The easiest way to decorate a summer cottage is to plant flowers. Ornamental garden crops can diversify the landscape design of a suburban area and in most cases do not take too much time in terms of care.
Single flowers cannot create on a site of special beauty. Such plants are planted mainly in groups in different combinations and layout. Such compositions are called flower beds. At the dacha, flower beds can be set up in the yard, next to small architectural forms, benches, green lawns.
The main varieties of landings
Flower gardens in suburban areas can have a simple or complex shape, created using different decorative cultures. However, country flower beds are mainly classified into two main types:
- with annual flowers;
- with perennial.
Both varieties of flower beds can look spectacular on a summer cottage with the right approach to business.
One-year ornamental planting
The main advantage of flower beds of this type is that they give the owners of the cottage the opportunity to diversify the landscape design of their site. Indeed, when using annual plants, the design of flower beds can be changed annually. Yes, and such a flower garden in the country will not be difficult to move to another place for next season.
It is on annual flowerbeds that beginners in landscape design usually train their strength. If for some reason flower beds suddenly turn out to be unsuccessful, the next year you can simply start all over again.
The advantage of annual flower beds, among other things, in most cases is undemanding care. There are just a huge number of varieties and varieties of decorative cultures of this group today.
Perennial flower beds
Decorative planting of this variety is also very popular among summer residents. Having broken a long-standing flowerbed on the site, flower lovers are exempted from the need for annual planting. This is what is considered the main advantage of such decorative flower beds.
The flower beds of this variety are usually broken by experienced gardeners on their plots, having got their hand in a summer cottage design. It is necessary to select plants for such plantings as carefully as possible. After all, changing something on such a flower bed in the future will be quite difficult.
In care, perennial flower beds are often even more unpretentious than annual flower beds. In any case, such flower beds rarely present various kinds of “surprises” to gardeners in terms of diseases, loss of decorative qualities, etc. After all, for several years of the existence of such a flower garden, gardeners usually gain extensive experience in growing several varieties of decorative crops that were once chosen for it.
Which flower garden to break
When deciding which flower bed to plant on a site, you should first determine:
- with the type of flower garden by design;
- with a view of the flowerbed by the method of planting;
- with arrangement of flowers;
- with color scheme.
You will also need to choose the most suitable place for the flowerbed on the site, carefully prepare the soil for planting decorative crops and subsequently properly care for the flowers growing in the yard or in the garden.
Design Views
Both with the use of perennials and annuals, flower beds of a very different layout, shape and design can be created in summer cottages. However, the most popular varieties of flower beds are:
- Traditional flower beds. Such flower beds can have a round, rhomboid, oval or rectangular shape. But they are always sown with decorative crops with different flowering periods. During the season, spring, early and late summer, and then autumn plants alternately bloom in such plantings. Many gardeners prefer to break just such flower beds in the cottages. A photo of a beautiful flowerbed of this species can be seen below.
- Regular flower beds. In this case, plants blooming at the same time are planted on the flowerbed. In this case, the filling of the flower garden is selected so that it looks as impressive as possible.
Also very popular among gardeners are carpet decorative planting. Below you can see a photo of a blooming flower bed-flowerbed at the cottage of this particular variety.
Types of planting methods
In this regard, there are flower beds:
- vertical
- ring;
- mono-flower beds;
- alpine slides;
- borders
- flowerpots.
The flower beds of the first variety are used to decorate vertical surfaces. This can be, for example, walls of verandas or houses, fences, pillars, etc. Ring flower beds are broken around various kinds of small buildings or small architectural forms - arbors, fountains, recreation areas, etc.
Mono-flower beds are ordinary, separately located continuous landings. Alpine hills are small hills, dotted mainly with low flowers of various species.
Borders are used to frame lawns, garden paths, playgrounds, etc. Flowerpots are specific flower beds that are installed where it is not possible to break a real flowerbed, for example, in tiled courtyards, inside arbors and verandas.
How to combine plants by shades
Of course, when making flower beds and flower beds in the country with your own hands, it is important to determine not only their shape, size and variety. Very responsibly you need to approach the choice of colors for decorative planting. In this regard, there are three main varieties of flower beds:
- plain;
- with plants of several flowers that combine well with each other;
- variegated.
On the flower beds of the first type, decorative cultures are planted only in cold or only warm colors. For example, combinations of blue, violet and blue, or yellow, orange and red look very beautiful in such landings.
Plants for flower beds of the second variety are usually chosen especially carefully. It is believed that the most advantageous combinations in such landings are:
- green with red;
- orange with purple;
- blue with white or yellow;
- blue with orange.
In variegated flower beds, absolutely any decorative culture, even the most inconsistent shades, can be planted. In order to somewhat smooth out the randomness and disharmony that arises in such plantings, the plants in this case are simply slightly “diluted” with some white or not too catchy flowers.
Proper plant layout
In addition to choosing a color scheme, when breaking down the flower beds, one should also determine the location of decorative cultures on it, as well as their variety. In one flower garden in the country, it is imperative to plant plants with the same requirements in terms of soil composition, illumination and watering.
Choosing the location of crops on the flowerbed, you need to be guided by the following rules:
- in unilateral flower beds, tall plants are placed in the background, low ones in the foreground;
- in bilateral and round flower beds, tall plants are planted in the center, low - closer to the edges;
- the height of decorative crops in the center of the flower bed should not be more than 1/3 of its diameter;
- creeping perennials should be planted in the foreground;
- spring bulbs are usually located in the center of the flowerbed.
Original flower garden ideas
Most often, flower beds are just ordinary earthen "beds". But the original flower beds, arranged using various old, unnecessary items available at any dacha, also look very beautiful. A flower bed, for example, can be planted:
- in your old bath or sink;
- in a tattered shoe;
- in an old baking pot;
- in a garden car, etc.
The photo of flower beds and flower beds at the cottage of this species, presented below, clearly demonstrates the original appearance of such plantings. Using used objects, if desired, it will be easy to equip not only an ordinary, but also a vertical flower garden. For example, you can hang several old bags on the walls of a gazebo or veranda, pour earth into them and plant ornamental plants.
How to choose the right place for the flowerbed
Most cultures fully reveal their decorative qualities only in places well-lit by the sun. It is in such areas and it is worth placing flower beds in the country. The photo shows that beautiful flower beds are always well lit. Also, both annual and perennial flowers feel best in areas protected from the wind.
It is believed that ornamental crops are preferable to grow on the hillocks. In lowlands, in conditions of high humidity, flowers are likely to begin to hurt often and will not grow too attractive.
Of course, under the do-it-yourself breakdown of the flower garden in the country, you should choose a site with nutritious and fairly loose soil. Poor soil before planting ornamental crops should be improved with the use of organic or mineral fertilizers, ash, dolomite flour, etc., depending on the type of plants grown.
How to care for a flower bed
The design of decorative planting can be very different. But, so that flower beds and flowerbeds at the cottage please the eye throughout the season, they must also be properly looked after.
Attention to decorative plantings will have to be paid quite a lot. In the spring, on perennial flower beds, plants usually have to be sprayed from pests and fed with organic or mineral fertilizers. Also at this time, pruning of decorative ornamental crops, for example, roses, may be necessary.
In summer, a flower bed with both perennials and annuals will need to be watered periodically. In most cases, gardeners moisten the soil in flower beds moderately. That is, they do not fill the beds too much, but also do not allow the soil to dry out. However, the frequency of irrigation depends on the type of ornamental crops grown on the site.
Summer residents usually do not fertilize annuals during the season on flower beds. Under such plants, they simply carefully prepare the soil in the spring. Perennials are fed in May, during the flowering period and sometimes also in the fall. In winter, flower beds with such crops often have to be insulated. For example, in central Russia, such a procedure requires roses, astilbe, crocuses.
Simple flower garden ideas
Those summer residents who do not yet have experience in breaking down flower beds should first choose some undemanding decorative crops for planting on the site. They are considered, for example, not badly suitable for breaking down in the country house for beginners flower beds:
- White and pink. In the background of such a flower garden, pink lavater and cosmea will look great. In the center of the flowerbed you can plant white zinnias. In the foreground, in such landings, it is worth placing the phloxes of Godetius and Drummond.
- Red-orange. For the background of such a flowerbed, red amaranth with decorative sunflowers is perfect. In the center of the flower garden of this variety you can place dahlias, zinnias, eschscholtsia. Marigolds will look good as a frame for such a flowerbed.
A breakdown of such flower beds at the cottage with your own hands for beginners will most likely be a simple procedure and without special knowledge in terms of the design of the plots and the technology for caring for ornamental plants.
The most beautiful flowers
Simple flower beds with the right approach to business can look very impressive on the site. But experienced summer residents can try to decorate their yard and garden using the most beautiful, although sometimes capricious in terms of growing plants.
These decorative cultures include:
- roses;
- peonies;
- delphiniums;
- eustomas;
- lilies etc.
Below you can see a photo of a flower garden in the country, a broken home, using roses. Such flower beds can look very impressive. However, when breaking down the flower beds of this variety, it is also necessary to select well-matching plants.
So, for example, it is believed that lilies look great with astilbe, geraniums, hosts and ferns. Peonies are well combined in one landing with catnip, phlox, iris. Also, geraniums are often planted next to such flowers.
Roses look good in combination with lilies, beautiful bushes, juniper, lavender, delphinium. Exactly the same plants are usually planted next to eustomas.