The easiest way to decorate a summer cottage is to plant flowers. Ornamental garden crops are able to 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 special beauty in the area. Such plants are planted mainly in groups in different combinations and layouts. Such compositions are called flower beds. At the dacha, flower beds can be broken in the yard, next to small architectural forms, benches, green lawns.
Main varieties of landings
Flower gardens in suburban areas can have a simple or complex shape, created using different ornamental crops. However, country beds are classified mainly into two main types:
- with annual flowers;
- with perennials.
Effectively look at the summer cottage with the right approach to business can both types of flower beds.
Annual decorative plantings
The main advantage of this type of flower beds is that they give the owners of the cottagethe opportunity to diversify the landscape design of your site as much as possible. Indeed, when using annual plants, the design of flower beds can be changed annually. Yes, and it will not be difficult to move such a flower garden in the country to another place for the next season.
It is on annual flower beds that beginners in landscape design usually train their strength. If flower gardens suddenly turn out to be unsuccessful for any reason, you can simply start all over again next year.
The advantage of annual flowerbeds, among other things, in most cases is also undemanding care. There are simply a huge number of varieties and varieties of ornamental crops of this group today.
Perennial flower beds
Decorative plantings of this variety are also very popular among summer residents. Having broken a perennial flower bed on the site, flower lovers are freed from the need for annual sowing of plants. This is what is considered the main advantage of such decorative flower beds.
Flowerbeds of this variety are usually planted on their plots by experienced gardeners who have got their hands on country design. It is necessary to select plants for such plantings as carefully as possible. After all, it will be quite difficult to change something in such a flower bed in the future.
In care, perennial flower beds are often even more unpretentious than annual ones. 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, over the several years of the existence of such a flower garden in the country, gardeners usuallyacquire great experience in growing several varieties of ornamental crops once chosen for it.
Which flower garden to break
When deciding which flower bed to plant on the site, you should first decide:
- with flower garden type by design;
- with a view of a flower bed by planting method;
- with flower arrangement;
- with color scheme.
You will also need to choose the most suitable place for a flower bed on the site, carefully prepare the soil for planting ornamental crops and subsequently properly care for flowers growing in the yard or garden.
Design Views
As with the use of perennials and annuals, flower beds of various layouts, shapes and designs can be created in summer cottages. However, the most popular types of flower beds are:
- Traditional flower beds. Such flower beds can be round, diamond-shaped, oval or rectangular. But they are always sown with ornamental crops with different flowering periods. Throughout 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 their dachas. A photo of a beautiful flower bed of this variety can be seen below.
- Regular flower beds. In this case, plants are planted in a flower bed that bloom at the same time. At the same time, the filling of the flower garden is selected in such a way that it looks as impressive as possible.
Also very popular with gardeners are carpet decorative plantings. Below you can see a photo of a blooming flower bed in the country house of this particular variety.
Types by planting method
In this regard, flower beds are distinguished:
- vertical;
- ring;
- monoflowers;
- alpine slides;
- borders;
- vases.
Flower beds of the first variety are used to decorate vertical surfaces. These can be, for example, the walls of verandas or houses, fences, support pillars, etc. Ring flower beds are planted around various kinds of small buildings or small architectural forms - arbors, fountains, recreation areas, etc.
Monoflower beds are ordinary, separately located solid plantings. Alpine hills are small hills dotted with mostly low flowers of various types.
Borders are used to frame lawns, garden paths, playgrounds, etc. Flowerpots are specific flower beds installed where it is not possible to break a real flower bed, for example, in tiled courtyards, inside gazebos and verandas.
How to match plants according to shades
Of course, when decorating flower beds and flower beds in the country with your own hands, it is important to decide not only on 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 types of flower beds:
- plain;
- with plants of several well-matched colors;
- colorful.
On the flowerbeds of the first type, decorative crops are planted only in cold or only warm tones. For example, combinations of blue, purple and blue colors, or yellow, orange and red look very beautiful in such plantings.
Plants for flowerbeds 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.
Absolutely any decorative crops, even the most incongruous shades, can be planted on colorful flower beds. In order to somewhat smooth out the randomness and disharmony that occurs in such plantings, the plants in this case are simply “diluted” slightly with some white or not too flashy flowers.
Correct arrangement of plants
In addition to choosing a color scheme, when laying out a flower bed, you should also decide on the location of decorative crops 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, lighting and watering.
When choosing the location of crops in a flower bed, you need to be guided by the following rules:
- in one-sided flower beds, tall plants are placed in the background, low plants in the foreground;
- indouble-sided and round flower beds, tall plants are planted in the center, low plants closer to the edges;
- height of ornamental 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 placed in the center of the flower bed.
Original flower garden ideas
Most often, flower beds are just ordinary earthen "beds". But the original flower beds, equipped with the use of various kinds of old, unnecessary items available at any dacha, also look very nice. A flower bed, for example, can be planted:
- in an old bathtub or sink;
- in a tattered shoe;
- in an old baking pot;
- in a wheelbarrow, etc.
The photo of flower beds and flower beds at the dacha of this variety, presented below, clearly demonstrates the original appearance of such plantings. With the use of objects that have served their purpose, if desired, it will not be difficult 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, fill them with earth and plant ornamental plants.
How to choose the right place for a flower bed
Most crops only show their full decorative qualities in well-lit areas. It is in such areas that it is worth placing flower beds in the country. The photo shows that beautiful flower beds are always well lit. Also best asannuals and perennials thrive in sheltered areas.
It is believed that ornamental crops are preferable to grow on hillocks. In the lowlands, in conditions of high humidity, flowers are likely to get sick often and do not grow too attractive.
Of course, for laying out a flower garden in the country with your own hands, you should choose a site with nutritious and fairly loose soil. Poor soil before planting ornamental crops should definitely be improved using organic or mineral fertilizers, ash, dolomite flour, etc., depending on the type of plants grown.
How to properly care for a flower bed
The design of ornamental plantings can be very different. But in order for flower beds and flower beds in the country to please the eye throughout the season, they also need to be properly looked after.
Attention to decorative plantings will have to be paid quite a lot. In the spring, in perennial flower beds, plants usually have to be sprayed against pests and fed with organic matter or mineral fertilizers. Also at this time, it may be necessary to trim bush ornamental crops, for example, roses.
In summer, a flower bed with both perennials and annuals will need to be watered periodically. In most cases, gardeners moisten the ground in flower beds moderately. That is, they do not flood the flower beds too much, but they also do not allow the soil to dry out. However, the frequency of watering depends on the type of ornamental crops grown on the site.
Summer residents usually do not fertilize annuals during the season onflowerbeds. Under such plants, the soil is simply carefully prepared in the spring. Perennials are fed in May, during the flowering period, and sometimes also in autumn. For the winter, flower beds with such crops often have to be insulated as well. For example, in central Russia, roses, astilbes, and crocuses require such a procedure.
Easy flower garden ideas
Those summer residents who do not yet have experience in laying out flower beds, for starters, should choose some undemanding ornamental crops for planting on the site. For example, they are considered to be well suited for laying out flower beds in the country for beginners:
- White and pink. In the background of such a flower garden, pink lavater and kosmeya will look great. In the center of the flower bed, you can plant white zinnias. In the foreground, in such plantings, it is worth placing the phloxes of Godetius and Drummond.
- Red-orange. For the background of such a flower bed, red amaranth with decorative sunflowers is perfect. In the center of the flower garden of this variety, you can place dahlias, zinnias, escholcias. Marigolds will look good as a frame for such a flower bed.
The breakdown of such flower beds in the country with their own hands for beginners, most likely, will be a simple procedure and without much knowledge in terms of site design and 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 sometimescapricious in terms of cultivation, plants.
Such decorative crops include:
- roses;
- peonies;
- delphiniums;
- eustoma;
- lilies, etc.
Below you can see a photo of a flower garden in the country, broken with your own hands, using roses. Such flower beds can look very impressive. However, when laying out flower beds of this variety, well-matched plants should also be selected.
So, for example, it is believed that lilies look great with astilbes, geraniums, hostas and ferns. Peonies go well in one planting with catnip, phlox, irises. Also, geraniums are often planted next to such flowers.
Roses look good in combination with lilies, beautiful shrubs, juniper, lavender, delphinium. Exactly the same plants are usually planted next to eustoma.
