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 含羞草研究社� something beautiful for the two most precious people in his life.

含羞草研究社淚 haven含羞草研究社檛 seen them for two years,含羞草研究社� Tryfonov, a burly 45-year-old driver said of his family. 含羞草研究社淔lowers are important for women.含羞草研究社�

Flowers have always been linked with Ukraine含羞草研究社檚 culture, but , their significance has only grown, with blooms becoming a symbol of both resistance and hope.

Despite 含羞草研究社� or perhaps because of them 含羞草研究社� Ukrainians take every chance they can to fill Kyiv and other cities with flowers from the country含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社� 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含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社� International Women含羞草研究社檚 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含羞草研究社檚 Western allies.

Flowers, explains Iryna Bielobrova, head of Ukraine含羞草研究社檚 Florists含羞草研究社� Association, are inextricably linked with Ukrainians含羞草研究社� culture, traditions and celebrated stages of life. They are also an emotional connection with the land.

含羞草研究社淟ife cannot be bright, full, and rich without flowers,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淲reaths of flowers are preserved for years, and embroidered shirts are passed down to younger generations.含羞草研究社�

Bielobrova fled in the aftermath of Russia含羞草研究社檚 2022 full-scale invasion, moving to the Netherlands, the world含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社� a symbol of Ukraine含羞草研究社檚 defiance and resilience in the war.

Fields of the shoulder-high flowers are often seen across Ukraine and Zelenskyy含羞草研究社檚 Cabinet named the flower the symbol of national Remembrance Day in 2020.

含羞草研究社淭hey provide an escape from the horrors of bombings, destruction, pain, and tears,含羞草研究社� said Bielobrova, who has returned to Ukraine from the Netherlands and lives in Kyiv.

含羞草研究社淓motions are easily expressed with flowers,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淓ach flower speaks for itself, and together in a bouquet, they tell a whole story.含羞草研究社�

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.

含羞草研究社淭his entire area was occupied by the Russian military,含羞草研究社� the park含羞草研究社檚 landscape designer Olha Lyhvar said.

When the Russian forces pulled out, the park含羞草研究社檚 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 含羞草研究社渞econnect with nature,含羞草研究社� she said, standing next to a door frame 含羞草研究社� all that remains of the bombed-out hotel.

含羞草研究社漃eople come here and can feel the force of life and see that it continues despite everything,含羞草研究社� Lyhvar said. 含羞草研究社淲e must live on and find for ourselves joy and beauty in what surrounds us.含羞草研究社�

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