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Planning a cottage garden border


How to plan a cottage garden – from layout to picking plants

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

There is an art in knowing how to plan a cottage garden so that it looks like the profusion of colorful flowers has been planted casually – even a little haphazardly. But it's not hard to achieve.

This quintessential and nostalgic English garden style that we associate with pretty thatched cottages can, in fact, suit any type of property. Romantic, pretty and effervescent, cottage garden design is adaptable for the country, town or city garden.

This traditional style has remained popular and has become a mix of modern plants and old-fashioned favorites.

See: Cottage garden ideas - inspiration for plants, layouts and more

What is a cottage style garden?

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

A cottage garden design is ideal for the self-confessed plantaholic as it is all about making sure every piece of ground is covered in an apparently unstructured design.

Forget carefully manicured herbaceous borders with strict color schemes. How to plan a cottage garden is all about an informal mix of closely planted flowers across the color spectrum.

Traditionally a practical garden, supplying food and medicine around a farm laborer’s cottage, the style has evolved and is known and copied across the world. The romanticised idea of a country idyll, cottage garden design has became more decorative, containing both ornamentals and edibles, and with a focus on bio-diversity.

At Monty Don's Longmeadow garden in Herefordshire, the cottage garden is 'a traditional, but essentially floral, cottage garden, filled with blowsy, soft colors but also containing fruit trees, rhubarb, gooseberries and some herbs all mingled in together,' he explains.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

The feel of a cottage garden is relaxed, informal and fun. There are no strict guidelines or set rules to follow. Weathered, rustic materials, vintage detailing, heirloom plants and an apparently chaotic look define the cottage garden style – a kaleidoscope of hues and textures from the tangle of flowers and foliage.  

But, as with any garden, thought needs to go into planning a cottage garden layout and planting.

See: Cottage backyard ideas – more ways to create yours

How to plan a cottage garden

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

When thinking about how to plan a cottage garden, the key is to keep the layout simple, as the infill will be full and busy. 

(Image credit: Alamy)

Cottage gardens need planning and regular care, so to avoid it from being too labor intensive, start small, by planning a cottage garden area or border, and then increase the size once your confidence grows. 

See: How to plant a cottage border – a beginner's guide.

You could position this cottage garden design behind a picket fence, enclosed by low hedging, or as a pretty scheme to greet visitors to your front door. 

2. Think about paths and walkways

Meandering garden paths made of stone, old bricks, gravel or grass offer a visual relief to the exuberance of the planting in a larger cottage garden design.  

‘A cottage garden should ideally have winding paths, which in midsummer are only just visible between beds bursting with plants. These paths lead your eye to a focal point; this could be your house, an arbour or even a simple bench,’ recommends RHS horticulturalist Catherine Fairhall Lewis, who looks after the cottage garden at RHS Hyde Hall .

Softly curving pathways that blend in are at home in the cottage garden design.

See: Front yard cottage garden ideas – for plenty of inspiration

3. Add pretty garden accessories to draw the eye

Ornaments, such as a rustic birdbath, sundial or seat, add focus among all the flowers, helping to break up the intensity of the planting and provide a place to rest the eye.

Upcycling, recycling and vintage finds fit the cottage garden design. For instance, an old wheelbarrow billowing with flowers; moss-covered statuary; stone finials half-buried in plantings; tools made into sculptures, or planted rustic troughs. This is an opportunity to express your own personal taste, so feel free to do what appeals to you. There are no rules.

4. Create height to accentuate the vertical

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Add height with a romantic arbor, arches, pergolas or obelisks draped in scented climbing plants, such as roses, honeysuckle or jasmine. But use these features sparingly so the whole effect doesn’t become too hectic.

5. Test the soil

Test your soil so you know which plants are best-suited to it and add organic matter, such as compost. Good, rich organic soil where plants will thrive without too much watering or feeding will make the job easier, while mulching also helps retain moisture and keeps weeds down.

6. Choose natural planting

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

There are plant choices for sun and shade, as well as different soil types, although most cottage garden plants will enjoy a sunnier spot.

Your aim is for the plants to appear to have planted themselves. ‘Plan the position of your big permanent plants, so your trees, roses and shrubs, first. Smaller flowering perennials will be fitted in the spaces around these, then finally your annuals are used to fill any remaining gaps,’ says horticulturalist Catherine Fairhall Lewis. 

7. Cover the ground

There is no social-distancing in a cottage garden design – instead it’s all about informal crowding, packing in as many plants and flowers as possible. Use high performance, tough plants – such as un-hybridized flowers that appeal to pollinators. Plan for a succession of blooms to maintain the effect of dense planting all year long.

8. Choose colors with confidence

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Select your color palette that appeals to you and works with the architecture of your home – from soft and pastel, dreamy and romantic, to vibrant and clashing.

Planning planting in a cottage garden

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

When planning a cottage garden, remember that flowers and scents combine in happy abundance.  

‘This is the beautiful chocolate box image everyone has of hollyhocks, roses and color in a varied tapestry of planting that is very irregular. The use of old fashioned annuals and even the odd vegetable dotted in as well,’ says Rosy Hardy of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants . 

The mantra right plant, right place is important in designing a cottage garden. You are working with, not against your conditions, for the healthiest, sturdiest results, with the minimum of effort. 

‘When choosing your planting scheme, make sure to include classic cottage garden plants. Be bold with your colors, encourage self-seeding and pack plants closely together so there is no bare earth,’ says Catherine Fairhall Lewis.  

See: Cottage garden plants – for the top flowers and shrubs to grow

Easy-going and easy-care are what you are after when planning a cottage garden, with a mix of tough, reliable perennials and annuals, shrubs for structure, and some bulbs.

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

‘Include plants that flower repeatedly, really earning their place when space is limited,’ suggests Rosy Hardy.

Examples that Rosy recommends in cottage garden planning include: 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

How do I create a cottage garden on a budget? 

The cottage garden design is an economical style as a lot of the flowers can be grown from seed, such as inexpensive annuals. You can seed swap with friends and neighbors and also take cuttings to grow on in your own garden.

Allow self-seeders to spread, and if something pops up in the wrong spot, dig it up and move it. As this is a natural planting style, everything can have its place.

See: Cottage patio ideas – create a pretty spot for relaxing and entertaining

Use reclaimed and natural materials for hard landscaping, helping to contribute to this being one of the most affordable styles, and upcycle or recycle items for your garden features.

Careful maintenance will also keep the floral show going, so trim and tidy new growth, and deadhead flowers to keep them blooming.

There is both a sense of nostalgia and of freedom with a cottage garden design, which is quite irresistible. And as there are no rules, plan a cottage garden to perfectly suit your taste.

Leigh Clapp is a professional photographer with over 25 years experience, primarily as a garden specialist photojournalist but also with food and travel. She delights in exploring gardens, discovering the tiny elements to their overall essence and meeting lots of enthusiastic gardeners along the way. Leigh’s work appears in magazines, newspapers and books, both in the UK and abroad, including Period Living, Country Life, and Gardens Illustrated; as well as being sole photographer for a number of books, including Garden Details, Feng Shui in the Garden, Vertical Gardens and From the Garden – fresh seasonal cooking.

How to plant a cottage garden border

(Image credit: Design Libby Russel. Photo Evan Nemeth)

Cottage garden borders are easy to grow, beautiful to look at, useful and often edible – so it's no wonder that they're a popular look. Garden designer Tracy Foster MSGD claims that ‘the resulting symphony of shape, texture, color and scent can bring bucolic charm to any plot, even one in the heart of a city.’

We agree – so read on to find out how to go about creating your perfect cottage garden border, no matter where you are or what size your space is. Our experts have covered plant choices, material considerations as well as other additions to achieve this coveted look.

See: Cottage garden ideas – pretty ways to embrace rustic style outdoors

Choose authentic Victorian plants

(Image credit: Design Ana Mari Bull. Photo: Jim Donahue)

For a truly authentic cottage garden border, there will be a variety of different shapes and forms. Landscape and garden designer Ana Mari Bull MSGD recommends using the past as a guide. 

‘Where possible look at modern cultivar equivalents of the plants that would have grown in a Victorian cottage garden,’ she says. ‘Roses are the obvious choice but they must be scented.’ 

Tracy Foster adds height with hollyhocks, foxgloves and delphiniums. For other flower shapes, try the flat panicles of achillea, ball-shaped inflorescences of globe thistle or cheerful daisy flowers of leucanthemum or rudbeckia. 

Ana says, 'The Victorians were also very fond of pelargoniums and would keep pots of brightly coloured flowers as well as those with scented leaves.  Probably not to modern tastes, but they were also very fond of the brightly flowered begonias.'

Plant at the correct times of the year

(Image credit: Fi Boyle Garden Design)

Garden landscape designer Fi Boyle MSGD explains that there are two key times of year to plant. The first is the early autumn when the soil is still warm and not waterlogged. For Fi, the advantage of planting in the autumn is that the plants settle into warm earth and start to establish their roots before the winter months. This means that when spring comes they are ready to get going. 

However, if you have missed the autumn window, you can also plant in spring. Bear in mind that you may need to keep a bit more of an eye on your plants at this time of year as in recent years we have had some very dry springs. 

Think: right plant, right place

(Image credit: Rosemary Coldstream Garden Design)

‘Always think right plant, right place,’ says garden designer Rosemary Coldstream . Your plants have the best start possible when in their ideal soil and sun conditions, so bear this in mind when selecting plants. 

From there, Rosemary recommends deadheading regularly to prolong flowering. If your border is either heavy or very dry, mulch it with a good quality compost. When perennials get too big, lift and divide them to grow your plant collection and prevent overcrowding.

Plan your border for the size of your space

(Image credit: Design by Ana Marie Bull photo by Jim Donahue)

Ana Mari Bull told us, 'Cottage style planting can be achieved in both a small and large garden, though personally I think it works best on a smaller scale as it is visually a very "busy" garden, so if I were planning a cottage garden on a larger plot, I would be looking to break up the space by introducing structural elements or creating a garden within a garden or a outdoor room. I would divide a border by either introducing a hedge or a structure on which to attach climbers to create a visual barrier. '

See: Cottage patio ideas – create a pretty spot for relaxing and entertaining

Prepare the soil for optimum growth

(Image credit: Tracy Foster Garden Design)

Garden designer Tracy Foster suggests 'preparing the bed well before planting is a key to success. I recommend that you remove everything you can, weeds and plants alike and dig the border over adding in well composted organic matter as you go. You can then replant the things you would like to keep once the preparation is done.

'Once stocked with closely packed plants, the lack of bare soil will help to keep weeds at bay, but you may need to thin out overgrown clumps from time to time and remove any self sown seedlings that pop up in places where they aren’t wanted.'

Choose plants for height

(Image credit: Design Libby Russel. Photos Eva Nemeth)

Libby Russel of Mazzullo + Russell Landscape Design has brought a quintessentially English look to this Somerset space with grand borders packed with herbaceous plants.

Ana Mari Bull shares her plant choices which will give you those tall spires depicted in so many of the romantic, Victorian painting of cottage gardens. 

'X Alcalthaea   suffrutescens 'Parkfrieden’ and X Alcalthaea  suffrutescens 'Parkallee' are a hollyhock and mallow cross which have better rust resistance than the traditional hollyhocks, they also flower for longer periods.'

For delphiniums she suggests 'delphinium Blue Lace, which gives a great show of color and if you cut the flower stalks down after the flowers have gone over, you may get another flush. The white delphinium Galahad can be treated in the same way and adds a lovely glow to the night garden. If you haven’t got the space for delphiniums, then the more diminutive annual larkspur or consolida will give you a colorful, summer long display.'

(Image credit: Tracy Foster Garden Design)

For Tracy Foster, cottage garden borders suits an informal garden layout. 'Examples that spring to mind are brick edges to simple gravel paths, crazy paving with self seeded herbs and flowers growing in the cracks, herringbone brick paths, and simple stepping stones running through the planting.

See: Cottage decorating ideas – charming ways to get a characterful look

'The look also lends itself well to narrow paths and flowing curves which is great if you would like a change from the prevailing hard lines of recent design trends, and anything that looks hand crafted or home made will fit in well especially if it is made of local material in a regional style. Woven willow obelisks, cleft chestnut fencing, woven willow or hazel hurdles and dry stone or mellow brick walls are suitable choices.'

Teresa was part of a team that launched Easy Gardens magazine two years ago and edited it for some time. Teresa has been a Gardens Editor at Homes & Gardens, Country Homes & Interiors and Living Etc magazine since 2020 and has developed close working relationships with some of the top garden designers such as Charlotte Rowe, Butter Wakefield, and has been exposed to an array of rich garden content and expertise. 

25 best summer cottage planning projects

There are many photos on the Internet depicting impeccably designed summer cottages. They photographed beautiful cottages with terraces and pools, surrounded by well-composed flower gardens. Everything looks perfect in the pictures, but how to achieve such perfection in your summer cottage. Everything starts with planning. First, the land allotment and everything related to it is examined, and after that a plan for the future estate is drawn up.

Contents

Site analysis

Pre-project analysis of the site helps to plan it with the greatest practicality. This is a kind of diagnostic that will show where it is best to build a house, where to plant a garden, how to prepare the soil for planting.

What does the analysis of the territory include:

It is important to pay attention to the very shape of the site. Its configuration determines the distribution of zones for various purposes and the trajectory of garden paths. nine0003

Where to build a residential building

The main building on the summer cottage is a house. Subsequently, it cannot be moved in one direction or another, therefore, when choosing a place for its construction, the proverb “measure seven times, cut once” is true. First of all, you need to know where it is definitely impossible to build it. In the practice of building residential buildings, there are restrictions of a purely practical nature, as well as building codes and regulations (SNiP).

Basic rules in plain language:

After taking into account all the restrictions determined by various kinds of technical regulations, there remains a part of the land available for the legal construction of a house. Now you need to consider the location of the site in terms of ease of use.

It is not recommended to locate the house in the depths of plot , as its usable area will not be used rationally: the length of the path leading to the gate and the access roads to the utility yard and the house will increase. Yes, and each time to overcome a long way to the front door is not very convenient, especially in winter. nine0003

Zoning of the site

The division of the suburban area into zones is carried out for the same reason that partitions between separate rooms are installed in the apartment. Only instead of brick walls, something else is used here. The division into zones in most cases does not imply the creation of clear boundaries from blank fences. Thanks to this, in order to get, for example, from a place of rest to a garden, it is not necessary to bypass a long fence.

Basic principles for dividing a site into zones

Approach to the zoning of the cottage should be, considering the features of the relief of the land plot, its location in relation to neighboring houses and, of course, taking into account your desires. In most suburban areas there are 4 separate zones from one another.

As a rule, there are 4 main zones:

  1. Economic. Located behind the house, therefore often called the "back yard", includes a shed for inventory, a workshop;
    2. nine0029 Garden and garden. May also be separated by a conditional boundary;
  2. Recreation area. Equipped with a gazebo, canopy, decorative elements;
  3. Yard. Platform in front of the front door.

Each of these zones can be divided into sub-zones. A large yard often has a patio or space for a garage.

Patio area in the yard

If the yard is small, a place for a garage and parking is allocated in the utility part, but a separate entrance for the car is planned. nine0003

In addition, it is possible to make additional sites adapted to the needs of family members: sports, creative, relaxation. If there are children in the family, a playground is created in the recreation area or in the yard, which can be combined with a sports ground.


How to properly zone a plot - see our video:

How to divide zones

Decorative fences are used to separate one zone from another. They are made in the form of a lattice or a low fence and do not block the view of the landscape. nine0003 Spectacular landscape trellis

You can also use a hedge of deciduous shrubs or conifers.

The use of hedges on the plot

Different types of flower beds are an excellent way to distinguish between flower beds: borders, flower borders and mixborders. They break along the demarcation paths.

A solid fence for zoning can only be used when it is necessary to completely fence off any part of the site. For example, dust is brought into the yard from the garden by the wind and it needs to be protected from dirt. A decorative hedge will not help in this case, you need to install an impenetrable fence or create a high hedge. It is recommended to proceed in the same way when it is required to completely separate the economic part of the cottage. nine0003

Tip. If the relief of the site has elevation differences, retaining walls are used as a dividing element. 3-4 wide steps on the steepest slope will make it easier to move around the territory and become a natural transition between separate areas: a garden and a vegetable garden, a yard and a resting place.

Where to make garden beds and a garden

Statistics show that the garden and garden occupy up to 75% of the land in the country house, and divide them in half between them. Consequently, about 25-30%, that is, almost a third of the total area, goes under vegetable beds. That's enough. Considering that the garden is not the most aesthetic object on the site, it is usually set up on the outskirts, at the far border. nine0003

It is impossible to grow a good crop of vegetables without watering, so when planning a garden, it is important to think about the way water is supplied. These can be pipes laid in the ground, a well drilled directly next to the beds, or a large tank filled with water using a hose.

An area that is too shaded will also not produce high yields. It should not be surrounded by tall trees or a fence blocking sunlight. For this reason, the garden is not arranged on a narrow strip between the garden and a solid hedge, on the north side of the house or on the north slope. nine0012

Fruit trees are planted in several ways: in one place in a large group, in one row along the border of the site, pointwise throughout the dacha.

Garage and outbuildings

If the area permits, it is better to arrange a garage with parking for personal vehicles next to the house, but on the opposite side from the main entrance.

In this case, the yard will be completely freed, and there will be a great opportunity to create a beautiful landscape in it with an artificial reservoir, flower beds, a stone garden. This location of the garage will allow you to build it under the same roof with utility rooms: a woodcutter, a square, a change house for garden tools. Each of these rooms has a separate entrance. nine0003

When the house is planned close to the side border of the plot, the area between it and the opposite border has to be divided into two parts: a courtyard and a place for a garage. In this position, it is better when the facade of the house with the front door is turned towards the street, since the porch will not occupy the usable area between the garage and the wall of the building. Ennoble the yard flower garden, broken at the garage wall.

Arrangement of a recreation area

Different people may have different ideas about recreation. For some, this is training on the sports ground, for others, relaxation by the pool, and for others, barbecue with friends. But for all this you need to allocate a place and equip it appropriately. nine0003

Principles for planning a place to spend your leisure time

When choosing a place to spend your leisure time, it is recommended to follow three rules. Rest area must be:

  1. Hidden from prying eyes;
  2. Be close to home;
  3. Protected from wind and, if possible, from rain.

A patio area is arranged in the spacious yard. It is not far from the entrance to the house, so in the summer season you can start every morning with coffee in the fresh air and end the day here with a cup of tea. If the area of ​​the yard does not allow or is already occupied by parking, a garage, a playground, then the resting place is arranged on an open terrace. It is no less romantic than the patio, and besides, all the tea and coffee facilities are at hand. nine0003

For a small company to relax, you can make a gazebo in the garden. In the gazebo itself or not far from it, a barbecue is installed or a place for barbecue is provided. The surrounding background is designed accordingly.

Pond

A pond, stream, waterfall, cascade and other hydraulic structures are created as independent decorative objects or as part of a composition with an alpine slide.

What exactly to choose for the improvement of a suburban area depends on its area. So, even a not very long stream will take up a lot of space and for this reason is not suitable for arranging a small area (the exception is the layout without a garden). nine0003

The reservoir is located in a visible, open place, away from trees, the foliage of which can clog the water. Integrated into a recreation area, a pond or stream will perfectly complement the landscape and make leisure time more enjoyable.

If for technical reasons it is not possible to create a reservoir, you can make a dry stream. Unlike a water stream, it has its own advantages: it does not attract insects, it is safe for children.

Auxiliary architectural structures

Small architectural structures will help to dilute the landscape and make it more saturated. Sometimes they are purely aesthetic, but they can also have a practical purpose. These are various types of gazebos, pergolas, bridges, well log cabins and more. Such elements are surrounded by flower beds and ornamental vegetation. You need to install them in the appropriate places: in the recreation area, in the garden, in the yard.

It is not customary to decorate a garden with artistic elements, but you can do something in it. For example, it is permissible to build a small bench and a pergola in the form of an arch, in the shade of which it is pleasant to rest. nine0003

If vegetable beds are interspersed with flower beds, they are arranged as part of the landscape landscape and complemented with various decorative elements: wattle fence, windmill, garden figures, flowerpots with spicy plants.

Layout of plots of non-standard shape

As a rule, there are no special difficulties with the layout of plots of irregular shape. On the contrary, they can create unusual, exclusive landscapes. The main thing is not to be afraid to stand out against the background of standard solutions. nine0003

If the plot is elongated

A long allotment of land only at first glance seems difficult to plan. In fact, such a site has an important advantage: it is easier to divide it into zones. They are divided one after another according to the degree of importance or aesthetic indicators: a residential area, a children's and sports ground, a barbecue area, a garden, a vegetable garden, a bathhouse, and at the very end the economic part.

The house is not being built right behind the entrance gate. It is recommended to leave enough space between the facade and the fence for a front garden, covered shed or paved patio. Since there is not much space left for the garage, it is better to include it in the project of the house, placing it in the basement, and arrange parking on the site in front of the gate. nine0003

All zones are connected by one path, laid along the edge or in the center of the estate. It is desirable that the path has a winding trajectory - this will help visually expand the boundaries of the site, make it visually more spacious.

Important. It is better to make a fence along the boundary with neighbors low and not continuous. Firstly, it gives less shade, and secondly, a light enclosing structure will hide the tightness of the territory.

If the plot is with a slope

The big disadvantage of the plots with a slope is the complexity of their arrangement, additional costs for strengthening the slopes and creating flat areas. But if you are not afraid of all this, the height differences open up the possibility of creating an exclusive landscape with terraces. The already existing mountainous terrain allows you to create a waterfall with a cascade and an alpine slide in conditions that are closest to natural. nine0003

The house is being built at the highest point. This location will protect the building from spring floods and landslides. In addition, the entire site and the surroundings closest to the estate are well viewed from the height. An exception is a slope that slopes down to the north side: it is recommended to build a house on it approximately in the middle so that the building does not completely obscure the land allotment.

Practical tips for landscaping on a slope:

  • For ease of movement on the steepest slopes, stair steps are made of concrete, natural stone or brick;
  • Willows, lilacs, wild roses planted on the land bevel will strengthen it with intertwining roots and prevent soil from washing out;
  • A drainage system is used to drain melt and rainwater. It includes drainage channels of open and closed type;
  • Drainage holes are arranged in the lower part of the retaining walls through which excess moisture is removed; nine0032
  • To prevent landslides, the steepest slopes are covered with agrofibre or mesh. A layer of soil is poured on top, after which creeping plants are planted or a lawn is sown.

If the plot is square

Oddly enough, a plot that has the shape of a regular square is quite difficult to plan. You can spoil everything by building a house in the center. With this arrangement, there remains a distance between the fence and the building that is not sufficient for its rational use. Of course, this does not apply to large areas. nine0003

It is best to visually divide the territory into 2 equal parts, and divide the one closer to the street into halves again. A house is being built on one of them, and the second is allocated for a yard, a parking lot and a garage. The remaining half of the plot is distributed between the garden and the garden. In this case, garden beds are broken up on the south or east side so that fruit trees do not block sunlight.

Features of planning plots of different sizes

The requirements for the location of houses are the same for small and large plots. Having found a place for a house, in accordance with the law of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it is permissible to distribute the rest of the land at your discretion. What will be planned on it - an agricultural farm, a backyard garden, a tennis court - is the business of the owner of the dacha.

6 acres

Six acres, these are the standard dimensions of a Soviet-era land plot. Since the land in the neighborhood is occupied by the same summer cottages, in most cases there is no opportunity to expand, and the lack of space forces you to save space. This can be done by building a house with an attic: the building occupies less land, and the living area of ​​​​the premises almost doubles. Also, you can free up part of the area by making a garage on the ground floor of the house or in the basement. nine0003

It is not recommended to save on the recreation area by using the area for a vegetable garden or fruit bushes. If it is planned to build a bathhouse on 6 acres, a recreation area is arranged between it and a residential building. In this case, the distance from the house to the bath will be 6 m or more.

10 acres

If the plot has an area larger than 6 acres, this does not mean that you need to take more space for a garden. The family's need for vegetables remains the same, and growing the surplus, which then has to be distributed to neighbors and acquaintances, takes a lot of time and labor. In a dacha of 10 acres (without prejudice to other important areas), a pool will fit perfectly. It is mounted in a sunny place where the water will warm up well. nine0003

Important. It should be noted that a pond in the country is fashionable, but it cannot replace a pool. When a choice has to be made between them, priority should be given to the pool.

All decorative objects require attention and care. Garden figurines, bridges, ponds, benches, etc. need to be painted, varnished and repaired. Therefore, you should not overload the site with unnecessary details, otherwise there may be very little time left for rest.

12 acres

When developing a project for a summer cottage on 12 acres, you can not stop at any one style. It is more convenient to break a kitchen garden and a garden in strict geometric outlines, and the landscape of a recreation area can have an arbitrary design.

The space near the house is designed as the front part of the site. In the gap between the facade and the fence, an alpine slide, rockery or Japanese garden is created.

If the cultivation of the crop does not take precedence in the plans for the future, the house is located at a sufficient distance from the road. Recreation areas are distributed throughout the dacha and interspersed with artificially created elements of the natural landscape, flower beds, lawns. All this is connected together by winding garden paths. nine0003

In the case when you need to get vegetables, fruits and berries from the site for harvesting for the winter, there will be enough space on 12 acres to create recreation areas and a garden. When considering the layout of the land plot, you should be creative and find something that will give the country landscape a uniqueness.

How to properly plan your site - see our video:

dizlandshafta

56 photos of analysis and zoning of the site

Buying a summer house is an important event in everyone's life. I would like not to make mistakes, take into account and calculate all the little things so that in the future there is no need for finishing and reworking. A properly planned plot for suburban housing is the solution to many problematic situations. nine0003

The layout of a summer cottage does not tolerate haste and fuss. It should be treated responsibly and competently make all the necessary calculations.

Fight the emotional upsurge that comes with the planning process and the urge to finish construction work, planting trees and flowers as soon as possible.

In this article we will try to answer the question of how to competently make the layout of a personal plot with your own hands.

Exploring the area

Before you start planning your homestead territory, you need to carefully study its features, positive and negative sides. This information will allow you to most conveniently locate the buildings and zone the site.

It is optimal if the territory for the future cottage is flat, not hilly. But even a site with depressions and hills, in addition to the minuses associated with the difficulties created by the relief, also has its pluses.

A dacha located on a hill looks more advantageous. Below are more facts about the benefits of building a house on a hill:

  • A high-standing building is naturally protected from flooding by rain and floods.
  • In a cottage built on a hill, the basement will never be damp.
  • The construction of the foundation will take less time and will require less cost, since there is no need for an additional waterproofing layer.

In the beginning, you need to study the characteristics of the soil - this is necessary to determine which types of plants and shrubs are preferable to grow on the site.

It may turn out that in order to achieve large yields, it will be necessary to carry out reclamation or introduce a new fertile layer of soil, or maybe add top dressing.

Groundwater information is useful in determining the best location for building a house. It will also help answer the question: is it necessary to carry out drainage, and which bushes and trees to choose. nine0003

In addition to all of the above, do not forget about the wind rose. Information about the wind load also significantly affects the layout.

Deciding on the style of zoning of the site

After studying the features of the suburban area, you need to decide which style to choose for it.

The following variations exist:

Regular garden

This option is preferred if you plan to grow crops or fruits. This type of layout is characterized by straight paths and paths, right angles, a checkerboard or linear tree planting order, clear forms of flower beds, strict borders, as well as houses and buildings lined up along one axis. nine0003

Landscaping

This layout is most suitable for a hilly area, located on several levels.

Distinctive features are winding, winding paths, asymmetrically planted plants, lack of strict forms, smoothness and streamlined lines.

You cannot see sharp turns, sharp catches and rectangles here.

Mixed style

This is a combination of the layout variations above. It is usually used for independent breakdown of the territory. nine0003

We divide the plot into zones

The dacha has many purposes. Vegetables and fruits are grown on it, flowers are planted, and seaming is done. It is also a place of relaxation from the bustle of the city.

From this it follows that the site must have a play area for children, a gazebo and a barbecue for adults, as well as a place for a cot and a hammock. A strong half of humanity is not against arranging a workshop in the country.

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