Glass house "Greenhouse" in a picturesque garden

Decorator Elena Vlasenko has created a garden and a glass studio house, which have grown into a place for creativity, communication, inspiration

Photo

Inna Belaya

"Build a house, plant a garden, raise a son. In our life, these three events are closely intertwined. Five years before the birth of the firstborn, we began to build a house, the size of which was limited by a walnut and an apple tree. Three years after the housewarming and the birth of the eldest son, the middle son was born, and from that moment we decided on the style and layout of the yard. This is the time of the birth of the garden. Seven years later, the youngest son was born and a "Greenhouse" appeared. The courtyard has found its current shape. Family, home, garden have become the center and meaning of life," says Elena.

Decorator Elena Vlasenko on the threshold of her house.

Photo

Inna Belaya

Elena Vlasenko and her husband together came up with and created a "Greenhouse" — a glass studio house in the garden, which grew from a guest house into a space for creativity, communication, inspiration.

The desire to enjoy the garden, to feel part of nature, to contemplate its changes all year round influenced the architecture and even the name of this glass house. For the creators of the Greenhouse, the garden and the house are one.

"On a plot of six acres in size, we put three houses, a garage and a workshop around the perimeter. The garden part is located in the center of the plot and gives the impression that the yard is surrounded by greenery, although a little less than a hundred are allocated for four small flower beds. I approached the garden question as an interior decorator: it was important for me to break the monotony of the walls and visually remove the gap between the highest point in the yard (roofs of houses) and the lowest (paving slabs). The solution was found, we planted trees and shrubs of different heights on the site and installed metal pergolas for wild and dessert grapes to the walls of the houses, which visually added depth and complicated the architecture."

Photo

Inna Belaya

"In choosing plants, the idea helped me that the garden is an extension of the house, through the windows of which you can feel a continuous connection with the world of plants and with nature. So I came to understand that the value of our garden is in its decorativeness all year round. The stage of planting lawns and vegetable gardens remained in my memories, a new garden strategy is a mix of evergreens, perennial shrubs, lianas and trees.

When buying plants, I was guided by the principle of "Came, saw and bought". I looked closely at the shape, color, texture of the foliage, the peculiarities of growth, flowering, fragrance, and only then to the name. If all the factors were suitable, the plant became our pet."

Photo

Inna Belaya

"I love lianas, they give the garden volume, dynamics, hide what needs to be hidden. From the vines in our garden grow honeysuckle caprifol, campsis, wild grapes and Vichy. The vines need control, but they are happy about it, unlike gardeners. The crown of the campsis is very picturesque, it is also a refuge for birds all year round. I jokingly call this vine a chirping bush. In summer, it pleases the eye with abundant gramophone flowers. In our case, the bush covers the roof of the neighbor's house.

The light aroma of honeysuckle can be enjoyed forever, it is even some kind of edible. The branches do not shed their foliage, which gives the garden an accent in winter. Honeysuckle grows in our yard, wrapping around a tall decorative metal tower, self—forming into a ball on top of it," Elena continues her story about the garden.

Photo

Inna Belaya

Photo

Inna Belaya

"The branches of the Vici grapes are like the veins of our house, they themselves cling even to vertical surfaces with the help of tentacle tendrils. In spring, during flowering, grapes attract a swarm of bees, I like to listen to their buzzing, and it seems that the house is about to take off. In the summer, wide leaves protect the house from heating, so we only occasionally use air conditioning.

Bright burgundy leaves of wild grapes give the garden an accent in the autumn season. Once every ten years we cut the shoots to the main trunk, because they, together with the fallen leaves, create an additional load on the supporting structure and give a hopeless shadow on the terrace. But this has its own plus! From the cut branches I twist wreaths, which I then use in the scenery."

Photo

Inna Belaya

"When planning a garden, in my opinion, it is necessary to add such plants that will be accentuated in a particular season. We have, for example, scumpia, pemphigus, Tunberg's barberry — their purple-colored leaves look amazing against the background of greenery.

In summer, the white-pink-purple-purple shades of blooming roses, jasmine, honeysuckle, lavender, spirea, Syrian hibiscus, medicinal sage, campsis delight the eye. This is the time of the beauty of flowers and fragrance. When perennials bloom, you can admire the green crowns of all plants. In autumn, the garden acquires rich yellow and red tones. In winter, the blue shades of lavender bushes, the greenery of mountain pine, juniper, boxwood, spherical tui, rhododendron delight the eye ... against their background, the crowns of perennial shrubs and trees look graphically, especially after a snowfall. They attract the attention of not only people, but also birds, at this time of year they are a refuge for birds, whose chirping reminds that spring is still not far off!

And in the spring everything starts over, the garden awakens, forsythia and bulbous, lilac are blooming. The house goes beyond the walls. The season of living under the sky, in unity with nature, is returning."

Photo

Inna Belaya

Photo

Inna Belaya

"How wonderful it is when you can contact nature without leaving home! This is an opportunity to relax, feel comfortable and safe, remember the garden in bloom, so that there is something to remember on winter evenings. This is a time of peace, when you can enjoy the fruits of your labor, when calmness is able to nourish the soul, this is an occasion to meet yourself, slow down."

The interior of the Greenhouse

Photo

Inna Belaya

"Such a vacation actively engages our five senses and makes us happier: we admire plants, breathe saturated air, hear birds singing, the rustle of foliage, touch rough tree trunks or fruits. We can even taste the garden on our tongue if, for example, we pick berries or vegetables and cook lunch or a seasonal dessert for ourselves or for the whole family."

The interior of the "Greenhouse".

Photo

Inna Belaya

Photo

Inna Belaya

Photo

Inna Belaya

"And how can I not remember the saying: "Business is time, fun is an hour"! A reminder to everyone, and especially gardeners, that in addition to work, there should be rest in life. And it's great, from time to time, to spend this hour alone with nature."

Photo

Inna Belaya

Photo

Inna Belaya

Tatiana Filippova
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