Enchanted by The Beauty of Svetlana Galakhova’s Spring Garden Design

Garden

I was captivated by the beauty of Svetlana Galakhova’s spring flower beds and asked her to tell me about her garden, answering my questions.

I thank Svetlana for her detailed answers and wonderful photos, and I am delighted to publish the resulting interview. Sharing such gardens with readers is a great joy.

– Svetlana, please tell us about the history of your plot: its size and characteristics, what was originally there, the relief, soil, and microclimate.

– We purchased the plot with a house on the outskirts of Tolyatti in the autumn of 2010. It took me another two years to transport my collection of plants from my parents’ dacha near Samara, 70 km away. It took so long because different plants are planted at different times of the year, and I didn’t want to traumatize them.

Moreover, we had to prepare the planting area on the new plot. The plot was empty, with only an old 50-year-old apple tree of an unknown variety. In some places, there was pure sand on the surface. We had to improve the soil. And to do it naturally, we needed more vegetation.

Now that the plot is fully planted with trees and shrubs, every autumn they shed their leaves, and earthworms and other beneficial soil workers transform everything into living soil.

This cycle becomes more noticeable, and the soil improves. Of course, I regularly add compost, manure, and organic humus, and I also mulch the plantings with sawdust and weed stalks.

The plot is located on a southern slope, so there is always plenty of sunlight, but it can get too hot in the summer. Drip irrigation hoses are laid along the entire plot to ensure that each tree and shrub has enough water. I manually water the remaining areas.

The plot has a slope, and I wanted to turn this circumstance to my advantage. As a result, there are hills, raised flower beds, and a stream among the stones.

I bring stones from all my trips. A trip to the Urals greatly impressed me. Later, I had the opportunity to acquire Ural stones, and I started making compositions out of them.

The eastern part of the plot is a lawn. Here, there is a clearing with garden strawberries, columbines, forget-me-nots, delphiniums, lilies, and phlox. There is also an area with raspberries. Initially, this area was pure sand, and even weeds couldn’t survive without watering. But now, everything is green and blooming.

Currently, I am developing a small clearing on the new plot with poor soil. There will be another small pond. We have already buried a tank, and now the most interesting part is to lay the stones and plant the flowers!