Tired of noisy megacities, many urban residents rush into the village, closer to nature. Someone perceives the cottage as a place where you can relax and fry the barbecue, someone has a goal to do the garden. In all cases, personal land requires landscaping. How to create a unique landscaping of a summer cottage site with your own hands?
Features
Experienced landscape designers advise to find out the area of the site before starting work. After all, there is a difference in the design of 6 acres, half of which are occupied by the house, and 10-12 acres.
In order to get it as beautiful as possible, you need to draw up a detailed plan of the site and draw the markup. This is necessary in order to clearly understand where which plants will be planted, as well as paved paths.
The construction of the fence
It is difficult to imagine a summer cottage without a fence. It is necessary not only to protect oneself from prying eyes, but also to create the boundaries of personal space. The selection of the fence is carried out not only by its external characteristics, but also by the financial capabilities of the owner of the site.
Of course, many people like tall brick fences with wrought iron elements, but not everyone can afford such a luxury. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to more budget options from the grid, picket fence. They will look no less spectacular if you put on them vines of delicious grapes or ornamental plants such as honeysuckle, hawthorn, clematis, curly roses.
Zoning
The layout of plants in the summer cottage will be much easier if you divide the yard into functional sections:
- entry;
- area for rest;
- a place for farm buildings;
- garden.
The number and function of zones may vary depending on the needs of residents.
The entry area is the hallmark of the entire site, as it is visible in the first place. Usually it is a plot with a parking place and paths leading to the house.
The recreation area should be located in a convenient place, since it is there that you will receive guests, arrange family gatherings. It must meet the following requirements:
- Ideal is the location of the territory for recreation in the backyard of the house, away from the entrance.
- It is important that you have a beautiful view from the terrace or the gazebo, because this is the only way to fully enjoy nature.
- In total, 10-15% of the total area of the site should be allocated to the recreation area.
Outbuildings should be placed according to this scheme:
- Their appearance should be in harmony with the apartment building and not attract a lot of attention.
- The location should be as convenient as possible for use.
- If possible, it is recommended to hide them with decorative shrubs or other plants.
For garden lovers, it is very important to have it on your site. However, its appearance should be in harmony with the rest of the territory. It is recommended to equip comfortable paths between the beds and regularly fight weeds to maintain an attractive appearance.
It is important to place all the areas on a preliminary plan before the greening of a summer cottage.
Tracks
All areas in the garden should be connected by paths for ease of movement. The most popular option is the formation of paths made of natural stone or tile. A more budgetary option is the use of crushed stone. However, in this case, the presence of borders should be provided so that the small pebbles retain the shape of the path.
A good example of landscaping a summer cottage is the design of paths with the help of green spaces. It can be stunted seasonal flowers planted on the sides of paths, small shrubs or ornamental herbaceous plants.
Tree selection
Where to start landscaping a summer cottage? In most cases, there are old trees in the yard. It is necessary to assess their condition, trim, treat. If this is not possible, then cut or uproot.
Sometimes it happens that in the country there are conifers. Landscaping of a summer cottage area with pines can turn out to be very beautiful, if we take into account the features of the relief of the soil and plants that will be planted next to coniferous trees.
In the garden area, planting of fruit crops is welcomed, as they will not only give a good shadow with their crowns, but will also delight flowering and fruiting.
Many enter the entry zone with thujas and for good reason. They look great, require a minimum of care and have a long lifespan. When choosing undersized crops that will grow next to conifers or fruit trees, it is important to select those that are compatible with each other. For example, you should abandon the idea of planting next to a spreading tree, which gives a lot of shade, photophilous plants.
Lawn
Options for landscaping a summer cottage can be both with the use of lawn grass, and without it. There are two options for obtaining a beautiful lawn:
- acquisition of a rolled lawn;
- self-growing grass from seeds.
The second option is more energy-consuming, but also more budget. It should be expected that in the first year after sowing it is unlikely to get a beautiful lawn, as in the picture. Grass requires no less maintenance than other garden crops. In order for it to maintain an attractive appearance throughout the season, it is important to water, fertilize and mow the lawn in a timely manner.
It is also important to pay attention to the variety of grass:
- shade-tolerant;
- sports;
- resistant to drought;
- trampling resistant.
It is important to study certain characteristics of the variety before planting in order to ensure the most correct care.
Flower beds
When planning the planting of flowering plants, it is necessary to pay attention not only to their appearance, but also to the features of flowering, caring for them, height and other equally important parameters. The most popular are such options for green spaces:
1. Rutarium is a composition of roots, snags, decorated with flowers. The composition resembles an alpine hill, where the role of stones is driftwood. Rutarias are also quite budgetary, as materials can be found in the nearest forest. It is important to choose the right location for the composition. Ideal are places for its installation at the pond, next to the gazebo, near the entrance.
2. Tapeworm is a composition in which the main role is assigned to a single plant. A large peony, lilac bush, stonecrop, mullein, castor oil plant can act as a solo plant.
3. Array - continuous flower planting of large size. Such flower beds are found most often. The caveat is that to create such a flower garden requires a large space. A particularly impressive array of flowers looks from tulips, delphinium, lilies, marigolds, carnations.
4. Border - a long stand that is used to frame something. Marigolds, chrysanthemums, ageratum, night violets are used to create it.
5. Bouquet planting - the creation of small individual flower beds in the form of floral bouquets. It is not necessary to use shrubs; for these purposes, densely planted daylilies, petunias, phlox, astilbe are suitable.
6. Hedgerow can be used instead of a fence or for the separation and decoration of farm buildings. Greening a summer cottage with the help of hedges is carried out using low or medium-sized shrubs, which can also bloom.
7. Flowers on the lawn look no less impressive. Most often, daisies, daisies, Turkish carnation, petunia, snapdragon, pansies are planted.
8. Alpine slide - a combination of flowers, herbaceous plants and stones.
In addition, potted plants that stand in the garden look no less impressive.
Useful Tips
Landscaping and improvement of the territory of a summer cottage is impossible without studying information about plants and methods of zoning space. It is also recommended that you follow these helpful tips from experienced landscape designers:
- Do not blindly copy the flower beds that can be seen in the pictures. It should take into account the features of the soil, topography and other nuances when choosing plants for planting.
- The choice of decorative elements should adhere to one concept. In addition, their number should be moderate. The abundance of decor creates some chaos on the site.
- When using the cottage only on weekends, you should choose such plants that do not need careful care and daily watering.
- Decorative elements can also carry a practical purpose. For example, to have the functions of a lighting device.
It should also be remembered that landscaping a summer cottage requires some financial and time costs, so you need to adequately assess your capabilities.
Conclusion
It is important to create a certain concept and stick to it. Greening a summer cottage without a preliminary plan can rarely be successful. If it is impossible to independently create your dream cottage, it is better to turn to qualified landscape designers who know exactly how to do this for help. It should be remembered that such services are not cheap.