How to decorate the yard with your own hands

A beautiful, well-groomed area near the house catches the eye at any time of the year, delivering special pleasure in the summer, when everything is blooming, fragrant. Let's see: how to decorate the yard so that the neighbors will envy, and you will admire.

First decide what the concept of “beautiful courtyard” means to you? The set of scenery for a private plot depends on your lifestyle and habits.

Training

To get started, prepare a schematic plan of your territory with dimensions. This will help to accurately plan the location of flower beds, decorative ponds, lawn and other decorations, especially since there is the opportunity to experiment with different variations.

Land Improvement Project

The landscaping of the courtyard should please you and your guests

Define your preferences: you want a minimalist design with a neat lawn, or an abundance of flower beds, arches, bushes, blooming throughout the entire warm time. Flowers require special attention; caring for them always requires certain labor costs. Before planting flowers, it is necessary to dig up the designated areas and remove the weeds. If possible, the bed of the flower bed is covered with a drainage layer of sand 10-15 centimeters high, soil with fertilizer is laid on top. Then we moisten well so that the earth settles. The soil for planting is ready.

Flower beds and flower beds

In landscape design, free flower gardens represent the mass planting of various plants to your taste, without any sides. However, they are necessary for a neat appearance. Fence with plastic, wood, stone borders, or pour fine gravel over the edge.

It is important to organize the placement of flower beds and planting perennials

You can decorate the yard with your own hands using the following types of flower beds.

• The flower garden border is placed along the paths, walls, fence. Usually used undersized flowers, one or two species, not very prominent (lavender, violets, navel, lupine).
• Mixed border (mixborder) - differs from the border by the landing pattern. Flowers are planted individually, in groups of different heights, with colored spots. Moreover, plants are chosen with different periods of flowering, providing variety from spring to autumn.
• Rabatka is a rectangular ridge along paths, arbors, fences. Planting is arranged in flowers of various heights: the near part is from low plants, and the distant ones are higher. In a symmetrical version, tall plants in the middle, low on the edge.
• The front garden is a strip of land that separates the house from the road. Choose bushes and perennials for this place, the main thing is to look equally good, both from the road and from the window. Fragrant lilacs, jasmine, tea rose will fill the house with aromas, protecting from dust or heat.

The design of the equipped area should be in harmony with the house itself

Also, flower beds can be made in the form of various geometric shapes. Create in the courtyard of a private house waves of colorful tulips in the spring, or a fluttering colorful butterfly from marigolds, nasturtiums, asters.

The flowerbeds are shaped and framed. Their appearance is limited only by your imagination. For a flower bed, which will be a decoration of the yard, any container is suitable. It remains only to paint and fill with earth.Old tires painted with different colors are used, a holey watering can lying for many years, baskets, furniture, plastic products, even dishes.

Plan the planting of flowers so that the flowering of one is replaced by the flowering of other varieties

In the back of the courtyard of a private house you can set up a small rock garden. This trend came to us from Japan. Choose stones in shape and color that are most in harmony with the overall composition. They create a durable environment for your plants. Place them on the site as they would look in nature, or lay out according to the selected pattern-drawing.

If the size of the plot allows, in a secluded corner you can place a small garden of stones in the eastern style

Shrub mowing

Another decoration of the courtyard is the figuredly trimmed bushes. It will be necessary to give shape with the help of garden shears, a pruner or a lopper. Everyone can make the simplest forms (ball, rectangle) with his own hand. It is worth remembering that you will have to do the processing all the time. A missed haircut season will require 2-3 years to restore the result, and coniferous shrubs that delight year-round cannot be restored.

A variety of shapes can be the result of cutting shrubs - abstract, geometric or depicting animals and people

Shrubs for haircuts are great for creating a “live” fence of a summer cottage

If you have the haircut skill, you will get neat bushes in the shape of an animal or, for example, a heart.

Ponds on the site

The pool, fountain or waterfall creates the desired freshness and coolness in the courtyard of a private house on hot summer days. The sound of falling water, the shadow of the garden, are relaxing.

Even a small pond or fountain will add an atmosphere of relaxation and tranquility to the design of the courtyard

A beautiful decoration of the yard will be a pond in the Chinese style with concrete tiles in the form of islands

Create a pond is not difficult. You can buy ready-made pallets, pumps and systems. For decoration, use river stones, broken tiles, tiles. Put a bench or deck chair nearby, you will get your own park on the site. A small waterfall organically complements the rock garden.

Gazebo

The main gathering place for a family for cozy evening gatherings is the gazebo. They are of the following types.

• Open. This is a system of pillars around the perimeter, holding a light roof. Most often, the frame is made of metal rods or wooden posts.
• Closed. Small houses with windows and doors, which allows you to use them all year in any weather.

Open-air modern gazebo in the courtyard of a private house

In the gazebo you can organize a full summer kitchen

Choose a gazebo depending on the size of your site. The closed design is more suitable for large areas, as it looks quite massive. Open - a wonderful decoration of the yard of any size. Due to its lightness and airiness it does not clutter up the space.

Semi-open gazebos with several walls and a roof are popular.

The frame, decorated with climbing plants, will create a shadow and cool inside. Having picked up a variety of climbing roses, you will receive lush flowering throughout the summer.

Light metal pergola with climbing plants

The title of the most romantic gazebos rightfully belongs to the tents. Fabric flowing in the wind, wicker furniture will give a unique image to your site.

Paths and steps

For ease of movement, strong tracks are needed. You can make them from many materials (tiles, stones, rubber), or make them yourself using bulk forms of various patterns.

For paths you can use natural stone or fine gravel

Concrete slab in front of the main entrance

Gravel bed resting area

If your site is located on a slope or for decorative purposes, the track is combined with steps decorated with flowerpots with flowers, curly bushes.

Lighting

In the dark, proper lighting is required, which in addition to the practical purpose will fulfill a decorative function. The multi-colored illumination of reservoirs at night looks very impressive. Suspended old glass bottles can be used to illuminate the gazebo, decorate flower beds with decorative lanterns. Soft light will safely guide you through the area, creating an atmosphere of magic.

Beautiful lighting can transform a site beyond recognition

Lighting the courtyard has two functions - decorative and lighting

Winter decorations

And how to decorate the yard with your own hands in the winter? Very simple. There are several ways to create a festive atmosphere on New Year's Eve.

Gift boxes with bows

Decoration of a flower box under the window with fir branches and bright berries

• Festive illumination. It will take a lot of street garlands, we twist them around the branches of trees, shrubs, the facade of the house. You can also purchase ready-made luminous designs of deer, a snowman or New Year's sleigh of Santa Claus.
• Wreaths and garlands. From coniferous branches, cones, rowan berries, white paint you can independently make a Christmas wreath on the front door. With spruce branches tied with red bows and New Year's balls, you can decorate the railing of the stairs.
• Boxes with presents. You will need old boxes from household appliances, beautiful wrapping paper, large bows.
• Lollipops. Using cropped water pipes, red and white duct tape, create giant candy canes on the site. Freeze water (with berries, cones or just with a multi-colored dye) of various forms, you get beautiful "sweets" to decorate the tracks.
• Styrofoam figures. Make a snowman, deer or bucket of snowballs.
• Snow fortress and a snowman. Build a snow fortress with your children, make ice colored glass, put some flashlights, tie a scarf to the snowman - the New Year's fairy tale is ready.

You can take old flowerpots and decorate them with twigs, cones, ribbons and balls

A simple and effective option for decorating the holiday - hanging planters with spruce branches and Christmas toys

Real winter fairy tale

Expert Opinion

Alina Kvileva

Landscape designer

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Hello, my name is Alina and I am a landscape designer, if you have any questions regarding landscape design, please answer them with pleasure.

Video: use old things for decor

Photo: 50 ideas for arranging a modern courtyard