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Flower cutting garden design


How to Create a Cut Flower Garden

Get tips for planning and designing your own cutting garden and ideas for the best plants to include. By Anne Balogh

Photo by: Jesse Oman / Shutterstock.

If you love to fill your home with vases of freshly cut flowers but feel gardener’s remorse whenever you lop off the heads of your beautiful bedding plants, it’s time to plant a garden devoted solely to flowers for cutting.

“As gardeners, we’ve been conditioned to resist the urge to clip from our blooming plants, and instead leave them to put on a show outdoors. But once you experience the pleasure of harvesting armloads of flowers right outside your door, your approach to growing them will quickly change,” says professional flower farmer Erin Benzakein, in her book, Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden.

Cut flower gardens offer environmental benefits as well. By growing your own bouquets and skipping those trips to the florist, you are reducing the carbon footprint for the production and transport of greenhouse-grown blooms.

Featured in: Garden Design's Top 9 Garden Trends for 2023 ("Growing Your Own Bouquets")

WHAT IS A CUT FLOWER GARDEN?

Think of a cutting garden as a flower farm designed for production and harvest, much like a vegetable garden. “Unlike a mixed border or showy flower bed that functions to provide a pretty and perfect display, a cutting garden’s primary job is to produce a bounty of cut blooms all season long,” says Benzakein.

WHERE CAN YOU PLANT A CUT FLOWER GARDEN?

Most flowering plants love sun, so locate your cutting garden in a spot that receives at least six hours per day of full sun. Another essential is to choose a place sheltered from gusty winds that can topple over your flower-laden plants and increase moisture loss. If you have a shady garden or you are short on space, many flowers suitable for cutting can be grown in containers on a sunny deck or balcony.

Also, research the specific needs of your favorite cut flowers. For example, some flowers prefer dry soil over damp and acidic soil versus alkaline, which will influence what you plant and where.

HOW DO YOU SET UP A CUT FLOWER GARDEN?

“A cutting garden should be set up with production and efficiency in mind—this means narrow, rectangular spaces that are easy to tend and harvest,” says Benzakein. She recommends choosing a bed width that allows you to reach the center when standing on either of the long sides and to establish pathways between beds for easier access. Growing your flowers in raised garden beds will also facilitate planting and harvesting.

Another tip: Separate perennials, which return every year, from annuals that must be removed in the fall and replanted in spring.

HOW BIG SHOULD A CUTTING GARDEN BE?

Photo by: goodmoments / Shutterstock.

When growing flowers for cutting, the goal is to grow as many plants as you can in the space available. But you don’t need a huge garden plot to reap a big harvest of blooms. By growing plants with long stems and spacing them closely together, even a small cutting garden can be surprisingly productive. If garden space is really tight, vining plants that can be grown vertically on a trellis, such as sweet peas, are great space savers.

CAN I GROW CUT FLOWERS IN A VEGETABLE GARDEN?

Absolutely! There are many benefits to growing flowers and vegetables in harmony, as long as the plants have the same growing requirements. In addition to making the vegetable garden more colorful, flowers can act as an organic pest control by deterring certain pests. Some marigolds, for example, can help drive away tomato hornworms, nematodes, and squash bugs. Learn more about companion planting.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CUT FLOWER?

A wide array of annuals, perennials, bulbs, and shrubs can be used in a cutting garden. Plants with strong stems, a long vase life, and a high yield typically make the best cut flowers, but also consider the colors, the particular flowers you love, and the rooms you want to fill with your floral designs. You may also want to include flowers just for their ability to add fragrance to a bouquet, such as lavender or flowering tobacco (Nicotiana langsdorffii).

CUTTING GARDEN DESIGN TIPS

Plan for all seasons. When properly planned, a cutting garden will keep your vases full of bouquets in every season. Grow spring-blooming bulbs and a variety of perennials that will bloom in succession from early summer through fall. For winter, include a small shrub with bright berries, such as winterberry. Also grow flowers that can be dried for year-round arrangements, like celosia and globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa).

Grow cut-and-come-again flowers. Maximize the productivity of your cutting garden by including flowers that bloom over and over again after you cut them, such as zinnias. Cutting the stems from these flowers stimulates the growth of new stems and more blooms, rewarding you with a bountiful harvest throughout the season.

Cut-and-come-again flowers are especially useful if you have a small cutting garden with limited space because you can grow fewer plants and still reap a bumper crop.

Stagger planting times. For annuals that don’t rebloom reliably, you can get a steady stream of flowers by succession planting, says Benzakein. Staggering the bloom times throughout the season also allows you to keep up with the cutting. She recommends allowing 3 to 4 weeks between plantings, depending on your climate.

Aim for variety. To keep your floral arrangements from looking monotonous, choose plants with a variety of flower textures, sizes, and forms. A combination of blooms that are spiky (think salvia), globe-shaped (try alliums), and umbelled (such as yarrow) will give you the most interesting displays.

Plant complementary colors. The most exciting floral arrangements blend a mixture of different colors, but you’ll get the best results if those colors complement one another. For example, purple and yellow flowers are always a beautiful combination, both in the garden and in a vase. Monochromatic color schemes that pair light and dark shades of the same hue can also be quite striking. Learn more about using color in the garden.

Don't forget foliage plants. “One of the biggest mistakes newbies make is selecting only pretty blooms, and not having any greenery to mix them with,” says Benzakein. Her recommended ratio is to devote half of the garden to flowers and the other half to mainstay foliage and filler plants that can provide material for the base of your fresh flower arrangements.

But, also look around your existing garden beds for interesting foliage to add to bouquets, such as fern fronds and hosta leaves. Or try snipping a few aromatic herbs to use as fillers in your arrangements, such as rosemary and sage.

Go native. Don’t overlook native wildflowers when designing your cutting garden, such as bee balm and black-eyed Susan. Not only are native plants super-hardy and easy to care for, they also help support local wildlife. Although it’s tempting to grow hybrid flowers bred to have larger, frillier blooms, they often produce less pollen and nectar than the native species.

6 CUTTING GARDEN FAVORITES

Narcissus ‘Pimpernel’ daffodil. Photo by Roger Foley.

DAFFODIL (Narcissus)

Plant type: Bulb
Zones: Typically 4-8, but can vary by type
Bloom time: Early to late spring

One of the first flowers to bloom in spring, with thousands of varieties to choose from. For the longest vase life, harvest blooms before they have fully opened.

Learn more about growing daffodils.

‘Queeny Lime Orange’ zinnia. Photo by Roger Foley.

ZINNIA (Zinnia spp.)

Plant type: Annual
Bloom time: Late spring until frost

One of the best cut-and-come-again flowers, offering great variety in color and form. Once they get established and start growing, these amazing plants will keep on producing nonstop if you harvest the blooms regularly.

Learn more about growing zinnia flowers.

Photo by Katherine Anderson.

SWEET PEA (Lathyrus odorata)

Plant type: Annual
Bloom time: Early spring to early summer

Dainty ruffled flowers in a wide range of colors have an irresistible scent of honey and orange blossoms. In Zone 7 and above, sow seeds in late fall for early spring blooms. In colder climates, sow in early spring.

Photo by Shannon Marie Ferfuson / Shutterstock.

GLADIOLUS (Gladiolus x hortulanus)

Plant type: Bulb
Zones: 8-10
Bloom time: Early summer to frost

Nothing is more dramatic in a summer bouquet than the bold spikes of freshly cut garden glads. This cutting garden favorite is not only easy to grow, it also takes up very little space when planted in long rows. And because the corms are inexpensive, you can grow them as annuals and plant different colors and varieties each year.

Learn more about growing gladiolus flowers.

At Last® rose. Photo by Proven Winners.

ROSE (Rosa spp.)

Plant type: Shrub
Zones: Typically 4-11, but can vary
Bloom time: Spring through summer

With their showy blooms and intoxicating scent, roses are even more heavenly indoors in a vase than they are in the garden. Varieties with long stems and large fragrant blooms, such as hybrid tea roses, often make the best cut flowers, but even miniature roses look charming when tucked into small bouquets.

Learn more about the best types of roses for your garden.

Photo by Proven Winners.

BLACK-EYED SUSAN (Rudbeckia spp.)

Plant type: Perennial
Zones: 3-9
Bloom time: Midsummer until frost

These prolific native wildflowers bloom in abundance from midsummer through autumn, giving you bucketfuls of blooms in cheery shades of yellow, orange, and gold. Like most wildflowers, they are also drought tolerant and low maintenance.

Learn more about growing black-eyed Susan.

SEE MORE: 24 BEST FLOWERS FOR CUTTING GARDENS

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Planning a cut flower garden: plus the flowers to grow

(Image credit: Future)

Many of us dream of planning a cut flower garden in our own backyards, having fallen in love with the idea of strolling down the garden to harvest a horde of richly colored blooms that we can then proudly display in our homes.

Thankfully, it's really easy to plan a cut flower garden as part of your flower bed ideas. All you need is an empty plot of ground and a packet of seeds.

‘Growing a cut flower garden is a much more sustainable way of growing flowers for arranging in your home and avoids buying ones that have been flown halfway across the world. Intersperse flowers you wish to use for cutting with shrubs and herbaceous perennials,' explains Amelia Bouquet who trained in garden design at the English Gardening School .

Just remember, everyone’s cutting garden is different, so pick the right flowers for you and your garden  – and make sure they keep coming. 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Planning a cut flower garden: 

Before you get caught up in the blooms that you're going to plant, you must first consider the practical elements of planning a cut flower garden – namely it's size, shape and position. Knowing how to plant a flower bed is also useful in planning a cut flower garden as this will help you design a space in which the flowers can thrive. 

(Image credit: Salsabil Morrison)

How do you map a cut flower garden?

The easiest way to map a cut flower garden is on paper. Pick your position and then draw out a scale replica of your garden including your new addition. This will help you to visualize how your cut flower garden will work in the space and also help you avoid issues once you start building.  

One key consideration when planning a cut flower garden is accessibility so factor in lots of garden path ideas and ensure that your compost heap and water supply are  nearby, too. 

Unlike traditional garden ideas, you need to be able to easily access all the plants and flowers for cutting. Therefore, it is a good idea to opt for a long thin design where possible, rather than a thick bed. Also ensure you can completely walk around the bed to enable you to easily take flowers from all sides.

'One of the main rules would be to account for ample direct sun light, the most flashy flowers are usually those from perennials that receive a lot of sunlight,' recommends landscape designer Jonathan Fargion . 'Once you have established a sunny location, you might still want to grow something that does well in shade. Here, you can strategize to use the taller plants so that they cast shadow onto the more shady ones. For constant ample light plan rows in direction east to west, if you want to cast shades, plant in rows in direction north to south. '

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How much space do you need for a cut flower garden?

There are no rules on the amount of space you need for a cut flower garden, however, if you pick a spot with the potential of expansion, this will avoid any regrets further down the line. 

'The amount of space you need depends on the type of plants. Spacing should be calculated from the center of the plant. If you buy them in pots, think of the center of the pot as a point of reference. And always account for its mature size. Perennials can take about 18 inches from center, while a shrub like hydrangea takes more space (things can always be controlled through pruning). As a rule of thumb I'd space the perennials at 12 inches from the center and shrubs 24 inches from center, planted in rows that are 24 inches apart, to have space to attend the plants,' advises Jonathan Fargion.

If you are looking to add a cutting garden to your small garden ideas, then create a perennial cut flower bed within your existing borders. ‘It means you don’t have to section off areas of ground when space is already tight,’ adds Amelia Bouquet .  

The general rule for cut flower gardens is to grow the plants in lines, which requires lots of space. Instead combine cutting flowers in looser groups amongst other planting. Choose flowers that multitask, looking good in both garden borders and indoor arrangements. 

(Image credit: Salsabil Morrison)

How deep should flower beds be?

'If you are limited with space, I'd suggest at least 18 inches of soil depth,' recommends Jonathan Fargion. However, deeper is always better. If you are concerned about the quality and depth of your soil, consider raised garden bed ideas for your cut flower garden. These will also give you total control over the quality of the soil types and soil health, thus increasing the health and productivity of your plants. 

If you've not already added raised beds to your garden, learning how to build a raised garden bed will get you started.

(Image credit: Alamy)

How to start a cut flower garden

Once you've finished planning a cut flower garden, it's time to make it a reality. Mark out your beds and lift the turf. If you are using raised beds, these will need to be built. 

The next step is to 'get rid of weeds, add in organic matter and rake the soil to a fine tilth. You may like to use a Mypex weed control mat to prepare a sterile weed-free seed bed,' advises H&G garden expert Leigh Clapp.

Then comes the long anticipated planting. 'Plant flowers close together or put in supports ready to stop tall plants flopping over as they grow. Combine plants of similar heights, growing conditions and flowering times, including both focal flowers and fillers. For a year-round successional supply you could have options such as hellebores, spring bulbs, aquilegia, wallflowers, pinks, Sweet William, peonies, alstroemeria, sunflowers, dahlias, asters, chrysanthemums, kniphofias and daphne in winter. Include an abundant medley of self-replenishing, cut-and-come-again varieties, such as cosmos, zinnias, scabious and sweet peas, which will produce more flowers after cutting.

'Always plant more foliage and fillers than you think you will need, as using plenty of greenery in your arrangements will make them look more natural and rustic,' adds Leigh.

(Image credit: Salsabil Morrison)

What flowers to grow in a cut flower garden

The key to a productive cutting garden is to choose plants with many flowers that bloom for a long period of time. 

These are some of the best flowers to grow for a cut flower garden:

Vibrant orange Mexican sunflowers and crocosmia are combined with magenta cosmos and pale mauve scabious for a profusion of contrasting color that looks good both indoors and out

(Image credit: Selina Lake)

‘My favorites are sweet peas, dahlias, Mexican sunflowers and cosmos,’ says stylist Selina Lake , whose new book Shed Style is out now. ‘These are great choices as picking the flowers regularly encourages more flowers to bloom, giving you a constant supply for cutting.’ 

Choose plants in color combinations you find appealing. ‘I like to mix vibrant pink cosmos and dahlias, and dusky pink zinnias with pops of orange from Mexican sunflowers and crocosmia for colorful late summer arrangements.’  You can try collecting seeds from some flowers you have grown to increase the stock for your cutting garden for free – just ensure they are not hybrids as these may not come true from seed.

Your plot needs to be in full sun and as your plants grow you may need to add stakes and supports to keep the blooms upright. Growing a cut flower garden is also a great project to do when gardening with children.

(Image credit: Selina Lake)

Every cutting garden needs roses. ‘I find that ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ and ‘Constance Spry’, with their highly scented pink rosettes, work well with a few stems of nigella, whose lime-green feathery leaves top the purply-blue flower like the ring-setting for a glamorous jewel,’ says Jane Cumberbatch, author of Pure Style in the Garden .  

‘The pink/ blue/lime-green combination is a favorite. I don’t usually go for elaborate vases and containers. A simple, utilitarian look tends to be my choice: glass jam jars, rounded pudding basins, enamelled jugs.’ 

Constance Spry roses: a mass of pink, scented blooms to be enjoyed fleetingly as it flowers only once a year

(Image credit: Pure Style in the Garden by Jane Cumberbatch (Pimpernel Press))

Keep flowers coming with successional planting

‘Think in terms of successional flowering too,’ says Carien van Boxtel, who designed a cut flower garden for 2021's RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. ‘Use space as economically as possible, with one bed for multiple crops. Once spring bulbs have finished flowering, replace them with plants grown from seed, like cosmos and sweet peas.’  If you're unsure where to start, these succession planting tips will help to get you started.

For a regular supply of blooms, ensure you deadhead throughout the season. Pinch off the finished flower, just below where the base of the flower joins the stem.

Growing foliage for flower arrangements

Euphorbia oblongata

(Image credit: Future/Rebecca Pow)

Foliage works the same way in the garden as in arrangements. When planning a cut flower garden, use it as a filler and to add interesting architectural shapes. The idea is to make your design as three-dimensional as possible. 

‘The more leafy stuff you use, the more your arrangement will look nicely home-made rather than florist-bought,’ says plant expert Sarah Raven . 

‘For primary foliage, I often use euphorbia oblongata. It's brilliant acid-green color adds brightness and contrast, and it’s one of the best foliage plants because it has a robust, upstanding structure. It also has thin stems but a generous horizontal top, so you don’t need huge quantities to create the right effect.’ 

You can also achieve this with interesting grasses or seed pods, or vertical leaf spikes such as Bells of Ireland.  

Every cut flower plot should have dahlias, cosmos, scabious, sweet peas and calendula as they will keep on giving you flowers

(Image credit: Carien von Boxtel)

Cutting garden flowers for a sunny garden

(Image credit: Selina Lake)

Try tall and airy verbena bonariensis for graceful structure. Long flowering coreopsis adds a punchy pop of sunshine color, while phlox paniculata has clusters of gorgeous fragrant flowers. Floaty silk-petalled cosmos add an ethereal touch and the tall spires of erysimum bring masses of mauve flowers to the mix. Combine these to create a naturalistic arrangement. 

‘Fill out your vase with stems of pittosporum, perfect for providing limitless foliage to use as a backdrop for brighter colors, plus a great filler shrub for sunny borders,’ says garden designer Amelia Bouquet.

Sweet peas are the perfect choice for a container. They are an abundant source of cut flowers and come in an array of pretty colors.  

Cutting garden flowers for a shady garden

(Image credit: Amelia Bouquet Garden Design)

During the summer months, astilbe is the star of the cutting garden with its elegant plumes of feathery flowers and attractive ferny foliage, while starry shaped astrantia blooms are perfect for creating lacy drifts. 

‘Both are striking plants that love a shady dappled spot and look equally good in the vase,’ says Amelia Bouquet. 

Alchemilla mollis is one of the prettiest foliage plants around. The velvety soft fan-shaped leaves add a pretty effect and can be used to introduce detail to a delicate arrangement too. For containers, try orange calendula (marigolds) for a stunning display. They will tolerate shady conditions, and make excellent cut flowers for arrangements too. 

Harvesting cutting garden flowers – the right way 

(Image credit: Carien von Boxtel)

Cut your flowers when they’re about to show some color. For best results, collect cut flowers early in the morning when their stems are fully turgid (filled with water) and avoid picking them if it’s hot or sunny. Put the stems straight into a bucket of water before arranging. 

Many annuals, such as sweet peas, as well as some perennials will bloom over a longer period if picked regularly. Follow the stem you want to pick until you reach the main stem and cut at this intersection. Do not leave parts of the stem behind. 

Multiply your stock by collecting seed. Wait until a dry day towards the end of summer, pick the dry seeds of a healthy plant. Shake the stem to let the seeds fall in a container or put a paper bag around the seed head and cut the stem. Hang it upside down to dry. Don’t forget to label when dry.

How to care for a cut flower garden

'A cutting garden is for harvesting; so don’t expect it to look pristine at all times. Deadhead and cut flowers regularly and keep up the weeding and watering. When watering, don’t shower plants from overhead, but water carefully with a steady
jet flow at the base of the plant. The best time to water is in the evening as it allows the plants to soak up what they need overnight. Mulching is valuable to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Many recommend a no-dig gardening, as the less
you dig over the soil, the less weeds are disturbed. Cutting actually encourages more flowers to grow, especially annuals that have a survival imperative to set seed. Let some of your flowers set seed and collect them to sow the following year, replenishing your own stock for free,' explains Leigh.

Lifestyle journalist Sarah Wilson has been writing about gardens since 2015. She's written for Gardeningetc.com, Livingetc, Homes & Gardens, Easy Gardens and Modern Gardens magazines. Her first job on glossy magazines was at Elle, during which time a visit to the legendary La Colombe d'Or in St-Paul-de-Vence led to an interest in all things gardening. Later as lifestyle editor at Country Homes & Interiors magazine the real pull was the run of captivating country gardens that were featured. 

With contributions from

Works in the ornamental garden in May - a list, recommendations

May for gardeners is the hottest of the spring months. If in April some work can be postponed to a later date, in May this backlash is noticeably reduced. It's time to finish everything we didn't have time to do and get ready for the summer.

We've put together a list of must-have gardening tasks in May to make it easier for you to make your list and not miss anything.

It is not for nothing that people say: May has come - just be in time

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Planting work

The bright spring sun and April rains gave an additional impetus to the garden, and it literally came to life before our eyes. The soil has warmed up - it's time to start planting.

Important! Seedlings grown under glass must be hardened off before planting in open ground. It is accustomed to sunlight and fresh air gradually over 10-14 days.

Do not rush to plant seedlings in the ground until the threat of morning frost has passed. If you have not had time to mulch the soil, you will have to do weeding.

To minimize this work in the future, use mulch as much as possible, covering it around the trunk circles of trees and shrubs, free space between plants in flowerbeds, in borders, mixborders.

For this purpose, wood bark and chips, coniferous litter, decorative crushed stone and pebbles, expanded clay are used. In order for the mulch to retain moisture well and prevent weeds from germinating, its layer should be at least 5-7 cm, when backfilled with decorative stone 2-4 cm.

Lawn care

The first mowing is done when the herbage has risen to 8-10 cm (regular or play lawn) and 5-6 cm (parterre or English lawn). Then we mow about 1 time per week - the playing lawn, every 3-4 days - the parterre lawn.

After top dressing, the lawn is watered

Shrub pruning and removal of spring primroses

At the end of the month, faded ornamental shrubs are pruned - forsythia, spring-flowering gray spirea, Japanese keria, three-lobed almond. Remove the shoots that had flowers this year, shortening them by about a third of the length to a well-developed bud. This is necessary so that they have time to give new growth and lay flowers for the next season. Also remove faded inflorescences on lilacs, rhododendrons.

If you plan to propagate your favorite plants with green cuttings, take care of their timely harvesting and rooting.

Suitable for green cuttings in May:

May is a hot time for topiary art masters

Plant nutrition

Many plants are about to bloom, others have just begun to grow and are actively growing green foliage. Both those and others need additional nutrition more than ever.

We have a separate article about how to properly feed rhododendrons.

Pest and disease control

Plants should be inspected regularly for pests and early signs of disease. Don't miss:

Treat phlox, peonies, irises with a fungicide solution to prevent fungal infections.

End of bulbous and primrose season

Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, other primroses are gradually dying. At this time, you need to redirect their energy from flowering to building and ripening bulbs. To do this, wilted flowers are cut off, and the plants are fed with a phosphorus-potassium mixture.

In order for the tulip bulbs to grow well, it is not recommended to remove the leaves until they are completely withered

The list of May seasonal works turned out to be quite large. But the main thing to do this month is to enjoy the warm weather and blooming garden, inhale its amazing aromas, relax and enjoy the fresh air.

Landscaping of the garden area

Landscaping of the garden area

As we have already noted, in the landscape design of the garden, every detail is of particular importance, organizing the space and creating diversity in the perception of individual views, perspectives and forms.

Coatings

One of the important elements in garden landscape design is surface texture. The combination of smooth concrete slabs, a level lawn surface, gravel, brick, gravel, wood ends, and other materials can create extraordinary variety and enrich the site. Not only the materials used to cover the area, but also the graphics of the shadow from the thin pergola crossing both the light squares of concrete slabs and the lawn, create a magnificent surface texture. Particular skill in covering small areas can be seen in the landscape gardens of Japan. Combinations of slabs, rectangular, round and irregular, large and small, dark and light, give countless combinations, and grayish moss, lawn and earth diversify the color scheme.

Our landscaping gardens lose most of all from the monotonous and primitive solution of the surface of the paths and grounds, which occupy a very large area of ​​the garden landscaping. Practical examples of coatings show that a great variety can be achieved by combining different materials in different combinations. Rectangular concrete tiles in combination with bricks, bricks in combination with wooden bars, wooden bars in combination with stone slabs or crushed stone coatings create coatings that are beautiful in pattern and color; they can be used depending on the purpose of the roads.

Very soft and pleasant to walk coverings are obtained from wooden ends, this material was once widely used. For small paths, it is advisable to use irregularly shaped slabs laid on a sand cushion. The wide seams are filled with earth and seeded with lawn, which gives an intimate and picturesque character to the places for quiet relaxation. An interesting textured surface can be obtained in the coating, where round slabs of various sizes with colored pebbles pressed into the concrete slightly protrude above the main gravel-covered plane. Asphalt pavements are also not recommended in landscape design gardens, as well as in large parks. They are especially contraindicated in playgrounds for children's games.

Concrete block edging in a small landscaping garden is highly undesirable; they create a rough boundary line for a path or area, while any sections or planes of the garden should organically merge with one another.

Relief geoplasty

Relief plays a special role in the development of a landscape design project for a small garden. Unfortunately, in our practice, we are faced with the complete destruction of the natural relief and its alignment to one mark. We do not extract the plastic possibilities of this area, but instead of emphasizing, we try to destroy it. The earth in mounds and hills enliven the site and serves as a protection from wind and noise, covers unsightly views, creates a backdrop and can be used either for various children's games or for decorative purposes.

The underestimation and overestimation of territories creates a microrelief that can isolate individual spaces, enhance compositional points and help orientation on the site. A stone hill with flowers, a green mound with soft lawn-covered slopes, flat terraces of geometric or curvilinear shapes, and, finally, just separate low platforms will help to diversify the landscape design solution for a small garden. With a difference in levels, stairs are a very important element of garden landscape design. As well as coverings, they can be made from various materials - brick, stone blocks and wood. In combination with stone, flowers, ampelous and creeping plants, such stairs will decorate the landscape design of the garden, giving it a picturesque look.

Especially recommend the use of round wooden ends, both for stairs and for small areas of coverings in areas for children's play. Sliced ​​round logs laid on a sandy base create an excellent surface. It can be used for games, it can be sat on, it is pleasing to the eye, as it blends well with the surface of the earth, tree trunks, the texture of leaves and flowers.

A great decorative effect in the landscape design of a small garden is the arrangement of alpine slides, which create a very interesting relief plasticity. To do this, you can use slopes and retaining walls or pour artificial hills and hills. It is advisable to arrange rocky gardens on slopes illuminated by the sun. Shrubs, bulbous, perennial flower plants, ferns, mosses and ground cover plants are planted on rocky areas. Particularly tall and flowering plants should be avoided.

In a small area for landscape design, you can concentrate a large number of plants with a variety of leaves and flowers; the decorative effect is increased by skillful selection of stones. The advantage of rocky gardens is that areas that are inconvenient in terms of relief (slopes, rock outcrops, etc.) can be made interesting by using a combination of herbaceous plants and shrubs with stone and plastic processing of the relief. In addition, such landscaping is also economical, since it is based on low-demanding perennials. There may be outcrops of sedimentary rocks in layers along the slope, boulder or flagstones on relief differences, etc.

Natural factors should prompt the rock garden solution. Artificial terracing of the site can provide an interesting backdrop in the form of stone walls. When placing stones, one should take into account the relief and try to give their groupings a natural character. When using limestone, its layers should be located in the same direction and at the same angle as in natural exposure. Particularly beautiful stones covered with moss or lichen should be laid in prominent places. Stones should be varied in type and size, but not too small. Identical and small stones form monotonous groupings in landscape design.

By using groups of several stones with earth and vegetation, you can create natural compositions in landscape design. The material for the rocky corner must be homogeneous. The steps must be of the same stone as the groups. Stones should, as it were, grow out of the ground. Stones are used with special skill in Chinese and Japanese gardens. In China, a stone placed on a pedestal replaces sculpture; complex landscape design compositions are made from stone - cliffs, rocks, clouds, stairs, alpine slides. The stone is of great importance in the volumetric-spatial construction of the landscape design of the garden and is combined with water bodies and vegetation.

When choosing a stone - sculptures, very strict requirements are imposed on it. It should be high enough - from 1 to 5 m; all sides of the stone should be beautiful, and its upper part is somewhat wider than the lower one to create the illusion of greater lightness. Such stones are not surrounded by plants.

Groups of stones are given free landscape compositions, which are usually combined with trees or ponds. The location of the stones should give the impression that the trees have made their way between them. Light stones go well with bunge pine, which has a straight silvery trunk, dark rugged stones go well with mountain pine with its twisted trunk and fluffy crown. The grouping of stones is essentially done according to the same laws as the grouping of trees. The turns of the paths are caused by groups of stones that create a kind of natural obstacles that need to be bypassed. Sometimes groups of stones are either placed as a screen to transition from one painting to another, or serve as a foreground for landscaping a particular painting, or frame a staircase, which in this case looks like a natural path.

When stones are combined with water bodies, they are freely grouped with moisture-loving plants - iris, willow, etc. Free transitions through the stream in the form of separately lying flat stones are good. Artificial alpine slides are made either entirely from stones - with gorges, cliffs, cascades and grottoes, or from earth with stones. Rhododendrons, roses, clematis, Chinese ivy and wisteria are planted in the ground among the stones.

In Japan, the art of rock gardens has reached even greater sophistication. Combinations of sand, gravel, stone and low plants create complex spatial compositions in the landscape design of territories, where every vertical and horizontal element of landscape design plays a role. The layout of stones and flat slabs, a drawing on the sand made with a rake, soft pillows of sedums resembling stones in shape, round cobblestones, small pebbles, sand - how many opportunities to create variety in texture, color and arrangement of these materials!

A mountain site for landscape design of a territory (about 5 ha) made in the Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Artificial hills with a height difference of up to 11 m are located around a small water channel that flows into the pond. The entire valley is open to the south, so the slopes are well lit. The vegetation of the mountain garden is built on a combination of deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs with herbaceous ones. The background is a group of larch and pine interspersed with Karelian birch. In the valley near water bodies, individual specimens of willow and shrub willow (gray and creeping) are planted.

A number of small hills are framed by a variety of shrubs, against which large patches of herbaceous ones stand out, matched by the time of flowering. A small pond is also decorated with aquatic plants.

Large expanses of lawn, groups of trees and shrubs will create a good background for landscape compositions of stones in combination with gray-blue sapling, yellowish sedums, pink-purple thyme.

Reservoirs

Landscaping areas of a small garden are characterized by small water bodies. They can be free-form with channels or ponds in combination with the rock garden described above. The reservoir can be located in a corner of the park shaded by trees. An example of such a reservoir is the pond in the Kadriorg park in Tallinn. A small pond, the water from which flows out along the stone ledges, is decorated with ferns, perennials and dense greenery of the woods. Narrow tiled paths run along the water, emphasizing the free contours of the reservoir. All the design of the landscape design of this corner gives the garden a chamber, intimate character.

Reservoirs can also be arranged in the form of splashing and decorative pools of free or geometric shape. They can be decorated either with natural stone or with a concrete board, which is given any shape and varied texture. Very good pools for aquatic vegetation. Around them are laid paths or a tiled border that you can walk on and which allows you to get close to the pool to inspect the plants.

Flower basins can be made from old barrels by burying them in the ground to create interesting round decorative spots that enliven the corners of the landscaping of the garden area. Flowers of water pools - water lilies, lilies, crimson, orange, white with beautiful leathery leaves of nymphs - very enliven the surface of the water and can be planted in concrete boxes with marsh soil or in baskets with earth lowered to the bottom of the pool.

Fountains nestled among flowers and lawn with fine jets spouting from small pools can enhance any garden landscape design. Complex sculptural design of landscape design of territories should be avoided. The main composition of water must be built on the diverse use of water jets.

Beautifully landscaped garden that is enlivened by the introduction of pools and fountains. Small garden landscape design (21X14m) painted by Christopher Tonnard (1949, Newport, USA), is distinguished by great elegance and strict lines. Limes and arborvitae are planted along the perimeter of the garden. The main covering is a lawn, around which thin light jets of fountains stand out beautifully against the background of clipped buxus. In the center, on the dark water surface of the pool, lined with black marble, a golden-bronze sculpture shines. Somewhat raised irregularly shaped beds of creeping ivy with lemon-yellow climbing tunbergia are here and there decorated with annuals - purple and white petunias and carnations. A great variety has been achieved in the landscape garden with minimal means.

Flower arrangement

When landscaping a small area of ​​a small garden, flower decoration is of particular importance. Flowers are a necessary part of the landscape design of any garden, which is viewed up close. In this regard, with a small size of the garden and with the opportunity to get close to the flowers, their decorative qualities are especially noticeable. Groups, hedges, row plantings, as elements of landscape design of park compositions, in the space of a small garden are used mainly as a background against which individual details are perceived.

Large flower arrangements - parterres, complex patterns or free arrays of flowers in clearings - are not typical for landscape design of a small garden. Carpet flowers in floral ornaments or in flowerbeds of geometric shapes can only be used in squares among urban areas, in front of public buildings. As a rule, in a small garden, groups of annual and perennial flowers, strips of flower beds, mixed borders and special garden devices in the form of alpine slides, rose gardens or dahlias are used.

Rabatka is a strip of flowers placed along a path or platform at a distance of 30 to 70 cm from the edge. The most common ridges are from 30 cm to 1.2 m wide. Narrow ridges represent a simple pattern of flowering plants. It consists of parallel strips of plants, selected according to artistic features. To enrich the overall pattern of the rabatka, small accents are introduced in the form of single plants. In some cases, ribs are made with gaps and consist of repeating parts. The range of flowering plants used for rabatok may include perennials, carpet flowers and some types of perennials (arabis, tulips, daffodils, primroses).

Mixed flower border has been widely used in garden landscaping in recent years. Its origin is connected with the development of the rabatka, and the technique itself is a form of free interpretation of the rabatka. The border is located along the alley or path. This is its main similarity with the discount, but it also has a number of differences.

A mixed border tends to have a curvilinear outline, with natural placement of plants, while a border is straight. The border has an asymmetric transverse profile, in which taller plants in the common strip are placed further from the viewer, and lower ones closer to the alley or platform, thus creating an inclined line of the transverse profile. The rabatka usually has a symmetrical profile. The placement of plants in the longitudinal direction in a mixed border is repeated both in individual plants and in their combinations. Sometimes repeated plants are placed in a different order of their original arrangement, allowing fluctuations in both spacing and assortment. The accepted width of the mixed border significantly exceeds the width of the border and is not less than 1. 5 m, and its maximum width, including the shrub wall, reaches 5 m.

The use of a large number of plant species in the flower border makes it possible to select and place plants in such a way that the plants in the flower border will bloom throughout the season, replacing each other.

In some cases, the placement of some plants in a mixed border in the longitudinal direction may have a strict order, with a certain interval, the deliberateness of which is weakened by the curvilinearity of the trajectory of the arrangement of the entire flower arrangement of landscape design.

For a flower border, a uniform background is needed, on which the whole diverse mass of plants would be projected. This background produces a uniform and usually well-formed shrubby row with dark-toned foliage, creating the necessary contrast with the free arrangement of the border flowers.

It is good to use hawthorn, lilac, cotoneaster and common spruce cut to a height of 1-1.3 m for the background. An interval of at least 50 cm must be created between the shrub and the flower line, used for maintenance of plantings. In this interval, it is recommended to arrange a narrow service path.

The strip of flower plantings in this technique is divided into three strips: a strip of high plantings - 1 m and above, a strip of medium plantings - 60 cm and a strip of low plantings - 25 cm.

The border of the mixed border on the side of the alley must be no closer than 40 cm from the alley and may have a more sinuous character in nature than the main axis of the general planting system. The surface between the edge of the garden landscape alley and the nearest border of the curb is a strip of well-cut lawn. The border can be single-slope (the type described above) and double-slope (as if two combined borders of the first type). For the second type of border, shrubs are not required for the background.

Let's designate the mixed border bordering a path in landscaping. The construction of this border, the arrangement of individual groups of flowering plants give a wonderful effect throughout the season. The landscape design project features spring blossoms. Against the background of a sheared hedge, flowers and shrubs of different heights are planted. In the foreground, primroses, tulips, iberis, violet, then diclitra, marigold, aquilegia, then flowering shrubs - rhododendron, magnolia, flower turf, forsythia create an excellent multi-color composition of landscape design of the territory.

Given a mixed border that is projected against a fence. Its assortment is selected from perennial long-flowering plants with a predominance of blue, yellow and white flowers. Foliage color ranges from the brilliant green rosette of agapanthus to the pale yellow-green of sedums, from greyish-green foliage of lavender and acacia to silver sagebrush. Here the colors and hues of both flowers and foliage are interesting from early spring to late autumn. An extensive range is shown on a large border, where spring, summer and autumn flowering is highlighted. As you can see from this example, a mixed border is most decorative in spring and summer.

In spring, early blooming shrubs form the basis of the color design of the border: daphne (wolf berries), which is covered with one-time fragrant flowers even before the leaves appear, forsythia with a golden flowering dress, a little later the viburnum is decorated with white snow-like balls. To this are added spots of flowering irises, poppies, roses, peonies. The border is most colorful in the summer, when its higher row is made up of hemerocalis (daylily), phloxes, astilbe, delphiniums, bells, and the lower one is functions, carnations, penstemon, veronica and geyhera border. In autumn, the border is colored with asters and chrysanthemums, and the leaves of already faded flowers, magnificent and diverse in pattern and shades, form the background.

With a very small number of seed-planted annuals, you can create a beautiful, varied and cheap landscape design for individual parts of the garden. You can also apply combinations of seven names used in different versions in landscape design. Zinnia, cetunia, allisum, high and low marigolds, salvia, verbena - this is the small assortment that can give many combinations.

In combination with a trellis wall entwined with climbing plants, such a group can close an unpleasant fence or wall of a house. A group of annuals in combination with a shrub forms the corner of a terrace, house, gazebo, pond. When using a hedge in a sunny corner, it is good to soften its rigid contours by loose planting annuals with bright spots of salvia and zinnia against a dark shrub. It is very good to decorate a large stone or boulder with flowers, creating a kind of flower island surrounded by a path in a quiet corner for relaxation.

All color combinations described assume their placement in a group in a certain order in size and color. Each group is dominated by one of the breeds, forming a bright, colorful spot. The first landscaping plan or the edges of the group are framed with lower colors that create a border.

Sometimes landscape design gardens are created with the dominance of any one flower material - a dahlia or rose garden, or with the selection of an assortment of a certain flowering time - a spring or autumn garden. Landscape design gardens can also be divided according to the predominant color - blue, yellow, pink, etc. A separate flower bed of a geometric shape - round, oval, rectangular, square - or a complex configuration, made of flyers or carpet flowers, is now used less and less. It is replaced by all kinds of free flower arrangements described above.

Of the spring gardens, it should be noted that the gardens of lilacs are very characteristic and beloved in the middle lane. An example of such landscape garden design is the lilac collection garden on the territory of the arboretum of the Central Republican Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. It is located on the main perspective of the arboretum, which opens a wide panorama of the Dnieper and Zadneprovsky distances. According to the landscape design project and under the direction of L.I. Rubtsov, on an area of ​​1.5 hectares, a garden was made with 1572 lilac specimens, numbering 177 species and varieties. The excellent location of the sirengaria and its colorfulness attract a lot of visitors during flowering. At this time, 300 thousand brushes fill the garden with fragrance and present an exceptional spectacle. The selection of lilac varieties with different flowering periods allows you to extend this period to 25-30 days.

A rose garden is subject to special planning laws for landscape design. A rose garden as an element of garden landscape design is often found in large parks, squares and boulevards. A huge number of varieties of roses allows you to create interesting flower arrangements. Combining roses with flowering perennials and perennials is undesirable, as this creates excessive variegation and poor color combinations.

The rose garden is characterized by a geometric breakdown and very small areas. It is nice to get close to roses to enjoy their sight and aroma. In order to prevent mixing of color and grade, it is necessary to leave free background sections of the lawn. The need to keep black earth under the roses leads to peculiar compositional techniques.

A new rose garden near Tallinn, designed by A.Ya. Niina, very interestingly solved: on a large lawn background, a pattern was made of regular hexagons, bordered by a border of slabs. These borders serve as paths that allow you to approach each rose bush and separate the black earth under the roses from the lawn background.

Another example of a rosary made by A.S. Kishkis near the stalls in Ķemeri near Riga, the same method of dividing into small sections was applied. Squares 2.2X2.2 m are bordered by a path - a curb. The rose garden is located near the recreation area and is solved together with a retaining wall with benches. The upper part of the site is covered with a variety of perennial flowers arranged in various groups. Small pools and fountains were made on the paved area.

In rose garden solutions, it is necessary to correctly use the whole variety of assortment and types of roses, which can make interesting and varied flower arrangements. Bush, standard, climbing, climbing, remontant, polyanthus and other types of roses should be combined in shape, height and color. The color scheme in the rose garden is more nuanced and soft than in any other floral arrangement.

When selecting plants for rock gardens or rocky gardens, which have already been mentioned above, it is necessary to take into account the places where they will be planted: moisture-loving - in lower places, drought-resistant - in higher places, between stones. Groups of flowers are created from tall and low plants. Low-growing: saxifrage, sedums, juveniles, soddy phlox and bulbous (spring white flowers, saffrons, hyacinths, colchicum) - it is good to alternate with higher ones: anemone, speedwell, small petals, cudweed, etc. For the rock garden, low-growing trees and shrubs are also selected: Thunberg barberry, mahonia, dwarf forms of pine and spruce.

In addition to flowers, plants with beautiful foliage are very important: with silver-gray (felt sage, silver sage, bark saxifrage), with greenish-gray (silver yarrow, eriogoma, catnip, creeping thyme), with bluish-green (cloves, cypress spurge , sedums - eversa, rocky), with red-brown (hybrid and ruddy rejuvenates, steppe sedum, red). The rock garden is a very interesting form of flower arrangement, which gives an economical and decorative effect. From early spring to late autumn, herbaceous in various combinations with stone and shrubs create colorful corners of the garden and can be used in very small areas.

In a small landscaping garden, an assortment of climbing plants should be widely used in combination with walls, pergolas and trellises. A living surface of greenery and flowers in small forms creates additional colorful spots in the garden. The device of special structures in the form of a grid of wooden bars or stone pillars with wooden beams, metal frames or nets, stretched cord and other devices in combination with a variety of climbing plants create interesting fences and small forms that replace complex structures and can serve as a kind of spatial division of the garden .

Climbing plants can be used to decorate retaining walls, where they are planted either at the foot of the wall and curl it entirely or in a certain rhythm, or in specially left nests with plant soil between stones. In the latter case, it is good to use hanging or creeping plants. Cords and slats are used to support greenery, or plants with suction tendrils are planted that do not require stems to be attached.

Various types of fences and peculiar hedges can be obtained by curling the simplest picket fences with greenery. These wall hedges can give a quick effect for isolating or shading areas. Lighting masts, which very often look like an alien element in garden landscape design, can be curled with climbing plants planted directly into the ground if the mast is on a lawn, or in special boxes on a hard surface. The boxes can also be hung at a considerable height, and falling greenery is planted in them, decorating the pole very well. In small areas of the garden, where it is sometimes impossible to plant tree species, climbing plants create the necessary landscaping. Pergolas, arbors, covered passages, arches and other elements of garden landscape design can be completely curled with plants.

For vertical gardening, climbing plants are used, both flowering and deciduous-decorative. Of the annual bloomers, one can name morning glory with large bells of flowers, Turkish beans with long flower tassels, sweet peas, nasturtium. Flowering perennials: Baldzhuan buckwheat with numerous racemes of flowers, honeysuckle, bindweed, clematis, climbing roses, Daurian ivy, etc. Deciduous - ornamental annuals: fast-growing Japanese hop, figured pumpkin, perennials: common hops, Amur and five-leaf grapes, acute and Manchurian actinidia , bryonia, wood pliers. This far from complete list speaks of a large number of climbers, the use of which gives additional effects in the design of garden landscape design.

Small architectural forms

In a small space of small garden landscape design, every detail must be well thought out and justified. When placing small architectural forms - be it a gazebo or a free-standing stone set as a sculpture - it is necessary to take into account their color, texture, the background on which they are designed, the building, trees, shrubs, flowers, clipped hedge or just open sky.

Dividing the space of garden landscape design is greatly helped by the introduction of decorative walls that create isolated corners - a kind of room in the air.

We will show the walls of various materials; bamboo, wooden frame with plastic filling, ruberoid, etc. allow you to create, in combination with floral decoration, trees and shrubs, beautiful open corners of landscape design. The fence turns into a "whatnot" with flowers and does not disfigure the landscape design of the territory. In combination with interesting flooring, floral borders, flower pots, garden furniture, such a space really becomes an interior.

Ordinary pavilions can be used for children's games if you use fiction and use interesting materials. Thin metal rods entwined with climbing plants, placed obliquely on a base of rough stone, a thatched reed arbor on a tree are perfectly combined with greenery and can be placed both in a city garden and in a residential area.

Along with small architectural forms that have a utilitarian value, garden landscape design can be decorated with purely decorative items - sculpture, vase or just a stone. These elements of garden landscape design should be especially carefully thought out in terms of material, color, texture. Often a corner of the landscape design of the garden is disfigured by sculptures that are poor in execution, and even painted in unnatural colors - white, blue, gold, silver. Such sculptures are in no way combined with the living material of plants.

However, a good sculpture in combination with water, flowers and natural covering materials can play a large decorative and aesthetic role in the design of landscape design. A dynamic sculpture of seagulls taking off from the water against the background of a light colored canopy and a rough textured wall is an example of a successful landscape design composition that decorates a corner of the landscaped garden in Dzintari on the Riga seaside. A ceramic terracotta vase, combined with stone and perennials, placed against a backdrop of a dense array of greenery, beautifully decorates the entrance part of the landscaping of the Cismigiu Garden in Bucharest.

Particular attention should be paid to the use of stone as a sculptural design for landscape design of territories. In the given example of the landscape design of a garden in Beijing, the stones, peculiar in shape and color, placed on carefully made pedestals, create a very interesting sculptural row.

All the details of a small area of ​​landscape design of a small garden should serve a single purpose - to enrich and illusory increase the space of the garden. Skillful construction of landscape design perspective, color solution, variety of details help to create a complete landscape design solution for the site, where the visitor forgets about its actual area, each time finding new and interesting compositional landscape design techniques.

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