Nurseries where young saplings, trees and shrubs were prepared for the parks used to be called pepiniera. In Plovdiv, the nursery was built in the 80s of the 19th century. At that time, the city didn’t have a single decent street, no sewerage or public buildings, and drinking water was scooped directly from Maritsa. It isn’t known exactly when it was established - whether in 1881 or 1882, but there is no dispute about the place - today's Stochna Gara, Stanimashko Shosse, the beginning of Bogomil Street and the first hundred meters of the current Tsar Boris III Boulevard. An area of nearly 300 acres, which was previously a swamp. Thanks to the efforts of the Swiss gardener Lucien Chevallaz, also known as the Minister of Flowers, the swamp had become a paradise. A beautiful forest grew, and its shade began to attract the people of Plovdiv. Gradually, the Nursery became a place for festive fun. Noisy parties went to the nursery from early spring, and in the summer time it was always lively there. The newspapers also wrote about party gatherings in the shade under the trees. Later, the city racetrack was built in the park, and two restaurants appeared.
The nursery brought in a good income. Municipal governments from all over Southern Bulgaria came to Plovdiv to buy seedlings for their parks. The trees that today adorn the famous spring in Stara Zagora came from here. Even the gardeners of the palace in Euxinograd relied on the people of Plovdiv. This happened only ten years after the establishment of the nursery. Along this anniversary in 1891, the Nursery was named Shevalasov Nursery, after its creator.
However, newspaper publications after 1911 showed a different picture - the state abandoned the nursery. There is no information in the archives due to what "urgent needs" the paradise garden of Plovdiv was abandoned. The documents show that the government offered to hand it over to an agricultural school, and the Plovdiv municipality refused to take over its management because it did not have the funds. Over the next few years, some of the trees were cut down and others uprooted. Only a few plants survived from the former forest. The work of the Swiss gardener was completely destroyed, and in its place remained only a bare and empty industrial place.
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