The main idea of the development of the Russian Museum gardens is the revival of traditions connected with the history of the St Petersburg gardens and combining it with modern tendencies in landscape gardening. Exhibition-contest within the framework of "The Imperial Gardens of Russia" annual international festival initiated by the Russian Museum jointly with His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent Charitable Foundation and the Union of Gardeners of Russia will be dated to the 110th anniversary of the Russian Museum to be celebrated in summer 2008.

International flower festivals are the most popular exhibitions in the world. Exhibition-contest within the framework of "The Imperial Gardens of Russia" annual international festival in the Mikhailovsky Gardens will hopefully rank with the world major flower shows such as "Bulbous Plants of the Keukenhof", "Floriade" in Holland; "Chelsea Flower Show" in England; "Chrysanthemum Show" in Canada and colourful flower festivals in Brazil.

Such a grand scale event held under the patronage HRH Princess Michael of Kent, descendant of the ancient family of Medici and wife of Prince Michael of Kent, a relative by blood of the Romanovs attracts numerous visitors and experts to the gardens of the Russian Museum and broadens the possibilities of fund-raising for the preservation of the national landscape gardening monuments. The gardens of the Russian Museum will turn into real exhibition halls in the open air where the landscape architects will create their compositions of fresh flowers on the earth the way the artist do with paints on the canvas.

The main condition of the future exhibition-contest is the creation of compositions in a single style and on a certain set theme. The contributors from each organization (or country) invited to the festival arrange the garden area allotted to them according to their own, previously designed project approved by the screening committee.

All kinds of experts (designers, decorators, botanists, architects, art historians, gardeners) may contribute to the festival generating subjects for the compositions.

Exhibition-contest within the framework of "The Imperial Gardens of Russia" annual international festival is held on the territory of the Mikhailovsky Garden from 30 May to 3 June 2008.

The famous internationally acclaimed landscape architects form the jury of the contest. The winners are awarded certificates and souvenirs.

Tickets price for adults - 100 roubles, for students, kids and pensioners - 30 roubles.