Land improvement is a real art. Although the term "landscape architecture" appeared only two centuries ago, people have been engaged in the design of the territory that encloses the house for millennia. Beautiful fountains, benches, fences, trees, arches and lanterns ennoble the appearance of the site. Landscape design was born on the principles of urban planning and landscape design. This kind of art skillfully combines natural and anthropogenic elements. The harmony between objects created by man, and nature is the main goal that landscape designers pursue. The plot of fifteen hundred square meters is relatively large. In this territory there is enough space to accommodate both the buildings necessary for life and decorative elements. On how to think through and competently design a landscape design of 15 acres of land and talk in this article.

It is also necessary to think over a stylistic solution, because in landscape design, as in the usual one, there are also lots of directions with their own rules and requirements.

Even before buying land, you need to ask, in the lowland or on the hill it is. In the first case, the owners will have to constantly suffer from stagnant water during the rains and melting snow (drainage does not always save). For this reason, it is better to choose elevations. If the owners are "lucky" with an uneven terrain, then for the trees, bushes and garden facilities, you need to look at the mounds.

       

Preparatory work or creating a design project

The design of the site should be based on the preferences of each member of the family, which are compared with the possibilities of the territory. Some love to luxuriate in the sun in a deckchair or hammock with a book, others can not be pulled out of the garden, and some do not imagine their life without active rest and barbecue. The creation of a design project includes the following mandatory steps:

• Removal of measurements. The more accurate the numbers, the less problems will arise when the plan is translated into reality.
• Then, in a special program or on a sheet of paper, draw the shape of the plot, mark its dimensions and necessarily add a scale. The accuracy of subsequent calculations of consumables depends on the correct scaling.
• If the site is already partially built up, then on the plan, the buildings and objects that the owners plan to leave are marked.
• Then, to simplify the task, it is recommended to divide the entire territory by dotted lines into functional zones. For example, a playground, for passive recreation and cooking, a garden, a garden, a swimming pool.
• Further, places of growth of perennial bushes and trees are noted. After that, other notations are marked by those that will soon be planted. Landscaping of the site should be carried out evenly, so that there is no strong grouping of plantations in one place and "bald" voids in the other. It is also worth considering the rules of permissible distances from trees and bushes to the street, the neighboring plot and buildings.
• Then on the diagram mark the location of communication lines (water, gas, electricity) of those that already exist, and those whose laying is only planned.

Then it is necessary to carry out "reconnaissance by battle" and fitting the project after a detailed study of the site on site. In this case it is worth considering:

• Proximity of groundwater;
• Incline;
• The presence of marshy places where water stagnates;
• Hilly.

In the latter case, experienced designers do not recommend correcting the relief with the help of bulk land, since a perfectly flat plane is too boring and conservative. It is better to turn the shortcomings of the territory into virtues through the original arrangement of objects and zones.

Before planning it is necessary to immediately decide on which principles will be located the main, massive elements: symmetry or asymmetry. In the first case, creating a project will be easier. With an asymmetric arrangement, the hidden creative reserves of the designer are connected: it can create a unique composition that really has no analogues.

Choose the style and image of the site

Any owner wants to get a balanced composition as a result, where each element is in its place. To achieve this, it is necessary to properly place the filling of the site, as well as create a complete stylistic and color picture. This task is not an easy one, but once you have decided to perform decoration works with your own hands, you will have to work hard. Conditionally filling can be classified into three groups:

• Natural elements. This includes not only trees and shrubs, but also ponds, elevations, stone steeps, perhaps even parts of rocks. Even at the planning stage, the designer immediately decides that he will leave the created by nature on the site and what he will remove. These elements set the tone for the whole territory. And every season your dacha and adjacent properties will change their color: juicy spring greens interspersed with blossoming flowers, a summer kaleidoscope of colorful buds, an autumnal yellow fire and monotonous winter whiteness.
• Architectural buildings. This category includes the cottage itself, a garage, a sauna, a street toilet, structures for animals, sheds for storing firewood and inventory. Any manmade buildings that are part of the architectural complex are included in this group. They should be sustained in one style and become a continuation of each other.
• Decorative elements that were created by man. In fact, this group includes "everything else": benches, gazebos, swimming pools, flower beds, lanterns, fences, sculptures. These parts can be made in any colors and styles. They are nothing but final touches that give the design of the plot a finished look. Evergreen plantations will allow to dilute the monotonous winter appearance with green notes, and the flower beds and avenues open up space for playing with color.

Read also: Decorative waterfall: examples and making by own hands

There is another fourth group, which includes tracks, platforms, decks. A lot depends on the color decision. It helps to "hide" the shortcomings of the territory, emphasize its strengths, change the perspective and make the site visually greater. And all this does not require any drastic changes, and in case of failure, the decor can simply be removed or moved.

Landscaping of the site

To begin with, you need to choose the right time for work on the arrangement of the suburban area. Decoration of the garden at the initial stage will greatly disfigure the territory, so it is better to perform it in autumn or spring. The period of wilting on the eve of winter is preferable, as for six months freshly planted trees and shrubs will have time to start and gain strength, and in a warm time the site will already turn green. The arrangement of the garden is also better done in autumn. Especially it is convenient if it is planned to place greenhouses and raised beds. In the spring planting of vegetable crops and so will take too much time. This process will be easier if part of the task is done beforehand.

Landscaping of the site начинается с определения основных факторов, влияющих на рост растений:

• Climatic conditions;
• Type of soil;
• Relief.

       

Not everything that grows well in the south, will get accustomed in the central part of Russia. Because of the peculiarities of the relief, certain plants can bloom and smell even among neighbors, but in their own flowerbed they can wither. Landscaping is carried out in several directions at once. According to the classical principle of separation, plants are classified into three groups:

• External, that is, a hedge, which is in full view of the whole street.
• Internal. These include those plantations that adjoin directly to the country house.
• Intermediate. Any plants located on the site and performing a decorative function.

Also plantations can be classified into the following types:

• Trees and shrubs. As a rule, perennial plantations, which will be stretched for many years.
• Flower beds and flower beds. Extremely decorative plants, on which the aesthetic appearance of the territory largely depends.
• Lawn. Herbaceous cover, which will occupy most of the "orphan" area.
• Beds. Although they belong to the garden, but some useful in cooking plants look great and can become part of the decor.

       

And now let's talk about each type in more detail.

Lawn

Lawn необходим для маскировки «голой земли». Ведь дачный участок располагается на природе и асфальтировать большую часть территории неправильно, так как покрытие будет неизменно напоминать о городских бетонных джунглях. Выделяют четыре основных вида газона:

• The park. The most common type. His grass is weak in growth, which greatly simplifies the care. The park lawn seemed to be designed to walk barefoot on it. It is soft, elastic and gives the territory a certain nobility, refinement. Among the grass lawn grasses are usually present: oakgrass bluegrass, meadow timothy, perennial ryegrass and an ordinary comb.
• Ground floor. They decorate the home areas of rich estates and elite cottages. Parterre lawn requires regular care: haircuts, watering three times a month, applying fertilizers. It is based on several species of oatmeal - grass with narrow leaves.

• Mauritanian. Perhaps the most colorful kind of lawn. Herbs include cornflowers, forget-me-nots, calendula, turn, delphinium, chamomile, daisies, poppies, pansies, thyme, forget-me-nots and about 30 species of wildflowers. Mixed grass almost does not require care: it only needs to be cut once a year. But in the flowering period, the Mauritanian fragrant "carpet" will collect buzzing armada of bees and battalions of butterflies, gracefully fluttering from flower to flower.
• Рулонный. Lawn подходит для тех, кто не хочет ждать, пока трава вырастет. Ее на протяжении двух лет выращивают на специальных полях, затем подстригают, срезают вместе с корнями и верхним слоем земли и сворачивают в рулоны. Покупателю остается только раскатать их на своем участке и утрамбовать.

Any type of lawn ennobles the territory and serves as an excellent alternative to gravel, asphalt, paving stones and other man-made covers.

Flower beds and flower gardens

A flower garden is a general concept, which includes flower beds. Any plant that has buds of various shapes, sizes and shades can be planted on the site as a decoration. They are of no practical use and are intended only for the delight of the eye. Flower gardens are classified into the following types:

• "Free". An illusion is created that the plantations do not have side walls that would separate them from the rest of the territory. In fact, there are fences, but they are deeply buried, and only a couple of centimeters above the ground. In addition, they are decorated with a thin bulk strip of gravel or sand.
• Flowerbeds. Plantings having borders. They are made of plastic, wood, metal, slate, bottles, tires and polycarbonate. The type of material depends on the style of the site.
• Curb flower beds. They are a conventional, two-sided guardrail that follows the path. The presence of rails in such beds is not mandatory.
• Rabatka. The flower garden always has a rectangular shape and more like a garden. In it perennial plants prevail, because it is too laborious to plant an annual plant a year. Such flower beds adorn the curbs of the tracks, free space at the fence or fill the voids between the functional zones.
• Modular. These flower gardens alternate with cobbled areas of the territory.
• Mixborder. It represents a one-sided strip of wild perennial flowers growing above the waist.

Read also: Design of a plot of 12 hectare

       

Also there are mini-flower beds, multidimensional, mixed, monoclubs and plantations from perennials.

Trees and shrubs

In landscape design, trees are divided into the following types:

• Evergreen deciduous. Very capricious trees, which include magnolia and barberry. Allow to preserve the aesthetics of the site even in the winter season.
• Coniferous. Differ unpretentiousness and spread an inexpressible smell.
• Hardwood. They form the basis of the decorative filling of the site. This type includes the famous Japanese cherry blossom - a symbol of the country of the rising sun.
• Fruit. The most common type of trees used in suburban areas. In addition to appearance, they also bring practical benefits in the form of fruits, for which they are highly valued.

Methods of planting trees on a site four:

• Groups. Trees of one or more species are combined into small compositions.
• Tapeworms. Trees are planted alone. Since with this arrangement they will instantly attract attention to themselves, it is necessary to carefully monitor their appearance.
• The avenues. Basically, trees of the same species are linearly planted along the tracks.
• Hedge. Usually it is made from shrubs, but high fences also occur. Plantings are classified into demanding haircuts and wild growing.

       

Shrubs also have their own classification. They are divided into flowering and ornamental plants. Usually, by means of such plantations, a distinction is made between the individual zones of the site. Organically look the ranks of bushes between garden beds. To bloomers include hydrangea, lilac, dog rose and heather, and to ornamental leaved boxwood, turf, spindle grass, and bryuchin.

Plots as a variant of gardening

The beds can also become an ornament of the site. They can be made "high", that is, fence with side walls and add loose land, and the intervals are covered with gravel, decorate with wood spills or stone paths. Such beds will become the real property of the suburban area. Plantations of various kinds of lettuce and spices are sometimes isolated in separate flower beds, which are located near the house, and not in the garden. Vertical beds generally act as an independent decorative element. They are made of narrow boxes, which are attached to fences or walls at different levels. Ideal solution for wicker plants: cucumbers, beans, peas.

       

Water is life

Water should be present in any area. It can be a water pipe or a well, but its presence is necessary, otherwise there can not be any comfortable living and talking. However, water bodies can perform not only a practical, but also a decorative function. Such decorations of the site in landscape design are divided into three types:

• Artificial. Man-made structures that "feed" on drinking water.
• Natural. Perhaps the owners of the site were lucky to become owners of a pond or stream.
• Combined. In this case, natural ponds are supplemented with artificial decorative elements. The most striking example is man-made "throws" under the stream, which turn it into a mini-waterfall.

       

Also, water bodies are classified into two types:

• Static. They include swimming pools, swamps and ponds, that is, ponds with standing water.
• Dynamic. This group includes waterfalls, fountains, streams, cascades (a group of waterfalls) and springs. The latter is considered the most primitive, but because no less beautiful type of reservoirs.

The pond can be supplemented with flora and fish, and for waterfalls there is no better decor than ordinary stones of different shapes and textures.

Artificial water reservoirs can be purchased already in ready form in specialized stores or created from scratch. This process is a fascinating combination of creativity and technical side. The easiest and easiest way: to bury the old bath in the back yard. It is decorated with stones around the perimeter and so mask that it is impossible to distinguish the capacity from a natural pond.

Additional buildings

To the additional buildings include all the buildings except the main house. They are classified into economic (for practical purposes) and decorative. Apart from these there are recreational areas, as they perform both functions simultaneously: decorate the site and provide a place for leisure.

Variants of recreational areas

Nothing can compare with rest on a country site. Fresh air, beautiful views, no city noise and car smog. Even hot summer is much easier to carry in the outback. And what can be compared with the crackling of firewood in the fire on winter evenings? The five most popular types of recreational areas include:

• Patio. This is called the back yard, which is fenced on all sides by flower beds, a hedge or terraces. Although the word is Latin, the first patios appeared in Spain. Usually they are decorated with a pergola (lattice roof), and the ground is covered with floor boards or a concrete screed.
• The arbor (belvedere). Traditional version of the site for leisure. Pavilions can be open or closed type. In the first case, the walls are either partially present, or represented by a decorative wooden lattice. Closed arbors can be used even in winter and have a stove or fireplace for heating. The building is also equipped with barbecue or barbecue for cooking meat with haze.
• Terrace. It is attached to the house and is an open porch with summer furniture.

See also: Features of the village style in landscape design

       

There are also recreation areas under trees or enclosed grounds, which are separate "street" rooms with a sturdy roof and summer walls. If the family has children, then near the place for leisure activities for adults necessarily equip children's playground with a slide and sandbox.

Outbuildings

To economic buildings include summer kitchens, facilities for pets, sheds for storing garden equipment, a toilet, a workshop, a wood-fitter. Their location must necessarily comply with the established norms. First of all, this concerns the permissible distances from buildings of different types. Under the economic part a separate zone is allocated, which occupies the lion's share of the plot area. Buildings should be built with an eye on the stylistics of the site and not spoil its image with an unpleasant appearance.

       

Decorative buildings

To the decorative buildings (small architectural forms) include arches, pergolas, bridges, mills and wells. They do not have any practical benefit, but they have a positive effect on the aesthetics of the site. Arches mark the place of transition from one zone to another. Pergolas are a "light" version of the arbor. Cobbled bridges are decorated with intersections of reservoirs with garden paths. Although there are cases when they are erected simply on level ground, not for a quick transition over the barrier, but solely for beauty. Decorative wells and mills are used as elements of complex compositions.

Variants and design of garden paths

Depending on the material selected, the garden paths can be temporary or monumental. The first option is suitable for areas with not yet completed design.

Garden paths are classified into the following types:

• Concrete. Monumental cover, which is suitable for both pedestrian and automobile paths.

• Stone. Combine the strength and external beauty. However, the material (granite, basalt, marble) will be expensive. Original looks combine variants, in which the stone is combined with the lawn.
• Brick. Available material that will last long and will please the eye with a pleasant color.
• Pebbles, crushed stone. Bulk paths are classified as temporary. If necessary, they can be retrained into permanent or postponed.

• Tree. Aesthetically beautiful material, but sensitive to moisture. Creative paths from wood saws look creative, but their thickness should be impressive, so that the deck does not split from constant loads.
• Plastic. Budget option, which is ready-made for sale in stores.
• Ceramics. Usually, the coating is laid out from the pieces of the tile in a mosaic method. The garden paths are also made of decorative concrete, lids or glass bottles, which are digged into the ground with their necks down.

       

Lighting

Devices for street lighting are usually classified into two types:

• The upper ones. Presented by lanterns and searchlights. The first can be battery and electric. Lanterns on solar panels are charged by day and give light at night. For electrical appliances, you will have to pull out the wiring.
• Lower. For this type of lighting is usually used LED strip or tiny decorative light bulbs.

Also on the site can be highlighted individual figures or compositions exclusively for beauty.

       

Fence and decorative fencing

Fences can be artificial and natural. The first include fences. They in turn are divided into species depending on the materials used:

• Brick or stone. Monumental fences, which, if necessary, can protect the territory from the intrusion of extraneous "guests".
• Wooden. They can be solid or with gaps. Material before the installation of the fence must be treated with special compounds that protect against the harmful effects of moisture.
• Metal. As a rule, they are performed in the technique of forging or casting. Such fences become a real decoration of the suburban area.
• Plastic or polycarbonate. Primitive temporary fences, which are classified as budgetary options.

       

Natural fences are hedges from bushes or trees that are systematically cut to give them the right shape and neat appearance. In some cases, combined variants are used. For example, a metal fence, twined with ivy or grapes, looks aristocratic and exquisite.

Decorative elements - decoration of the country plot

To decorative ornaments carry vases, garden gnomes, sculptural compositions, solitary vases, benches and garden furniture, topiary. These elements are placed in the last turn, when large-scale works on the upgrading of the site are already completed and the last details remain. Do not overdo it with a fine decor: its abundance can create unnecessary lustiness in the composition picture. Sculptures and vases are usually placed on lawns. Single figures accentuate themselves. Garden furniture is located near the recreation areas or in the shady corners of the garden. The topiary looks beautiful in the surroundings of neat garden paths.

       

Conclusion

The design of the land between the stage of design and implementation into reality will undergo a lot of improvements and adjustments. The final picture with all the amendments will be very different from the initial idea. The novice designer should prepare for this in advance in order to avoid disappointment. The plot in terms of arrangement is very different from the apartment due to its inconstancy and dependence on the weather and its whims. Therefore, the task of its design is much more complicated.