For the first time in Lviv, a rare peony exhibition took place. It became possible because the collaboration of two women: writer and journalist, as well as director of the Charitable Foundation “Community Development” Nika Nikaleo, and collector Nataliya Tokar-Tsiupka.
More than 300 varieties of peonies arrived in Lviv from 42 collectors across Ukraine. The largest contributions came from Yana Liubchenko, Svitlana Kravtsiv, and Olena Prykhodko, with several varieties also coming from Belgium. For two days, locals and guests of Lviv, some of whom traveled specifically for this “peony therapy,” could enjoy the unique beauty and fragrance of this luxurious yet low-maintenance flower.
Each flower’s variety was personally verified before the exhibition by longtime and well-known collector Yulia Filon. She arrived in Lviv from Kyiv prior to the event and, together with other collectors from nearby regions, meticulously inspected each flower. Unfortunately, some flowers had to be discarded due to being mislabeled — not true varietal peonies. With over 10,000 varieties of peonies worldwide, such mistakes are easy to make. That’s why experienced experts like Yulia Filon and Zhanna Chukhniuk serve as an essential “quality control commission” for exhibitions like this.
Fortunately, only two mislabelled flowers were found, and they didn’t spoil the festive mood created over those days in the Warrior’s House. The fragrance stretched from the open doors and filled the street named after Taras Bobanych, a fallen soldier and Hero of Ukraine.
Over two days, nearly a thousand visitors enjoyed the peony spectacle. Adults and children alike wandered between the long rows of flowers, gently touching and smelling the blooms. Especially touching were the reactions of female soldiers, a blind woman who paused at every bouquet to experience its beauty through scent and touch, and photographers and artists who asked permission to remove flowers from water containers to capture them from the perfect angle.
“Neither I nor my flower-loving friend Natalia expected so many peonies or people. The idea of the exhibition came to me just two weeks before I came to Lviv,” shared Nika Nikaleo. “Peonies are the flowers of my childhood. Inspired by them, I wrote the novel The Flower Gardener, published a few years ago by my home publisher KSD. I’ve long dreamed of a peony ball in Lviv. I knew I could count on my well-coordinated team at the charitable foundation — Andriy and Viktoriya — to help organize major events. We’ve been doing this for over 10 years, like the “Vyshyvanka” festival in Lviv. Natalia Tokar-Tsiupka strengthened our efforts by rallying her collector friends. And then the magic happened! The peonies even overshadowed the photo exhibition of volunteer portraits that hung on the walls of the flower hall. We initially thought we’d gather about 50 varieties and simultaneously present our photo project Red Is for Love — which we did, although the emphasis naturally shifted.”
Special attention on stage was given to Ukrainian-bred peonies by V. Horobets and Larisa and Anatolii Skakodub — large, fragrant, and elegant, they impressed visitors with their size and sophistication. We hope to see even more of them next year!
The entrance to the exhibition was a donation, with proceeds going toward a recreational area for the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Center in Bryukhovychi. Over 66,000 UAH was raised.
After the exhibition, all the flowers were laid at the memorials of fallen soldiers in the Field of Honor (Mars Field) at Lychakiv Cemetery.
The event was made possible thanks to the strong support of the “Community Development” organization team and several partners, including the Warrior’s House, DecoRoom decor studio, Medovyi Restaurant “Vulyk,” “Auchan Pivdennyi,” the traveling restaurant “Spodaryk,” and the cheese shop “Syrni Mandry.”
