Not Just Alexander Tolokonnikov's Garden

In mid-August, following the “Vestnik of the Florist”, I happened to visit the garden of Alexander Tolokonnikov in Novocherkassk. This magazine wrote in detail both about the garden and about its owner (read the article by Elena Illesh "Japanese motives in the Cossack steppe" in No. 15).

The garden is located on 50 acres, but the space was decided so that it is impossible to determine the area visually, you can walk along the paths and passages for a long time and even get a little lost. The garden is only a few years old, but it has already acquired many functions.

This garden can really be called a private botanical garden with thousands of different species and decorative forms, many of which have been introduced into the steppe zone that is not typical for them. For a small fee, a visitor can get acquainted with the plants accompanied by a gardener-guide or on his own - some of the plants have signs, which are not present in many large botanical gardens today. An intricate network of paths connects sections of the garden in a regular and landscape style, giving a glimpse of elements of French and English design.

The owner's special luck is the Japanese garden with a pond and Turtle Island. As expected, there are inhabitants here - turtles and fish. The silence of the corner with the Japanese pavilion is broken by streams of living water - on one side of the stream, on the other - a small waterfall. The whole garden is also permeated with Japanese motives: majestic boulders, "bamboo" pavilions, made of a simple local material - reeds. In the paving of the paths, exclusively natural materials were also used - wood, stone, gravel. A variety of their combinations can serve as a didactic tool for paving. There are many places for rest in the garden - benches, gazebos, pergolas entwined with vines. Each of them offers a miniature complete panorama.

Plants are arranged quite densely, sometimes undeservedly hiding the beauty of individual forms - weeping, spherical. But this is apparently justified by the need to maintain a shady oasis in a hot climate. Artificial rain also serves this purpose, periodically irrigating a large part of the garden, which is why the air here is constantly humid and cool, and the plants grow unusually quickly.

The garden also has its own trading platform - here you can buy your favorite plants or place an order for landscaping. The opportunity to acquaint the customer with the basic design styles in their own garden is an excellent solution for a landscape business.

Recently, an educational program in landscape design was launched, the most promising students of which combine study with work in the "Landscape Workshop". Alexander also finds personnel for his creative laboratory at the design department of the South Russian State Technical University (formerly the Don Polytechnic Institute), the oldest higher educational institution in the region.

The garden grows and develops, a new spacious reservoir for the water display is being built. There are plans to further expand the area of ​​the garden, because an active person cannot stop there.

We wish Alexander Tolokonnikov, who has done so much over the past few years, creative and commercial success in green building and all his undertakings. And the garden and the "Landscape Workshop" will grow into a real landscape cultural center. This is so important for the south of Russia, where gardens are accustomed to being perceived more utilitarian, which is so much promoted by the climate and local farming traditions. The rich history of the Cossack region, which we got acquainted with in the museums of Novocherkassk, confirms that a native of those places should be able to do everything.

R. Brilliantova

Greeninfo.ru