Have you ever heard that the Chinese invented everything in the world? I agree with this statement. After all, it was they who taught us to drink tea from porcelain cups, wear silk, and use umbrellas. And when Europeans discovered Chinese gardens, they were shocked by their beauty.
Article on the topic Coziness in Belgian style. Hedges and “green rooms” in garden design
One of the brilliant ideas that European landscape designers gleaned from Chinese gardening was the “green room” method: a garden designed according to this principle is divided into independent parts - “rooms”, connected to each other. As a result, the site turns into a series of independent spaces, smoothly flowing into one another.
How it's done?
By what principle are green rooms formed? The site can be divided into parts according to their functions (entrance area, vegetable garden, bathhouse with a pond, utility area, etc.), based on the design or collection preferences of the owner (regular flower garden, shady part with a collection of ferns, path with hostas, Japanese garden ...) or even by color scheme (white garden, green, purple...). The rooms have arbitrary sizes and shapes: it’s even better if they are completely different.
The “walls” of each green “room” can be high hedges, garden screens entwined with vines, pergolas, mixborders, groups of trees and shrubs, walls or fences. They do not have to be dense, thick and impenetrable to view - just a translucent “hint”, visually perceived as an obstacle, is quite enough.
Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
Garden paths - practical and aesthetic design
Garden paths in a summer cottage are not only a convenient and safe way to move between objects and segments of landscape design, but also a way of zoning space and decorating it. Therefore, paths and paths in the local area can be not only reliable and practical, but also original, beautiful, executed in the general design of the entire site.
Garden paths can be made from the following materials:
- stone (“plastushka”, river stone or pebbles, paving stones);
- wood (painted or coated with special varnishes and antiseptics);
- concrete in various modifications;
- brick (clinker or regular);
- waste material (plastic caps, bottles or parts thereof, corks and any other material that can be used to create a safe and sufficiently durable surface for country paths).
Also, according to the method of execution, all tracks can be divided into solid and non-solid - the name speaks for itself and leaves no discrepancies in determining the appearance of the two options. In addition, garden paths can be divided into temporary and permanent. Mostly, permanent paths are used in summer cottages, but it happens that the owners use the site for a short period of time and it turns out to be more expedient to lay temporary paths.
Why is this necessary?
Using this method, you can create a comfortable garden for a family with a wide variety of interests and needs. It is quite possible to combine different garden styles and arrange collections of plants. You can also solve more specific problems: for example, successfully planning a narrow long section. For example, divide it into several almost square parts (at least three), erect “walls” between them from garden screens with vines or hedges, trimmed or freely growing, and lay winding paths through the “rooms” that distract attention from straight lines plots and opening up a new perspective with every turn.
Barbecue area at the dacha. Where to place
It so happens that outdoor recreation is always associated with a barbecue area, where you can fry meat and cook vegetables, thereby getting closer to nature. When choosing a place for a barbecue, it is important to remember that there should be no flammable or related items nearby. This place must have the following characteristics:
- Wind protection. This is because wind can not only interfere with the grilling of meat or vegetables, but also increases the risk of nearby items catching fire.
- The barbecue or barbecue area should be level and free of holes and protrusions. The smoother the surface, the more stable the grill will be, and therefore safer for others.
Examples to follow
As examples of planning using the “green rooms” method, I can cite two gardens near Moscow that amazed me with their beauty and ease of living.
Garden of Secrets
A secret bench for secluded relaxation is not easy to notice from afar! Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
Let's visit Natalia Galkina . Two-meter-high trimmed hedges of spirea, brilliant cotoneaster and alpine currant create the structure of this garden and form secluded offices.
There are also two “secret” corners. The first one is tiny: it's just a bench that hides between two evergreen rhododendrons. You can retire there and sit quietly, dream or reflect. The second corner is a little larger - this is a wooden Bird Gazebo, placed in a remote corner of the garden. It is woven with shade-tolerant vines - virgin grapes and petiolate hydrangea, and the entire roof is lined with birdhouses.
A selection of budget options
The simplest recreation area that does not require investment is outdoor furniture. Installs directly above the ground without creating a deck or canopy.
An inexpensive covered terrace or gazebo is equipped with polycarbonate - this inexpensive material is easy to work with, it protects from rain and sun and is suitable for an interesting design in a modern style.
If protection from rain is not so important, place a table under the vine - the plant creates a pleasant shade.
Advice! To avoid buying special furniture, make your own from pallets. Pallets can be found free or purchased inexpensively and are an excellent building material. From the bench there are sofas, armchairs, tables, bar counters, sun loungers and much more.
Shall we keep it secret?
An abandoned corner of the site, which is difficult to decorate in other ways, may well turn into a small secret garden. Without knowing where it is, it is almost impossible to get inside. This is not a place for walks or noisy meals: here they think, dream, maybe even meditate. The secret garden helps you relax, regain lost strength, and enjoy life. It is carefully decorated and has beautiful paving. It would be nice to place a collection of miniature plants here. Don't forget about lighting, solar or artificial. There will also be a small sculpture at the site.
Functional garden
The Moscow garden of garden designer Elena Klonitskaya consists of six green rooms. Its clear structure allows you to separate functional zones from each other as much as possible, provide a walking route through the garden, and visually enlarge the area.
An outdoor dining area that opens immediately upon entry through the gate. Its “walls” are two mixborders and a garden trellis with clematis. A large table with chairs is placed on the lawn under the apple tree: here the family has lunch on weekends and receives guests.
Outdoor dining. Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
Near the bathhouse there is another recreation area with a small rock garden (a rocky mini-garden) and a wonderful pond with a quiet stream. You can sit here on the swing sofa.
French decorative vegetable garden of eight radial beds extending from the central module with a coniferous composition. It is framed by a hedge of small-leaved linden and a ceremonial flower garden. The garden is quite functional and produces a decent harvest of vegetables and strawberries. Ground cover roses are planted in the narrowest places of the trapezoidal beds (as a small concession to beauty at the expense of benefit).
French ornamental vegetable garden. Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
The heather garden is a secluded place for reflection. This place contains rhododendrons, evergreen and deciduous, wintergreen, and heathers. Sitting on a beautiful bench, you can think and admire the plants. The plantings are almost closed, and you can only enter here along an inconspicuous path. But one more step - and you are inside a wonderfully arranged space!
Heather garden. Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
English vegetable garden with a square shape. It is isolated from the rest of the garden by a hedge of brilliant cotoneaster and mixborders. Paths cross it diagonally; a purple-leaved berry apple tree on a trunk is planted in the center, and under it there are decorative strawberries with pink flowers. Varietal garden strawberries grow in the beds.
English vegetable garden. Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
Mini-nursery: shelter and school. A real research laboratory is located in a small space! This area is adjacent to the garage and is isolated from the rest of the garden with the help of two hedges perpendicular to each other - made of thuja and barberry.
Mini nursery. Photo: From personal archive/ Tatyana Shikanyan
A little about the fire in the recreation area at the dacha
Recreational areas are almost always located near barbecues, barbecues, and other potentially dangerous items.
For a relaxing holiday in such places for cooking you need:
- be at a distance of 3 meters from trees, bushes, wooden buildings;
- have free access to water;
- have a stable base.
At the same time, the food preparation area should not be too far from the guests, otherwise the head cook may feel cut off from society or forget to turn the meat or potatoes in time.
A cozy seating area will help you get additional pleasure from being in nature and have a good time with your family or friends.
Living hedge "conditional green fence"
The main difference between a “conventional green fence” hedge and other garden boundaries is that it does not at all resemble the partitions that we are used to seeing. But they perform their functions no worse than conventional partitions. Conditional boundaries are the most unusual and interesting.
A conditional green fence is a hedge that seems to be there, but it doesn’t seem to be there. They are either too noticeable or completely invisible, and they can also be not only in space, but also on a plane. An ordinary partition is, in any case, a wall, a specific structure designed specifically to delimit individual zones. But any object or structure for a completely different purpose can act as a conditional boundary.
For example, a gazebo, a garden pavilion, a canopy are buildings, but they can also be conditional partitions. On the other hand, the usual partition may be conditional if it is, say, unusually low (30-40 cm).
Volumetric conventional boundaries can be an exotic or unusual plant, a beautifully formed tree, a junction of two levels of different heights, a decorative bridge, a waterfall, a large stone, an obelisk, a column, a large flower container, a sculpture, a flashy lamp, or any landscape composition.
Planar conventional boundaries can represent a transition from a path to a site made of another material, joints of sites made of different materials, a canal or stream, the intersection of two lawns of different shapes, or a flower bed and a lawn, a decorative backfill of gravel and bark. Often, conventional boundaries already exist in the garden, they just need to be made explicit and further emphasized by any means: plants, backfills, accessories.
Enjoy panoramic views of your garden from the circular gazebo
In the right photo you can see an elegant light blue gazebo. The four windows and double doors that surround it provide stunning views of the garden.
Available in four finishes, supply and assembly are included as standard, and quality brass fittings include window latches, door mortise lock and hook latches to keep doors secure when open.
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With four large windows and wide opening double doors, the gazebo is the perfect place to relax in the sun. There is enough space for a sofa and coffee table. What's more, the doors are lockable, so you can use them to safely store your outdoor furniture throughout the winter.
Seven green "rooms"
The garden to which we want to invite you today stretches out like a narrow green ribbon between the blank fences of neighboring plots. Its owners own only half of the house (this is a kind of old townhouse), and the garden had to be located on a small strip of land with an area of only three hundred square meters, encircling the building on the south side. What can you fit in such a small space? A couple of flower beds along the path leading to the house? But the owner, being a professional landscape designer, decided not to give up and created a real “living house” of seven green “rooms” in which you can hide from the sun, listen to the murmur of a stream, and admire the small “mountain slope” that blooms almost all summer long. .
The photo numbers correspond to the shooting point numbers.
The front “hall” of the garden is rightfully considered to be a large green lawn, surrounded by elegant decorative deciduous and coniferous shrubs and trees. It is separated from the “dining room-gym” by a border of peonies that bloom luxuriantly in early summer. When their flowering ends, clematis bloom on the “green wall”, and in the fall they are replaced by a red scattering of lemongrass berries.
Around the lawn there is a whole collection of ornamental plants: Norway maple, thuja (spherical and heather), Cossack juniper, purple and yellow barberries
Source
Take refuge in a hidden pod that fits easily into the garden
Made from reclaimed rusty sheet metal, recycled timber and a roof decorated with wildflowers and grass, this cozy lounging area looks like it has been in your garden for years.
The interior features seats with lift-up lids for cushion storage, and vertical logs on either side of the entrance are ideal for winter fuel storage.
Rotating module allows you to follow the sun throughout the day
The right photo shows an original gazebo in the form of a rotating module, which is ideal for lunch, study or friendly parties in nature. Carefully consider the dimensions of the structure. Think about how many people you want to accommodate here. It is necessary to choose taking into account the size of the garden space, because an overly bulky structure in a small garden can occupy almost the entire territory. And too small the size of the module in a large garden will look ridiculous.
The rotating design of the gazebo, which can be positioned at an angle to the wind and sun, will help make the best use of the space at any time of the year. A roof covering, blinds or solar control glazing will help dissipate heat and ensure a comfortable temperature even on the hottest day.
The location of hedges in landscape design
The location of hedges in landscape design is most optimal in places of transition from zone to zone, in places where they “join”. But each zone has many such transition points, so you need to choose a “strategic” point from among them.
Such a place should be clearly “readable” from different parts of the garden. A green hedge is beautiful, it is a formative element, so it should be visible.
Such a place must satisfy practical requirements, that is, the partition must be placed where it creates comfort and creates a good microclimate, depending on how the rest area is specifically planned in a given area, what objects there are, what plantings are there.
Such a place should not lead to the fact that a partition installed in this place will block the beautiful view opening from a particular area of the garden.
How many boundaries there should be in each specific zone is chosen depending on the circumstances. One is a must, but whether more is necessary needs to be considered, and, above all, from a practical point of view. There is no need to overload the garden. A large number of partitions are installed only in some styles, and even then this is not an indispensable requirement. Usually they try to leave more free space in the garden.
