Enchanting Garden of Natalia Lyashenko in Voronezh

Our garden is located in the center of Voronezh, near the river of the same name and by the walls of a monastery. The entire plot occupies six hundred square meters, but the garden appears much larger due to the terraces and a series of arches that constantly reveal new levels and scenes of the garden landscape.

The garden itself has significant variations in elevation, which initially seemed like a daunting challenge. However, after the construction of the house, everything fell into place naturally, guided by the feeling and relief of the location itself. At that time, I didn’t adhere to the rules of landscape design; I solely relied on my own vision and understanding of beauty. And, of course, my artistic education inspired me to “paint” our garden.

First and foremost, it is not just a separate place but an extension of the house, with its own “rooms”! The idea of terraces was supported by retaining walls following the relief of the land, and a series of pergolas with climbing plants were placed in the center of the plot. Then we began to fill the garden with colors, shapes, and volumes!

The garden cannot be embraced in a single glance! Multiple levels, branching paths, the play of shadows from the vine-covered pergolas, awaken interest in every detail, every corner where something new is discovered each time, because in the terraced garden, each terrace has its own mini microclimate! Somewhere there is a dry meadow with drought-resistant plants, and somewhere there is an airy shade with lilies of the valley, hostas, and rhododendrons.

Each level offers a place to rest, allowing you to find the most favorable spot to observe birds, insects, and blossoms at any time of the day, even in the rain and wind. Resting areas are entwined with blooming vines and allow you to experience the beauty of existence in a space filled with flowers and greenery. On the swings, you can immerse yourself in admiration of wisteria and indulge in its fragrances, and in the evening, observe the starry sky. And in the gazebo, you can take shelter from the rain while enjoying the views of the garden reveling in the rain, the bustling hummingbirds, and bees.

There are no favorite plants in the garden because I am not a collector. What matters to me are the spots of color, volumes, fragrances, and tactility. Our garden is like a home, and the flowers within it are like textiles. It is small, private, and cozy.

I enjoy experimenting with plants! If I like a particular plant, I “invite” it to the garden, observe how it fares and presents itself, and everything falls into place naturally. I particularly love the mallow for its honey-like scent and incredible carpeting, hyssop for its abundance of butterflies until late autumn, wisteria, ivy, and stalked hydrangea.

Later, after the garden was already established, I obtained an education in landscape design, but I kept the foundation of the garden unchanged. Because this is a garden of emotions, created with love!

I would like to thank Natalia Lyashenko for her fascinating story and the magnificent photographs. You can find more stories from this wonderful garden on Natalia Lyashenko’s VKontakte page.