The origin of the dry stream and what it is for

The inhabitants of Japan in their gardens create a spirit of solitude. Such an atmosphere calmly affects the general condition and is not at all annoying. But our people are not accustomed to the laws of the East, we cannot see the source of appeasement in our native places.

Of course, the comparisons are incorrect, but nothing can be done. Most summer residents are happy to use Japanese ideas. For example, a dry stream, at first glance, nothing complicated — pick up a place, dig a hole, fill it with pebbles, and plant plants on the banks.

But keep in mind that without skills and planning, you will get an unnecessary and not beautiful element in the garden. Let’s analyze all the stages of creating a dry stream with your own hands.

Choose the right place

Explore the countryside to the smallest detail. There will definitely be flaws that should be masked; a visual rocky bed will help in this. A dry stream in the garden will not only decorate a small area, but visually enlarge it, dividing functional areas among themselves.

The first and important step

At the initial stage, you need to draw the boundaries of the scenery. Draw contours with sand — pencils will not be useful. Remember, the steeper and unnatural you create the stream, the more natural the stream will look. Place the beginning on a hill.

Channel depth

Here, focus on the width of 1: 0.5 if it is 1.5 m, then the depth is 0.75 cm. In the case when the width is 1 m, the depth is 0.5 cm. In our article you can find a photo of a dry stream. They show more detailed steps that should be followed correctly in order to achieve the best result.

Digging moment

You can safely dig, just remember right away that the walls of the recess should be at an angle of no more than 50 degrees. While digging, discard the weeds preferably along with the roots.

Drainage of a «dried» reservoir

Concrete, of course, will not work. In our case, everything is much simpler, purchase any dense material in a hardware store, for example, a polymer film or roofing felt.

Bottom layout

Pour a layer of crushed stone or expanded clay, about 7 cm and sprinkle with sand. And now everything interesting begins — we begin to lay out the stones.

Pebbles, cobblestones, stones…

The sizes of the material will fit different, both small and large, turn on your imagination here. Large, medium stones, small pebbles in a grayish-blue tint.

When creating a dry stream design, you can make the effect of water by painting the pebbles with varnish or special blue or azure paint, which shimmers in the dark.

Pond with a bridge

For the construction of a bridge over a stream, only natural wood is suitable. If there is an unused log in the yard — that’s what you need.

If you don’t like this option, you can make a crossing with your own hands. And you can leave it as it is and lay stones on the surface.

aquatic coastal plants

The main thing is not to overdo it with decorative elements, otherwise you will get a flower bed. Consider the composition of the soil, the supply of natural light and moisture indicators. Use herbaceous ground cover varieties for planting.

If you want the plants to bloom, pick them up in a blue, purple tone. Bluebells, iris, lobelia, styloid periwinkle phlox, lily of the valley, all kinds of creeping herbs and many others look good near the stream. When designing a dry stream, you will need cereal grasses, bamboo and reeds.

Create wild growth along the shore using the previously listed plants. Their juicy, long bright green leaves will cope with the task by 100%.

If the plans include a large pond with needles, then plant a dwarf juniper, small pines, spruces and fir on the rocky shore. These plants thrive in sandy soil.

Carefully choose undersized bushes. Do not create unnecessary problems for yourself, because in autumn the bushes shed their leaves, and you have to collect them without unbending, they get stuck in the stones, and here you can’t do without a garden vacuum cleaner. If such a miracle technique is available on the farm, then feel free to plant cotoneaster and barberry. They will delight with the beauty of several seasons, attracting the eyes of the surrounding people. One-year-olds are considered special, such as: lily, narcissus, tulip, hyacinth.

Landscaping and dry stream

Do not forget that by following the rules and stages of creating a “dried riverbed”, you will turn your summer cottage into a piece of paradise with your own hands. Do not be afraid to take care of the stream, it will not be difficult, but even interesting — this is so for the future.

Of course, the plants will have to be weeded and watered, insects must be destroyed in and under the stones. But if you are a responsible and accurate gardener, then there will be no problems. Just do everything regularly and do not leave the stream unattended.

Important — a spectacular pond is not only for decoration, it is able to perform some more tasks:

• with its help, sewage storm water will flow smoothly;
• due to the retention of moisture under stones and pebbles, plants do not have to be watered often;
• a dry stream in landscape design will become the boundary between zones in the garden;
• the soil will become invulnerable and will not succumb to erosion;
• the garden will visually acquire large dimensions.

Flowering plants can be used instead of small stones. That’s just a beautiful stream will be during flowering.

The right landscaping stream will create a unique look in the garden, as if it had recently dried up and had water in it. And immediately after the rain, your creation will heal again and sparkle with reflections of the sun’s rays.

Feel free to use your imagination, read the advice of experts and get to work. Carefully study all the stages of creating a stream, purchase the necessary materials and plants. Hurry up, because the warm summer days pass quickly.

Photo of a dry stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlZKYYB9SgI