Garden Design: Design Tips and 55 Beautiful Photo Ideas

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Thinking over the design of a summer cottage, we first of all think about the design of the garden and recreation area. Landings are usually perceived as a purely functional part of the territory, although in fact it is the same full-fledged element of the landscape. They affect the overall appearance of the site and can also look spectacular and decorative. In this article, we tell you how to arrange a comfortable and at the same time beautiful garden in a private house.

How to arrange a garden and a vegetable garden beautifully

layout
Design Ideas
— Types of beds
— Design options
— Other elements

layout

The main function of the garden is practical. Here you will spend a lot of time doing various garden work, harvesting. Therefore, first of all, it is important to think over its layout: size, location, composition, interaction with other zones.

Things to consider:

Tasks. Thinking about planting in the country, we immediately imagine endless rows of potato bushes, but this does not have to be the case. Now mini-gardens are in trend: for example, only with herbs. Or maybe you love fresh berries in the summer, and you don’t need vegetables at all. Based on your plans for the harvest, it will become clear what size the garden will be approximately.
The size and shape of the plot. The beds are just one of the components of the local area. There are also outbuildings, the house itself, a garden, a recreation area, additional elements (pool, pond, well, barbecue area, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to plan the number and location of the ridges, taking into account all this. If the site is very small, think about what you can give up or how to add usable area. For example, flower beds can be transferred from the ground to a pergola or special multi-tiered structures, thus freeing up space below for planting. Or, conversely, organize a vegetable garden in containers if you do not intend to grow a lot of fruits and vegetables.
Relief. In addition to the area, the relief of the territory is also important. The landscape design of the garden on a plot with a flat surface and with a slope will be different. If in the first case everything is simple, then in the second, as a rule, soil strengthening is required. Terracing is often used for this — just on such surfaces you can set up a neat vegetable garden. Or make multi-tiered beds that repeat the natural relief.
landing conditions. This is the general climate, the illumination of the site, humidity, soil composition, proximity to other plants, etc. You can influence some of these factors by placing the landings in the appropriate place. And if this is not possible, then select crops suitable for your site.
Logistics. It is important to arrange the beds so that it is convenient for you to interact with them. For example, if you use water from barrels for irrigation, it is better to set up a vegetable garden closer to them. There should also be a convenient passage to it, and it is better to store all the necessary garden tools within walking distance — or at least not at the other end of the site, especially if it is large.

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Country cottage area

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Garden landscape design

Let’s take a closer look at how to create a beautiful garden with your own hands.

Varieties of beds

First of all, you need to understand whether the ridges will be static or temporary. The first option is the classic and most popular. For landings, they choose a certain place that does not change. The second type is suitable for those who do not plan to set up a large-scale garden or have not yet decided what the final landscape will look like. Temporary beds are mobile, their location can be changed every year and even during the season.

Classic static beds come in several types (several can be combined on one site at once!):

Low — these are the most common strips of fertile land, slightly rising above the rest of the level of the site. The height of the side does not exceed 10-15 cm. Often they are left in their natural form, only trampling paths between the ridges. If the soil is too loose or you want to make the planting area more decorative, fences are added.
High — these include structures with a height of about 80-100 cm. This arrangement is considered the most comfortable for the gardener — you do not need to bend low during weeding or watering. Also, high beds dry out quickly, so they are great for rainy areas. At the same time, in a normal climate, they will have to be watered more often than ordinary beds. Either ordinary soil or more complex combinations are used as filling: for example, with the addition of a layer of branches.
Vertical — this is a very useful, and sometimes the only possible solution for a small area. If there is not enough space on the ground, this option allows you to get additional usable area. Strawberries are usually planted in plastic tubes that are stacked on top of each other. Herbs, cucumbers and tomatoes are placed in small containers in horizontal rows. And climbing vegetables can be planted in barrels. This planting is also good because crops become less accessible to soil pests.
Multi-tiered — to save space, beat a difficult terrain, or, conversely, diversify a too flat landscape, you can use multi-tiered structures. Several beds in special containers of different sizes are stacked on top of each other, forming an interesting composition. In this case, again, an additional — vertical — area is involved.
Warm — used as an analogue of a large greenhouse if you live in a harsh climate or want to get an earlier harvest of vegetables. According to the type of construction, they can be high or low, the main difference from the usual ones is an additional bottom layer of fresh manure or compost that has not had time to ferment. Additionally, you can make a protective coating on top: a film on the crossbars or a cap roof if the structure has a frame.

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Design options

To get a beautiful garden, as in the photo below, the beds should be designed aesthetically, neat fences or decorative elements are added to the plantings.

Here are some relevant and easy-to-implement ideas:

Fencing from boards — fast, easy, inexpensive and at the same time environmentally friendly. It is enough to make a fence around the perimeter of boards, lining, log cabins or timber — and you get a natural decoration for plantings. This decor is suitable for a landscape, eco- or Scandinavian garden.
Decorative bumpers — they will help to «pick up» the ruts and outline their boundaries. Materials can be anything: slate, vine, plastic, metal shield, glass bottles, etc. If the ridge is large, for greater stability of the sides, you can install them not just on the ground, but dig small grooves.
French garden — if you have a regular garden on your site, this planting design will complement the severity of its lines. The beds are arranged symmetrically in a circle or rectangle, divided into several identical sectors. Garden paths are laid between them — they are usually made of gravel or tiles. Sometimes, if space permits, a lawn is added.
Bags or baskets are an unusual but very effective way to play up plantings. To do this, a long strip of land is allocated under them (it can be additionally fenced with bricks or boards), which is made with the same strong bags or baskets with soil and plants planted in it. It turns out decorative and at the same time functional.
Bosquet-bed — instead of the usual sides, a mini-hedge of tiny shrubs is planted around the perimeter of the plantings. For this role, for example, evergreen boxwood is suitable — it feels great in the climate of the middle zone.
Flowerpots and large planters — any game with meanings looks interesting. So, instead of the usual flowers in beautiful pots or vases, you can plant herbs, mint, onions or a few garden strawberry bushes.

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Landscape

Wow ideas: 8 beautiful examples of garden beds design

Other elements

Finally, in addition to the plantings themselves, other elements can be located in the garden area, which also need to be included in the overall design.

First of all, these are greenhouses: large or micro — depending on the size of the plot and the amount of crop that you plan to get. If this is a full-fledged building, it can be located both in the center of the landings, and a little to the side. For convenience and aesthetics, you can lay out paths from the greenhouse along the ridges, put a couple of planters with flowers or herbs in the general style at the entrance. And greenhouse-type beds — alternate with ordinary ones.

To store tools and other summer cottages, a small shed is most often built. In this case, it can also be decorated with: climbing plants, an attached rack with flower pots or vertical micro-beds, garden decorations. If there is no space for a separate building on the site, organize more compact storage. For example, you can put a wooden or metal rack right in the planting area, decorating it with vines. Make a small table, hang tools on hooks from the fence, make a composition of boxes on the ground, etc.