What can be used for furnishing?

Before deciding how to make a flower bed in a summer cottage, you need to choose the most suitable raw material for this. Natural stone will help you design an original element that will look very natural on your site, fit into any style of landscape. It is environmentally friendly, durable, resistant to external natural influences.

At the same time, the material itself can be very diverse:

Limestone. It has a wide palette of shades — from yellowish and cream to gray, blue and even pink. To prevent the appearance of cracks due to porosity, all cavities are covered with soil or ground cover plants, as well as mosses, are planted.

Sandstone — allows you to decorate in the most bizarre way, but is highly susceptible to destruction.

Volcanic tufa is used in the arrangement of artificial terraces or for the design of design elements located near water bodies. It is durable, but processed quite easily, has a wide range of colors.

Slate, which has a layered structure, is widely used in the design of raised flower beds. Differs in original gloss, durability, water tightness, plasticity.

Durable and resistant to temperature fluctuations granite. Quartzite, distinguished by its original brilliance and modulations under sunlight. High-strength basalt will strengthen the slopes on the site and decorate artificial terraces.

Neat pebbles will help you create a beautiful fence that can later be decorated in a variety of ways. But for strength, the elements must be fastened with cement.

The composition will fit well into the landscape, for the creation of which a decorative stone was used for original and beautiful flower beds. It is made from a mixture of stone chips and acrylic. Additionally, polyester resins must be added. Such material successfully imitates sandstone, shale and even granite. And the structures themselves will be strong and durable.

Types of design solutions

If you plan to make your allotment original, then you need to responsibly approach the design of the landscape.

It is important not only to choose high-quality material, but also to plan the desired composition, to combine several flower beds into a whole ensemble.

The usual composition, decorated using this material, has a clear shape and boundaries. In the manufacture, a border is used, which is laid out with cobblestones in one or more layers.

Gabions are distinguished by the use of a two-layer metal mesh as a frame. The composition of the desired fraction is poured into it. Thanks to this, the structure receives additional stability, as well as improved drainage.

The design of the flower bed with natural or artificial stones will be very interesting if you opt for rockeries. To do this, you need to pick up cobblestones belonging to the same breed, but having a different size.

Limestone or slate will look good in the design. Large cobblestones should be buried, and small fractions should be scattered over the area. In the ground, you can plant a low-growing shrub or plants that creep.

For an alpine slide, mountain plants with strong roots should be planted. The material used is cobblestones, laid out in the form of a multi-stage structure. But a raised flower garden will allow you to decorate an allotment with poor soil. The creation of a multi-tiered structure significantly saves space.

The qualitative transformation of the territory in the garden can be seen in the photo of a flower bed made of stones, laid out in the form of a terrace. The material used is quartz, basalt or granite, which have increased strength. And limestone with sandstone will help form a mountain view.

If you take elements of a rounded shape and place them dotted across the area, you get a beautiful Japanese garden. They are covered with moss, and a variety of plants can be planted between them. Pebbles should be carefully laid out on the ground, and a small fence should be installed around the perimeter.

How to properly arrange the space?

It is possible to form a harmonious landscape on the territory of a country house only with the correct placement of flower beds of different types. In this case, you must follow the instructions for their arrangement.

Site preparation

A properly designed flower garden should not create an excessive load on the landscape. It is necessary to ensure free passage through the territory, and obstacles for irrigation are not needed.

The shape of the flower bed in the country is determined by the place of its installation. For example, compositions that have a rectangular or oval shape will only be appropriate in open areas where they can be viewed from all sides. But semicircular curtains can be installed near the walls.

So, a gabion is placed along walls or a fence, and an arabesque or an alpine slide will perfectly fit into the landscape of an open lawn with a small height difference. A raised flower bed looks perfect in the center of the site, and rockery — on a flat, well-visible surface.

Arrangement technology

First you need to carefully clear the place for arranging the flower garden, remove all debris, grass, and level the area. For rectangular structures, marking is required using pegs with stretched twine. If you plan to install wide curbs, then mark the inner and outer boundaries along the rope.

The layout of round or oval flower beds is as follows. A string is pulled between two pegs, which has a length equal to the radius of the future structure. One of the pins is placed in the center, and the second peg begins to outline a given circle.

Once you have outlined the contours, you need to start laying the material. They are placed around the perimeter with a deepening. For greater masonry strength, the material is laid in several layers. If you do not plan to create a powerful or large-scale composition, then the usual laying out of even cobblestones of the same size on top of each other will do.

For stability, the elements can be fastened with cement mortar or glue. This is mandatory if the object is large.

To get very beautiful flower beds, you need to pick up plants. The features of the applied decorative elements should also be taken into account. The larger the boulders used, the higher and larger the planted plants can be.

Construction of a flower garden with a border

For the construction of the fence, it is necessary to dig a trench for the foundation around the perimeter. Its depth can be 250-300 mm. The specific dimensions of the recess depend on the size of the boulders that will fit into it. Learn more about the compost bin here.

Roofing material or polyethylene should be laid at the bottom of the trench. A pillow of sand is poured from above. Although for the design of small particles, this step can be skipped.

The roofing material is poured with a layer of cement, and on top of it, sand is laid on a third of the ditch and well compacted. After the concrete base has hardened, first large blocks are installed on the sand layer, and then smaller ones. The gaps between them are filled with a mixture of concrete.

Additives from crushed stone and gravel will give greater structural strength. If you leave a few holes in the lower level, you will improve ventilation in the structure.

The ground part of the frame should have a slight inward slope. For its arrangement, smooth cobblestones are used. In order not to spoil the appearance of the masonry, the cracks are sealed with mortar from the inside. It is necessary to remove the top layer of earth from the surface, lay drainage and cover it with fertile soil. Planting is done 2-3 days after the subsidence of the soil.

A brick border is made in a similar way. The moat is first covered with sand, then with a layer of rubble or gravel. Bricks are laid on top, but they are not fastened with mortar, allowing excess water to freely go outside.

The use of stone elements in the flower garden

The task of the designer is to ensure that a flower bed made of stones, equipped with one’s own hands, is as suitable as possible for the growth of flowers and other plants. That is why great attention is paid to drainage.

The site needs to be deepened by 500 mm. In a mini-pit, sand, fine gravel and crushed stone should be covered in layers. So excess moisture will be easily removed. If you plan to put pots or flowerpots with plants, then drill a drainage hole in the bottom.

For arrangement on the slope of the rock garden, it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil, and then compact it. After laying the drainage, it must be covered with fertile soil. Stones installed in autumn will sink under the influence of rainwater, and plants can be planted in the spaces formed with earth.

Creating round or square gabions requires the purchase of a special mesh. But masters can successfully equip more complex structures.

Construction of elevated structures

A high flower garden requires the construction of a powerful stone retaining wall 500-1000 mm high. The design of the flower bed will be more original if it is built according to a multi-tiered type. The walls must necessarily be fastened with cement mortar.

At the first stage, you need to mark the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site, taking into account the width of the retaining wall. Then a groove is dug 250-300 mm deep. At its bottom it is necessary to fill up fine-grained gravel with a layer of 100-150 mm.

Here you can also add fragments of stones or debris of construction origin. Reinforcing bars or mesh are laid on top, and then concrete is poured.

Then, on the site, large cobblestones begin to be laid as the first level. They need to be sealed with mortar. Left vertical slots will provide the best outflow of water. After you raise the wall to the desired height, you need to start laying several levels of even and attractive blocks.

Remember, to equip the outer surface of the above-ground part of the retaining wall, it is advisable to turn large stones outward with a more attractive side.

As a result of the work carried out, you will receive a frame with a cavity inside. Drainage of gravel up to 70 mm thick and sand up to 50 mm should be laid on its bottom. Then nutrient soil is poured, watered.

From above, additional filling of the earth and leveling is carried out. This will make an attractive and original composition that can decorate any country house.

Photo flower beds of stones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4IngPCbjbc