Of course, every owner of a country cottage seeks to put things in order on his own plot. Some use the services of specialists, while others have to rely solely on their own strength. In today's article, you will find out what types of outdoor plants can be planted near the house.
What should I consider when choosing?
The primary task of landscape design is to create a unique image of the garden plot. The choice of green spaces is a complex work, in the process of which several important nuances have to be taken into account. First of all, you need to pay attention to the biological compatibility of the specimens you like.
When choosing outdoor plants, one should take into account the climatic conditions of a particular area, the composition of the soil, the level of groundwater and the degree of air pollution. The amount of light also plays an important role. Experts recommend composing compositions from specimens considered endemic to your region. This group includes lawn grasses and unpretentious shrubs.
Classification of green space
All outdoor decorative plants, often used in garden design, can be divided into several main types. The first group includes fruit, deciduous and coniferous trees. The latter are good because they do not require specific care. In addition, they delight the eye with a green crown throughout the year.
The second group includes climbing, flowering, ornamental and berry bushes. The third category can be classified as ground cover specimens. Lawn grasses (timothy, bluegrass and meadow clover), creeping juniper, periwinkle and thyme are considered bright representatives of this group.
The next large group includes annual and perennial flowers. They differ in color, height and appearance. No less popular with landscape designers are aquatic plants. The most popular representatives of this category are marigold, duckweed, calamus and water lily.
In recent years, so-called container plantings can often be seen on open verandas, paved courtyards and areas close to the exit from the house.
Rocky Juniper Blue Arrow
The name of this plant translates as a blue arrow. It has a narrow columnar crown with stiff, vertically growing shoots that adhere tightly to the trunk. The average height of a ten-year-old specimen is about two and a half meters.
A distinctive feature of this plant is scaly soft needles of a bright blue hue and bluish-blue fruits. Lower branches growingalmost from the very base of the trunk, they retain their freshness for a long time. Therefore, rocky juniper Blue Arrow is considered a valuable variety. It is often used to create landscape compositions from deciduous and coniferous trees. It looks equally impressive in free-growing mixborders and as part of small single-sort groups.
It is also important that the juniper is quite unpretentious. It does not require complex specific care. Plant these evergreen outdoor plants preferably in sunny areas with slightly acidic or neutral soil. Juniper does not tolerate dry air, so it needs regular sprinkling. For the winter, it must be sprinkled with a ten-centimeter layer of peat.
Spruce red
This is a tall coniferous plant with a loose, narrow-pyramidal or wide-conical crown descending to the ground. The greyish or reddish brown trunk can be up to 130 centimeters in diameter.
The seeds of this plant do not need stratification. They are sown in bowls filled with a substrate and placed on a windowsill until germination. After that, they are transplanted into the ground. Red spruce is unpretentious in everything that concerns the composition of the soil. But it grows best in moist, well-drained soil. She tolerates drought well. In landscape design, it is used to create group and single compositions.
Garden hibiscus
These are very beautiful outdoor plants, especially popular with ourcompatriots. They are often seen on terraces, balconies or in gardens. This representative of the Malvaceae family is easily recognizable due to its large, graceful and bright flowers.
The height of the garden hibiscus does not exceed one and a half meters. Therefore, it fits perfectly into the composition of a shrub or mixed border. It is often used to create arrangements with ground cover roses or lavender.
Plant these outdoor plants in the spring. Young specimens need additional protection from the wind. Heat-loving hibiscus needs plenty of moisture and sunlight. It is desirable to water it little by little, but every day. In shaded areas, it begins to grow poorly and bloom worse. In regions with a cool climate, it is preferable to plant more hardy varieties.
Garden ivy
This is an evergreen vine that reaches several meters in height. To date, many varieties of ivy are known. But only a few of them are especially popular. Most often you can see ordinary and Colchis ivy. Moreover, the first has many decorative forms. It is winter with large light leaves, B altic, palmate and marbled.
These vine-like outdoor plants need partial shade. They are planted on moist soils with a high content of humus and lime. Garden ivy propagates by cuttings, which need to be cut in the summer. In the autumn months, all dry shoots should be removed from it. Ivy stalks for the winterpreferably cover with oak or apple leaves.
Yukka garden
These heat-loving, drought-tolerant outdoor perennials have an exotic look. They are very similar in shape to Mediterranean agaves. But they differ from them in rather dense xiphoid leaves.
Yucca is desirable to be planted on sandy or clay soils enriched with humus. It needs enough heat and light, as well as moderate watering. In the process of adjusting the humidity regime, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the plant. With insufficient watering, dense, well-straightened yucca leaves begin to curl. It is also important to ensure that there is no stagnant water. Excess moisture can cause rotting of the plant's root system.
In winter, it is advisable to bring a garden palm tree indoors. If for some reason this is not possible, then the yucca leaves should be tied into a bundle and covered. The soil around it needs to be insulated with fallen leaves or agrofibre.
Fuchsia
This colorful outdoor flower is a stunning sight. Outwardly, it resembles the skirt of a dancing ballerina. Fuchsias are very fond of warmth, so they are planted in open ground no earlier than May. It is very important not to bury them in the soil. Thanks to intensive rooting, the first flowers appear within a couple of weeks after transplantation.
In general, this is a heat-loving plant that needs a lot of sunlight, moderate temperatures and sufficienthumidity. Some white-blue varieties require careful watering and enhanced shading.
It is desirable to plant fuchsias in light fertile soil. To improve the structure of the soil, sand, perlite or high-moor peat should be added to it. Soils consisting of humus, compost and soddy soil are suitable for adult plants.
In the process of creating landscape compositions, large two-year-old specimens with a well-developed root system are most often used. Active growth and reproduction of fuchsia continues from spring to mid-autumn. In November, a bright street flower is transferred to the wintering place indoors. During the dormant period, stop fertilizing and reduce watering.
Flowers in a pot
In recent years, the owners of private mansions have become fashionable to decorate gazebos, terraces and walls of cottages with hanging flower beds. As a rule, unpretentious flowering plants that do not require special care are selected for these purposes. Such flower garlands do not take up much space and create a cozy atmosphere on the site.
The most suitable colors for planters are achimenes. These potted outdoor plants are versatile. They are easily recognizable by their large funnel-shaped flowers. Depending on the variety, they can be purple, sky blue, red or white.
Lobelia is no less popular. It is often used to create spectacular garden compositions. To date, on sale you can see varieties withpurple, white, red and cornflower blue.
Lovers of unusual soaring compositions often use petunias. The lush leaves of this plant give the impression of an airy green cloud strewn with flowers.
Rhododendron
This flowering plant belongs to the heather family. Cultivated varieties can live up to fifty years. Rhododendrons have a branching crown and thin, smooth shoots.
Wet, light, loose soil suits the plant. On calcareous soils, it quickly turns yellow and begins to drop leaves. It is desirable to plant rhododendron in semi-shaded areas. Excess sunlight not only worsens the appearance, but also significantly reduces the flowering period. Experts recommend placing these outdoor plants next to other shrubs that will not oppress their shallow root system.
Phloxes
These perennial flowering plants are frost tolerant. In addition, they are quite unpretentious in growing and do not need specific care. That is why they can often be seen in the flower beds.
One of the most important conditions for the successful cultivation of phlox is to ensure good drainage. In the area where this flower is planted, there should not be stagnant water. In addition, it is desirable for these plants to provide a sufficient level of illumination. Flowers growing in shady areas are more likely to get sick.
Phloxes prefer fertile, loose slightly acidic orneutral soils. It is advisable to prepare the soil intended for breeding these flowers since autumn. It needs to be dug up to a depth of thirty centimeters and fertilized with superphosphate, compost and wood ash. Caring for the plants themselves comes down to regular watering, loosening the soil and systematic feeding.
Boxwood
This is a slow growing evergreen shrub that can grow up to six meters tall. It has oval dark green leaves. Often small cracks appear on the grayish-yellowish bark of boxwood.
In landscape design, this shrub is often used to frame flower beds and to create hedges. It is desirable to plant boxwood in the spring months. To do this, in a well-lit area where there are no drafts, you need to dig a fairly deep hole and fill it with compost. The distance between adjacent plants should be at least thirty centimeters.
Boxwood does not like dry air, so it must be sprayed regularly with soft filtered water. During the growing season, the plant needs systematic feeding.
Camellia garden
This two-meter plant is covered with bright, large, single flowers of pink, white or red. It does not have a pronounced characteristic flavor.
Garden camellia has a fragile and sensitive root system, so it is undesirable to transplant it often. It is also important to ensure that the neck of the plant is not covered with soil. Otherwise, it may die. The flower needs to provide enough air andlight.
It is desirable to plant camellia in acidic soil, which contains sand, peat and perlite. Thanks to this, the roots of the plant will be evenly moistened, and the soil itself will be enriched with oxygen. Complex fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and trace elements should be systematically applied to the ground.
