Landscaping of the suburban area: photos and recommendations for creating picturesque projects

On a suburban area, you can equip a beautiful and cozy territory

Choosing a landscape design for a summer cottage: photo and description of styles

Many, purchasing a ready-made plot, want to bring their own atmosphere into it, therefore, they strive to arrange a country landscape design with their own hands, a photo and description of various styles will help you choose the one you like. Today you can see many solutions for landscape design of the territory. Let's consider the most common ones.

A small suburban courtyard densely planted with flowers and shrubs

Classic (regular style)

Supporters of classical solutions arrange their possessions in a regular style. It is characterized by rigor, subtle symmetrical compositions and regular geometric shapes, and some pomp. This style requires careful maintenance and a large area. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to arrange it with your own hands. A photo of the landscape design of a summer cottage of 15 acres in a regular style demonstrates the main thematic accents.

There is always a center here. They might be the fountain, house or sculpture. The whole composition is built around the center: symmetrical paths, evenly trimmed bushes and lawn, dense hedge, patterned flower beds. Everything is planted according to the schemes along clear geometric lines. Fountains and sculptures smooth out the severity and give a sense of tranquility and unity with nature.

Symmetrical compositions and wrought-iron furniture are typical for the classic (regular) style.

Landscape style

The main rule of the landscape style is the impression of miraculous origin.The elements of the landscape are located freely and naturally, as if they were created by nature itself. Uneven terrain, an irregularly shaped reservoir, wild flowers and shrubs are indispensable companions of landscape landscape design.

This style will appeal to lovers of romance and natural scenery. He is not whimsical in care, does not require large financial investments. You can create a corner of pristine nature do it yourself. Photo of landscape designs for summer cottages 10 acres in a landscape style will help you get a general idea of ​​this design direction.

The landscape style in landscape design is characterized by the free and natural placement of plants

Rustic country style

Country (rustic) style - cheerful, unassuming, natural, with a mixture of bright colors. It attracts with its simplicity and negligence. The design uses unpretentious flowers, compositions in rustic motives. Old wooden wheels, flowers in wooden carts and barrels are fine for this style. This style is suitable for summer cottages of any size, but it will look more comfortable in areas with a small area (6-12 acres).

The suburban courtyard is decorated in a rustic country style

Japanese style

The Japanese style brings calm and harmony. Each element is simple and symbolic at the same time. Here you want to get away from the bustle of the world and plunge into deep thoughts about the eternal. Stone bridges, polished boulders, neatly cut shrubs with clear shapes are suitable as decor. This style is suitable for any plots, but an area of ​​6-8 acres will be optimal.

The garden features decorative elements typical of the Japanese style

East style

For small areas (6-8 acres), an oriental style is suitable. The main requirement of landscape design in this direction is a large amount of sunlight. Here, mosaic patterns of paths and fountains, colorful colors for flower beds, domed roofs and windows - arrows for gazebos... Mirrors and other bright accessories are used for decoration.

To create an oriental landscape design for a summer cottage of 6 acres with your own hands (a photo to confirm this), there is no need to purchase expensive materials. Mosaic patterns can be easily made from leftover ceramic tiles and old mirrors, and gold paint can help make accessories feel expensive.

Colorful and bright oriental style in design suburban area

Exotic style

The exotic style appeals to lovers of travel, distant overseas countries and unusual combinations. Such landscape design contains exotic plants arranged in tiers. Natural compositions from natural materials - stone, dark wood and a small reservoir (stream or swamp) are designed to give the site the naturalness of wild nature.

The feeling of exoticism will help to create specific plants and decorative elements

Alpine style

An alpine-style summer cottage is a widespread trend in landscape design in our time. Suitable for areas with different areas. The style is reminiscent of the highlands and pristine nature. Thematic centers can be a house located on a hill, rock gardens and rockeries.

Natural stone is present in all decorative compositions. Decorating alpine slides, ponds and streams, finishing flower beds must be done with gravel, slate, granite. This trend in landscape design is characterized by such decorative designs as cascading flower beds and ponds, stone gardens and dry streams.

Alpine style assumes the presence of a stone slide and a reservoir on the site

Free style

The name speaks for itself. The main requirement of free landscape design is harmony and a sense of peace of mind on such a site.This style features large trees, climbing plants and an abundance of flowers. You can combine the geometric severity of the regular style and the unpretentiousness of the landscape, the pristine alpine slide can be modernized with a small ceramic fountain. It all depends on your imagination. But the main thing here is not to overdo it, because a sense of proportion in mixing styles is a guarantee of a cozy and “tasty” design.

Free style is not limited by rules and allows the owners of the site to experiment

Whichever direction you choose, do not forget about the organic nature of the overall composition, taking into account the architecture of the house and neighboring areas.

Site planning - main stages

To make your site beautiful and comfortable, you must not only decide on the design style, but also correctly plan the placement of the main elements. Next, we will consider in more detail the aspects of landscaping, paving paths, the construction of garden structures, the design of reservoirs in the landscape design of a summer cottage. Videos and additional information can be easily found on the Internet.

The suburban area is divided into various functional areas

When planning, the following important points are taken into account:

• area and boundaries of the site;
• orientation to the cardinal points and the degree of shading of the area during the day;
• relief features, soil condition, groundwater level;
• existing or planned location of buildings;
• ground and underground communications and power supply.

Armed with this information, you can proceed to the main thing - preparing a landscape design plan for your summer cottage.

Examples of original arrangement of vegetable beds and flower beds

Stage 1: planning

Draw on the plan the boundaries of the site, existing buildings, communications, gate, embossed and other features.

Useful advice! Maintain scale when developing your plan. This will help you correctly calculate the distance between objects and the amount of materials required.

Before starting landscaping, you need to draw up a detailed plan on paper

Stage 2: zoning

Draw on the plan the location of the tracks, sites, flower bed, a pond, trees and shrubs, decorative compositions and other elements that you want to see in your summer cottage. Remember not only beauty, but also comfort. To do this, you need to make a zonal division:

• residential building zone;
• economic block. This includes buildings for household equipment, Summer shower, restroom, summer cuisine, bath, etc .;
• rest zone. You can organize several such zones and arrange them separately playground, barbecue area, etc .;
• garden. This area is for fruit trees, berry bushes and garden beds.

Cozy seating area with semicircular benches

Depending on your preferences and the area of ​​the site, you can expand one zone at the expense of another. For example, put swimming pool in the place of a vegetable garden, if you love water and do not have the desire to dig in the ground.

Useful advice! The playground is best placed under the windows of the house, and the utility block is "hidden" behind trees or bushes.

If the family has small children, it is necessary to provide a play area on the site

Stage 3: lighting

Lighting solution is another important point in any design. At the dacha we spend on the street not only days, but evenings, and sometimes even nights. Proper lighting will transform the site in the evening, emphasize compositional features and visually expand its boundaries. Landscape lighting is conventionally divided into the following categories:

• functional - used to illuminate objects when they are used at night (illumination of the entrance to the house, parking for cars, stairs, porch);
• decorative - creates a mood, makes accents on compositions at night (illumination of a fountain, alpine slide, etc.).

Decorative lighting will create a special atmosphere on the site in the evening

The convention is that decorative lighting devices can be used for functional lighting.

To create a unique effect, designers use all kinds of landscape lighting techniques. For pools, ponds and fountains, underwater or floating lighting is used. Illumination of steps, paths and stairs is mandatory. This is not only a decorative solution, but also a security measure. Backlighting will help create mysterious silhouettes and delicate shadows. Backlighting from top to bottom is also used and vice versa.

The dacha courtyard is lit with several hanging garlands

Decorative solar lanterns (ground, pendant, underwater) will help create the desired effect. They are convenient to use and are charged with solar energy throughout the day. Other sources require wiring underground, so planning their locations is essential.

Successful examples of lighting suburban areas

After drawing up the plan, you can start work on the improvement of the site. It is necessary to dismantle unnecessary buildings and plants, remove tree roots and debris from the soil, lay underground communications and electrical wiring. Now you can start paving paths and areas.

Chinese lanterns are placed on the ceiling of the summer cottage.

Paths and platforms

Paved paths and platforms are not only functional. They create the pattern and style of landscape design for the suburban area. Photos of all kinds of paving show what an important decorative element in landscape design are paths and platforms.

When planning these elements, take into account the land relief, practicality and rationality in connecting zones. Some paths and areas need to be framed with borders, and this is not only an additional decoration. The curb prevents the paving from sliding and prevents water from flowing to adjacent areas.

The walkway and podium are made of wooden planks

There are many options and coatings:

• hard coating (stone, tile, brick, wood, concrete);
• soft coating (sand, gravel, crushed stone, bark);
• grass cover (trampling-resistant herbal mixture);
• combined (combine several types of coverage).

Any option should be in harmony with the general direction of the design of the suburban area and ensure its cleanliness and accuracy.

The recreation area is decorated with decorative stone

Landscaping of the suburban area

What kind of plants to plant in their summer cottage? There are many varieties of landscaping in landscape design.

Grass lawn

The lawn is an integral part of any suburban area. It serves as a connecting link and background for decorative compositions. In addition, thanks to the lawn, the humidity of the air increases, the noise level decreases, and the general microclimate of the site improves. And what could be better than walking barefoot on freshly cut grass?

Lawns are rolled and sown. The first ones are grown in special areas and sold in rolls. They are very convenient in that there is no need to wait for the grass to grow. The main disadvantage of such a lawn is its high cost. Sowing lawns are more accessible, but it takes time to arrange them. For a summer cottage, an ordinary lawn from a mixture of 3-4 cereal grasses is suitable.

The sowing lawn creates a uniform grass surface in the area

Useful advice! It is necessary to mow the lawn when the grass reaches 10 cm or more. After clipping, clean it with a rake and water it.

Vertical gardening

Vertical gardening is used for decoration. For its creation, mainly climbing plants are used. Here are some of them: girlish or Amur grapes, hops, clematis, honeysuckle, Chinese lemongrass, sweet peas. You can lift them using all kinds of arches, garden screens, trellises.

Trees, lampposts or downpipes can also be used as supports.The main thing to remember is that visible supports should also be decorative, so as not to spoil the overall impression of the composition. For vertical compositions, cascades of flowers in pots or ampelous plants (petunia, begonia) are suitable. Photos of beautiful summer cottages of 6 acres with examples of vertical gardening can be seen on thematic sites.

The original decoration of the gazebo using vertical gardening

Trees and shrubs

The choice of trees and shrubs for planting at their summer cottage depends on personal preference. Many people want to have a source of fresh organic fruits and berries at their dachas. Some plant these plants for decoration. However, both options can be combined. In any case, it is necessary to take into account such important factors:

• feature of the soil and microclimate;
• prevailing winds and illumination;
• relief;
• plant compatibility, crown density and diameter;
• seasonality.

Trees in the summer cottage will create coolness and shade in the hot season

For the design of landscape projects, designers use both fruit and non-fruit types of trees and shrubs. Coniferous plants are especially popular. They are unassuming to care for, bring coolness in the summer and delight the eye in the cold season. They use such types of conifers as thuja, mountain pine, cushion spruce, juniper. Lilac, jasmine, hawthorn, white turf, heathers, hydrangea, cotoneaster and others are planted from shrubs.

On a large tree, you can equip swing for babies

Hedge

Hedges are a special type of decoration. With their help, they create boundaries between sites and zones, decorate green rooms, facades and walls of houses. For high hedges, conifers are used (thuja western, Siberian fir, juniper). Medium can be grown from barberry, white turf, cotoneaster. For low decorative hedges, Japanese chaenomeles, spiraea, and low-growing snowberries are suitable.

Cacti and succulents are planted along the fence

Flower beds

Flower garden will be a decoration for any suburban area. Its role is to bring a variety of colors to the overall design. Depending on the landscape style, flower beds can be divided into:

• regular (flower beds, flower borders, modular compositions);
• landscape (groups of plants that create the impression of natural beauty).

Examples of original flower beds in a summer cottage

When choosing flowers, it is necessary to consider not only factors such as lighting, soil and microclimate of the site. But also think about the time you are willing to devote to caring for the flower garden. Perennials do not require careful maintenance, but they can get bored with their monotony. But you will have to tinker with annuals, but you can experiment every year.

Stone fence decorates flowerpot with garden flowers

Alpine slide

Separately, it is worth dwelling on this type of landscaping as a rock garden. These include alpine slides, rockeries, rock gardens, alpine retaining walls and free compositions. The rock garden is valuable because it combines a variety of shapes and textures. With the right approach, the ideal combination of elements of nature (flowers, stones, water, trees and shrubs) will make the rock garden the highlight of your summer cottage. For this type of gardening, mainly perennial and bulbous are selected plants.

Crocuses, hellebores, periwinkle, alpine poppy, bulbous irises, Carpathian bell, ground cover geranium, shrub aster and others will look great on an alpine slide. Conifers (spherical thuja) and shrubs (juniper, barberry) will give naturalness. Stones should be selected, preferably flat, with a non-uniform surface and dull color (limestone, granite, slate), so that the composition resembles the creation of nature as much as possible.

Alpine slide with stones and shrubs

Garden structures

Another stylistic decoration of the summer cottage and a wonderful place for outdoor recreation are garden structures. Their openness facilitates free air circulation. These buildings are located on specially equipped sites, the creation of which must be taken care of in advance. You can decorate them with plants in hanging baskets, vertical gardening and planting low-growing conifers around the perimeter. Stone compositions and garden accessories are also suitable.

The gazebo of the original form is covered with a green roof

Among these structures, the most common are:

• gazebos (covered small houses without inserted windows and doors). They are able to shelter from the burning sun and hide from the rain, without breaking the connection with nature. Gazebos, depending on the general style, there are wood, metal, glass, large and small. It all depends on the preferences of the owners;
• belvedere - one of the types of arbors with lattice walls;
• arch - narrow construction. Serves rather as a decoration of the site. Entwined with plants, it can also become a shelter from the summer heat and rain;
• pergola - a volumetric structure, which consists of several arches, woven from above with each other. A pergola is being built from wood, stone, metal. Pillars and roof pergolas, as a rule, are decorated with climbing plants.

Cozy arrangement of a small country yard

It is quite possible to make such garden buildings with your own hands. Photos of landscape designs for summer cottages (5 acres and more) with gazebos, arches and pergolas illustrate the indispensability of these structures for decoration. Placing garden buildings on a summer cottage, it is necessary to take into account the general style of landscape design. The main thing is not to overload the territory with them, and then the site will look cozy.

Examples of bright decor of garden structures

Ponds in landscape design

Water will create a unique atmosphere of unity with nature at your summer cottage. The pride will be a self-made fish pond. Immobile water or a smooth stream, a waterfall or a fountain will fill the microclimate with moisture, create textured contrasts, and transform the space. The sound of flowing water fascinates and relaxes, gives peace and tranquility.

To choose a water structure, it is necessary to decide what type of reservoir will be in harmony with the size of the site, style and personal preferences of the owners. Fountains are suitable for regular styles, stable ponds for landscape ones, and multi-level waterfalls or streams for alpine slides. Swamp flower beds will become a decoration of the exotic style.

Round pool with a small wooden bridge

Plants are an important component for the beauty of a water structure. Conifers, irises, sedges, ferns, lilies of the valley, willow can be planted along the perimeter. On the swamps, a manna, a loosestrife, a veronica rucheynaya will look better. For shallow ponds, shallow plants (calamus, reeds, reeds, cattails) are suitable. Deep-sea water lilies will decorate large ponds. Duckweed and water paint will add naturalness to the pond surface.

Small pond with a waterfall decorated with stones

How to make a pond in the country with your own hands: photos of landscape ideas

Everyone dreams of such a highlight as a pond at a summer cottage. If you approach this issue in stages, then its creation will not be difficult.

An artificial pond with your own hands is a reality, you just need to be patient and follow the recommendations. Getting started, you must first of all choose a place. It would be correct to place a pond at the bottom of the site in a well-lit area. This will prevent intense seasonal blooming. It is not advisable to place the pond close to large trees, so that the falling leaves do not pollute the water, and the root system does not damage the waterproofing.

In a pond at a summer cottage, you can breed fish

The shape of an artificial reservoir depends on the style and imagination of the creator. But the depth should be at least 0.5 m. The depth of the pond in the country for fish farming should be more than 1.5 m. Usually such reservoirs are made three-stage. The first stage (up to 30 cm) is intended for planting shallow plants. The second step (50-80 cm) is for planting deep-sea plants. The third (at least 150 cm) is for wintering fish.

Related article:

Do-it-yourself pond in the country. Step by step photo instruction. Creation of an artificial reservoir in different ways. Choosing a place, rules for decorating and planting plants, water filtration. Preparing the pond for winter.

The basis for the reservoir can be a concrete base, a ready-made plastic mold or a special film:

• the concrete base is expensive and troublesome to install, but it will stand for many years;
• a plastic mold is an acceptable and easy way to build a pond. Reservoirs can be selected according to parameters and shapes. They are resistant to cold, sunlight and mechanical damage;
• waterproof film is now very popular in the creation of artificial reservoirs. With its help, you can fantasize and create various shapes and configurations. Film thickness must be over 300 microns. This is the most affordable option financially.

The garden has a pond and a wooden bridge over it

First, we make a markup and mark the contour of the reservoir with sand in a previously cleaned area. Then we dig a pit along it. If you are planning a small pond, then you can do the earthwork yourself. For large bodies of water, the foundation pit must be dug with an excavator. The dug pit is covered with sand and carefully compacted. Geotextile is laid on the sand, on top of which a film is lined. The edges of the film are not cut off, but are tucked into a trench dug along the perimeter of the reservoir.

Useful advice! Old carpets, blankets, linoleum can be used as geotextiles.

Landscaping of the site can be supplemented with a small fountain

Then the artificial pond is laid out with gravel and filled with water. At the same time, the film will stretch and completely take the form of a reservoir. Only then is the film in the trench fixed with soil. Subsequently, it can be decorated with gravel, stones, etc. You can equip the pond with a submersible pump... It will circulate water and help avoid stagnation.

As you can see, nothing is impossible. With the help of practical advice, videos and photos, do-it-yourself landscape design of a summer cottage is quite feasible. Be patient, turn on your imagination, let go of imagination and this summer you will enjoy a unique weekend in your own cozy corner of nature.