As I write my book,
I find myself returning again and again to the idea that a garden is never just a place. It’s a record of choices, of memory, of survival. This book has become much more than a collection of methods or stories — it’s become a tapestry of lived experiences. Stories that carry grief, resourcefulness, joy, and an enduring belief in what it means to keep growing.
One of the most powerful threads in that tapestry belongs to Alla Olkhovska.
For me, this is not abstract. I come from a family shaped by displacement — my grandmother fled former Yugoslavia on foot with two young children, crossing the Alps and spending years in displaced persons camps before finally making it to Australia. They were refugees who found safety, eventually. But for Alla, who lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine, there is no such option. She cannot leave. She gardens with drones overhead and cracked walls around her. And still, she plants. She photographs. She saves seeds. She grows.
Alla’s story is one of the many I’ve been honoured to weave into my book — and it’s one I believe the world needs to read. Here’s a glimpse into a world and a story that I’ll share more of, in time.
Some stories stay with you. They shift something in the way you see the world.
My conversation with Ukrainian gardener, photographer, and seed-saver Alla Olkhovska was one of those.
We spoke across time zones — me in Daylesford, she in Kharkiv — with rain falling in both our worlds. Her voice was calm, articulate, warm. Her words were generous and precise. And her story? It stopped me in my tracks.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Alla is a gardener in the middle of a war zone. She has remained in Kharkiv with her husband, who was gravely ill when the war began, and her elderly grandmother, who refused to leave her home. Their days are filled with air-raid sirens, power cuts, and the constant hum of uncertainty. And yet… amid all of this, Alla gardens.
She doesn’t just tend her space — she cultivates it. She collects rare seeds, raises clematis and species peonies, harvests by hand, and sends tiny envelopes of hope all over the world. She’s built a loyal seed customer base, a Patreon community, and an archive of incredible plant photography — all from a modest plot of land passed down through four generations.
Her garden has become a form of survival. Of resistance. Of legacy.
“I never thought I would live through the same kind of war my great-grandparents endured,” Alla told me. “And now I understand what they felt. How gardening helped them to survive.”
A family garden in wartime
The garden Alla tends was built by her great-grandfather after the Second World War — complete with apple trees, old wooden gates, and peonies that she’s since divided and brought back to life. It has always helped her family endure hard times — famine, economic collapse, political upheaval.
Now, under shelling and blackouts, it continues to nourish them.
There are no paved paths, no grand gestures. Just vines growing over branches, clematis climbing through pines, and layers of seasonal planting composed like music. It’s deeply personal. Deeply considered. Deeply hers.
When we spoke, Alla described her seed-saving as “labour-intensive, yes — but full of joy.” She works with bare hands, even in freezing weather, because she wants to feel the seeds. Her farewell bouquet each autumn — made before the first frost — is a ritual she’s held onto since 2017. It’s her way of thanking the garden, and the season, before winter silences it all.
Beauty is not a luxury
Early in our conversation, Alla hesitated when speaking about the camera lens her supporters helped fund. “It’s not a necessity,” she said. “It’s not food, or medicine.”
But the truth is — it is a necessity.
As I write in my upcoming book, beauty is not a luxury. It’s what connects us to meaning. And in Alla’s case, it’s what connects her to the rest of the world.
Her photos — taken in bursts between garden tasks and blackouts — are exquisite. Quiet. Detailed. Honest. She photographs plants not to impress, but to witness. And in doing so, she’s created a following that spans continents.
“Every seed I send out,” she said, “is a way to support my family — but also a way to share hope. To connect. To remind people that something beautiful can still grow in a broken place.”
How to support Alla’s work
Every seed order, e-book sale, Patreon subscription, or photo shared is part of a much bigger story. If you’d like to support Alla — not just in spirit, but in practice — here are a few ways to do that:
🔗 Follow Alla on Instagram
🔗 Support Alla through Patreon
🔗 Watch the documentary on Alla ‘Gardening In A War Zone’
Her seed packets have reached gardens in Japan, Qatar, Australia, Canada, and beyond. It’s a global web of connection — one gardener at a time.
In her words
“When I go into the garden and there are no alert signals… I forget the war for a while. The birds are singing. The flowers are blooming. You start feeling good, despite everything.”
If this story resonates with you, you’ll find more in my upcoming book, where Alla’s full interview — along with a QR code to our recorded conversation — will be included. It’s one of the great honours of this book to share her story.
With love,
Natasha x
“We plant seeds not only to grow — but to remember what we’re capable of creating.” Natasha Morgan
If you’d like to experience life here and this incredible space first-hand, I’d love to welcome you to one of my upcoming workshops. Come and walk the garden, learn something new, and connect with others creating lives rich in beauty, practicality and purpose.
Explore my workshops:
~ The Productive Garden with Natasha Morgan – Learn how to grow abundantly, no matter your space.
~ Garden Design with Natasha Morgan – Craft a garden that balances structure, beauty, and functionality.
~ The Wicking Bed Garden with Natasha Morgan – Build a self-watering, water-wise garden for effortless growing.
You may want to check out my related content below:
~ Why I grow. Why I design. Why I return — An answer to the question of “why” I do what I do.
~ Looking Back: A Rare Glimpse Inside Oak & Monkey Puzzle — A glimpse into my reflections and the beginnings of my book.
Thanks so much for following along.
Natasha xx,
For glimpses into workshops, daily life, and my thoughts from Little Cottage on a Hill, you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. And if you’d like a more personal update, subscribe to my Newsletter for a monthly note on what’s growing, what’s inspiring me, and what’s next.
Click the links below to stay connected—I’d love to have you along for the journey.