The main mistakes made when choosing a landscape

Have you ever wondered why an area with ponds and ditches, variegated paths, streams, fountains, alpine slides and even floor vases looks completely awkward, while an almost empty green space with a strange “ikebana” in the middle invariably attracts the eye?

So, this part of the article is devoted to the main mistakes that people make when creating the style of their garden plot.

The main mistake of any designer, even for the first time trying himself in such an unusual kind of activity, is the lack of a specific idea. No, no one can say for sure in advance what exactly his garden should be, but it’s still worth at least familiarizing yourself with a wide range of possible solutions before placing an alpine slide opposite a weeping willow, under which a children’s pool is already located.

Do not use too bulky elements in the design — this will create a feeling of stiffness and limited space.

Do not try to use all the styles you like for garden design at once. Their mixing is permissible, but only in certain proportions and subject to clear zoning (for example, the dining area can be made in a regular style, and the area for rest and relaxation in a landscape style, as if making you even closer to the original natural beauty).

It is strongly discouraged to «combine the incongruous» when you are working with nature. This rather destroys the composition than makes it unique, because it is not for nothing that the planning of the area is so closely connected with drawing and mathematics.

If you are creating a children’s area, take care of its isolation from the rest of the garden in advance. Often a children’s table in the middle of a cypress alley or near an elegant Victorian gazebo looks extremely comical.

Determinants of style choice

Creating a stylish site design is not as easy as it seems. Even if it seems to you that the project is perfect, it is worth considering some circumstances beyond your control, due to which the resulting garden will not meet your expectations. Let’s mention the main stages of choosing a particular style: this will not only save you from having to «rebuild» plans on the go, but also significantly reduce the number of possible options.

Decide which base elements you want to use. It is not necessary to bind yourself to a certain style, but remember that light and transparent Japanese motifs are out of place in combination with the majestic classics, their wide paths and ideal geometric shapes.

Evaluate the relief of the site: for some styles, only flat terrain is suitable, while others are indispensable elements of small mounds or even huge boulders.

Think about whether you have the time and opportunity to properly care for the garden, keep it in its original condition. So, the “idealized” classics require constant attention, while the landscape-style garden (that is, close to the view of natural landscapes) can easily flourish without your help for quite some time.

Decide on the zoning of the garden plot, its location relative to the house, fence or garden: all these zones should be in harmony with each other. So, it is better to separate the garden from the recreation area with a hedge, and a colonial-style mansion requires an appropriate type of garden in the backyard.

Do not forget to design the site in advance on paper or using special computer programs. If you are going to make a garden in a mixed style, we recommend that you first assemble a collage on a computer (you can find many photos of plots of very different styles on the Internet, so choosing the right material is not difficult).

Main range of styles

Before creating your own garden, you will have to get acquainted with many different styles that have their own characteristics and traditionally accepted elements.

Remember that any style you choose for landscaping your summer cottage should first of all reflect your attitude and worldview, a unique understanding of natural, but man-made beauty.

And in order for your garden to amaze the imagination of both a simple layman and an experienced designer, it is worth knowing the main directions characteristic of landscape gardening art.

Regular style — the style of ideals

It is characterized by regular geometric shapes, overly meticulously trimmed bushes, perpendicular high walls and hedges, wide straight paths.

The main attribute is a round pond or flower bed, which is usually located in the very center of the site. It is from the center that all the paths diverge — this style implies the presence of a centralized composition.

This style is also called classical, and therefore antiquity becomes its prototype. Sculptures and round balls, flowerpots, classical columns, wrought iron gates, high arches and large stone benches. The color solution usually involves the predominance of delicate, unobtrusive, pastel shades: blue, sand, gray, beige.

This style is suitable for wealthy people who have a country house with wide flat spaces near it. Gardens in the old days liked to supplement with small labyrinths, dim lanterns and sheds — it was there that receptions, dinners and dances were held, intrigues were woven and destinies collapsed. And today, the classics speak of exquisite taste and adherence to traditions.

Landscape (English) style

The landscape (English) style of the summer cottage is fundamentally different from the regular one. On the contrary, it expresses the desire for pristine natural beauty: soft and smooth lines, winding paths and mounds, uneven terrain, gazebos lost in the depths of gardens, overgrown with centuries-old ivy — all this is a reflection of the natural power that conquered the garden.

The motto of the English style is naturalness. No deliberately created forms, no sharp transitions and neat flower beds. The garden should merge with the environment, and the house and other buildings should be lost against its background.

All shades of green, dirty yellow, brown are suitable here — any unobtrusive colors that can be borrowed from nature itself.

This style was typical for Russian noble estates. It provides the host and guests with privacy, relaxes the mind and allows you to achieve inner harmony, spending time alone with your thoughts and experiences.

Suitable «landscape» for people whose site is located on the edge of the forest or somewhere near the forest, or if tall conifers grow in the garden, and most of the space is shaded. It is within these large groups that it is worth highlighting some of the most interesting design decisions:

french garden

A French garden is one type of garden that can be organized even in the backyard of a small house. It does not imply the presence of a garden or flower heaps, most often it is an empty lawn with a recreation area somewhere in the depths of the territory and a path leading to a house that does not stand out from the general background.

Plants are often low, mostly deciduous. It is simply not customary to plant bright flowers here.

Rural country style

Rustic country style is a solution ideal for any gardener. Ease, a heap of tools and sometimes quite ridiculous accessories, deliberate negligence and, of course, a garden instead of a recreation area, because we are dealing with an imitation of a peasant tradition.

Umbrellas on trees, pots and horns on fences, painted chairs and many bright plants randomly scattered here and there, the absence of even paths and lawns — all for the benefit of naturalness. Plantings of fruit plants, ornamental trees or climbing roses in a small amount are welcome

Provence

Plots in the Provence style seem to be created for very small houses, the owners of which decided to fence off a very small recreation area. Usually, in relatively small spaces, furniture is preferably as uncomplicated as possible, which should look light, natural and even airy (small round tables and chairs with wrought iron backs).

Wooden benches look great in combination with narrow winding paths that go somewhere into the distance. Planters and potted flowers, as well as flowers with an unobtrusive smell, delicate colors and many inflorescences on one stem, are a characteristic element of this style.

The house matches the general atmosphere of the site: pastel shades, wooden shutters and rocking chairs on the porch.

Japanese garden

The Japanese garden, no doubt, is not just a site, but a real work of art. Each element is verified, each unit has a special place in the philosophical interpretation of the significance of a place created specifically for relaxation.

Its integral part is water in any form: bowls. Fountains, waterfalls or streams. Stones are another attribute: from small ones, supposedly accidentally found on the site, to huge boulders. The composition is asymmetrical, complemented by moss, step-by-step paths and hilly crowns of plants.

Warm colors, bright plants, a lot of colors give out the Mediterranean style. Light wicker tables, chairs, planters and armchairs, flower pots on the veranda of the house are appropriate here.

Small ravines and artificially created meadows are all a reminder of sunny Italy. It is also appropriate to add hand-made decorations: wooden toys, antique furniture or accessories suspended from trees.

Alpine style

Alpine style — imitation of the aesthetics of mountain landscapes. It is characterized by minimalism in all its manifestations, the correct geometric shapes of flower beds. Cold colors and shades are familiar.

More often, instead of flowers, small ornamental trees are planted. This is ideal for people whose plot is located on the side of a mountain or hill.

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an elegant, modern style. Attention here is paid not to plants, flower beds and reservoirs, but to small architectural forms. An important element of such a site is the need to repeat the same pattern (in paths, flower beds, sculptures or house design).

Another important component worth noting is the need for a special harmonious combination of the landscape with your home, because the Art Nouveau house will be an excellent solution and an excellent addition to such a garden.

Eco design

Eco-design is a design that involves minimal intrusion into natural processes and minimalism in execution, so most often it is a not very neatly trimmed lawn with plantings in the form of small bushes or plants growing in the wild that are unpretentious in care.

Another interesting solution can be a variety of thematic styles — it all depends solely on your imagination. Choose a country whose culture and atmosphere you particularly like, and try to imitate them in your projects. Feel free to experiment!

Plot style photo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlqO_o7mQxQ