Landscape design is a very interesting area that is rapidly developing today. Every housewife wants to somehow decorate her territory or summer cottage in a special way. Not just plant flowers, but make original clubs of stones, lay out paths and equip a decorative pond. All this is quite achievable, the main thing is to devote enough time and effort to your site.
The case of the master is afraid of
Indeed, to make the site beautiful and sophisticated, it is not necessary to hire a professional designer. Especially if you are tight on money. You can easily make original and interesting flower beds from stones. You just need to show a little patience and perseverance. This is where our instructions come in handy.
Choose the right material for your future flower garden, decide on the shape and size and start making your dream come true. Stone sides will prevent soil shedding andthe exit of ornamental plants beyond the boundaries of their growth. In addition, it is a great alternative to alpine slides and rockeries. They are much easier to make and look fantastic.
What is this
Since we have compared flower beds with more complex decorative structures, it is necessary to say how they differ. An alpine hill is an intricate structure that requires specific skills: you need to lay out drainage, take into account the necessary slope for excess moisture to drain. And the decoration with stones is only the final stage.
Stone beds are a simpler structure. In fact, this is just framing the border of the flower bed with some structure. Stones play only an auxiliary decorative role. Such compositions are very popular due to the fact that they are easy to build with your own hands. This is an arbitrary flower bed in a garden with ordinary soil, decorated with cobblestones.
Different types
In fact, the choice is huge. Depending on the size of the plot, the number of flower beds and their sizes, on the height and width of the flowers to be planted, different flower beds can be planned. The most popular types of flower beds are:
- A simple bed with a border of cobblestones that fit together or are fastened together with cement mortar. The second option is more preferable, because flower beds are more reliable and durable.
- A tall structure that rises above ground level. The ampelous plants planted on it will look very impressive.plants. They can be posted in a variety of ways. In the first case, they are assembled entirely from cobblestones. The second option is simpler. First, containers for plants are installed in the garden, and then they are decorated with stones.
- Multilevel stone flower bed. This is one of the versions of the raised flower arrangement, when the building is erected on several levels. These can be cascading flower beds adjacent to the wall of a house or other building.
The overall picture will be the more effective, the more organically its individual components are combined with each other. The choice of materials depends on the size of the flower bed and the general idea, the selected plants. The larger the flower garden, the larger you can choose the cobblestones. And small compositions are best decorated with pebbles or gravel.
Material selection
Of course, you can be smart and go to the river bank or out of town, where there is an opportunity to pick up beautiful stones. If the flower bed is small and there is enough time, then this option will be suitable. But most often summer cottages are located within the city, and it is not possible to find such a quantity of stone. Especially if you want it to look pretty.
But it doesn't matter. Any construction company will offer you a huge amount of materials, including natural and artificial stone. That is, a beautiful flower bed is a matter of technology, you just need to want.
Covering material and plants in the flower bed
Only at first glance, they have nothing to do with each other. Actuallythe type of stone affects the soil, can lead to its liming or, conversely, acidify. Therefore, if you want to have a beautiful flower bed in your yard, then you need to immediately take into account the features of the material and flower preferences. Let's take a look at some of them:
- Volcanic tuff. Finding it for sale is not as easy as we would like. But it was this material that showed itself especially well as a curb stone. Due to the porous structure, it passes moisture and air,
- Shell rock. Soft sedimentary rock that crumbles over time. Although its white color is liked by most gardeners, it is necessary to take into account the fact that this stone affects the acidity of the soil. As a result, only those plants that prefer a low alkaline soil reaction do well.
- Gravel. Inexpensive material, which is most often used to fill individual areas. If the walls of the flower bed are made of wire, then the gravel may well serve as a filler without any cement.
- Granite stones. Most often, they are chosen for flower beds in the country. Of course, granite is beautiful and durable. But you need to take into account the fact that it contributes to the oxidation of the soil. It can be used for large flower beds.
- Natural stone. It is also called wild. We need to ask about its origin and clarify how it will affect the soil.
- Plitnyak. Making flower beds out of it in the country is a pleasure. The layered structure forms flat tiles of various sizes. As a result, it remains only to lay themon top of each other - and the flower bed is ready.
Decorative artificial stone
Of course, working with natural materials is always interesting. It allows you to create any design, original and beautiful. But not everyone wants to customize cobblestones of different sizes. It is much easier to work with finished tiles that look like stone. There are also many opportunities for this today.
Artificial stone is created on the basis of stone chips with the addition of acrylic and various resins. As a result, it is very difficult to distinguish it from the real one, but the shape will be exactly what you need. Flower beds made of wild stone are very beautiful and durable. In addition, they come out much cheaper than those that were made from natural materials. And this despite the fact that sometimes they look even more interesting. After all, they can be given any shade and texture during the production process.
River stone
On the one hand, it can be combined with the category of natural, but the designs from it look completely different. These stones have a uniform, rounded shape. On the other hand, flowerbeds made of rounded boulders or pebbles look very neat and interesting. So if you live near a river, then just spend a little time and collect as many stones as you need to decorate your flower bed.
The color of pebbles can be very different: gray and white, pink and blue. This allows you to make a real masterpiece. You can play on the contrast of not only sizes, but alsoflowers.
The simplest designs
These are flowerbeds of large stones. In this case, no skills and training are required. Mark out for yourself a path that will lead along the flower garden, and fill it with gravel. Draw a free-form flower garden on the ground. It can be a star or a butterfly, but most often a circle or a rectangle. Now we take large cobblestones and begin to lay out around the perimeter. Lightly tap them with a hammer and fit well one to the other. Now all that remains is to raise the soil level inside the structure so that the plants are not drowned in the flower garden.
Preparation
Since making a flower bed of stones is not too long, you can leave this work for the spring. Then, at the end, the very next day, you can plant plants and wait for the structure to be framed by lush greenery. In order to lay it out with your own hands, you only need to follow the basic principles of laying out flower beds. The creation steps are roughly the same and look like this:
- selection and preparation of the site;
- choosing the shape of the future design;
- marking work;
- laying stones;
- filling with earth;
- planting.
Let's look at them in a little more detail, because each of these points is very important.
Where the flowerbed will be located
You can make almost any design out of stones with your own hands. It is important to determine a place for it in advance. From where the flower bed will be located, its shape depends. On theoutdoor areas, compositions that are open from all sides are appropriate. They can be round or square. And semicircular structures are usually laid out along the walls.
Assess the quality of the soil on the site. If it is not fertile enough or completely unsuitable for growing flowers, then tactics need to be changed. In this case, high flower beds are created from stone and filled with special soil. The height is needed so that the nutrient layer is enough for the development of plant roots. This is very important in wetlands. To create such a flower bed, a plot in the shade of trees is not suitable. And the choice of plants that can normally exist in these conditions will be very limited.
The easiest flower garden
This is a regular border frame that looks more effective if done in several rows. You can form it in two ways:
- put large stones around the perimeter;
- fasten them together with mortar.
Of course, the second option looks more reliable. But in any case, certain rules must be observed, otherwise by the end of the first season the flower bed will lose its decorative effect. Here are some of them.
- Around the perimeter you need to dig a small ditch, which will be equal in width to the stacked pebbles. If large elements are to be used, a groove of approximately 10–20 cm will be required.
- Its bottom is covered with rubble. This is important so that the flower garden does not sag or squint.
- Now you can lay out the main elements. For example, they can form a large circle, and insideone slightly smaller and slightly higher.
- Pour gravel around the curb and compact well.
These rules work if you want to create a structure of stones fitted to each other. They do not contradict the situation when cement mortar is used. It's just that in the second case, the stones can not be strongly adjusted to each other, they will hold on perfectly anyway. And the durability of the structure will be much higher. But still, there are separate recommendations for creating a capital flower garden.
Stone frame "for ages"
Flowerbeds of stones and cement are created if you are sure that this area will not be used for something else. You can disassemble it, but it will require a lot of time and effort. Here is a step-by-step master class that will allow you to cope with the task quickly and easily.
The algorithm is as follows.
- It is necessary to accurately mark out the outlines. You can use pegs and rope to do this, and sprinkle sand or wood ash on the ground to make it easier to mark.
- Dig a groove 25 cm deep around the perimeter.
- Pour sand at the bottom, at least 15 cm high.
- Prepare a thick cement mortar. It should not flow: it should be comfortable to work with.
- A layer of concrete mortar is poured into the bottom of the groove, after which laying begins. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the connecting solution is not visible from the front side.
- The structure must be leftdry, after which you can start planting plants. It is best to allow 2-3 days for this.
The design of a flower bed of stones can be very different. From the simplest border to complex, multi-stage designs. It all depends on your imagination and desire.
Tall designs
These are the most complex decorative stone beds. When creating them, it will be necessary to take into account the load. The higher and narrower the flowerbed, the more seriously the soil will press on the walls. Conversely, a wide and low curb is practically not under load. Such beds are good because they can be built even in the center of a concreted yard. It is only necessary to bring in fertile soil and lay out drainage. Creating a high flower bed involves the mandatory use of retaining walls and cement mortar. Otherwise, the structure will fall apart very quickly. There are a few things to consider here:
- When laying, two types of stones are required. Some will form the front wall, while others will form the inner wall, expanding downwards.
- To create the lower layers, you need to choose the most massive and reliable cobblestones.
- Between stones it is necessary to leave gaps not filled with mortar. This is necessary so that excess water can leave the flower bed without any obstacles.
- Be sure to lay a good layer of gravel and sand on the bottom of the finished frame to ensure drainage.
Knowing the basic principles, you can easily create a variety of designs on your site, each of which will become a unique embodiment of your imagination. Thatno one will have analogues.
Planting plants
As mentioned above, any design must be created taking into account what plants will be grown in it. Ordinary borders perfectly frame flower beds of tall, upright plants. At the same time, most flower growers mistakenly believe that if the fence is low, then the plants should be undersized. On the contrary, marigolds, for example, can themselves act as a border, so they do not need one.
But ampelous plants, which tend to hang and bloom in cascades, look great on the upper floors of high, multi-stage flower beds. Such a design will look beautiful and expensive, as if it was created by an eminent landscape designer. That makes it even more pleasant to receive compliments from friends.
Each flower bed can combine different types of plants. For example, in the center there is one large bush, and along the edge there are several smaller ones. From this, the appearance will only benefit. And you can also play with color, creating patterns due to blooming corollas with different colors.
Instead of a conclusion
Even if you have never done landscape design, creating original flower beds with your own hands will surely be an exciting experience. This is an opportunity not only to prove yourself, but also to enjoy the result. Today we examined the basic principles of creating an original flower bed with our own hands. There are a huge number of options: you can experiment with color and shape, height and material used. At the same time, only your own imagination is the limiter of the idea. The material is not too expensive, and sometimes it can simply be found on the banks of the river or in the mountains. And if the house or cottage is located outside the city, then such a frame for a flower bed can be completely free. Of course, this requires a certain amount of time. But the result is definitely worth the effort.
