” bosquet.

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