The country house will have a complete appearance only after the backyard is equipped. There are many design options that depend on the taste of the owners, family composition, terrain features and financial capabilities.
Landscape design specialists are pretty in demand today, although their services are not cheap. Many owners, due to lack of money or the presence of strength and desire, prefer to independently arrange the courtyard and garden. The first step is to gather the maximum amount of information, for this, you can use Internet resources or relevant literature.
Experts say that the most spectacular results can be achieved if you develop a site plan even before you start building a house. The building should preferably be erected on the north side of the site. This will make it possible to use light-loving plants and not worry that the house will shade them. Additional buildings should be located near the house. A building for a garage would be appropriate near the roadway and with quality sliding garage doors. When planning the placement of certain structures, it is necessary to provide possible options for conducting communications immediately.
The garden area must be planned, taking into account the peculiarities of the climate and soils. It is advisable to immediately install automatic watering, so green spaces do not have to be watered with watering cans and buckets. There are rolled lawns, thanks to which it is possible to transform an individual plot in a short time.
When planting certain ornamental trees and shrubs, one should take into account their compatibility with each other. Neighbours can become the best assistants in this because they have already managed to get acquainted with how winters pass, which breeds cannot stand frost and other nuances.
It is advisable to select plants for flower beds and flower beds so that they rage with colours, starting from early spring and ending in late autumn. Having adopted photographs of professional gardeners, you can determine the volume of plantings, growth selection of flowers, and so on.
Proper and tastefully selected lighting will help create unique compositions. For example, you can use lanterns in the form of fireflies, butterflies or birds, as well as ordinary garden lanterns.
Additional decorative elements can be the highlight of a summer cottage. Small ponds, fountains, figurines and paths laid out in art will look very impressive.
The main steps in arranging cottage house garden
To start equipping a summer cottage, you need to study its layout. Take a picture of it from all sides, measure the perimeters of all zones with a tape measure and draw up a drawing. When examining your territory from a general plan, it will be much clearer to you what and where you can plant, build and ennoble. It is necessary to rationally distribute the entire territory so that you do not have wastelands and/or impassable areas. If you think over all the points in advance, then in the future you will avoid significant expenses of money and time.
You also need to take into account other individual features of the site, namely:
Relief features of the area
Many processes for arranging the land depend on the relief of the site. If the site is located on a hill or, conversely, in a lowland, you may have problems with the distribution of water after rain or snow. However, they can be corrected artificially by building terraces or retaining walls. You can also consider the vertical layout.
Soil type and structure
It is important to maintain a balance of clay compounds and sand in the composition of the earth since most crops grow best in loamy soil. You can determine the structure by touch – take a handful of earth in your hand and squeeze it. If it crumbles, then it contains a lot of sand, if it bends, then clay.
Groundwater level
Based on this indicator, you will determine whether it is possible to plant fruit trees on the site. If groundwater is up to two meters from the ground, this venture will have to be abandoned (or you can drain the part of the site where you want to plant trees).
Location of the site relative to the cardinal points
For many fruit plants and shrubs, the constant presence of a natural source of light is necessary. If the sun penetrates the territory of the proposed landings, there is no need to worry. If not, then it makes sense to grow shade-loving plants such as cabbage, beets, onions, garlic, herbs and others.
General tips for arranging a summer house
- Bring the site to a single style, and if you have the desire and funds, take up landscape design. It should be based on three principles – simplicity, convenience and compatibility. Landscape elements after design are both the vegetation itself and the decorative components. If you do not have much design experience, it is best to contact a specialist. Based on the relief and the site itself, he will select the appropriate option.
- Lay the lawn. It will give the site beauty and order, and in the hot summer, it will create coolness. It will take a lot of nerves to place the lawn and the subsequent care of it. Clear the area of stones and foreign objects, level all artificial bumps, and remove weeds. It is important that the surface is as flat as possible (natural terrain features do not count), for this use a roller. If all these works are carried out successfully, you can fertilize the land and start loosening it. The composition of the fertilizer depends on the type of soil. The lawn itself is recommended to be sown in early spring so that it is possible to complete the main work before the onset of winter. Use bluegrass as a seed. Plant it with the calculation of 20 g per 1 sq. m.
- Lay paths on the site, and build steps in places with uneven terrain. They will help you avoid trampling the landing area, keep your shoes clean, reduce the risk of falling, and also make it easier for you to navigate the country house. As a bonus, you will get a visually beautiful area. As a rule, paths are made of stone, concrete, brick or wood. Do them in the same style.