Landscaping Tips for Beginners

Landscaping can work wonders. You probably have a question, how can an inanimate plot of land planted with plants strewn all over with stones and decor elements create something? Very simple. Go to a city park or visit the main attraction of a city. What a pleasant atmosphere there. What feelings does such a place inspire you? Most likely very pleasant and warm. Isn't this a miracle? A place, form, color can convey so many feelings and emotions, tell about its creator, about his life and interests. Well-known and sought-after designers are so inspired by the idea that they can create truly impressive objects of landscape art.

The landscape design of the site is the creation of beauty and harmony around your home

Tips for beginners

Russian universities train qualified designers. But design is not a science, but creativity. Creativity, as everyone knows, is unique and unique in its manifestations. In other words, every person who creates landscape objects brings a drop of his soul, unique and one of a kind. Only by listening to the prompts of their subconscious, did famous designers create historical architectural compositions that have survived to this day. But they were not recognized immediately, for this time should have passed. Therefore, you should not be afraid to take the initiative in arranging your site. Sometimes, the most extraordinary and strange decisions create a unique atmosphere of the territory and reveal the true beauty of the human soul.

Will have to work hard to create a practical place to relax with the whole family

In order to learn the basic lessons of landscape design, preliminary preparation is required. At this stage, you need to take time to study directories, manuals and magazines on the design of suburban areas and their gardens. Fortunately, the Internet is generous as always. In these books you will find tips from designers who will share secrets with you, show the most common mistakes made by beginners, and direct your aspiration in the right direction.

Always start small and implement your ideas slowly, enjoying the process itself, and not just its result

Of course, nothing replaces live communication with a person. But if you find a proper book written by a competent author, then you will take in yourself the makings of a true landscape master.

A good garden design has several compositional centers that attract attention. It can be anything - a tree, shrub, pond or bench

Usually, two or three books, read during the week, inspire the newly-minted creator to such an extent that he runs at the same hour to the nearest store of gardening utensils, and buys everything that seems to him to be necessary. Starting from the elements of decor and ending with flowers and trees. This is strictly prohibited. Haste will not lead to success; you will only forget all that little that you have learned. First you need to figure out the order, observing that you will be able to choose the right material for the fence and gazebo. The further choice of elements of small architectural forms, trees, flowers and plants depends on this.

Start your journey to the dream garden with one small flower bed or mixborder

Go out into the garden when you have time and desire, work and do not try to do everything at once and in one day

The basic principles of landscape design

1. First of all, you need to analyze the personal territory and deal with the relief of the site. Further arrangement largely depends on this.
2. Division of land into zones. This includes marking on the plan of the recreation area, garden (garden) and small architectural forms.
3. Marking of personal paths. They should provide ease of movement between zones, taking into account the width of the aisles.
4. Definition of the general composition of zones and architectural forms. At this stage, there is a choice of building material, its color and shape, as well as the determination of the color of the tracks and the material of their manufacture.
5. A selection of green spaces and flowers. At this stage, varieties of trees (their forms) and flowers, as well as the territorial location of mixborders, alpine hills, are selected.

Think Plant Scale and Visualization

An important point in landscape design is the size of the infield. The arrangement of flower arrangements depends on them, as well as the choice of a tree planting location. In a small area there is a need for its visual increase. This effect can be achieved by various methods. One of them is the correct selection of the color of the fence and the asymmetric planting of conifers along it. Here you need to understand that the square or rectangular shape of the fence creates some kind of framework. To remove them, the fence is painted in bright colors, and trees are planted in groups of 4-5 in a row.

Each element of the garden should organically fit into the overall landscape composition

Trees must be bought at least half a meter above the fence. Due to this, a visual extension is created.

Coniferous hedge

If you want to add depth to your hedge, plant the trees staggered

Alpine hills are also arranged, which can be supplemented with colored stones. A good idea to expand the territory would be to arrange a medium-high slide with a stream. And at the foot of the brook a small pond is dug up, along the shore of which you can plant a moisture-loving fern. If we talk about the recreation area behind the house, then such an object is best placed near the fence. A curly ivy carpet is let into the fence. Such a cascade of architectural forms will create the effect of perspective, that is, an external observer, when contemplating this beauty, will feel the depth of space, saturation and volume.

Against the background of a perfectly trimmed lawn, the track made of concrete slabs looks good, the space around which is covered with small pebbles

The article refers to small architectural forms. On the Internet, they can also be found under the abbreviated name MAF. For a person unfamiliar with this concept, the following are the main elements of the IAF involved in landscape design.

• Terraces, verandas and gazebos.
• Trellis, pergolas and arches.
• Garden fences, mixborders, fountains and sculptures.
• Ponds, streams and bridges through them.
• Other decorations, from free-standing vases with flowers to garden gnomes.

Wooden bridge over a “dry” stream

Beautiful decoration of the blank fence

In addition, to every person living in the city, LFAs are found every day. These are bus stops, telephone booths, city and park benches and many other elements.

Terraces, arbors and pergolas

These designs play the same role in the landscape design of the land. They are built to create a recreation area, doing favorite things and just have fun. Their distinctive features are the location relative to the country house, as well as the design.

Outdoor terrace with gazebo and grill

Pergola came to our country from abroad.Its historical homeland is Italy. The design of this object is simple: four or six support beams are crowned with horizontal partitions on the roof. Most often it is made of wood, less often of metal.

Corner wooden pergola with a sofa for a secluded relaxation

It is undesirable to use metal, since it heats up very much in the sun and can spoil plants that encircle its elements.

To create the shading of the space under the pergola use climbing plants. Thickly creeping grapes are preferred. It grows without flowering, but it has a non-uniform shade of the leaf (from dark green to burgundy and even red). The space under the pergola is equipped with rain-resistant garden furniture. Also, under it, in some cases, you can put a pool. This solution is convenient in very hot climatic areas.

Climbing plants can hide anything, anywhere

It is practical to use rattan furniture with removable cushions on the outdoor terrace

A place for rest can be arranged both on a stone-paved platform and on a wooden platform

The device of the terrace implies its location near the house, or rather it is attached to it. The main difference between such a structure from the veranda is open placement. That is, there is no canopy or one wall. This characterizes the building as a purely summer vacation option. If you plan to use the terrace in winter, then it is made with sliding glass doors, which is very convenient. But then it will not be a terrace, but a combined veranda.

Original terrace with a sitting area

Closed gazebo for winter holidays

Arbor construction includes garden furniture, a fireplace and a barbecue.

When installing the gazebo, you must pay attention to the presence of the leeward side. If there is one, then one wall must be made deaf, or planted loaches.

The blank wall of the gazebo is placed with leeward soron

Seven Tips for Beginners

1. When organizing a general landscape style, all areas should overlap. The flowing lines of paths and tree crowns are complemented by rectangular shapes of a gazebo or other buildings.
2. For a relatively small area, use methods to visually increase space.
3. Installing flowerpots in several levels will save space, as well as simplify daily care of flowers and plants.
4. If the household plot is located on a slope, which implies a large amount of land work, you can use this in favor of design. Arrange decorative retaining walls using natural stone. Also in this case, at the lowest elevations of the earth, alpine slides, a pool or a pond are arranged.
5. With especially large changes in ground level, it is necessary to organize a site in several levels, separated by retaining walls. From the point of view of landscape design, it turns out to arrange extraordinary and very beautiful architectural compositions in such areas. The only minus is a decent cash investment.
6. On large land possessions, it is possible to install a fountain and large flower arrangements. If finances do not allow you to purchase a fountain, then you can make decorative elements yourself, such as boats, mills, or multi-level flower arrangements. Also, an excellent solution would be the organization of a large alpine hill.
7. Before choosing one or another design option, you need to review the different combinations and combinations of architectural elements. For a visual presentation of compositional solutions, use computer programs that combine IAF and pre-evaluate your performance. The advantage of this software is the presence of tips and ready-made images and solutions.

Stones of various sizes and shapes create the effect of a mountain landscape.

Color in the landscape is the most important rule for creating the desired effect. The main one is always green, but blotches of other shades give greater expressiveness

Perennial flowers and shrubs require less maintenance than annuals, and they need to be used as a basis for landscaping

Engaging in landscape design is a very interesting and rewarding business. You will get a lot of positive emotions and have a great time with your family.

Low-growing flowers are planted along the edges of the flower beds, and large ones are closer to the center of the flower garden

Improvement of a suburban area is a long process that takes several years

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.

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