Do-it-yourself landscaping on a summer cottage 5 acres

So that the fence does not serve in the future as a cause of disagreement with neighbors and lawsuits, it must be built strictly along the borders of 5 acres with neighboring sections. Do-it-yourself surveying is not recommended. This should be done by representatives of local land management organizations with the obligatory recording of results on the ground and the execution of an official document (act) in writing.

Immediately to many it may seem a very difficult task to design a small piece of land of about 5 acres. In fact, on a small territory of the earth it is much easier to create a small garden with a cozy sitting area near the house with your own hands. In addition to this, there are also other advantages:

ease in leaving and maintaining order,
small cash investments,
Save time to refine areas.

An important place in the planning and design of landscape design is given apart from a residential building to small architectural structures. They will focus on themselves, need consider their style and size. These buildings include:

playgrounds,
baths
arbors
wells
B-B-Q.

Successful will be the landscape design that at any time of the year, in the warm and cold, always looks attractive and vibrant. There should not be a lot of architectural structures so as not to overload the general background, it is desirable that they differ in an interesting form, be multifunctional.

When creating zoning is better avoid straight lineswhen they are curved, any landscape design will look more aesthetically pleasing. Looking through photos on various sites, you can find great design ideas with or without finished buildings. Having carefully studied them, you need to take something as a basis and create the design of your summer cottage, given its construction and free space.

Creating cozy areas for relaxation

Any project may include, in addition to the house and other construction projects, several important components:

water facilities
tracks
plants and flowers
lighting,
fencing
decorative elements.

Terrain is of great importance, as well as the distinctive features of the land. Immediately you need to think over the lighting system, if necessary, design the direction of the drainage ditches.

Surely during the construction there remains poured earth, which can be used to create an alpine slide with your own hands. You can add a small pond to it if the site is already supplied with water. The embankment can be decorated with stones or created there a podium for a small but bright flower garden. Numerous photos of flower beds and alpine slides will be able to suggest an idea, so you just need to dream up.

Main elements

Waterworks occupy a special place in landscape design, any body of water can be aesthetic and practical in nature. For example, a pond can serve as a source of water for watering plants or it will only to please the eye and give coolness. Any of the reservoirs will require the purchase of specialized equipment and compulsory care, material investments. In addition to standing reservoirs, other species are also widely used:

fountains
circulating rivers
small cascades and waterfalls,
water mills.

This landscape design must be with trees, shrubs and flowers. When decorating flower beds, flower beds, alpine hills, a maximum of imagination and desire to care for the plantings will be required. You can take advantage of ready-made ideas, see photos of other sites and take from there what you liked.

Now a large selection of flowers and shrubs is offered to decorate landscape design. When choosing, it is important to consider sizes of adult plantsso that a few years after their landing, the recreation area does not lose its attractiveness. That's right, when the plants are selected in shape and color, and their flowering time is different, then the impression of a blooming garden is always created. There are many types of design solutions, they can be classic and modern, mixed type. Which one to choose should be decided by everyone, taking into account their wishes and the opportunity to realize them on their own.

On any suburban area there are tracks that, at first glance, seem like a simple detail in the overall design. This is not entirely true; they play a very important role in creating unique solutions. Each of them leads to a specific object on the site, so they are primarily practical in nature, but this should also have an aesthetic component. It is important to think through everything to the smallest detail, since you will have to walk along garden paths in different weathers, they should be safe and comfortable.

Fencing is an important element in the design of the site and it is not necessary to be fenced off by a high fence from neighbors. The original fence will separate the zones of the garden plot. Most often, decorative fences made of various materials are used for this, but they should harmoniously fit into the general background.

Decorative elements give recreation areas uniqueness, these include:

flowerpots
decorative fountains,
sculptures
lighting elements.

Choosing decorative elements is important consider design styleso that all objects have the same focus and combine with each other.

It doesn’t matter how many hundred square meters of land in a summer cottage, it’s much more important to decorate with love and imagination, create your own unique landscape design within a small space. Each owner of even a small garden area has the opportunity to show himself, embodying design decisions and ultimately remain satisfied with the end result.

What to consider when planning a site

At the very beginning, you should draw up a plan, develop a detailed project yourself or with the help of specialists. The bottom line is that the area of a small area should be used to the maximum. The land is divided into places for work and recreation areas. First, large structures are planned - a house, a garage, a bathhouse. After that, a space is chosen for the garden, garden, flower bed, paths passing between them.

When planning, take into account the shape of the plot:

rectangular - the most comfortable, house, recreation area here are located in the back of the garden, in the far corner of the located posts, next to the garden,
oval-elongated - zoning is clearer here, decorative “hedges” are used for it, color zoning can be used when bright-flowering plants of warm color are planted along the short sides, small ones with long colors, with cold colors,
L-shaped - in the protruding “branch”, behind the house, there is a recreation area, farm buildings will be located in the far corner of the plot, the garden is closer to the house.

The basic principles of planning:

the house is better placed on the opposite edge relative to the entrance to the plot, then everything will fit as beautifully as possible,
the main route is from the gate to the doors of the house, it is the very first,
trees - you should discard excessively large ones, various conifers, apple trees and others give a lot of shade, occupying a useful area,
large buildings - they should be planned at the very minimum: if the arbor, then the corner, if the barn, then in the form of an extension to the house,
lighting - all significant objects are highlighted: arbor, entrance to the house, main path, decorative fountain or pond,
beds with vegetables - are placed around the perimeter of the cottage or all in one place, without violating the appearance,
scenery - small figures of gnomes, forest dwellers, fairy tale heroes will decorate the space.

If possible, they put the house at the highest point of the site so that spring waters do not flood it. It is desirable that the windows of the kitchen, bedroom, nursery overlook the south side.

Zoning

The first thing that a summer resident should do is draw a diagram of the available land. The local landscape is divided into five zones:

Depending on what it is mainly planned to do in the country - gardening, gardening or just relaxing, a certain area is allocated for each zone. 55-75% of the territory is usually allocated to a garden, 15-20% for a place of rest, a house with outbuildings will occupy up to 10% of the site.

Complete site information is the basis of successful zoning. If you plan to build an artesian well, pool, well, the level of groundwater, the degree of slope, is important.

Functional relaxation area

When a private area is intended primarily for recreation, this place is equipped taking into account the maximum convenience for vacationers. Here you will find a bathhouse with a small artificial pond, a rock garden with a gazebo, a terrace with barbecue. All elements are located nearby or in three different places of the territory, interspersed with lush flower beds, alpine slides.
Home-made decor from improvised materials will provide an opportunity to show creativity, decorating the space. Swans from old tires, palm trees from plastic bottles, carved "wooden grandfathers" will give the cottage uniqueness, unique color, any means will be good.

Ergonomic layout of farm buildings

Outbuildings are made as less noticeable as possible, preferably in the most remote corners of the garden. They are decorated with “creeping” plants, arranged so that the buildings do not obscure the beds, do not make the yard cramped. They are also used as protection against cold winds, therefore it is advisable to place them on the north or north-west side.

The norms of distances from various objects to the buildings of neighbors, their fence, are governed by a variety of rules, rules that must be observed to avoid fines, forced demolition.

The choice of trees for the garden, their location on the site

Trees are not selected too large, not big-leafed, otherwise they will greatly obscure the area. They are grouped in the center or along the perimeter of the plot. Using trees, functional zones are separated, combined with shrubs. From the fruit selected undersized apples, cherries, pears, from the bushes - currants, gooseberries. Decorative arborvitae, dwarf fir, juniper, small Christmas trees are appropriate near the benches, arbors in the recreation area.

When planting trees, you should consider:

what kind of soil do they need
climatic conditions of growth are important for the ripening of fruits,
irrigation regime, the depth of groundwater,
average life time
minimum feeding area
other care.

The individual characteristics of different breeds are also taken into account: bird cherry, poplar, with their roots, can destroy the foundation of a house, a bathhouse, a gazebo, planting willow in the garden is simply considered a bad omen.

Compact garden, flower beds

The garden is located in the sunniest place, protected from the wind - so the harvest will turn out to be plentiful. You should not do too extensive a garden - there will be no space for rest. The beds should not be flooded during heavy rains, in dry weather they need watering, which means a nearby water source. It is quite acceptable to have one greenhouse, preferably made of glass or plastic, since the film will have to be renewed annually, especially if there is often a strong wind in the region.

For the design of flower beds, any design solutions are suitable. Light-loving plants should be planted in the sun itself, shade-tolerant plants anywhere, including on vertical structures behind farm buildings. Hanging pots or flower pots attached to the fence, special devices along the house.

Vertical beds for strawberries, some spicy herbs, salads will also be an excellent solution in a small area.

Style solutions for a small area

The design is chosen so that it was pleasant to look at it. The most popular styles today are:

eastern - as functional as possible, literally every centimeter of the area is fully used. Distinctive characteristics are low trees, including plum, cherry trees, turning in spring into "blossoming sakura". A rock garden with a “toy” pagoda, fountain, waterfall will also come in handy. The country house itself is also sometimes stylized as Chinese,
palace - more expensive, luxurious, pompous, with an abundance of decor. The house is decorated with columns, benches made of stone or dark wood with forged legs, stone vases with flowers growing in them, figuratively trimmed rows of bushes repeat the shape of benches. Ponds are made out of stone bridges or their imitation,
natural - flower beds from wildflowers, sand paths, low shrubs. There may be several forest trees that are given a decorative shape, simple wooden benches, and a carved gazebo. The pond is decorated with floating plants, a light bridge is thrown over the brook.

About paths, a fence, a lawn

It is good to sunbathe on the lawn in the summer season and to have picnics. If there are children there is a play area - swings, ladders, slides, inflatable pool. The fence is chosen so high that it does not overshadow the cottage, neighboring areas. It is made of stone, wood, metal, mesh-netting. In the latter case, decorating the fence with creeping plants is especially important so that the site is not visible.

The main track is about a meter wide, the rest is a bit narrower. It is important to choose the right material for them so as not to quit annually. Large tiles, asphalt, concrete will do. Pebbles, sand, gravel will have to periodically pour. A slight slope along the edges of the tracks will not allow water to accumulate on them during rain.

Growing a good, dense lawn will take several years, so it’s easier to use a purchased roll. It is expensive, but it looks good, perfectly "holds" on any slope.

Conclusion

Landscaping of a personal garden area, a country cottage can be done with your own hands, with relatively low budgetary costs, placing everything you need there - a house, a bathhouse, a chicken coop or rabbitry, a garden in several beds, a greenhouse, a place to relax. If finances allow, and independent zoning does not succeed, you can turn to professional landscape designers who will depict the future landscaped plot in 3D format, taking into account all the wishes of the customer.

Planning

It is not so easy to create your own landscape design on a plot of 5 acres with a house. First you need to understand what exactly should be on the site. Do you need a bathhouse, a playground, a place for barbecue, a sports ground for playing basketball or tennis. It is required to carefully think over and plan the location of the house, outbuildings, paths, places of rest, plantings. Each centimeter should be calculated. It is necessary that everything has a place and one does not interfere with the other. Be sure to make sure that the site is not cluttered, that there is free space and at the same time, that the landscape details are in harmony with each other.

When drawing up the project, it is necessary to think over the zones into which the site will be divided, and also pay special attention to the features of the relief - the presence of hollows, hills, a reservoir. They can be used to advantage in the design of the site, or you may have to change and remodel. Of course, do not forget about the material side of the matter - how much money you are willing to spend on the realization of your dreams.

In general, it is not so easy to create your own masterpiece on a small plot of land. Any oversight, any flaw will be instantly visible.

At the same time, a small territory has its own advantages: it is easy to care for, it does not require significant capital investments, and at the same time it makes it possible to realize your ideas.

Style selection

After you have made a plan of the site, you need to think about the appearance of the garden and buildings. The territory will look harmonious if all its parts are decorated in the same style. There are many design options for the garden plot, here are just a few of them.

Japanese kindergarten

An oriental style is ideal for a small area. No wonder it is the Japanese who specialize in creating gardens in a small area.

The main features of the Japanese garden are:

miniature trees: they look the same as those that have grown in a natural environment, but much smaller than them,
rock garden
waterfalls
hedges made of light battens
undersized shrubs and mosses,
To emphasize the style of the garden, you can arrange a gazebo in the form of a pagoda.

Palace garden

Details of this style can fit well into the limited space of the site. It is only necessary to arrange them correctly and not to overdo it with the size and number of elements.

Attributes of the palace style can be:

equally trimmed shrubs,
neat flower beds or lawn,
plants in flowerpots,
forged arches decorated with roses,
graceful benches.

Landscape style

If you want to be closer to nature, landscape style is a great choice for you. One of the important elements of this style is the pond. It can be decorated with a waterfall or bridge, planted nearby plants that tolerate high humidity, put a few small stones. An alpine slide is made next to the pond.

Layout of a small plot

The preparatory phase will take a lot of time. You will need to think about what exactly you want to see on the site. Will there be only a small house surrounded by plantations and neat paths with places for rest? Or the landscape design of a plot of 5 acres may also imply a complex of buildings, including a bathhouse, household premises. Perhaps a children's or sports ground is needed.

The development phase of the site design begins with the identification of locations for future buildings

When designing, pay attention to all the features of the relief: ponds, troughs, elevations. It will be interesting to beat some of them, others will have to be redone. More often - the second, given that the site is small.

After you decide on the list of necessary, you can begin to plan every centimeter. The main rule is to use the space as efficiently as possible, while not overloading it.

The plot is divided into functional zones interconnected by garden paths

If this is your first project, and you doubt how it will be better, you can use ready-made ideas based on the shape of the site:

On the oval-elongated territory, clear zoning with color looks good: cold shades on the long sides of the plot, warm shades on the short ones. Recreation and work areas are separated by hedges along which plants climb.
L-shaped plot can be arranged as follows: in the “branch” to make a recreation area, in front of it, at the intersection of lines - a house and a garden. Most of the letter “g” will be occupied by beautiful plants, and at the very bottom there will be a few outbuildings.
Layout on the site of a standard, rectangular shape, the most convenient. In one corner - farm buildings, in the other - a house, between them - a garden. All the rest of the space is designed for the soul.

Examples of planning decisions:

Vertical layout

There are several tricks to visually expand the space. Among them - a vertical layout, distracting attention from the small size of the site and attracting a look to the accents. In practice, it may look like this:

At the corners of the site, multi-tier flowerbeds are made of bricks with a base covered with crushed stone, rock gardens.
Along the perimeter, if there is a base wall, you can fix flower pots and other containers with earth.
On the site itself there are more racks, where each shelf is a bed, flower beds based on old chests of drawers and cabinets (with flowers in each drawer). An economical option is a pile of car tires that create tall flower beds.
Hanging gardens can fulfill not only a decorative role, but also be used as beds. For example, in a pot you can grow greens and various types of salad.
The house is located clearly opposite the entrance to the site, and in the first place the main vertical route is laid out from the gate in the fence to the doors to the house.

The main path on the site is from the gate to the house, it is from it that the landscaping begins

Garden paths should be combined with the rest of the landscape

Look for inspirational photos with a vertical layout to adopt ready-made solutions or to adopt other people's ideas, to come up with your own based on them.

The most modern method of vertical gardening is a living wall. It does not take up much space, which makes it popular for small areas

Unpretentious plants that require minimal care are chosen to create phytowalls

East color

Most often, the owners of small plots turn to the experience of the Japanese: they know a lot about the refinement of small territories. What are only the world-famous rock gardens, inspiring the beauty of minimalism.

Oriental style allows you to maximize the use of small space

Here are some other design ideas you can borrow in a typical Japanese garden:

miniature trees that look exactly like real ones, but much smaller
low shrubs, mosses,
light rail fences,
waterfalls.

If you plan to build, a good solution is to design a gazebo in the form of a pagoda - this will emphasize the chosen style.

Japanese-style stone garden, characterized by laconicism and unpretentious care

In the oriental style there is not a single extra detail. If you plant trees, then they should be cherry, plum, so that they adorn the garden as long as possible. In the summer they will be useful for their fruits, and in the spring they will turn the garden into almost Japanese, with “sakura”.

Palace style

Details of this style are quite possible to fit into a small area, but it will be more difficult. Here you will have to weigh the number of elements, their size, so that everything looks neat.

The basis of the palace-style garden is the symmetrical shrub planting

Palace style includes:

neat shrubs trimmed at the same height
well-maintained flower beds or fresh lawn,
plants placed in graceful flowerpots,
beautiful benches
forged decorated arches.

Think in advance if you are prepared for the restrictions that the palace style imposes. No bells and daisies are allowed here! Only spray roses and other plants that give an elegant look.

In a secluded corner of such a garden you can put a stone bench in the spirit of past centuries.

Theoretically, this is an expensive and pompous style, so look at the ideas of sites decorated in a palace style, and choose what is applicable on your 5 acres. Including, taking into account the budget. For example, a house decorated with columns, stone benches will look expensive and interesting, but several stone vases with flowers are less expensive.

Garden landscape

In contrast to the previous style, this one allows almost all the usual and simple landscapes, a riot of colors and colors.

The popularity of the landscape style is due to the desire of the owners of the sites to create a corner of untouched nature around themselves.

If you dream of admiring the ponds, a landscape style has simply been created for you. The center of the composition will be a pond, and you can additionally design it with a waterfall and a bridge. An alpine hill is also set nearby, the shore is made out with large stones, and plants are planted, which can not be dampened.

A small artificial pond will decorate the site and provide an opportunity to enjoy a good rest on its shore

If you want this garden to attract the eye with its beauty all year round, you need to choose plants that bloom at different times.

In winter, in Russia, of course, it is difficult to do. But from early spring to late autumn - it is quite possible. If you live in northern cities, your way out is mobile flower beds. Potted flowers grown at home are simply transferred to the garden. At the same time, additional opportunities for experiments with the arrangement of plants and the change of the usual composition appear.

Those who wish to see their garden attractive in the winter can also recommend coniferous plants - spruce, thuja western or Cossack juniper

But the number of trees when planning a plot of 5 acres is better to reduce, otherwise they will greatly obscure the site. If you can not do without them, group with bushes around the perimeter: gooseberries, currants. And choose not too big, big-leafed trees: it is better to have undersized apple trees, dwarf fir, and decorative arborvitae.

Beautiful designs

Immediately accept the idea that on a plot of 5 acres it is impossible to plant all the plants that you like. Leave in the project only those without which you cannot imagine your own garden at all.

In a small area, small forms look beneficial, for example, a vintage gate in a stone wall, behind which, perhaps, there is no move, but such a composition looks very stylish

This garden is striking in the abundance of flowering plants, for small-growing specimens there was a place for higher

There are many options for planting flower beds, but in a small area, options are preferred when different types of plants grow close to each other. You can also arrange a rockery, where there will be stones next to the flowers.