An Interview with Alla
All images in this post are by Alla Olkhovska
I know we are all supposed to be complaining that we never see who we want to see on Instagram, but I reckon I do get most of Sarah Statham’s posts (@simplybyarrangement). One day, many months ago, I saw a picture that stopped me in my scroll.
A truly unusual clematis. Open flowers, with fine, wiry tendrils. Purple back, like a bruise, opening to butter yellow. Clematis ‘My Angel’, grown by Alla Olkhovska, in Ukraine, in Kharkiv. I fell down the rabbit hole of her Instagram feed and then the penny dropped.
She sells seeds.
She is my kind of person.
I will admit, that is where the similarity ends. As I sit in safety in Somerset, Alla is growing flowers, sending out little parcels of precious seed, and photographing so beautifully in a war zone.
I knew as soon as I came across her that we needed her in Gather. It has taken a little time from approaching to publishing because Alla’s life is constantly disrupted by the war, but I really do think it is worth waiting for.
Once you have had a read, please do feel free to go and follow Alla at https://www.instagram.com/allaolkhovska/ or buy some beautiful seed (I defy you to resist) at http://lindengrovegardens.tilda.ws
Firstly, you are flower growing in a war zone. How are you? Are you ok?
Oh… Unfortunately, I can’t say that I’m ok… In one day, my not-that-easy life turned into a complete nightmare… At the end of November 2021, my husband Vitaliy fell ill with Covid. He had the most severe form and in total spent almost 2 months in an intensive care unit between life and death. He was discharged on home oxygen in the end of January 2022 in quite a poor state. Two months of lying sick in bed with no motion resulted in the loss of muscle mass and muscle atrophy, so my husband had to learn to sit and walk. He needed a rehabilitation specialist for a long time. Long months of rehabilitation were ahead…
Then the war caught us completely unprepared on February 24...
How has life changed for you? Has it changed your relationship with your garden? With spring?
The life has absolutely changed…
From the very beginning of the war, the missile attacks and constant shelling were terrible. We also had air strikes. One night was especially horrible… We heard bombers flying right above our house and several powerful explosions followed. The house shook and I don’t know how our windows managed to withstand it.
The other terrible night was when missile attacks took place right in front on my granny’s house. We had several fractions falling on the house and our roof was damaged. The granny nearly had a heart attack…
Missile attacks often caused severe damage to the critical infrastructure; we had long blackouts the whole winter. When there is no light, there is no heating and water supply either. Due to power outages, all the appliances burned out at my granny’s place - refrigerator, TV set, etc… We are often depressed and almost constantly terrified.
But I’m so lucky to have my garden! It saves me in every respect! I started posting on Instagram describing the situation in my country and was somewhat relieved. I tried to make the garden everything I could and this work also helped. Finally, I managed to gather the seeds from my wonderful Clematis and Peony varieties as well as other plants, created on-line catalogues, and it turned out that they are very popular among gardeners. My family survives due to the seed orders and I’m grateful to everyone ordering seeds and supporting my family!
Spring is a relief because it becomes warmer. Staying in cold premises is extremely difficult and not good for health. I was waiting for it so much!
Both your plants and your photography are absolutely beautiful. How did you get started in with growing flowers? And how/when did you get so good at photography?
As for the gardening – I adored flowers virtually since my birth. My parents told me that whenever I saw a flower they couldn’t take me away from it. I always wanted to know the name of every plant or grass growing in the streets. It seems that I was born with this passion! The first flower which I planted in my granny’s garden was a snowdrop. It was a present from my relatives as my surprise had no limits when I (then a little girl going to school) saw these rare flowers in their yard.
As for the photography, it was my father who started teaching me to take photos. But I was small then, and the Soviet camera Zenit was too difficult for me as it had too many settings to make an image. When I grew older, my father gaveme a luxurious gift – it was actually a point-and-shot cheap digital camera by Sony, but for us it was extremely expensive and my happiness had no bounds… From that time, I had no limits as the camera was digital and had no settings, just the green button which allowed me to shoot everything quickly. It was an absolute happiness!
When Vitaliy (my husband) appeared in my life it turned out that he adored taking photos as well. We took out a loan and bought a Nikon which was an astronomical price for us, but this purchase was definitely worth every cent spent! Vitaliy taught me how to take photos with this camera. It was very difficult for me at the beginning as the manual mode had too many settings, all of which depended on the other, but now he says that I take photos even better than he does (I don’t think so, really). It became my second big hobby and I’m a happy person to have two favourite hobbies!
As I had so many photos, I wanted to share them with other gardeners, so my account on Facebook appeared. Later I learnt about Instagram, I liked the format immediately as the feed consisted of wonderful photos. At that time, I was far from the photography level I’ve got now but it was a big stimulus to aspire and progress. Both my accounts are quite old and I can say that I’m proud to have them as they allowed me to get acquainted to so many wonderful gardeners all over the world!
Could you tell us something about your garden? Who else shares it with you? Where is it? What sorts of soil and climate does it have?
I share the garden with my granny, but she wasn’t the first owner. The history of my gardens is actually closely interconnected with the history of my family. I’ll tell it in brief if you will allow me.
My granny has a terrible story... Her family (my great grandmother and great grandfather) lived very well here in Ukraine. They had a big estate, many cattle and were very successful at the market. In 1917, when Bolsheviks came to power, they were repressed – the so-called dekulakization. In 1933 they suffered the famine artificially made by Stalin, then the head and dictator of the USSR. Ukraine used to be part of that huge empire. My great grandmother had to send her elder children to an orphanage so they didn't die of hunger... And then my great grandfather was sent to prison on a false denunciation which was highly popular that time and encouraged by the authorities. Finally the imprisonment was graciously replaced by the exile to… Siberia.
My granny was born in Siberia which all the family really hated and wanted to return to Ukraine. In 1941, my great grandfather was mobilized, he was an excellent driver and served all the war (WWII), managed to survive, and was finally exonerated. As soon as their exile was finished they returned to Ukraine and hated the Soviet power till the end of their lives. Soviets stole everything - their property and their lives...
My great grandfather Dmitriy received a piece of land in Kharkiv as a military service award as he was a hero of the war. He built the house by his own hands as he had no money to hire anybody; it took him about 8 years to finish it… He planned an orchard and planted many apple trees. He loved what he did, and growing apples was his big hobby. He had the best varieties for that time and extremely big harvests. He used to sell the apples he grew and he actually made his living in such a way. All the apple trees were planted in the 1950s, so they were extremely old. Many of them were already dry or half-dry. When my great grandfather died no one took care of them and they became so huge. My mother and my father had lots of work. Their life wasn’t easy at all, they had no time to take care of our orchard.
When I met Vitaliy it turned out that he adores plants. His house was all green and full of the plants that he used to buy all the time! We decided to started gardening at my granny’s place as she couldn’t take care of the garden anymore… But we tended to like decorative gardening more. We had to cut down most of the apple trees, as they were too old and in a very poor condition. But I still have some in the garden and treasure them a lot, as they remind me of my great grandparents.
As for the climate, if we speak in the geographical terms, it is humid continental with long, cold, snowy winters and warm to hot summers. Actually, I’m not a big fan of our climate as all the plants are usually killed by frosts in October and we can see the first flowers only in March, or in the end of February in the best case. As I’m a keen gardener and can’t live without flowers, having at least four months without them is just terrible… I wish we had a milder climate with evergreens during winters! I also hate cold, I don’t know why, but I’m always extremely cold… Every winter is a challenge for me. This winter was a terrible trial as very often we didn’t have heating due to constant blackouts. It was next to unbearable and I was so envious of people who live in warm countries!
The soil in my garden is perfect. I’m not good at the soil classification, but this is not sand or loam. It’s just a perfect substance to grow all the rare plants I want. For the most capricious ones we used to make specialized flowerbeds – for example – a flowerbed with acidic soil for rhododendrons.
I came to you for some extra-special clematis seed. Are they your favourites?
Absolutely so! Clematis is an amazing genus containing so many species and cultivars that it never stops surprising! I have one of the biggest Clematis collections in my country, but I definitely need more varieties!
I know you also sell peony seed. How on earth do you have the patience to grow peonies from seed?
Oh, they are actually very good growers from the seed! My main secret: I never wait for them. I just sow them every year, this approach makes the process a kind of non-stop and I always have seedlings that just germinated, second-year seedlings, third-year seedlings etc. Every year I have new flowering seedlings causing so many emotions! Starting the process one day and continuing it every year you will always have what to look at in the garden. So no need for patience at all!
Ok, the technical stuff –I ordered six sorts of clematis seed from you (as well as some lovely Baptisia ‘Lemon Meringue’, but only because I can’t find B. ‘Dutch Chocolate seed anywhere) and I have also saved some of my own C. fusca. However, I dare not open them until I have clear guidance about how to sow, germinate and grow them on. Step by step, all the details, what should I do?
My favourite way of sowing is a natural way. I do not like sowing in pots because it requires too much time and additional care. You need constantly checking out whether they are not to dry or not too wet. As I do not live in the garden sticking to all these procedures is next to impossible… So I usually sow directly in the garden. Of course in this way they take longer to germinate, but for me this method remains the most effective.
If you have the option to take care of the seeds in pots, there is a specialized procedure which allows to start the seedlings much quicker. It is based on the use of a specific stimulant – gibberellic acid (GA3). This acid is a natural growth hormone, and since it promotes seed germination, it is used to increase the percentage of germination. This is a complete instruction on how to sow clematis seeds using the gibberellic acid:
1. Place the seeds in a tea bag. ⠀
2. Treat the seeds with a fungicide within 24 hours (use only quality products – Bayer, Syngenta, etc.). ⠀
3. Rinse the seeds with water 3 – 4 times. ⠀
4. Soak the seeds in water for 1 to 2 days. ⠀
5. Carefully peel off the outer hard shell of the seeds – you can use, for example, nail scissors). ⠀
6. Treat the seeds with a solution of 125 – 250 ppm gibberellic acid (I found that 1 ppm = 1 mg/kg). If you use a concentration of 250 ppm treat them for 6 hours or if you use a concentration of 125 ppm treat them for 12 hours at room temperature. ⠀
7. Wrap the seeds in a damp paper tea towel and place in a ziplock bag. ⠀
8. Store the bag at room temperature from 2 weeks to 2 months.
9. Check the contents of the package every 3 days.
10. As soon as you notice the appearance of the root, plant the seeds in the ground.
11. Do not forget to water the pots with the planted seeds.
12. Shoots in pots will appear approximately 2 months after planting.
13. The percentage of seed germination when using gibberellic acid ranges from 40 to 100%.
Clematis are known for being climbers but I think in the UK and in the US we have such a limited view of what clematises are. Mostly we just think of the Montana variety, although I am on a mission to convert everyone to winter clematises too. Could you tell us a bit more about your more unusual, non-climbing ones? What sort of gardens would they suit?
Many people believe that Clematis is a vining plant, but the genus is extremely diverse and includes plants of a bushy habit as well as dwarf groundcovers. The form of the flowers may surprise as well!
The most famous bushy clematis species are C. heracleifolia and C. integrifolia. They have lots of garden varieties raised by various growers. Both species are exceptionally hardy, they overwinter very well in my country and I highly recommend them as they are very stable, easy-care plants. My favourite varieties include: ‘New Love’, ‘Crepuscule’, ‘Sander’. But you should take into account that some C. heracleifolia hybrids can also be huge plants with non-vining long shots, they are also great and are suitable for covering tree-stumps or shrubs, ‘I’m Stanislaus’ and ‘Mrs Robert Brydon’ being among my favourites.
C. integrifolia also has lots of varieties including dwarfs like ‘Little Artist’ or higher plants as ‘Ember’, ‘Pastel Blue’, ‘Pastel Pink’ and many many others.
And as for Montana and evergreen clematis varieties (C. cartmanii, C. armandii etc.), unfortunately they can’t grow in my climate zone as they are not hardy enough. But they are breathtaking varieties and I would highly recommend them for the gardens with mild winters. One of my favourites is C. armandii ‘Appleblossom’ – with prolific flowering and glossy evergreen elongated leaves.
Are there any of your favourite varieties that could be grown in a pot for a courtyard garden?
There are specialized patio varieties raised by Raymond Evison – a renowned English Clematis grower. These are compact, easy care, bushy plants, the height of which doesn’t exceed 1 – 2 ft with a long flowering period and even repeat flowering.
They were raised specifically for growing in containers. I never tried them in my garden as I do not have a possibility to grow plants in pots, but they look gorgeous on photos!
I have always been told that clematises like feet in the shade and flowers in the sun. Do you agree with this? Are there any other tips you have for where to plant them so they thrive?
It actually depends on Clematis variety. As the genus is very diverse, it’s incorrect to issue a single recommendation for all the species and varieties. The recommendation about ‘feet in the shade and flowers in the sun’ is good for large-flowered varieties, while such species as C. texensis and C. versicolor just adore hot spots and do very well in direct sun. But the general rule for all is mulching the ground, but it actually applies to every plant in the garden. The planting depth as well as watering preferences will also depend on the species.
If you could only grow three varieties of flowers, what would they be?
This is the easiest question ever! I have not a single doubt that these will be:
1. Clematis
2. Peonies
3. Snowdrops
What camera and lenses do you use?
I adore photography so much that I answer every question about it with great pleasure. I use Nikon D750 for many years already. It has become somewhat old fashioned with the appearance of the new mirrorless technologies and my biggest dream is to test this new technology.
Unfortunately, I have only one lens for now – 105 mm f 2.8 macro. This is a narrowly specialized lens for macro photography (close ups) which doesn’t allow me to try other genres of photography. It’s a very sad limitation for me as I feel that I have already moved on from the macro photography and I would like to try shooting people and landscapes, for example.
So, my second big dream is more lenses which will give me possibilities to express myself in creativity. When my country is tortured by the war, these dreams seem to be unreal, but I know that the war won’t last all the time and in the future – who knows! Possibly I will be able to take a loan and to expand my photo gear.
What are your top three tips for flower photography?
Oh… you need to know so many things and develop so many skills to make real photo masterpieces that it’s difficult for me to select 3 tips only, but I’ll try…
Make the light your best friend. This is actually the light which turns the ordinary into the magical in photography. Surely you can obtain some nice images on the bright daylight if your skills are highly developed, but still you will receive the best results when shooting in the so-called golden hour which happens twice a day – at sunrise and sunset. Personally I prefer the second variant as I’m a night owl by nature and just hate getting up early.
Stick to your gear. Remember: if you have a macro lens you won’t receive worthy landscape images and vice versa – if you have a non-macro lens you won’t get perfect macro-shots.
Stay at the same level with the flower and try to find the correct angle. Taking a photo from above is possible and sometimes may look nice, but you get the most breathtaking photos when you sit or even lay amongst the flowers. Make photos from various angles, because even if you think that the first angle you took is the best, the things may look rather differently on your computer screen, so it’s better to have options to be able to choose.