She comes to visit her darlings even on weekends: Ilma Nereta and her flowers at the National Botanical Garden

Ilma Nereta, a leading horticultural specialist, has dedicated 45 years to the National Botanical Garden, developing an encyclopedic knowledge of the plants under her care. Even in the middle of the night, she can recount details about 300 of the 400 rose varieties she oversees. Nereta acknowledges that as time passes, plant trends and threats evolve, noting that deer now view her meticulously maintained garden sections as a buffet.

"The deeper you interact with plants, the more you realize how much you don't know. My job is to learn every day," Nereta shared. She has authored several books on rose and perennial care. Currently, she manages the large herbaceous plant sector, engaging with visitors to explain and educate them about the flora. "I work with plants, with papers, with my head, and with the public," she quipped, mentioning that tying dahlias was on her agenda after a recent visit from "Delfi."

Nereta's journey began during her studies when she was tasked with collecting pine needle samples for her diploma work, investigating how urban pollution affected pine trees. Her base for this research was the botanical garden itself. She recalls her dormitory room being filled with thousands of collected pine needles, meticulously packaged for analysis. The data collected indicated higher pollution levels in Riga compared to Salaspils.

After graduating in 1982, Nereta was assigned to work at the botanical garden. Initially, she was part of Andris Zvirgzds's research lab, focusing on ornamental trees and shrubs. Later, she took over the clematis collection meticulously curated by Villi Riekstiņš. However, maintaining this collection proved challenging due to the pervasive clematis wilt disease, leading to its eventual discontinuation as a formal collection, though many species remain preserved.