Landscaping in the garden with your own hands. Landscape design of a summer cottage - a new style for your garden. Thinking over the play area
Spending time outside the city in summer cottages is a favorite pastime for most citizens. Many are looking forward to the end of the working week to go to the country and spend time with family (or alone) in the fresh air.
To make the resting place beautiful, some hire landscape designers. But many are engaged in the improvement of their land on their own.
Style solutions for landscapes of summer cottages
Style regular
Style is a classic solution for landscape design. Its main features include pomposity, correct geometry, conciseness, and little pronounced symmetry.
In order to create a classic landscape style, you need to choose a logical center (for example, a house or a fountain) and build a composition around it.
Create a scheme of paths, flower beds and bushes (strict and symmetrical forms) and, according to the plan, start planting plants. To soften the severity of forms, you can create a fountain.
landscape style
The style imitates the natural landscape, that is, the natural accent of the origin is preserved.
All elements must be placed as naturally as possible on the site. Here it is customary to use irregular shapes for reservoirs, not to level the terrain and leave wild plants.
Country style
The landscape with rustic motifs has a slightly careless, simple and unpretentious character.
The rustic style is supported by floral arrangements and decorative elements such as wooden wheels, barrels, carts with flowers.
Japanese style
Style of meditation and harmony. Any element of Japanese-style decor should carry its own meaning.
Bushes should have clear shapes; smooth boulders and stone bridges are used to decorate the site.
Oriental style
Suitable for small areas with good sunlight. In oriental style, colorful colors become the main elements.
It is better to decorate flower beds brightly, lay out the paths with mosaics. Any bright or even mirrored accessories will be appropriate for such a landscape solution.
exotic style
The style combines everything unusual and exotic. He is very fond of travelers and collectors. When decorating a site in an exotic style, unusual and rare plants are used, planting them in several tiers.
The compositional solution of such a site is best created from natural materials - wood and stone. In this style, small stylized swamps or ponds are often created on the plots.
Alpine style
A very popular style of landscape design today. Its basis is an emphasis on mountainous terrain and wildlife. Natural materials are used for decoration.
Decorative compositions (ponds, streams and alpine slides) are accompanied by natural stone, gravel, granite or slate.
The accent center is best placed on a hill. When decorating an alpine-style site, stone gardens, cascading flower beds and dry streams are often used.
Style free
This style does not impose any obligatory traits, but implies the free decision of the owners. Usually free style is accompanied by an abundance of various flowers, loaches and large trees.
In this style, you can combine some features of other styles (for example, landscape and alpine).
The main stages in the development of a general plan for a land plot
Having decided on the style of the future site design, you need to start planning. It is necessary to correctly distribute all the elements of decor and landscaping over the area of \u200b\u200bthe site.
When preparing the plan yourself, get accurate information about the size of the land plot and its boundaries in advance. Decide on the cardinal points and monitor the illumination depending on the time of day.
Fix irregularities and any features of the relief. It is also better to get information about the condition of the soil and groundwater. And most importantly, do not forget about communications. All this information will help to plan the site without errors.
Planning steps
Site planning
Boundaries, buildings, relief features and a communication scheme are applied to the plan.
Site zoning
Highlight on the plan a recreation area, a garden area, an economic and residential area. And put on these zones a scheme of paths, flower beds, bushes, ponds, and decorative elements.
Lighting plan
Functional lighting is used to illuminate the house, parking lot and other buildings in the evening and at night. Decorative lighting helps to illuminate the decor elements of the site (in this case, decorative lamps are used).
With decorative lighting, it is customary to illuminate steps, paths, underwater (floating) illumination of a pool or reservoir. A detailed lighting scheme must be developed on the plan, because some of the light sources may require underground wiring.
Landscaping
When a detailed site plan has been developed, it is necessary to carry out work on the dismantling of old buildings and garbage collection (both construction and vegetable).
Paving of paths and platforms on the site
Paths are best done with curbs. They help keep water out of areas adjacent to paths or playgrounds. Terrain needs to be taken into account. Pavement can be:
- herbal (from grass);
- soft (made of sand or gravel);
- rigid (concrete, brick, tile);
- combined (you can combine types of coatings).
Varieties of landscaping
Lawn
It is difficult to imagine any suburban area without grass. Therefore, it is lawns with grass that are the main background for landscape decoration.
Lawn types:
- rolled (sold in rolls already grown by the manufacturer);
- sowing (more affordable, but requiring care and arrangement).
Landscaping vertical
Created from climbing plants (grapes, honeysuckle, hops, sweet peas, etc.). It is hung on special screens or supports.
You can also use trees and decorative lanterns for vertical gardening with loaches. You can also create beautiful cascades of flowers in pots.
Bushes and trees
To choose trees and shrubs, you need to focus on your taste and expectations. Whether it will be fruit trees or decorative species depends only on the owners. When choosing, you need to take into account the features of the relief, soil, illumination of the site.
Also pay attention to the compatibility of selected trees and bushes and crown diameters. Coniferous trees are very popular in landscape design due to their unpretentiousness.
Hedge from live plants
To create a hedge on your site, you need to decide on its height. If a high fence is planned, then purchase coniferous trees (for example, thuja).
A medium-sized hedge can be created from cotoneaster or barberry. A low hedge will be obtained from undersized shrubs (for example, spirea).
flower beds
They can be regular (special modular, flowerbeds or floral borders for paths and playgrounds), or landscape (they are specially selected to create a natural impression).
When choosing colors, pay attention not only to the stylistic decision, but also to lighting, soil and climate features.
rock garden
It may include not only an alpine hill, but also a stone garden, rockery, alpine walls.
For such landscaping, it is better to use bulbous, perennial plants (irises, aster, periwinkle, etc.). Coniferous gardening looks great in the Alpine solution. Stones need to be bought flat and not bright.
Garden gazebos and other structures
Structures in the summer cottage can be used as elements of landscape design. Decorate them with vertical landscaping (vines) or flower arrangements in floor or hanging baskets.
Undersized conifers can be planted along the perimeter of buildings. Decorations in the form of garden accessories and stone compositions look great.
Decorative ponds
Water is used to give the site a special peaceful atmosphere. Fountains or small waterfalls, a smooth water stream or even a fish pond transform the space and give it new contrasts. Plants are planted along the perimeter of reservoirs (decoration with irises, conifers, lilies of the valley is very common).
If you decide to create an artificial pond on the site with your own hands, then decide on the shape and size, choose a place (do not place the pond close to large trees). The bottom can be made of concrete or you can buy a ready-made plastic mold.
You can also purchase a waterproof film and use it to create a base for a pond (the most popular way to build a pond today). The concrete base is the most expensive, but durable. Plastic captivates with ease of installation.
Having decided on the base, draw the contour of the reservoir on the previously cleared area and proceed to dig the pit. Fill it with sand and tamp it down. Then lay the geotextile on the bottom and lay the film on it.
Dig a trench around the perimeter of the reservoir and fill the edges of the film into it. Now you can lay the gravel and pour water.
The film in the trench must be fixed with soil after it is stretched from the water. The trench can be decorated with stone. And an artificial pond, created by oneself, will become a real decoration of the summer cottage and the pride of the owners.
Photo of landscape design of a summer cottage
Dacha for many is not only a place where tomatoes and cucumbers grow, it is a living corner where you want to come not to work in the beds, but to relax in nature. Well, since we like to spend time there, we must definitely develop a landscape design for a summer cottage and do everything with our own hands.
We determine the purpose
If you decide to seriously approach this issue and landscape design for you is not just a beautiful phrase, you must independently or with the help of specialists present the design of a personal plot. It doesn’t matter how many acres the dacha occupies - 20 or just 4, the first step in any case will be design.
The process is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. After all, you must carefully plan everything and create certain zones: for growing vegetables and fruit trees, a place to relax, flower beds, a playground, maybe an artificial reservoir or a mini-fountain, a bathhouse, a gazebo.
This is especially true for a small area where you need to design everything so that you can compactly accommodate the most necessary objects for you. Let's say you can do without a pool, but decide that you simply need an outdoor shower. It is possible that you will not have enough space for a separate gazebo, but you will definitely want to set aside a site for a small orchard.
Therefore, it is better to immediately determine what should be in your country house in the first place, and what you can do without.
Choose a style
Whatever direction you choose, you will be cozier and more comfortable in the country, if you yourself took part in arranging every corner of it, and before that you carefully thought out where and what will be and what style to combine it.
Regular style assumes the presence of one center, relative to which all other objects are placed in a clear order. A distinctive feature of this direction is strict geometry. Flower beds are placed symmetrically, lawns, trees and shrubs are neatly trimmed. The main elements are fountains and sculptures. All this requires not only considerable investments, but also space where all this can be harmoniously arranged, so this option is far from suitable for everyone.
One of the natural, harmonious, pleasing to the eye styles can be called landscape. If you opted for it, you have every chance to experiment, to show imagination. You can place alpine slides and rockeries on your site. A small stream will fit into the overall picture and will not require too much effort to create it.
Coniferous trees, perennial shrubs and flowers will look great from plants.
Easy to stick and rustic style. A wooden fence, wicker furniture, a haystack or a bundle of firewood are used as decor. Despite the simplicity, there is also room for fantasy to roam. You can build a flower bed in the form of a cart with daisies or cornflowers, and even place a figure of a donkey or horse next to it. Near the house you can place baskets with flowers.
If you want a more strict and restrained decor, choose the Japanese and Mediterranean style, where stone is the main material for creating compositions. In both cases, you need to take care of a small pond. It will be a natural addition to your yard.
If you want to add bright colors and unusual elements, choose an exotic or oriental design style. But in most cases, in a summer cottage there is no need to adhere to a certain direction so strictly.
The main thing is that everything that you build and create is useful, convenient and pleasing to the eye for you.
How to zone?
It is in your power to make a cozy area. If you are the owner of ten acres, then this space is quite enough to organize everything wisely, build all the necessary buildings, make beds, plant trees and equip a recreation area.
Schematically depict on a piece of paper where you will have a garden, what place you will allocate for fruit trees and shrubs, on which site you will place outbuildings, and where there will be a gazebo for tea drinking. But do not forget about the design elements - beautiful flower beds and maybe even garden figurines that will add individuality to your site.
When planning, take into account your interests - are you going to do more vegetable growing or will you still use the cottage more often for recreation. Consider the composition of the soil, as well as where there is more shade, and where there is sunlight.
If you have children, do not forget to set aside a place for games, as well as arrange a playground or a fabulous town.
landscaping
Those who plan to be very actively engaged in home-made preparations will allocate most of it for beds, greenhouses and shrubs. You need to make sure that there is enough light in that place, you also need to think about how you will ensure regular and timely watering of your future crop. It will be more convenient if the water source is located next to the beds. The device of plastic wiring for irrigation will be very handy. The area for the recreation area in this case will be reduced. But nevertheless, you can arrange a flower bed, a small gazebo and place a bench with a table next to it.
And you can increase the recreation area by reducing the garden. You can plant a bed with strawberries, here you can place several raspberry bushes and a small flower bed. In another place, plant greens, and near it a few more pieces of berries. Whatever you come up with, the main thing is that it is convenient first of all for you.
Vertical gardening will bring beauty and benefit to your summer cottage. With it, you can decorate a wall or a fence, create a shadow in the gazebo, or surround a bench with greenery. For this purpose, grapes, hops, sweet peas are best suited. But the favorite in this area is clematis. A variety of shades and shapes of this plant allow you to choose what is right for you. It grows so well that its foliage is able not only to protect from the sun's rays, but also to shelter from the rain. You can place other plants next to it, they will look great at the same time.
Flowerbeds and flower beds
Flowers serve as the main decoration of the cottage. They delight us with their colors from early spring to late autumn. And what could be more pleasant and exciting than making a flower bed with your own hands, choosing seeds, planting flowers. All this beauty with your own hands is not so difficult. If we stopped at the flower beds, we need to think about where they will be located, what shape and size they will be.
More often, annual plants are planted in a flower bed and less often perennials. In the country, regular flower beds are rarely used, on which you need to carefully work, plant certain types of flowers in a strict order so as not to disturb the pattern. An irregular club does not require such scrupulous preparation, but it is no less pleasing to the eye. Different types of flowers can coexist here, including those that bloom at different times.
Someone prefers to plant only roses in the yard, but of different varieties, which also looks very beautiful.
Flower beds can be arranged in different ways, depending on the area of \u200b\u200bthe site and your desires. If you want to delimit the space or make some accents, you can arrange discounts or mixborders.
Rabatka - a flower garden in the form of a ribbon, which can be launched, for example, along a garden path. More often, several types of plants are selected and planted in stripes or in the form of geometric shapes.
A mixborder can contain many different species at the same time in any order, blooming at different times.
Flower borders are also used. They can protect any area, this will give a finished look to the composition.
Rockeries are becoming more and more popular. With the help of stones, small shrubs and flowers, you can create very beautiful compositions that will look natural and stylish. If possible, it's a good idea to place a small stream or even a waterfall there.
It is not necessary to create a front garden or rose garden in the country. If the place is not so much, it is quite possible to plant flowers in containers or place a planter near the house. They will not take up much space, but they will enliven the local area. Moreover, absolutely any things can be used as containers, as your fantasy tells you.
Now many gardeners use perennials such as hostas on their plots. This plant has large beautiful leaves that look very impressive. You just need to consider that they love moisture and shade. You need to choose a place for them carefully, since the plant does not require a transplant for twenty years. And if you have chosen the right place, no special care is required. For many species, it is enough to receive the sun's rays for two hours a day.
There is only one caveat: the more colorful and brighter the hosta leaves, the more sun it needs.
Lawns
Another decoration of the site will be a lawn. In order to properly equip it, you need to be well prepared. First, we calculate the area in order to determine how much seeds and fertilizers we need. And, of course, we will need a rake, a shovel, a seeder, a lawn mower, a rammer with a wide base.
We dig the site, fertilize, level well, compact. All this is done to ensure that the lawn was perfectly flat. Next, we distribute the seeds evenly over the site, preferably with a seeder. At the end of the work, the site must be covered with geofabric until the first shoots.
The lawn field needs to be watered and mowed as soon as the grass grows more than ten centimeters.
Trees
It is good if there is a place in the country house for both fruit trees and decorative ones.
If we want to collect ripe tasty fruits and get vitamins, we need to take into account all the nuances. Which fruit trees to plant, you will decide depending on your preferences, but when buying seedlings, be sure to specify what kind of care an apricot or peach, apple or pear tree needs.
Coniferous trees will make a decorative component in the design of the site. This is the best option. In addition to the fact that these species are distinguished by their beauty, they will delight you with greenery in winter. Of these, you can create a hedge that will give you the desired shade in the heat.
Their assortment is amazing, but pine, spruce, thuja, juniper have become the most beloved among many. If you are going to create compositions from thuja, study this tree well, since there are many of its species, one differs from the other both in size and in the shape of the crown. The choice will depend on what effect you want.
Ennoble with shrubs
Some do not imagine summer cottages without cucumbers and apple trees, others seek to ennoble their summer cottage with the help of ornamental shrubs. And it is right. After all, nothing pleases us so much in spring and summer as the greenery and the aroma of their flowers.
Now the choice of shrubs is very large. Barberry surprises with its color range. Depending on the variety, it can be green, yellow, purple, purple. Many people like fieldfare due to the fact that the leaves change color depending on the month. At first, the pinkish hue turns into green, and by autumn it becomes golden. The enchanting aroma gives lilac, and the variety of species allows you to choose the one that you like best.
Without exception, gardeners want flowering shrubs to please the eye even in cold weather. Frost-resistant perennials include berry yew, deren, juniper, viburnum.
Fruit bushes can not only benefit, but also become a decoration of the garden. A hedge of gooseberries, raspberries, currants will look good. Sea buckthorn and wild rose will look especially advantageous with their bright berries.
Since perennials will delight you for more than one year, you need to carefully choose the place where they will grow. Shade-loving people should not be placed in sunny glades, and those who need light should not be in the shade. Those who are contraindicated in the wind must be protected by planting next to coniferous trees.
When creating compositions, consider which month each shrub blooms, so that all plants do not bloom at the same time, but delight you in spring, summer and autumn, gaining color one after another.
fences
Now more and more you can find high metal or stone fences, even in summer cottages. Maybe they serve as reliable protection, but it’s definitely impossible to say that they decorate the house. Meanwhile, there are many ways to protect your site in such a way that it will fit into the overall style and become part of the design.
Build a wooden fence for everyone who knows how to hold a hammer and a hacksaw in his hands. It is enough to show a little imagination, and your fence will become the highlight of your site. You can, for example, using bright colors, paint it in different colors.
If a picket fence is chosen, you can sharpen the upper parts and decorate. Such a cheerful fence of "colored pencils" will look original. Concrete blocks can be decorated using textured plaster, resulting in a feeling of stone or brickwork.
Nothing decorates a summer cottage like a hedge. When decorating it, cut off the crown of shrubs and trees to get the desired shape. You can make a hedge from different trees and shrubs, depending on what height you need. If more than one and a half meters, thuja, juniper, spruce, cherry plum will do. For medium height, use honeysuckle or lilac. If the function of the fence is only to delimit zones, you can plant currants, barberries, boxwood.
The hedge, decorated with climbing plants, also looks very nice. This is easy to do, just plant any vines nearby.
Currently, more and more fences are made of corrugated board. By themselves, they look boring. But you can also decorate them, for example, using airbrushing or using stencils. If you have artistic ability, you can draw pictures yourself. If you use special high-quality paints, the fence will serve you for a long time.
reservoirs
Over the arrangement of any reservoir in the country, whether it be a fountain, a stream or a pond, you will have to work hard. But if you study the theory well, then it is possible to put your knowledge into practice.
But first we need to find the place where our building will look harmonious. A good place - near the gazebo, terrace, in the depths of the garden - where you can relax and admire the fruits of your labor.
The design of the reservoir should be combined with the overall style. If you have chosen Japanese, then stones of different sizes and conifers will become decoration for your pond.
On an open lawn next to the flower beds, a round pond will look harmonious.
Choose a place for a reservoir so that the sun's rays fall on it for five to six hours a day.
The size depends on the area of your site and how much space you have other buildings and plantings. If you plan to launch fish into the pond, its depth should be at least one and a half meters. You can simplify your task and buy a ready-made tank designed specifically for this purpose.
At the summer cottage, you can build a stream, but for this you will need a pump. It is thanks to him that the artificial movement of water will be carried out. First you need to dig a ditch, tamp the ground well, and then cover it with foil or concrete. In addition, a groove is dug where the hose will be located. You can purchase special equipment that is designed for arranging reservoirs. This will simplify the task of building a pond or stream.
The final stage will be the design of the bottom and the coastal zone. At the bottom you need to lay larger stones and small pebbles. You can also decorate the shore with stones and plant plants that love moisture. Suitable ferns, bergenia, juniper, swamp iris.
Tracks
No matter how much effort, time and money you invest in the arrangement of your dacha, its design will not look complete without the design of garden paths. With them, the site looks well-groomed. In addition, they are needed for convenience, and it does not matter what the path is made of - from simple squares of concrete or expensive paving slabs.
Paths made of natural stone look expensive and stylish. They will last a very long time. Warmth and homeliness emanates from the wooden paths. But in order for them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, you need to cover them with varnish or special impregnation.
Brick paths will also look very harmonious, especially if you have a brick house. It is necessary to use the sidewalk, and not the one that is intended for the construction of a dwelling.
Paving stones allow you to experiment, you can create patterns from it. This path will only be yours. Gravel paths will look great in the depths of the garden, near ponds, flower beds.
It is not difficult to make concrete paths by buying slabs of this material in hardware stores.
And you can make concrete tiles using forms - it can be triangles, squares, and rhombuses.
Lighting
The final touch of coziness, comfort and individuality of your site is lighting. Lanterns at the gate, at the entrance to the house and on the veranda are not only decoration, but functional lighting. Walking along the garden paths is more pleasant if they are lit. The light by the pond will add some mystery to your garden at night. You can also experiment with lighting design, as well as with other design elements, and then you will be able to achieve the uniqueness of your little piece of paradise.
Festive lighting gives scope for imagination. You can decorate trees, windows, figurines. These days, the garden can easily be turned into a magical forest.
Garden and garden decoration
You can decorate in an original and tasteful way not only the garden, but also the garden. At the same time, of course, it is important to correctly distribute where and what will grow.
Arranging a garden can captivate you no less than garden landscape design. After all, it is not necessary to dig up the usual boring beds for growing vegetables. There are many opportunities to decorate them beautifully and in an original way.
Imagine the beds in the form of geometric shapes. Cabbage will show off in a square, tomatoes will settle in triangles, and cucumbers in rhombuses. Even caring for vegetables will be easier and more enjoyable.
The garden will sparkle with new colors if you plant flowers next to the vegetables around the perimeter - marigolds, nasturtium, marigolds. You can arrange low hedges no more than thirty centimeters high, the effect will be simply amazing.
Even just painting the boards that fence the beds is a simple matter. And the colors - orange, blue, green, yellow - will create your mood.
You can plant vegetables in containers. Such mini-gardens will decorate your site. You can put mint, parsley, rosemary, cumin, dill, strawberries, cherry tomatoes and small peppers in them. Your guests will definitely appreciate your creative approach to decorating the garden.
Landscaping of a personal plot or a private courtyard is not just the ability to transform the area around the house, it is a real art of creating beauty and harmony of your “I” with the surrounding nature. Only at first glance, everything is simple - I planted several fruitful trees on the site, a couple of bushes near the entrance, broke a flower bed and covered the rest of the space with a lawn. But what to do if such a scenario does not meet your requirements of the aesthetic side of the issue. If in your dreams you saw a well-groomed summer cottage or a small backyard where you can relax in a hammock in the fresh air or dine with the whole family in a cozy gazebo, or maybe read a book near a small pond?
How to equip the territory near a country house or private household, so that the owners would be pleased to look at the fruits of their labors, and there would be something to surprise guests with? We hope that our selection of interesting landscape design projects, created for sites of various sizes and shapes, territorial location and practical purpose, will help you be inspired to "garden" exploits on your own site.
We plan the design of the territory near the house
After a dusty and noisy city, it is so nice to plunge into an oasis of greenery and freshness, which is located in your own backyard of a private household, or go to the country house on the weekend and plunge into the world of incredible closeness to nature. But in any case, it will be necessary to work hard to create not only a green, flowering space, but also a practical place for relaxing with the whole family and in the company of friends and acquaintances.
Before you start planning landscape design on your territory, you will have to work on paper or in a special planner program:
- mark the exact size and shape of the site;
- mark existing buildings on the plan (house, garage, etc.);
- mark the buildings that you would like to build (put absolutely everything on the plan - from a doghouse to a gazebo), even if it seems that the building is small and there is always a place for it, it is better to take everything into account at once, there is always not enough space, no matter how much it is was;
- divide the entire plot into segments - squares, in each of which one or another design element will be located (this way it will be easier for you to evenly distribute all the landscape elements, especially if the plot is large);
- mark all perennials that are already growing on the site and plan to plant new ones (remember the distance between trees and relative to buildings and structures);
- mark on the plan the location of engineering systems (irrigation and water supply of ponds, fountains and cascades, lighting), perhaps at this stage you will need expert advice.
Next, it is necessary to carry out "reconnaissance on the ground" - to find out the features of the soil and the flow of groundwater (if any), identify places of stagnant water and carry out drainage if necessary. You also need to decide on the level of hilliness of the site and find out if you want to level the soil or leave the pristine landscape of the private area.
Choosing a color palette for landscape design
A skillfully chosen color palette of landscape design can transform and make unique even the simplest and low-budget project. But for such a harmonious appearance of your summer cottage or garden plot, you need to take into account the color scheme of the elements, which can be conditionally divided into the following groups:
Elements of the natural landscape. These are shrubs, trees and other plants, mounds and stones, ponds and paths that were created by nature itself. Whatever you decide to leave to make your landscaping more natural will influence the color palette of the area. It is important to consider that natural shades will change depending on the time of year and the climate of your location.
Architecture items. This is, first of all, the main building of the house and extensions to it - a garage, a veranda, a terrace, a bathhouse, a greenhouse. As well as bridges, gazebos, sheds and other buildings. The facade of the building and the elements of all buildings should be in a harmonious color combination. This does not mean that it is necessary to paint all buildings in one color. Perhaps some building on your site is destined to become an accent spot, stand out from the general background and take on the role of a focal point. But most often it is the house that becomes the focal point, around which the whole concept of decorating the adjacent territory is built.
Objects of social and decorative landscape. This group includes all plantings, reservoirs, rock gardens and flower beds that were created by the hands of the designer or the owners of the site. In this case, the possibilities of manipulation with shades and halftones are endless, with the help of flowering plants you can create a unique colorful "carpet" of plantations that will change the entire warm season (usually from April to October in our country). Finally, entire avenues of evergreens can be used to ensure consistent color dominance in your yard or backyard.
Other design elements of the site. These include garden paths and platforms, decks and platforms, sculptures, hammocks and swings. All these elements leave their mark on the overall range of the territory near your summer cottage or private home. In matters of creating a certain mood in landscape design, it is the color palette that plays a key role. With the help of color combinations, you can mask the imperfections of the territory, visually enlarge the space or give it a certain shape, without resorting to drastic actions.
Recreation area with barbecue or hearth
Most of our compatriots who have become happy owners of a summer cottage or decided to improve the courtyard of a private household decide, first of all, to organize a place for barbecue and barbecue. For some, it is enough to build a brazier and put a couple of garden chairs, for others, a capital canopy with a dining group near the outdoor stove and a soft area made up of garden chairs and sofas are needed. How many owners of private houses - so many opinions. But we are sure that from the proposed options for organizing a place for relaxing cooking on fire, you can find an inspiring project.
Barbecue equipment can be installed under a canopy on a wooden deck. But for a barbecue or a Russian stove, a separate area is needed, preferably on a site paved with stone or clinker bricks. For the convenience of the process of cooking on fire next to the barbecue, it is better to place a couple of chairs and a small table. The choice of material for garden furniture is now great - plastic, wood, rattan, metal and their combinations. Plastic furniture is the cheapest. But also practical. Wicker products made of natural rattan look very respectable and even festive, but their price is high. Based on your financial capabilities and the planned frequency of use of furniture for outdoor gatherings.
Even in a small yard, you can compactly, but at the same time safely place the necessary attributes for cooking on fire. It would be most logical to place a small dining group here so that you can dine in the fresh air, tasting freshly prepared dishes.
If we talk about an open hearth, then, as a rule, it is performed in a round shape. Again, the circle becomes the logical design of the recreation area near it. The harmonious and compact form of the recreation area not only fulfills the functionality assigned to it, but is also able to decorate any backyard or private courtyard.
The capital structure of a garden kitchen under a canopy and an outdoor fireplace adjoining it requires a lot of effort and financial investment. But the cost of such a project is quickly amortized, given how often everyone wants to cook and eat outdoors.
Outdoor Dining
A wonderful opportunity to dine with the whole family on the street or arrange an open-air dinner party should not be missed. Moreover, this does not require so much effort. Of course, it will be necessary to purchase a dining group for the street (choose light but durable options for tables, chairs or armchairs, it is better to take folding or easily assembled one into one if placed vertically). It will be easier for you if your dining area is mobile enough, because for the winter or just in bad weather you will need to remove the furniture under a canopy or bring it into the room.
It is better to install a table and chairs for outdoor dining on a stone-paved or any other tile area. This way you can provide sufficient stability for the furniture and at the same time prevent metal garden furniture, for example, from sinking into the ground.
If you choose a table with a hole for installing an umbrella (there are enough such models among garden furniture), you can provide your family with the opportunity to eat outside on a hot sunny day.
Also, an umbrella for protection from the sun can be installed, if necessary, next to the outdoor dining table. But remember about the weighting agents for the stability of the structure during the wind.
The canopy looks incredibly beautiful, the frame of which is made of wood, and climbing plants play the role of an awning. Any food at such a table will be tastier from the romantic and pleasant atmosphere created by man together with nature.
Garden paths and lawns
It is the combination of garden paths with a lawn (if there is one on your site) that forms the pattern of landscape design. Paths not only provide free movement around the territory of your yard or garden plot, but also form certain segments of the landscape.
Someone likes a clear geometry in the location of the paths, for others it is more pleasant to look and walk along the winding stone paths that go around certain landscape design objects of the site. Paths can be paved from various materials - paving stones, stone, clinker or ordinary bricks, fine gravel and decorative gravel. Tracks made of combined material look beautiful and practical. For example, you place large stone slabs along the path of a garden path, and fill the space around it with fine gravel.
Another way to make original, but at the same time incredibly functional paths is to fill the space around the concrete slabs with small pebbles. Against the backdrop of a green, perfectly trimmed lawn, such paths look amazing, create an orderly and harmonious environment in the local area.
Currently, it is easy to purchase a ready-made lawn for your site, it will be brought in rolls and spread on your territory with an individual fit to the curves of its shape. But you can act "the old fashioned way" and sow a cleared area for a lawn, wait for seedlings and cut it, depending on your preferences. But in this case, it is important to say right away that no one can achieve the ideal seedling density the first time, you have to sow the grass in bald spots and track the new growth. In any case, you will need timely watering of the lawn (think over the irrigation system in advance) and regular mowing (lawn mowers can also be rented, but purchasing a garden unit is more rational and profitable).
When no borders are visible between the lawn and extensive plantings in the flower beds, an incredibly harmonious and natural atmosphere is created in the yard or on the site. In a festive green attire, your yard will delight the eye, and give the owners the opportunity to take a break from the concrete and glass structures of the big city.
Artificial reservoirs as an element of landscape design
To make the atmosphere of your summer cottage or a small courtyard more harmonious, use water in any of its manifestations. Pools, small ponds or just bowls of water that flow continuously are ideal for creating a calming and relaxing environment.
Not a single oriental landscape design is complete without the use of a natural or artificial reservoir, and Asians know a lot about creating a peaceful and balanced atmosphere.
What could be better than having the opportunity to plunge into the cool waters of the pool located on the adjacent territory on a hot summer day? Of course, to organize a pool on your site, it will be necessary to involve specialists and even heavy construction equipment. But all the costs (time, effort, energy and financial resources) will pay off with the incredible opportunity of owning your own mini-reservoir in your backyard or in the courtyard of a private house.
A place to relax on a site with a soft zone
Having the opportunity to relax in the bosom of nature, I would like to do it with maximum comfort - in the shade of trees or an awning, on soft sofas or armchairs. You can equip such a platform both on a wooden deck or platform, and on a platform paved with stone or concrete.
If we talk about upholstered furniture for outdoor use, then it is more practical to use rattan or any other wicker furniture with removable upholstered seats and backs. Usually, the textiles of the upholstery of such pillows are easy to clean with a damp sponge, or the covers are removable and washable in a washing machine.
How to furnish a small yard or a small backyard
If you are very limited in the area of \u200b\u200bthe site, then it will be necessary, first of all, to prioritize and decide what is most important for you - to be able to relax in the shade of trees, dine with the whole family in the open air, or equip a barbecue and barbecue area. Or maybe you need a place for a playground or the possibility of walking a pet?
No matter how you distribute the segments of outdoor recreation that are important for you, you cannot do without fencing your territory. To brighten up the look of a boring fence, plant climbing plants or low trees near it, which will create a natural atmosphere. In such an environment, you can at least for a while forget about the noisy city outside your backyard.
But what if your backyard is just a piece of land that you have converted into a wooden deck? Or you don’t even have a backyard, but there is free space on the roof. There is a way out of any situation. The following few images of design projects for arranging such mini-segments for outdoor recreation are proof of this.
Nowadays, a modern summer cottage is not only a place of spiritual unity with the surrounding nature, but also an environment for maximum physical and emotional comfort. Your full rest depends on the harmonious combination of objects located in the country.
Long gone are the days when a country cottage was a place for growing vegetables and fruits. Then people did not even think about the special exterior of the site, its ennoblement and decor.
See also here how to decorate the yard with your own hands with photo and video instructions from the pros!
Remember, after all, some 10-15 years ago, the most striking impression from visiting the dacha was several flower beds or weaving branches of grapes along the fence. But today this place is becoming a truly paradise, for which designers and builders are involved.
In our article, we will tell you some of the best and amazing ideas for decorating a landscape area with your own hands from improvised means, without spending fabulous money.
Tips from experts on the design of summer cottages
First, you should immediately understand your taste preferences in style. Secondly, it is necessary to take into account your time and financial possibilities.
And most importantly, it is important to create the most comfortable nest for a good rest of the soul and body, without resorting to too pretentious and complex designs.
In working on the creative design of your dacha, you can use the following simple and almost free things:
- used car tires;
- plastic bottles of different sizes and colors, bowls, buckets;
- ropes or ropes, wire, mesh;
- ownerless polypropylene pipes;
- old unwanted shoes;
- all kinds of wooden boxes;
- different-sized containers, tanks;
- dishes: mugs, teapots, beautiful plates;
- non-working old bicycles;
- unused building materials.
Ideas for site design
You will be surprised, but many handmade figures or figurines are not only unique and one of a kind, but also extremely attractive. One example is frogs made from mounting foam or swans made from plaster.
You may have noticed the abundance of figures made from old car tires. What they didn’t do: from ordinary fences to exquisite firebirds!
The main brightness is added to the transformation of tires by the use of special paints, which make real masterpieces from incomprehensible black rubber statues.
On the Internet today there is an abundance of photos of the beautiful design of the site: these are rubber parrots or pigs, palm trees from bottles, etc.
DIY artificial pond
In your country house, you can build a fountain or an artificial pond with your own hands, and this will be an excellent solution for an attractive exterior of the site. The fountain container itself can be easily made from an unnecessary boat or a large tank, and the bottom of the pond is lined with gravel and sand, on top of which a tarpaulin is applied in several layers.
At the end, simply fill with water, and it remains only to decorate in accordance with the wishes and tastes. Along the perimeter of the reservoir, flower vases or simply planted flower beds will look harmonious.
Country paths
Let's think about whether we need trails or paths in the country? Undoubtedly needed! When it rains, you are unlikely to enjoy running into dirty puddles with mud into the house. To do this, we recommend making aesthetic passages that are installed near the objects you need (toilet, garage, veranda).
To implement this idea, not much is needed: large sea stones, unnecessary bricks, small pebbles, non-sharp bottle glasses.
And imagine how beautiful such a country path will look, along which small flower beds of various colors are planted.
We strongly recommend that you place a simple bird feeder in your summer cottage, which will not only be a benefit for singing sonorous birds, but also a joy for children. A "refectory" place for birds can be made from the simplest plastic bottles or wooden boxes.
Note!
Modern landscape design is not only an opportunity to decorate our summer cottages, but also allows us to develop our imagination in order to achieve the goal of getting a comfortable rest for body and soul. Many ideas can help you create a piece of paradise that you want to return to again and again.
Photo of the process of decorating a summer cottage with your own hands
Note!
Note!
Gone are the days when everyone in the summer cottage was engaged in beds and fruit trees, but did not think about the decor. Once upon a time, unpretentious flowers along the fence or a small flower bed were the best decoration of the courtyard. Today, the dacha is becoming a place of country recreation, and many owners hire a landscape design specialist. But if the hands are in place and there are a few worthwhile ideas, no big expenses are needed. The original design of a summer cottage with their own hands is made from improvised materials, which are in abundance in every garage, on mezzanines, balconies or in pantries.
Do-it-yourself cottage decoration
Mill in a country house made of stones
Decorating a flower bed with a tree
The main advantage of homemade country decor is that it is possible to attach everything that it was a pity to throw away. Every thrifty owner of the house in the garage and on the balcony, mezzanine and in the pantry has many years of deposits of all kinds of good, which will soon become an adornment of the landscape.
Do-it-yourself dacha design can be adapted to many items that have served the main period:
- bald car tires;
- plastic bottles, containers and containers;
- ropes, tarpaulin, burlap, camouflage net;
- trimming boards and thin saw cuts of wood;
- unnecessary plastic pipes;
- thick wire, chain-link mesh, metal scraps;
- old shoes and sports equipment;
- plywood boxes and wooden packaging;
- empty barrels and other containers;
- leaky teapots, bowls, pots;
- unnecessary carts and bicycles;
- old plastic and wooden furniture;
- remnants of building materials and mounting foam.
First of all, you need to evaluate the "reserves" in order to distribute them for arranging the cottage as needed. Some of the materials will go to the manufacture of fully functional devices.
In any yard, "Moidodyr" (washbasin) in the barbecue or barbecue area and a swing sofa in the shade of the garden under a tarpaulin canopy will be useful. From other old things, make flower stands and planters, all kinds of original garden decorations with your own hands.
The head of a boar from a pile of earth in the country
flower bed decoration
You will need a detailed site plan for competent zoning and marking. Even in a small courtyard of a country house or in a country garden, it is necessary to distribute functional zones that delimit:
- borders;
- sides from plastic bottles;
- hedges;
- decorative masonry;
- original fences.
A well-maintained estate does not require redevelopment, you only need creative design ideas for giving. On the new site, places for a comfortable pastime are being determined:
- hearth for outdoor cooking;
- children's playground with a decorative sandbox;
- gazebos, benches, swings;
- parking under a canopy for cars, motorcycles or bicycles;
- playground for a children's pool;
- decorative beds, flower beds, flower beds and alpine slides.
Working on a country design with your own hands, it is possible to realize old dreams and plans of the whole family. Free areas can be covered with small pebbles, sow lawn grass, undersized border plants and flowers, as in the photo.
Arbor in the country with their own hands
Flower bed in the country
DIY border in the country
garden paths
Arguments about whether paths are needed in the country last until the first downpour. In some regions, the soil is so viscous that you can’t pull your feet out of the mud - it sticks to your shoes in a heavy lump. The only way out is to provide aesthetic paved passages between summer cottages.
Paths made of different materials will help to decorate the cottage with your own hands:
- bricks or foam blocks;
- cutting boards and round cuts;
- sea pebbles and wild stone;
- compacted fine gravel and sand;
- homemade paving slabs;
- marble chips and other bulk materials of small fractions;
- concrete paths with mosaic masonry of broken glass and ceramic tiles.
The country alley leading to the garden will be functional and attractive in itself, when there are original borders or rows of annual flowers on the sides. But the original idea of \u200b\u200blaying will make it a real decoration of the garden with your own hands from improvised materials.
Decorating the dacha with plants
Flower beds in the country
A paved path can be below ground level or slightly elevated, have a flat or slightly convex surface. Alleys will last for many years if done according to all the rules.
A shallow trench is needed, which is marked and fixed along the rope between the driven pegs. This is the only way to make the track the same width.
The bottom of the trench is compacted with gravel and sand, regardless of the type of paving material.
Next, you need to organize formwork for concrete with filler or sides for large blocks. As decorative sides, low log pegs, rows of glass or plastic bottles of the same size dug upside down are suitable.
Sandbox with flowers
Flowers in pots in the country
Flowerbed of stones in the country
Between the formwork, the compacted trench is filled with a concrete base for recessed finishing materials. Between the tiles of the mosaic path, you need to carefully fill the seams.
Alleys made of bricks, blocks and solid tiles (without cement mix) are sprinkled with sand at the seams.
When laying tiles or bricks on sand, use a rubber or wooden mallet to fit and level.
The horizontal is adjusted by the building level.
If the site is in a lowland, be sure to organize drainage, otherwise the alleles during a downpour can turn into gutters. The situation will be saved by a shallow drainage ditch parallel to the garden path, paved with ceramic fragments or filled with cement.
Design ideas for giving will be embodied in the best way if all stages of the construction of the path and its decor are done slowly and efficiently, observing the laying technology. The easiest way is to use ready-made trellis templates for home-made tracks made of cement with filler, as in the photo. The template is rearranged step by step along the prepared trench with a “cushion of sand and gravel, filling in with the base material.
Forms for paving slabs and "euro-fence" of various sizes and shapes are on sale. You can organize a whole production for a summer cottage or start your own business.
Landscaping the border in the country
DIY border in the country
Decorative hedges, fences and borders
According to the technology described in the previous section, decorative bumpers are made to strengthen the levels of a summer cottage under a slope and the walls of a cascading flower bed. The palisade method is also suitable as a decorative hedge.
The edge of the low side can also be used as paths between flower beds and sandboxes. Children love to run along the rows of dug-in "stumps".
Hedges are a great way to save on do-it-yourself zoning of a summer cottage. Suitable shrubs for pruning, ordinary or standard roses in the form of a tree. Undersized border roses are planted between them, you get a two-row flower wall.
The simplest side is made from plastic bottles. Containers of the same color are filled with sand, gravel or soil. In a small trench, the bottles are dug up to half and covered with earth or stone chips. They can be empty, but they stay filled with something longer.
Attention! Plastic bottles cannot be filled with water - lenses form under the sun's rays that burn out nearby plants. Even a fire is possible.
DIY flowerbed
Stone castle in the country
Do-it-yourself brazier made of stones in the country house
Floral arches and climbing pergolas
Climbing roses and other climbing flowers are a great way to decorate a homemade country gazebo or arch from improvised materials. As a basis, a metal bar, corner or channel is suitable, which can be assembled into a structure with a welding machine or twisted with bolts.
Ready-made supports for arches must be securely fixed in the ground. Do-it-yourself dug pits with columns for country decor are well tamped with rubble and sand, after which they are cemented and covered with stone chips. On the top of such a gallery, depending on the climatic features of the region, grapes or fragrant flowers can creep.
In a hot climate, it is better to make a covered gallery. Remains of light-transmitting roofing materials are also suitable. Sheds along decorative paths can only be on the south side, but slanted to give more shade. A wire trellis is stretched between the pillars, where the plants will curl. The most economical way is to grow cucumbers, ornamental beans or pumpkins along the arch.
Flower lovers can decorate the cottage with their own hands from improvised materials in different ways. They make vertical flower beds in holes from wide plastic pipes, wooden or openwork metal shelves for pots, as in the photo.
Flowerbed of stones in the country
Do-it-yourself cottage decoration
Garden sculptures and decor from improvised means
Do-it-yourself garden design from improvised materials is mainly associated with such materials:
- car tires (bald tires);
- templates from plywood scraps, from which it is easy to make the missing elements for the "smiling characters" of the country decor;
- plastic containers;
- ceramic flower pots;
- unnecessary shoes;
- metal and wooden barrels, etc.
Some homemade garden sculptures are so good that they can compete with real masterpieces. For example, polyurethane foam frogs or plaster swans.
But most of the role models are made from car tires - threaded and inverted. Acrylic paints will transform any material to make recognizable characters for do-it-yourself country design. Depending on the skill and style of decorating the garden and patio, you can choose any idea. This is what swans and parrots look like from rubber, palm trees from plastic bottles.
Making a flower bed with snails with your own hands
Making a cottage with improvised materials
Table and chairs made of stumps in the country
Original flower beds and mini-flower beds
Mini-flower beds with succulents and cacti (other small plants) inside large shells look original. Equally interesting to many will be the idea of using shoes as flower pots or old hats on the wall.
Small containers are suitable for succulents and indoor plants exposed for the summer in the open air. But before you decorate the cottage with your own hands, keep in mind that they will have to be brought into the house during a downpour, hail and gusty winds. It is better to make original forms and planters stationary, and insert flower pots for the season or upon arrival at the dacha on weekends.
Traditionally broken down vehicles are used as original DIY garden ornaments. Carts and bicycles, large parts of the car body are suitable for a small flower garden. Musical instruments are also suitable. Creative idea - a piano with flowers and a waterfall.
Fountain, artificial pond
A mini-reservoir is an excellent solution for decorating a summer cottage with your own hands. A small tank can be equipped from improvised means:
- old rubber boat;
- a large metal barrel;
- excavator bucket;
- tub;
- cistern cut.
The bottom of a homemade pond is made in a small pit, with a compacted pillow of gravel and sand. From above they are lined with a tarpaulin and a dense film in 2-3 layers, the edges are fixed with stones in the form of bumpers. It remains to fill with water and decorate with pivot plants.
Advice. To maintain the ecological balance, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the water, which is periodically drained or circulated. The fountain needs a pump and a filter. To complete the design of the "lake", add homemade frogs, a swan or a crocodile.
Flower beds in the country with flowers
DIY flower bed in the country
Landscaping with playground
So that children do not get bored in the country, and they do not take time while working in the garden and in the beds, there is a solution - a playground with a sandbox and funny home-made figures.
An important condition is that the place for children's games should be clearly visible from different angles of the summer cottage in order to observe what is happening.
Sandbox sides are easy to build from improvised means:
- log palisade;
- painted boards;
- wide wooden box;
- big tire etc.
In any type of sandbox, children need space to sit and lay out the molds. A country children's corner can be fenced off from neighbors with a fence in the form of pencils or decorated with other home-made decor - paints to help!
If there is enough space, you can build a more interesting sandbox on the site - in the form of a ship, car or tower. Somewhere nearby, you can build a tree house with rope ladders and a slide for descending into the sandbox or a tent camp from old bedspreads. Stretch the ropes between the trees, give them clothespins and cloth, they will gladly build houses for themselves.
Original garden furniture
The fantasy of craftsmen is limitless - from plastic bottles, awning materials and wood waste they make garden furniture on the verge of masterpieces. After trimming the garden and removing dead wood, there is a lot of material left that is easy to attach to make:
- armchairs;
- swing;
- rocking chairs;
- tables and stands.
For comfort, soft seats are made, and natural-shaped material goes to the sidewalls and the frame of the products. It is very convenient to use ready-made pallets or pallets as the basis for a sofa or a corner under a canopy. Puffs and banquettes, tables and chairs are made from plastic bottles. There is time and experience - make a whole sofa for the dacha from plastic bottles, but you will need a lot of containers of the same shape and volume. A cover or cape for a homemade sofa is sewn from old curtains.
More original ideas will be suggested by photos from our gallery.
Video: How to make a beautiful summer cottage with your own hands
