Modern landscape design and gardening have been moving in a direction that can be called “back to nature” for quite some time. This is due not only to attempts to reduce the cost of care and free up more time for leisure, but also to the growing popularity of a healthy lifestyle and concern for the environment.
Photo: AiF/Victor Tropchenko
It is no secret that, for example, in the forest and field no one takes care of the plants, but nevertheless, many of these places can compete with our gardens in beauty. What can we learn from nature? First of all, create not only decorative and useful for us, but also sustainable plant communities that require a minimum of attention.
Little is not zero!
Seeing the enticing title “Low Care Garden” will probably make even an experienced gardener slow down, not to mention beginners who believe everything. I want to disappoint you right away. A low-maintenance garden is a very popular, desired and unattainable... fairy tale! Unless, of course, it is a garden, and not a car park rolled into asphalt with a carefully thought-out place for a barbecue. If you are satisfied with this option, then the flag, or rather, a broom for sweeping asphalt, is in your hands and bon appetit! But I am sure that our reader is not like that. He just wants to minimize his physical and time costs. And this is understandable! There are usually only two days off per week, and only one vacation per year. And the mushrooms in the forest will soon grow, and the water in the lake will warm up... After all, nothing human is alien even to a gardener... Andrey Ganov, an experienced gardener
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Night garden. Create an unforgettable image with lighting
Why a fence and a fence made of corrugated sheets?
Unlike pastoral pictures of American suburbs with areas separated only by hedges or nominal wooden fences up to half a meter high, in our realities the picture is different.
ArnauFORUMHOUSE Member
So - I have an empty plot of land. Should we build something on it? Which building is the most important in Russia? Probably a fence. We all want to isolate ourselves from the dangers of the outside world. So we started with the fence.
The history of the development of the site began back in 2010 - both now and then, if you needed something “cheap and cheerful,” they chose profiled sheets. So Arnau (Alexander) was no exception, finding several advantages for himself in such a solution.
- Complete visual protection from external factors.
- Relatively low cost.
- Durability if installation technology is followed.
- Maximum assembly speed - installed literally in a day.
The main disadvantage of this type of fence is the lack of aesthetics, but there are different decoration options, which is what the craftsman has been doing all these years. Today he would choose a beautiful wooden fence that matches the style of the house, since the final cost, taking into account all the transformations, turned out to be approximately the same. But he doesn’t have any special regrets about this – at that time the choice was justified.
ArnauFORUMHOUSE Member
That's right, the corrugated sheet, plus the decor, ended up costing more. But the advantage of the profiled sheet is that I could afford it right away. And I do all the decorations year after year, gradually. And there is no need to spend a lot of money at once.
What’s interesting is that the corrugated sheet was mounted with the colored side facing the site, and the gray side facing the street. The case when you do it for yourself, and not for others.
Timing of work
All basic gardening work is carried out seasonally and each season has its own procedures.
Spring
Spring is a busy time for gardeners, as the garden after winter requires serious work. First, the garden area should be cleared of debris and the soil should be slightly loosened. Before the flow of juices begins, formative and maintenance pruning of fruit trees is carried out. Next, you should whitewash the trunks. To do this, prepare a composition of chalk, copper sulfate and casein glue. The mixture is applied in two layers to the trunks and skeletal branches. To protect against pests, all fruit plants should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. Also in the spring, fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen-containing components are applied to the soil.
Summer
In the summer, in addition to cultivated plants, weeds begin to actively grow, so weed and pest control is the main concern of gardeners. Pruning is not carried out in summer, but some plants have to be pinched to limit the growth of shoots. In the summer season, some tree varieties begin to bear fruit, so you need to take care of harvesting and preserving the harvest.
Autumn
In autumn, the main harvest is collected and fruit crops are prepared for winter. In September, you can already start digging up tree trunk circles and applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. In September, cuttings of all varieties of currants are usually planted. In October, it is necessary to carry out autumn whitewashing of trunks and main branches. All fallen leaves are collected and burned. Fruit tree trunks are packed in spruce branches, roofing felt or spunbond.
Winter
There is little work in winter. In case of heavy snowfall, the snow should be raked under the trunks, forming a mound. If whitewashing was not done in the fall, then it can be done in the winter. Some experienced gardeners prune fruit trees in winter.
Landscape design project and why I had to refuse the author’s services
Arnau considers a plan to be the basis of any serious business, and creating a garden in virgin lands and landscaping the site is just that. Therefore, in the fall, he turned to a landscape designer for a project, who attracted attention with her work. The craftsman was completely satisfied with the developed master plan in the nature garden style, even if it was drawn. Visualizations were still minimally widespread at that time, and even today not everyone is willing to pay extra for the volume.
It was assumed that the same company and the same specialist would implement the plan, but it did not work out, since the designer’s dishonesty was revealed already at the first stage. At first I was shocked by the estimate - it turned out that it included huge volumes of geoplastics. But with the raising of the entire back part of the yard by 20-30 cm, Arnau decided to wait, but plant large trees and seedlings where there will be no construction work (the foundation for the house has already been poured). The estimate for this part of the project was satisfactory, and the landing itself went relatively smoothly.
But then problems began, which is why they quarreled with the designer and refused her services. Of the twelve ornamental trees, seven survived, and of the six fruit trees, only two survived. The forum member believes that the main reason for this development of the situation is the poor quality of planting material. The lack of watering could also have had an effect - they started planting at the end of March, but no one warned the owner that the trees needed to be watered abundantly immediately, and their own water from the well appeared only in mid-April. Back in May, the trees looked quite viable, but at the end of June they began to wither, and in the first season they had to uproot a couple of pines and a spruce.
Life hack - so that the roots of his neighbor’s plants do not interfere with him, and the roots of his plants do not interfere with his neighbors, the craftsman dug metal sheets to a depth of 50 cm along the perimeter of the entire plot and is very glad that he did so right away.
Meadow instead of lawn
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Evergreen theme: how to create beautiful compositions from coniferous plants A lawn is an excellent background for planting, but it is extremely labor-intensive. Judge for yourself: in the spring you need to comb it out, remove old dry grass, make punctures so that the roots of the grass breathe better, mow it every week or two in the summer, water it so that there are no areas with excess or insufficient moisture (otherwise unsightly spots may appear on it) , fertilize regularly... Unfortunately, a garden carpet requires constant effort.
The search for alternatives has been going on for quite some time. A good option is to replace the lawn with a “natural meadow”. Such a meadow needs to be mowed only once or twice a season, and not weekly, like a lawn. True, after mowing it loses its decorative effect for one or two weeks until the grass grows back. But you can forgive the meadow what you don’t want to forgive the lawn: even if in some place the grass grows worse, spots appear, the color is not bright enough green or the grass falls from the rain and wind - this will not spoil the almost natural community.
Important
The meadow must be laid out specifically. An overgrown lawn cannot become one, if only because the density of planting grasses on the lawn is much higher than grasses and perennials in the meadow. The main problem that you may encounter if you want to create a real meadow is rhizomatous weeds: wheatgrass, sow thistle, and sowweed. They pose no danger on the lawn because they do not tolerate constant mowing. In the meadow, they feel very at ease and can kill cultivated plants. The only way to avoid this is to thoroughly clear the area allocated for the meadow of weed roots in advance.
There are special grass mixtures designed to create a meadow. As a rule, they consist of seeds of both annual and perennial plants: while perennial grasses develop, annuals will provide decorative value in the first season. Such mixtures can also be thematic - for example, intended for wetter or drier places, with a predominance of flowers of certain shades, or with the participation of plants that are attractive to bees and butterflies. Unfortunately, the range of such seeds offered by our garden centers is not yet very large.
Photo: AiF/Victor Tropchenko
Don't create difficulties for yourself!
There is a widespread misconception among people that, they say, “I’ll plant everything with a lawn and won’t do anything else.” Not to mention the fact that only a good, smooth, emerald-colored lawn, like a billiard table, caresses the eye and soul. And this requires very serious effort and skills. But let's say you did it anyway. And lovingly you call him nothing more than “my English.” Let's come down to earth: in May you will be fed and mastered a new mechanism under the frightening name “verticutter”. Every Saturday in the summer there is a haircut. And so on. Attention, lovers of the “easy life” in the garden: the lawn is not for you! A. Ganov
Photo: AiF/Victor Tropchenko
How to adapt free water to your needs
In parallel with the construction of a house and a bathhouse from timber, in 2010 Arnau acquired a storage tank, digging it into the ground.
ArnauFORUMHOUSE Member
This barrel is one of the most useful ideas for the site. And today I would have dug two of these, and not just one. The essence of the idea is that this barrel is buried in the ground and drains from the roofs of the house and bathhouse are connected to it. As a result, even after a little rain I have a supply of clean and soft water. A primitive pump is installed in the barrel, which successfully pumps water. I constantly use this water to water my plants.
The system is the simplest - under each drain there is a receiving box in which garbage settles; sewer pipes run from the boxes, connected to a pipe going into the barrel. In case of heavy rainfall and overflow, discharge into a well is provided. No anchoring was done, the container was simply dug in and filled with water; in the spring it does not float up, as it is filled with autumn rains.
Buy ready-made seedlings
It is easier and often cheaper to buy seedlings than to grow them yourself. There are people/companies that professionally grow seedlings in large greenhouses. Optimal growing conditions are maintained there.
Many gardeners spend time growing seedlings, believing that this is the only way to get healthy, uninfected seedlings. In fact, there is no guarantee that such seedlings will be healthy and will not develop blackleg or other dangerous diseases.
The best solution to the issue is to find a reliable supplier of seedlings, then you can save a lot of time and effort on growing them.
What do you do?
Grow your own seedlings
85.83%
Buy ready-made seedlings
14.17%
Voted: 896
How they made a mistake when paving
Having parted with the first designer, Arnau did not despair and at the height of the season managed to find another specialist - in general, the result of cooperation with Vladimir was satisfactory, but there were some mistakes. When preparing the base for the paths, the excavated soil was evenly distributed over the site, which is incorrect.
- Firstly, the layer of sand “buried” the fertility.
- Secondly, this sand raised the ground level on the site and above the paths.
Therefore, after a few years, the paving had to be redone - the stone was removed and sand was poured into the base. The alterations were carried out by the same team as the first time, under the leadership of a new designer, but of course the customer had to pay for everything. Rostov flagstone was chosen as the finishing layer for the paths: “available, inexpensive, in a natural style.” After a few years, it became boring, but clinker is not only nobler, but also much more expensive. The stone was laid on a layer of sand compacted with a vibrating plate, the seams were also covered with sand, without adding cement. By the way, flagstone, also known as plastic, does not slip at all after rain due to its rough surface. The thickness of the stone in pedestrian areas is 3-4 cm, in the parking lot it is 5-6 cm. No edges were made, but concrete reinforcement was placed along the edges to prevent the stone from spreading.
Treat trees and shrubs in a timely manner
With trees, in the matter of treatment and prevention, everything is the same as with people - preventing a disease is cheaper and easier than treating it. In addition, not all diseases of garden crops are treatable. If a tree dies, you will have to uproot it, plant a new one, and wait several years for the harvest.
There are prevention methods, simple and effective, that can prevent many diseases. These include preventive spraying, whitewashing of trunks, insulation for the winter, etc.
You can learn more about tree treatment in the following video:
Distressed gazebo-tea house
Back in 2010, simultaneously with the bathhouse project, Arnau commissioned the architect to design a gazebo, also known as a tea house. There are no complaints about the bathhouse.
Things didn't work out with the house from the very beginning. And they had to “pull it out” from the designer, and there was no luck with the implementation.
ArnauFORUMHOUSE Member
The first contractor stole the advance payment for it, and then fed me breakfast for a year. The second one made it so that the house could fall from the slightest breath of wind. The third strengthened the house for one season, then left everything to chance. In the second season I started making a roof - from terraced hardwood boards, terrace corrugated boards! You have never seen anything worse in the area of tea houses, believe me. And only Vladimir was able to finish the unfortunate tea house and cover it with larch shingles. For which I am very grateful to him.
Visualization.
During the summer of 2011, the garden did not undergo any major changes - the main efforts were devoted to the construction of a site for the tea house and a pond in front of it. The area of the reservoir is about 30 m², depth is up to 1.2-1.4 m, decorative purpose. Having already covered the pond bowl with a membrane, they finally brought in a batch of shrubs and trees. This time, Arnau strictly monitored the quality of the planting material and chose it from “far from the cheapest nursery.” At the end of October, we planted everything we bought and completed the stone wall that should separate the “forest” part of the site.
At this stage, the understanding came that we would have to change the contractor again, since the current one is more likely a “foreman, not a designer,” which causes a lot of problems. Yes, the team did some things well, but for this they had to literally stand their ground. And when there was no such opportunity, the work either stalled, or the result turned out to be far from planned.
conclusions
- Horticulture is one of the most important branches of agriculture. Most shrub crops and trees, with proper care, can bear fruit from 5 to 70 years. Read this material on how to care for currants.
- Each owner of an individual plot can organize a garden.
- When planning a garden, you need to take into account the compatibility of plants with each other. For example, you need to know what to plant next to the pear, which is described in this link.
- To get a good harvest, you must follow all requirements and recommendations.
Why hire someone to arrange the site?
This question was asked to Alexander by one of the visitors to his topic, to which he received the following answer.
ArnauFORUMHOUSE Member
Why trust contractors with anything at all? Probably because you cannot have a good understanding of all possible types of human activity. Probably, in most cases, a specialist who has done his job many times and has seen many of his own mistakes will complete the task better than you with little knowledge and almost always without experience. You talk about the profession of landscape designer as something available to everyone. This is wrong. Now I feel much more confident in this area than in 2009. But I’m definitely not a specialist, but a moderately experienced amateur.
Therefore, even being disappointed in the second designer and stopping cooperation with him for some time, Alexander invited a third.
Basic cultivation technologies
All types of plants can be grown both in open ground and in artificially created conditions of greenhouses and greenhouses.
In the open ground
Growing plants in open ground poses a number of specific challenges for gardeners.
First of all, this is due to the climatic conditions of the region. Often the stable and cyclical temperature regime fails. Then, instead of the expected moderate and snowy winter, very cold and rainless weather sets in. In such a situation, it is necessary to provide protection for plants from frost. Another problem is related to the quality of the soil where the plants are planted. Most of them prefer loamy or sandy loam soils with low acidity levels. Closely located groundwater has a negative impact on the life processes of plants. In this case, measures must be taken to drain the land. The benefits of planting outdoors include plenty of sunlight, fresh air and pollinating insects. Most consumers believe that fruits and vegetables grown in a greenhouse are inferior in taste to those collected from fruit plants grown in open areas.
In greenhouses and greenhouses
Growing some types of cultivated plants in artificially created conditions, in some cases, turns out to be more rational than open breeding. A greenhouse or greenhouse allows a gardener to create climatic conditions for a plant that are not typical for a given region.
This is necessary for growing exotic fruit and berry crops, as well as decorative flowers. In a greenhouse, it is easy to regulate parameters such as humidity and temperature.
A greenhouse, greenhouse or greenhouse protects plants from negative environmental factors. By changing plant maintenance parameters, you can significantly increase productivity.
Some fruit plants grown in greenhouses make it possible to obtain several harvests in one season, which is impossible to achieve using traditional methods.
All melons and the following fruit crops are well suited for greenhouse cultivation:
- raspberries;
- peach;
- apricot;
- nectarine.
Traditionally, strawberries and ornamental flowers are grown in greenhouses. An important factor in favor of greenhouse cultivation is that in closed conditions, cultivated plants are practically not susceptible to diseases. It is easy to carry out preventive measures in a greenhouse, and if a lesion occurs, it can be quickly neutralized.
Attempt number three, also with blots
The new specialist began work only at the beginning of July 2012, having received as an “inheritance” a yard that had already become overgrown. After clearing, we began to build a wooden path made of larch based on geotextiles and a cushion of crushed stone. By the end of the month, new plants appeared in the garden and pond, part of the path.
In mid-August, we laid out the beds and made a pebble path.
True, the stones began to fall off after the first winter, and by 2015, when their number reached 40%, new alterations and repeated expenses occurred. The mistake is that the pebbles were simply glued to the concrete base using tile adhesive. During the renovation, the stones were not only knocked off, washed and repositioned, but also filled with a special sealant and everything has been holding up for several years. By the way, the second designer-contractor repaired the path, since by this time the third had already refused to cooperate. This is the “circle” of professionals on Alexander’s site.
As of the end of September, there is clear progress.
The end of October - emphasis on the long-suffering MAFs, during the construction of which almost all contractors screwed up.
Buy seedlings with closed roots
All seedlings are divided according to the type of roots, into two large groups - with closed and open roots. The first are trees whose roots are in planting containers (containers).
To plant an ordinary seedling with bare roots, you have to dig holes in advance and put fertilizer in them. Not every tree planted in this way takes root.
Advantages of seedlings in containers:
- may wait a long time to board;
- take root well;
- They are easy to plant - a hole is dug according to the size of the pot, the seedling is watered, removed from it and moved to a new place.
The fourth season from the beginning of the development of virgin lands
In May 2013, work had not yet begun, the site looked like this.
At the beginning of July, they got around to the long-suffering tea house and the same contractor began building a firewood shed.
In August, they began installing wooden gratings along the corrugated sheet fence, and this process was completed in 2016 - “because it’s expensive.”
In the garden, something began to emerge only towards the end of October - the heathers and turfs are already showing themselves as a bright spot.
Use the results of scientific and technological progress
Keep your finger on the pulse of scientific and technological progress, which never bypasses agriculture. Along with traditional growing methods, you can use all sorts of progressive advances that simplify the processes of caring for plants.
Among the most popular and effective solutions are a heating cable that warms up the greenhouse soil, artificial lighting, automated watering, automatic temperature control systems and much more.
Season five - the house is ready, in the garden, if not the final, then the main
Compared to May 2013, in May 2014 the site looks “more cheerful”, but if you don’t take care of the reservoir and only appear intermittently, it takes on a very unpresentable appearance.
Mid June.
The mentioned attempt to crossbreed a tea house with a decking board, after which the contractor was sent from the site. But the terrace board came in handy later.
By the end of September, the house is finally under an adequate roof, and the rest of the garden areas are looking good. All the work in the house had just been completed, and Alexander had the opportunity to live in it comfortably and spend more time on the site. That is, to work closely with the garden, mainly on your own, attracting performers for some of the work.
The season closes at the end of December.
Woody instead of herbaceous
Trees and shrubs can rightfully be called the “skeleton” of any garden. They not only shape the appearance of the site, but also allow you to spend the least amount of time on maintenance. Gardens with a predominance of woody plants, mainly conifers, look good even when they are no longer looked after at all.
Mature trees and shrubs require very little time and labor: just pruning 1-2 times a year and occasional watering. It is thanks to their always good appearance and ease of care that they are so popular in European front gardens.
The range of tree crops is very extensive: you can find plants of any size and shape, with decorative foliage or beautifully flowering, deciduous or evergreen. True, the latter usually require more attention. Among them are seemingly unpretentious conifers: there are many “capricious” species and varieties that need shelter from the spring sun at least in the first years after planting (many thujas, junipers, hemlocks). The most reliable of the conifers are usually the forms of Scots spruce or mountain pine.
By the way
It would seem that what could be more unpretentious than Scots pine? However, from experience, varieties of this species selected in warmer countries in the climate of central Russia often do not do well.
Among the shrubs there are also relatively low-growing ones that can be used as a kind of alternative to the lawn - these are spirea, stephanandra, horizontal juniper, microbiota. Over time, when they grow (or if the planting was initially dense), almost no weeds appear under them. And, of course, the traditional way to reduce weeding and watering of any plantings is to mulch the soil with loose organic materials (chopped branches, bark, fallen leaves, mown grass, etc.). But we must remember that the use of coniferous bark acidifies the soil, which not all plants like.
Photo: AiF/Victor Tropchenko
Trouble-free way!
You often hear that a coniferous garden requires almost no maintenance. This is partly true. But I would make a small addition. Coniferous forest - yes, it does not require maintenance. Fir trees and pine trees are growing, becoming from year to year more and more like some of the Kremlin New Year's trees, and others of mast linemen. But when we talk about a coniferous garden, we still mean something else: a variety of varietal larches, spruces, junipers, pseudo-hemlocks and just hemlocks... And for a low-maintenance garden, preference should be given to the slowest-growing varieties. So that we have no other concern other than admiring! Those that grow quickly require more attention to themselves: mandatory and timely annual pruning, sometimes radical. And this, believe me, goes against the idea of low-income. And, of course, you should not plant conifers that are problematic for your region. For example, the popular Canadian spruce 'Konika', which suffers greatly from the spring sun, is simply contraindicated for the gardens of our Karelian Isthmus. Not only does it take a lot of time to annually cut out the “burnt” branches, but we usually plant it in the most visible place. And at the sight of a “beauty” with brown and blackened needles, the gardener’s mood becomes very bleak. A. Ganov Photo: AiF/Viktor Tropchenko
Six years from “was” to “became”
Arnau opened his topic with a detailed description of all the misadventures and successes in June 2015, in the first message he posted a photo of what happened and how it became.
The second photo is from June, and he started working in the garden in the spring.
ArnauFORUMHOUSE Member
The end of April 2015, I put up stone troughs, in which I later built mini rock gardens. Nowadays, saxifrage, gentian, grosgrass, pinks and other alpines grow successfully.
In mid-June, Alexander began decorating the back side of the fence with mats made of willow vines - due to the overgrown growths, it turned out not too neatly, but much better than it was. And if you consider that such decor is much cheaper than custom-made trellises, and is more appropriate in the “forest” area of the garden, everything is great.
Mid-July - the beds have been developed, the pond is still in mud, stones are still flying off the pebble path, but in general, it is already a full-fledged garden and park complex.
Secret No. 5. The effect of surprise
The only thing that is perceived as interesting, unique, and original is the garden, which you never tire of opening and examining. One of the main features by which one can unmistakably identify high-quality professional projects is an aura of mystery, secrecy, seclusion, that special atmosphere that does not allow interest to fade away day after day. Making a garden mysterious is not so difficult - you just need to make the most interesting things secret, hidden from prying eyes.
The most boring gardens are those that can be taken in at just one glance. There should be at least one “secret” even in the simplest in structure and modest in size garden. A relaxation corner, a bench buried in a hedge, a cozy gazebo, a small sun lounger by your favorite pond, a beautiful garden sculpture, a strange plant, an apothecary garden or an ornamental vegetable garden - any object in the garden can be used as a “secret”. They should appear suddenly, unexpectedly, hiding behind lush plants until the path turns or you find yourself in another part of the area while walking. These are the “hidden treasures” that make your garden attractive and not boring.
To hide a secret cozy corner from prying eyes, you can use a hedge, a vine entwining the trellis, or a lush edging with tall perennials and shrubs, and sometimes a potted garden. The main thing is to place the plants in front of the object so that it is not visible what is hidden behind them. And even if you walk through the garden every day, you will never get tired of discovering such hidden objects. They give a feeling of novelty, multi-layered design, attractiveness and mystery; in addition to colors and comfort, they fill areas with a premonition of discovery.
Moving according to the principle “from tree to crumb”, you will not make mistakes even when designing a strip border
Ten years later – garden in spring-summer 2022
It is impossible to cover more than fifty pages of a topic within one article; for details, refer to the source. But ten years after the start of work, the site looks like this.
And this is last season.
Despite all the difficulties, mistakes and rework, Arnau achieved the desired result, but does not plan to stop there. As you know, there is no limit to perfection, and no matter how many years pass, something changes in the garden every season and will continue to change.
On the topic, we have an article about how a landscape designer equipped his site. The corresponding thread on the forum will help you avoid at least common mistakes when planning. In the video - the first experience of landscape design on your own.
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Grow fewer seedlings
Many garden crops are grown by seedlings. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to plant it on windowsills. Seedlings can be grown directly in a greenhouse, or even directly sown in the ground. Indoors, seedlings often stretch out and get sick and do not tolerate transplantation well.
The seedling method should be used only if it is truly profitable, or if it is impossible to obtain a harvest in any other way. Cabbage, cucumbers, pumpkin and melons - all this can be grown from seeds. The harvest will be later, but you won’t have to bother with seedlings.
