On his way to the Kyiv train station to greet his wife and daughter , Oleksander Tryfonov made a stop.

He bought two red roses from one of a half-dozen flower shops lining a dimly lit underpass 香蕉视频直播� something beautiful for the two most precious people in his life.

香蕉视频直播淚 haven香蕉视频直播檛 seen them for two years,香蕉视频直播� Tryfonov, a burly 45-year-old driver said of his family. 香蕉视频直播淔lowers are important for women.香蕉视频直播�

Flowers have always been linked with Ukraine香蕉视频直播檚 culture, but , their significance has only grown, with blooms becoming a symbol of both resistance and hope.

Despite 香蕉视频直播� or perhaps because of them 香蕉视频直播� Ukrainians take every chance they can to fill Kyiv and other cities with flowers from the country香蕉视频直播檚 vast rural heartland, anxious to reconnect with and rediscover their roots.

Deep purple petunias and yellow rock roses burst out of planters that line Kyiv香蕉视频直播檚 backroads and grand boulevards. Some are fixed to lampposts; flowers can even be spotted in .

They are depicted on Ukrainian banknotes, textile patterns and murals 香蕉视频直播� next to advertising billboards and army recruitment posters. Across the country, young men on dates and soldiers, sometimes missing a limb, carry bouquets on their return home.

Ukraine香蕉视频直播檚 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy famously brought a bouquet on a hospital visit in 2022 to a teenage girl injured while fleeing advancing Russian forces outside Kyiv.

At an underpass flower stall below Kyiv香蕉视频直播檚 central Maidan Square, vendor Olha Semynog sells bunches of flowers for $2.50 each. For those with more in their pockets, she can go all the way up to a giant bouquet for $75.

Even during wartime, her busiest day, she says, is March 8 香蕉视频直播� International Women香蕉视频直播檚 Day. Her business has also picked up with men drafted into the military sending flowers home with online orders.

On the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, where the , residents still tend to the gardens of their damaged or completely destroyed homes. A park in Kyiv, near the left bank of the Dnieper River, features a large flower installation, welcoming from Ukraine香蕉视频直播檚 Western allies.

Flowers, explains Iryna Bielobrova, head of Ukraine香蕉视频直播檚 Florists香蕉视频直播� Association, are inextricably linked with Ukrainians香蕉视频直播� culture, traditions and celebrated stages of life. They are also an emotional connection with the land.

香蕉视频直播淟ife cannot be bright, full, and rich without flowers,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淲reaths of flowers are preserved for years, and embroidered shirts are passed down to younger generations.香蕉视频直播�

Bielobrova fled in the aftermath of Russia香蕉视频直播檚 2022 full-scale invasion, moving to the Netherlands, the world香蕉视频直播檚 flower-producing powerhouse. In comparison, Ukraine had a modest pre-war export market.

Once in the Netherlands, she worked with other florists who fled to make sure flowers were present whenever solidarity events for Ukraine were held in European capitals.

Sunflowers, grown since the 1700s in Ukraine, have become 香蕉视频直播� a symbol of Ukraine香蕉视频直播檚 defiance and resilience in the war.

Fields of the shoulder-high flowers are often seen across Ukraine and Zelenskyy香蕉视频直播檚 Cabinet named the flower the symbol of national Remembrance Day in 2020.

香蕉视频直播淭hey provide an escape from the horrors of bombings, destruction, pain, and tears,香蕉视频直播� said Bielobrova, who has returned to Ukraine from the Netherlands and lives in Kyiv.

香蕉视频直播淓motions are easily expressed with flowers,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淓ach flower speaks for itself, and together in a bouquet, they tell a whole story.香蕉视频直播�

Flowers, Ukrainians say, stand not only for tradition but also for hope and healing.

Dobropark, a 370-acre (150 hectare) privately run garden and recreation area west of Kyiv, was rebuilt after a Russian attack and occupation that lasted for more than a month in 2020.

香蕉视频直播淭his entire area was occupied by the Russian military,香蕉视频直播� the park香蕉视频直播檚 landscape designer Olha Lyhvar said.

When the Russian forces pulled out, the park香蕉视频直播檚 tractors and electric buggies were also gone, she said. A three-story hotel that once stood on the property was leveled to its foundations.

Today, people come to the park to 香蕉视频直播渞econnect with nature,香蕉视频直播� she said, standing next to a door frame 香蕉视频直播� all that remains of the bombed-out hotel.

香蕉视频直播漃eople come here and can feel the force of life and see that it continues despite everything,香蕉视频直播� Lyhvar said. 香蕉视频直播淲e must live on and find for ourselves joy and beauty in what surrounds us.香蕉视频直播�

READ ALSO: