Citizens, tired of working days in a stuffy metropolis, are looking forward to the first sunny days to enjoy the peace and quiet in their own country house. They all dream of turning their site into true Eden - a place where you can relax comfortably, a place that will delight the eye and allow you to relax. Having even an initial knowledge of the basics of landscape design, you can turn the smallest and most unremarkable site into a real oasis. And you can do it yourself. The landscape design of the summer cottage, the photo of which we posted in this article, will help to create fresh ideas for improvement.
How to equip a cottage
Creating a beautiful and modern landscape is a difficult task, we will not argue, but it is feasible for everyone. It is not necessary to change the relief of the site, to create complex structures. It is possible that in your case it will be enough just to build a beautiful and cozy gazebo, to break an interesting lawn or to plant exotic plants to give the cottage a unique charm.
Where to begin
First of all, you should choose a style - it should not differ from the general concept of the house. For those who are new to landscape art, poorly versed in styles, it is necessary to study the special literature.
Consider existing ideas and select the desired landscape design options. Now carefully examine your site, conditionally divide it into a recreation area, a garden and economic activities zone, etc. Do not try to use every centimeter of the site, do not clutter it with unnecessary elements - leave room for relaxation.
Flower decoration
You can ennoble your plot with the help of a lawn on an unoccupied territory and the design of the original flowerbed. Before starting construction work, consider the shape and size of the structure, select the suitable plants. All of them have certain features, so you need to have a good idea of which flowers are most suitable for you.
Beautiful hanging baskets with ampelous flowers planted in them look original. You can design an alpine slide with the help of creeping thyme, perennial cloves, alpine edelweiss, alpine aster, anaphalis, seaside armeria and saxifrage. At the top of the hill you should plant plants that develop well in bright sunlight. It can be Iberis, cinquefoil, evergreen shrubs or heichera.
DIY landscape at the cottage: rock garden
Now we will try to build an alpine hill. This work must begin in early autumn.
The first thing you need is a precise marking of the territory. The landscape of the cottage provides for the presence of an alpine hill of large, medium or small size. When planning a slide of 10 m² or more, you need to mark out future walkways and garden paths.
If you plan to create a landscape in a summer cottage with a rock garden, then you should understand that this structure is not at all a meaningless pile of stones, but a reduced model of a natural mountain landscape. To make it look similar to the original, the territory should have a “valley”, “cliff”, “plateau” and “peak”. An additional effect is achieved thanks to various methods of lighting these zones.
Slide pattern
If you decide to decorate your site with an alpine slide, develop its plan on paper. This will allow you to plan your work correctly, as this is a rather complicated decor. After this, the plan must be transferred to the selected territory. It is advisable that the site is high and well-lit. Make markup.
Site Preparation
If you create a landscape of a summer residence with your own hands (photos you can see in publications for gardeners) with an alpine slide, site preparation will be required. To do this, remove the top layer of the earth (depth is at least 300 mm). Then the lower layer (100 mm) is formed, for which broken brick, gravel, and slag are usually used. Then a second layer is created, consisting of coarse sand (50-100 mm). All created layers are abundantly watered with water.
Next, we make an earthen mixture from land cleared of weeds, crushed humus (peat) and coarse sand. Components should be taken in equal quantities. This mixture is poured onto the drainage layer, and a slide about one meter high is formed. If desired, it can be of greater height.
Stone laying
The created layers must undergo shrinkage, after which you can start laying stones. First, the largest of them are laid along the edges, then of medium size and at the end - small ones. Small stones look great on top of an earthen hill. It is important that the alpine slide becomes a dense structure. Therefore, large stones should be buried in the ground three quarters of their size. Using this technique, you will get the best simulation of rock output.
Plant selection
When creating an alpine hill, it is important to choose the right plants. Not only the general appearance and beauty of the structure, but also its compliance with the general landscape design, largely depends on this.
Paths made of natural stone
To create an unusual landscape in the country, a completely acceptable solution is to create stone or mosaic paths. The magnificent decorative qualities of natural stones make them extremely popular, and the rather simple technique of making mosaics made of stone allows you to independently make the lining of retaining walls, and design a relaxation area in an original and stylish way. You will need a little for this - creative imagination and innovative thinking.
Ordinary river pebbles can be an ideal material for creating unusual paths with bright ornaments, it can be used to decorate the interior of the garden pool, which will make your site completely unlike the neighboring one.
Today you can choose a finished tile made of natural stone. This will save you from having to pick up interesting stones yourself. In this case, creating a mosaic will not be difficult, provided that all the necessary tools and materials will be prepared in advance.
Under the mosaic, you also need to create a foundation. To do this, remove the soil to a depth of 10 cm, ram the ground and lay the drainage layer. It is best to use crushed stone.
Then we install a metal or wooden crate for pouring a cement base. To do this, use a trowel and a building level, which is necessary when leveling the surface. From above we lay the reinforced mesh, which is poured with 2 cm of mortar.
Leave the surface so aligned for 30 minutes to set. This will allow to lay the material perfectly evenly and better, and the mosaic will look more uniform and natural.
The stones must be evenly laid out on the surface and, using a soft rubber mallet, deepen them into the cement. Having created a decorative pattern, the seams are thoroughly wiped with mortar and the mosaic is left to dry completely. The advantages of stone mosaics include its durability. With the help of this technique, your cottage (garden) will be transformed for a long time.
Terrain: small mechanization
Owning a summer cottage not only brings pleasure, not only gives you the opportunity to be proud of yourself, but also imposes certain obligations on the owner. The larger the territory you own, the more efforts you will need to make so that it is always in good order, and without a well-groomed, trimmed lawn in front of your house, the site will not be beautiful. In this regard, all owners are faced with the need to purchase a lawn mower.
Someone will object that the landscape in the country (the photo of which amateur gardeners like to show) can be created with the help of an old and good braid, but it is already obsolete and, moreover, will not allow uniform mowing.
To understand which lawn mower is most suitable for you, you need to know how its different types differ, and therefore, know by what criteria you should choose it.
The most significant difference is the type of engine used. In other words, the principle of its action. By this principle, it is possible to distinguish gasoline lawn mowers - devices that operate using a gasoline engine. They have advantages, including high power, the ability to use additional functions and various devices. But there are also disadvantages. This is, first of all, the presence of exhaust gases and noise operation.
Electric mowers - devices that operate using an electric motor. This type has less power, but has less noise, and also differs in the absence of emission of harmful exhausts. Naturally, such equipment requires power. It is carried out through a stationary network and from rechargeable batteries.
Mechanical mowers are not the most common option, as their action is carried out using the muscular strength of a person who pushes the device in front of him. The advantages of this device include the lack of need for power and low noise.
Bridges in the country
Cottage (garden), the landscape of which each person can create independently, gives great satisfaction to the owner. This is an extremely pleasant experience, because here people create a place for moral and physical relaxation.
Originally arranged flower beds, various decorative elements - all this raises the mood and encourages further creative process.
Original bridges - a great opportunity to create an original design in the country.
Types of bridges
The purpose of these structures has changed dramatically today. Nowadays, not all of them simply connect the two shores. Their main purpose is decorative. In addition, they are used as a separation of functional zones on your site. Therefore, choosing the look and style of the bridge, carefully analyze what it will symbolize - it mainly depends on how it is best positioned.
- The style of the bridge depends on where it starts and where it ends. For example, a rock garden implies simplicity and sophistication, in accordance with Japanese culture.
- Lush gardens require an exquisitely decorated design.
- Bridges that are located above streams or ponds should be located in the immediate vicinity of the gazebo on one of the banks - this achieves the completeness of this part of the garden.
If you are planning to build a bridge with your own hands while creating the landscape in the country, then the tree will undoubtedly be the most suitable material. Designs from this material harmoniously fit into any style on a site of any size. In addition, it is easy to repair damaged sections of such a bridge.
As you can see, creating a landscape in the country with your own hands is not too difficult. The main thing - do not be afraid to experiment, exercise more imagination.