Long gone are the days when only vegetables were grown in summer cottages and few people allotted enough space for them under flower beds. Now, on the contrary, many people refuse to grow carrots and tomatoes, preferring a flower garden to a vegetable garden. At the same time, the fashion for beautiful vegetable gardens has now begun. In such gardens, flower beds are created that serve as a decoration for the site and at the same time they add variety to our diet.
Now I suggest you think how to decorate a garden- Draw a plan, decide which plants you will grow and make a list of plants to buy. Beautiful and useful flower beds will decorate your garden with a mixture of flowers and vegetables mixed with spices and leafy herbs. And ordinary vegetable beds with traditional vegetables can be diversified with spices and volatile flowers, which will be your helpers in the fight against plant diseases and pests.
Different varieties of lettuce look especially beautiful next to each other - leaf and head with different leaves - multi-colored, with corrugated and wavy edges. For example, head lettuce Berlin (yellow), Kadro (with purple leaves), Zabava (long reddish leaves), Robin (yellow-red), Lolla Rosso (ruffled burgundy-green 
leaves), Tornado (fan-shaped leaf), Excitement (light green with wavy edges), Ballet (dark green leaves with scalloped edges), Odessa Curly (corrugated emerald leaves). Plant curly parsley near the salads, and next to it - spicy aromatic plants (catnip, anise lofant, oregano, hyssop, lemon balm).
As a border in a garden bed, flower bed or on an alpine hill, you can plant perennial chives with delicate thin leaves. Its decoration is lilac-pink inflorescences, and the foliage grows quickly after cutting. It will look beautiful in a flower bed of chard, or chard, especially green-leaved varieties with corrugated leaves and red-purple varieties. Decorate the center of the flower bed with fennel and bush dill. You can also plant physalis here with its numerous small lantern fruits - in addition to decorativeness, they are also tasty. Let ornamental vegetables and beautifully flowering edible flowers with healing properties grow nearby - tagetes, calendula, nasturtium, vegetable chrysanthemum. And do not forget the pharmacy chamomile - tea from it will come in handy during colds, and fresh herbs will be a good seasoning for meat dishes and salads.
Good neighbors for flowers will be coriander, watercress, leaf parsley, salad mustard, lovage (as an annual grown through seedlings). In one part of the flower bed, plant spicy and medicinal: monarda, lovage, perilla. Continuously flowering and fruiting beardless strawberries with red and white berries will look very nice along the border. And if you have the opportunity to periodically remove the mustache, you can also plant the Rose Glow remontant variety with pink double flowers here. Beautiful and useful can be combined on an alpine hill. Oregano, snakehead, thyme (savory), bergenia, common primrose, bathing suit, various bells, small-flowering violets, a salad plant popular in Europe - a kind of plantain called "Deer Horn" will be in place here.
You can change the assortment of medicinal and spicy plants, especially annuals, depending on your taste and preferences. Not far from the kitchen or resting place, you can arrange a fragrant corner in a flower bed or garden. Serpentine, mignonette and levkoy, various basilicas, matthiola bicornu, as well as perennial monarda, mint of various varieties and lemon balm can settle here. Pelargonium will look good on an elevation in a flowerpot.
Most garden plants, especially heat-loving ones, produce crops only in the sun. First of all, this applies to eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, dill, onions and most spices. But some plants can tolerate partial shade. These are beans, white cabbage, perennial onions, parsnips, pumpkin (whips with ovaries can be placed in the shade, and it is better to place the root in the sun). If you plant radishes, turnips and beets in the shade, you will get juicy greens from which you can prepare salads. In partial shade, sorrel, horseradish, rhubarb and cabbage feel good, but early and late varieties are recommended to be planted in the sun. Of the spicy herbs, lettuce mustard, Chinese cabbage, parsley, leaf celery, lovage, watercress, chard, mint, chives can grow in partial shade. It is advisable to grow spices and beets in partial shade through seedlings.
Beautiful garden with your own hands
The times when the garden was sown solely for the purpose of getting as much harvest as possible have sunk into oblivion. Now, according to the latest trends in gardening, you should not plant a garden at random - but so that it also pleases the eye. That is why many people became interested in how to make beautiful beds in the garden - and I will help you with this, I will throw, as usual, many interesting know-how ideas.
Elements of a container garden - wooden boxes, flowerpots, clay tubs - all this is appropriate to use in the garden. 
Such functionally important items as trellises for climbing plants (for example, beans) can become almost small architectural forms of your garden.
Supports for cucumbers can also be made attractive. These will be not just stakes driven in at random and tied with old ropes, but graceful boards, ladders, arches and even pergolas!
One of the interesting ways to decorate the garden is to alternate planting vegetables with rows of annuals. They require little care, and your garden will look more fun. you can also plant salads with different colors - not only will they decorate your garden, they are also very useful!
For example, marigolds and calendula will take root very well between your beds. In addition, they will scare away pests and improve the soil in the garden.
When you think over the landing pattern. Do not forget to take into account the needs of plants in different watering. Combine landings taking into account this factor. It is very important to swap crops every year, with different demands on the nutritional value of the soil.
Cabbage takes a lot of nutrients from the earth. Therefore, do not plant it every year in the same place. The next year, plant beets on the same beds, and a year later - peas and beans.
If it so happened that your garden is very small, then this is not a reason to refuse to grow vegetables. There is a way to grow vegetables even in soil bags, and you can always find a little space for them.
Take a 25-liter bag, fill it with a nutrient mixture, make small holes on one side for plants, and on the other - holes for water to drain. In one such "bed" you can grow 6 bushes of strawberries, lettuce or 3 tomato bushes.
A beautiful garden bed with greenery planted in a checkerboard pattern will look very decorative!
Some squares can be planted with beautifully flowering herbs such as sage.
Creation ornamental garden at their summer cottage - one of the brightest and most original techniques in landscape design. Unfortunately, gardeners do not always remember such a wonderful element of the garden as an ornamental garden. Many do not even imagine how to make a decorative garden and how to decorate the beds beautifully. But the landscape design of the garden is a very interesting and exciting process. The decoration of the garden, of course, brings some troubles, it is very important to think over the design of the garden, choose the right place for it, and carry out the right care. But all efforts will be justified. The original garden and beautiful beds will look no worse than any flower garden. How to arrange a garden, you will learn from our article.
A decorative garden, as well as other elements of the garden, serves to beautifully decorate the space. Before you start decorating the beds in the country, you need to choose a suitable place for a decorative garden. A sunny place, protected from strong winds with well-drained fertile soil, is suitable for it. On the ornamental garden care it will take a lot of time - it needs to be watered, fed. It is better to water the beds with a drip method, since the water that remains on the leaves of plants contributes to the development of diseases. You can also water a decorative vegetable garden from a watering can, but always with warm water from a barrel.
Beautifully arrange the beds will help edging with border material, For example, . Special designs - modules - can be of different shapes, which will allow you to create different compositions on the site. In addition, the device of the decorative garden border will prevent the penetration of lawn grass into the garden. The most convenient beds will be from 70 to 120 cm wide. The distance between the beds should be large enough - 50-60 cm. To avoid the growth of weeds, the distance between the beds (bark, chips, for example).
First of all, a decorative garden will be transformed by plants that look beautiful throughout the growing season. These are, first of all, green and spicy-tasting crops. Plants such as parsley, cilantro are often used in the design of beds. Indeed, without them it is impossible to imagine beautiful beds. Making a garden with crops with ornamental greenery always looks elegant. Decorative peppers, cabbage, zucchini, corn, sorrel, lettuce are distinguished by high decorativeness.
Grows faster than head. She prefers fertile soils, loves watering; tolerates transplant well. Low-growing varieties of ornamental cabbage will look spectacular in and. Ornamental cabbage is planted in the last decade of March in pots with a diameter of 3-4 cm. Ornamental cabbage seeds will sprout in 3-5 days. Seedlings are often prone to diseases, so proper watering is important. The earth is shed before and immediately after sowing. Then watering is stopped and the seedlings are only slightly sprayed. Ornamental cauliflower is also suitable for garden decoration.
decorative pepper- quite unpretentious plant. It is grown both indoors and in the garden. He prefers bright, sunny places. In summer, it needs abundant watering. On the bushes of ornamental pepper, fruits of spherical, oblong or conical shape are formed, which, depending on the variety, turn red, orange, yellow or cream.
decorative corn loves sunny, sheltered places. Plant it in the ground, in late May - early June. Ornamental corn cobs are very beautiful - the grains in them come in different colors, which looks very original. These cobs will decorate your home.
Physalis decorative also called "Chinese lantern". Its name is translated from Greek as "bubble". photophilous, winter-hardy. It is undemanding to soils, but still prefers calcareous. In dry summers, physalis is watered every other day. Physalis ornamental looks great in cut flowers, bouquets.
Decorative sorrel Prefers fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soils. It does not tolerate drought well, it needs watering, and in hot climates it is desirable to spray it. Peduncles are recommended to be trimmed to maintain a compact and dense rosette of leaves. Decorative sorrel can be severely affected by aphids. It will look great against the background of stones.
Decorative garden will decorate and lettuce curly. He is photophilous, prefers fertile. Young plants tolerate mild frosts, so curly lettuce can be planted in open ground both in spring and autumn.
Some ornamental vegetables can be used not only in garden landscaping, but also for arbors and hedges, as climbing plants. These include ornamental squash, ornamental squash.
decorative zucchini have lush foliage and fruits of different colors (yellow, orange, green, with stripes and spots). They plant a zucchini no earlier than in the second decade of May, since even with slight frosts, the zucchini can die. Zucchini prefers a bright place and fertile, non-acidic soils. Fairly drought tolerant.
decorative pumpkin- the plant is unpretentious. Seeds should be planted in pots in April, after germinating them. Pumpkin can be planted in open ground when the danger of frost has passed - the plant dies even at slight sub-zero temperatures. All varieties of ornamental pumpkins prefer sunny places, can tolerate light shading, but will bloom and bear less fruit. Remember that the gourd needs support, it grows quickly and can exceed 6 m in height. Pumpkin will grow better if it is regularly watered and fed. Decorative bottle gourd has very durable fruits, from which you can make unusual dishes. It will be very durable, the water in the pumpkin jug stays cool for a long time.
Landscaping beds rarely do without such a beautiful flower as decorative sunflower. According to ancient belief, there should always be golden flowers on the site - they attract prosperity to the house. Decorative sunflower is photophilous, prefers fertile, loose and neutral soils. It is possible to grow an ornamental sunflower in hedges, as some varieties of sunflower reach 3-5 m in height. Decorative sunflower goes well with tall grasses. For the cultivation of ornamental sunflower, good tillage is important (both pre-sowing and during the growing season - weeding, cultivation). Sunflower is afraid of frost.
Garden design is not complete without decorative onion. Varieties of decorative onions, for the most part, are photophilous. Ornamental onions are planted in a sunny place, in fertile, well-drained soil. All types of ornamental onions are very sensitive to a lack of potassium in the soil. Ornamental flowering bulbs are widely used for continuous flowering gardens. Decorative onion looks great in bouquets, including dry ones.
Ornamental gardens: triangular ridges (pizza garden)
For some reason, many gardeners are trying to make triangular ridges radiating from the center, the so-called "beam beds", "sunshine", "flower" or pizza garden. Probably, gardeners are inspired by a beautiful name and do not think about the ease of care and beauty of such ridges, not in their naked form, but with plants. And planting on such a bed turns out to be crooked, especially if the beds are small, and such crooked rows of plants greatly spoil the look of the vegetable garden.
The aisles are also often made narrower towards the center, so it’s difficult to get through, not to mention bringing a wheelbarrow. And everything would be fine if you just fill up the ridges and passages with pebbles and admire them. But plants, especially vegetables, grow and grow, many of them have spreading leaves, they need space and sunlight. Therefore, all this "geometry of bare beds" turns out to be hidden under the foliage, the foliage closes the narrow passages between the beds and beauty is lost, care becomes more complicated, the foliage is trampled, the appearance of the garden is lost.
Therefore, if you, nevertheless, decided to make a pizza garden, draw how it will look with overgrown vegetable plants that spread their leaves beyond the beds. And the examples given in the presented photos will help you choose the best option.
Photo 1 - Good tidy execution: pink tile paving (although white would have been better), beds bordered with edging tape. But, if this is not a corner of the garden, then why a corner of triangular ridges in the middle of the garden? Just to make the ends of the beds narrow and uncomfortable?
Beds with heterogeneous plantings look worse than those given over to one crop entirely. On the narrow part of the ridges there is too little space for zucchini or cucumbers, their leaves and lashes will fall into narrow passages and it will be impossible to pass. Therefore, we have photos only with young plants, because when the plants become adults, everything will be intertwined. The same applies to the tomato garden. It is impossible to plant tall plants on such narrow ridges with narrow passages.
Photo 2 - In this example, a more rational use of triangular ridges in the corner of the garden. But all the same, instead of the corner bed itself, it would be necessary to make a platform, for example, with a decorative water tank, for the convenience of watering the garden. An arched bed is perfectly made, which has the same width and is convenient for planting. But the triangular beds on one side are too wide, which is inconvenient. It is also inconvenient and usually ugly to plant different crops on the same bed. It would probably be better to make all the beds arched (i.e. in a circle), dissected by radial paths.
Photo 3 - Not a bad implementation. Light tiles contrast well with greenery. The disadvantages are the same as in the previous example: Beds with heterogeneous plantings look worse than those given over to one crop entirely. It is necessary to remove weeds along the edges of the tiles and in the gaps between them.
Photo 4 - Well-executed beautiful sides of triangular beds. But it would be better to use the white color of the sides. The beds are inconvenient due to the variable width, too narrow at the end. Heterogeneous plantings within the same bed greatly impair the decorative effect. The passages are narrow, it was better to use light tiles. The area in the center is too small. The blue barrel is functional and convenient for watering, but does not decorate the garden created just for the sake of its shape. In the center, it is better to use a decorative water tank (maybe a decorative pond). Light filling or paving around the garden would better emphasize the decorativeness of the garden than green grass.
Photo x - One of the best options for a flower garden or a pizza garden. Small ridges, they are closer in shape to circles than to narrow triangles. Each crop looks very good in its own garden, all crops are close in height, low and not too sprawling - the paths are narrow for sprawling crops. Light gravel filling contrasts very well with the greenery. A light path around the vegetable garden highlights its shape well. The white fence also looks much better than the dark one. The only thing is that the cast-iron cover of the septic tank or water supply could be covered or disguised with something, and the grass could be cut.
Photo x - Similar to the previous one, a good version of a pizza garden or a flower garden. Small ridges with low wattle fences, but still narrow passages. A beautiful planting of each crop in its own separate bed. Light gravel filling contrasts well with the greenery. The wattle fence (top right) looks more natural than a solid one.
Photo x - Similar to the previous one, a good version of a pizza garden or a flower garden. The walkways are lightly paved. But the middle bed is too big. It is worth taking a closer look at the selection of crops close in height, but different in color of leaves or inflorescences.
Photo x - An old photo of one of the first ornamental pizza gardens with beamed ridges. There are both good ideas and unfulfilled hopes. Narrow beds were made with rather wide passages with a light spill of white gravel. At the end of the ridges there is a bush or a decorative perennial in a wicker fence.
Nevertheless, it is clear that over time the white gravel sank and in some places overgrown with grass, and weeding it is problematic. Moreover, large gravel was used, for lack of small. There is no circular gravel path. The sides of the old boards look sloppy and spoil the look of the decorative garden. Different crops of different heights are planted on the same bed, which does not improve the impression. Planting bushes and perennials at the ends of the beds did not justify itself - it would be better (as an option) if they made a circular path, and then, along the perimeter, planted bushes and perennials.
Photo x - Unfortunate variant of sharp-angled narrow ridges and narrow passages.
Photo x - It should be immediately noted the high quality of workmanship: Light paving, neat painted wooden sides. Nevertheless, the idea of slanting ridges and, accordingly, slanting rows of plants, which is vicious in these conditions, is used. Other remarks are similar: heterogeneous and different heights of crops on the same bed, narrow passages.
Photo x - Neat execution and planting of one crop in the beds gave a very good view of the vegetable garden. The beds, though oblique, but not much. Nevertheless, it is not very clear how convenient the plastic posts of the typesetting curb will behave, whether there will be grass there. In addition, contamination of the passages with earth from the ridges is possible. The aisles are very narrow and if the plants are sprawling, then all the beauty of the garden will immediately disappear.
Photo x - Neat execution, but too small (acute-angled) triangular beds, on which nothing really can be planted.
Photo x - All plants of approximately the same height form either a border or a continuous cover of greenery in the garden. Therefore, even a triangular bed with a border of healthy, strong plants looks good.
Photo x - Not a bad idea, good access (approach) to small comfortable beds. But again, a pink color that takes attention away from the plants. The white color of the paving looked much better. But the shape of the beds is unsuccessful: because of the crooked ridges, crooked rows of plants turned out - and the garden loses its decorative effect.
Photo x - It's a good idea to use lettuce as a border. However, the unintelligible shape of the too small beds did not allow to achieve a decorative effect. In addition, the use of a high support for climbing plants in the center of the garden is hardly justified. But, since there is no paving or sides, everything can be rescheduled for next year - to make beds of a different shape and larger, so that planting on them creates a good view of the garden.
Photo x - Unsuccessful version of the decorative flower garden. Thoughtless pursuit of form - for triangular beds. The area is too small for a garden, the passages to the center narrow to nothing, and even instead of a platform in the center, there is again a garden bed. How to get to the center? Heterogeneous plantings within the same beds. Ugly and uncomfortable.
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The landscaping of a summer cottage implies not only competent planning and cleanliness, but also a certain decor. Most often, various borders, original flower beds and garden sculptures are used for this. To avoid unnecessary costs, we decorate the cottage with our own hands, using only improvised materials.
For the manufacture of garden paths, a wide variety of materials are used: brick, stone, gravel, round cuts of wood, and others. To make the site look harmonious, all tracks must be of the same material and, preferably, the same width. The most important thing is that the surface does not slip and does not collapse under the influence of moisture.
Prices for paving slabs
paving slabs
For work you will need:
It is more convenient to lay out a path from a whole brick, but a more beautiful surface is obtained from a broken one. So, first mark the boundaries, and then remove a layer of turf 15-20 cm thick. The bottom of the trench is well tamped, covered with a layer of coarse sand. The sand is poured with water for greater compaction and the laying of bricks is started. Very often, the brick is laid out without cement mortar, filling all the gaps with sand, but the use of the mortar will make the masonry much more reliable and durable.
Brick can be laid in any way: in parallel rows along the length or width of the track, in a checkerboard pattern, randomly, intersperse a whole brick with a broken one, form geometric shapes. Each element must be tightly laid next to the others and knocked out with a rubber mallet so that it does not protrude above the surface. The denser the laying, the more reliable it is. In a similar way, paths are made of stone or gravel.
Learn from step-by-step instructions, how, in our new article.
wooden walkways
If there are a lot of old unnecessary trees in the country house, you can create very beautiful garden paths from chocks and saw cuts of trunks. The saw cuts must be of the same thickness, not less than 15 cm; It is not necessary to select according to the diameter of the workpiece. You can not use too cracked or rotten parts of the tree - they will not last even a season.
For work you will need:
- saw cuts of thick branches and trunk;
- bituminous mastic or waste oil;
- geotextile;
- coarse sand;
- a hammer;
- shovel;
- building level.
All saw cuts must be cleaned of bark and soaked with mining or hot drying oil from all sides. If bituminous mastic is used, the blanks are thickly coated on the side that will be in the ground. While the wood is drying, you can make markings on the ground and remove the top layer of the earth.
Laying saw cuts The depth of the trench should be such that the saw cuts, after being installed on a sand cushion, are flush with the surface or slightly rise above the ground.
The bottom must be well tamped and covered with geotextile, releasing the edges of the material up on both sides of the trench. A layer of sand is poured, leveled, saw cuts are tightly installed and the gaps formed between them are filled with the same sand or screenings. With the help, they control the location of the saw cuts horizontally so that the track has a flat surface.
Beautiful homemade borders can be placed along the paths, around the flower beds, at the gate, or delimit the site into zones. For the manufacture of curbs, wooden chocks, rods, vines, bricks and stones, glass bottles, cinder blocks, and concrete are used. Broken glass, multi-colored pebbles and ceramic chips are used as decoration for concrete products.
Borders made of brick, stone and cinder block
To lay out a brick border, you will need:
According to the markup, a layer of earth is selected to a depth of 15 cm and a width of 20 cm. The bottom is compacted and covered with crushed stone to half the depth of the groove, and poured with mortar from above. When the mortar sets well, lay out the brick in rows in a checkerboard pattern. The border can be solid or have gaps - it depends on the amount of source material and the imagination of the master. In the same way, lay out a curb made of stone or cinder block.
To make the cinder block more decorative, you can use outdoor plaster and dye. After laying the cinder block and drying the solution, a plaster mixture is prepared: dry plaster is diluted with water and a coloring pigment is added. Now the surface of the border is covered with a decorative mixture and patterns are created using a spatula. This edging looks very attractive both along the paths and around the flower beds.
For wooden borders, small-diameter saw cuts, branch logs, strong rods and antiseptic impregnated hardwood timber are suitable. The blanks must be of the same size and without bark, otherwise the border will look very sloppy. First, all wooden elements must be soaked with used oil, drying oil or dried well in air.
While the workpieces are drying, you can make markings and select the soil to a depth of 15-20 cm. The bottom and walls of the groove should be covered with geotextiles, and then a layer of sand should be poured onto the bottom. Dried logs are alternately inserted into the groove, knocking with a mallet and checking their height by level. The gaps are filled with sand or screenings, soil is poured on the sides and compacted.
You can make neat and attractive concrete curbs. For this you will need:
Mark the borders of the curb and take out a layer of soil 15 cm thick. On both sides of the groove, formwork is installed from the boards and fixed with jumpers. The inner side of the formwork is upholstered with polyethylene to make the curb surface smooth. For the same reason, the boards should be as even as possible. As a reinforcing frame, 2-3 steel bars with a cross section of 10 mm can be laid, interconnected by wire at a short distance.
The solution is poured into the formwork, the surface is leveled with a trowel. After 2-3 hours, colored fragments of ceramics, pebbles, glass are pressed into raw concrete - everything that fantasy suggests. After a day, rub the irregularities and leave to dry completely. If desired, finished borders can be painted.
Border decorated with pebbles and lids 
Making garden sculptures
Home-made garden sculptures can not only decorate the cottage, but also give it a special atmosphere and originality. You can use plywood, stumps, clay, gypsum or cement mortar, old car tires, scrap metal, plastic bottles and even polyurethane foam to make sculptures! The most important thing is that all the figures are combined with each other and in harmony with the surrounding landscape, otherwise the summer cottage will look like a warehouse.
It is easy to make any decorative figure from plywood. In the process of work you will need:
- sample;
- jigsaw;
- waterproof plywood;
- primer;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver;
- multicolored paint.
The figurine can be three-dimensional or flat, depending on the chosen template. Flat ones are easier to make and the process itself takes less time. To do this, a template is applied to the plywood sheet, circled with a pencil and cut off all the excess with a jigsaw. Then the sections are ground and the workpiece is treated with a protective primer. When the plywood dries, all that remains is to paint the figurine and install it in the garden.
Volumetric figures look more original and can perform additional functions, such as this cow.
To make it, you will need 4 identical sheets of plywood and several small fragments from which the head of the animal will be made. Additionally, you will need a metal or wooden frame and a container for plants. Plywood sheets are cut according to the template and fastened in the form of a box. The head of a cow is assembled from scraps, ears are attached to it and all together are screwed to the base. Then you need to properly paint the structure, dry it, and then install and fix it on the frame. A container is placed inside, filled with earth and ornamental plants are planted.
Find out how to do it with step by step instructions in our new article.
Plaster sculptures
Gypsum or cement mortar makes it possible to pour a sculpture of any shape and size. For small figures, the mold is made from plastic containers, and to create a large sculpture, you will need to assemble a strong metal frame. In the absence of experience, it is recommended to start with small products of a simple form; Compositions of fresh flowers look very nice surrounded by gypsum mushrooms with bright hats, figures of gnomes or, for example, a turtle by a makeshift pond.
A dacha is a place not only for relaxation, enjoying nature or useful physical activity, but also for creativity. Owners of their own piece of land always strive to ennoble it as much as possible, bringing a piece of themselves. The main thing in this business is to find an interesting idea that even a beginner can implement. Today we will talk about how to create DIY garden decorations, because even flowers need decor!
Where to begin?
A small plot of land on which several flower beds are grown. Among the tall stems of roses or tulips, bright toy gnomes with eternally smiling faces lurk. Probably, this is what a decorated garden looks like in the minds of people who absorb images from American films. In reality, oddly enough, everything is much more interesting and varied when it comes to jewelry, especially those that you can make yourself.
The beauty of homemade crafts is that they do not require large investments at all. Moreover, original and aesthetic elements are often realized from improvised items that you have long considered trash. Old logs, worn tires, plastic bottles are used - some of these materials will definitely be found in the pantry in the country.
Decorating a garden is not decorating an interior. There are no strict stylistic and compositional rules here. But this can only complicate the task, since you will have to rely on your own sense of beauty, while managing not to overdo it with the decor. Still, plants are the main characters of your territory.
However, you need to take into account the general style of the site, as well as the design of the house. For example, around a minimalist building with a geometric composition, even a colorful bouquet of roses will look out of place, not like sculptures from plastic bottles. But for a cozy wooden house, you can take a walk, creating cute crafts.
Pay attention to the palette of the flower garden. If the earth is full of bright buds, then it is better to choose decorations with more restrained colors - so they do not merge with the background or look too colorful.
What items fit into the space depends on its size, your tastes and requirements. After all, filling the garden can perform not only an aesthetic function, but also serve practical purposes. In any case, if you wish, you can always find plenty of interesting solutions!
Functional items for the garden
Fences and fences
So that it does not turn out that flowering flower beds are decorated with neat gnomes, and meanwhile the fence consists of faceless old boards, you need to take care of this detail.
The fence can be planted with girlish grapes, ivy or roses. This type of decor looks natural and romantic. A solid fence can be painted in a bright color or painted with patterns - if your artistic skills allow.
The forged fence with plants braiding it looks elegant. And it will be possible to divide the site into zones with the help of a low fence made of curly mesh.
Swing
Have you ever thought that a small swing can become not only a guarantee of a joyful holiday for your child, but also an aesthetic piece of decor in the garden? Surrounded by fruit trees or using them as a prop, they are sure to bring a rainbow of vibes to your yard.
The simplest and painfully familiar solution from childhood is a tire swing tied to a tree. Or, alternatively, a small board on the ropes. You can go a little further and build a hammock - for this you need a dense solid fabric.
With more complex types of swings without woodworking skills, you are unlikely to be able to cope. But the result is worth all the effort: single or double designs with pillows and a blanket are the dream of any summer resident.
birdhouses
If you want to fill the garden with bird chirping, you need to make sure that the birds want to be on your site. Comfortable and, most importantly, aesthetic birdhouses will help with this.
It is better to do without plastic bottles as a feeder and make a full-fledged house, preferably from wood. But you can also always create an original item from improvised materials, for example, a dried pumpkin or even dishes.
Lighting
For a garden with a large area, you will have to take care of sources of artificial light so as not to wander through it in the evening, as if in a dense forest.
Tall street lights will only look appropriate next to a gazebo or a place to relax. In other places, you can install hanging lanterns. Lamps on the lawn or hidden between plants also look romantic. The swing can be equipped with a multi-colored garland.
An oasis in the garden: creating a pond
A pond is the best decoration for a garden. If you find that groundwater is located close to the surface in the country, consider yourself lucky - this will allow you to occupy an area of \u200b\u200bland that is not suitable for planting.
For less fortunate owners, there is an option with an artificial reservoir. Ideally, if it is a little away from the lawn. To create a pond, you can buy a special container or cover a dug hole with polyethylene.
By itself, the finished reservoir is a real field for creativity. You can launch fish, a floating flower bed, etc. into it.
Ideas for garden paths
Every self-respecting summer resident who monitors the aesthetics of his site should take care of creating beautiful and neat paths. After all, the paths trodden through the thickets look extremely untidy, and also complicate the movement in the garden. Fortunately, solving this problem yourself is quite realistic and quite exciting, given the variety of options.
The complexity of the choice is due, perhaps, to a wide range of materials: wood, plastic, rubber or paving slabs. Natural stone looks luxurious, but it is strangely combined, for example, with products made from plastic bottles. But it is well suited for a landscape with a pond.
Alleys made of wood look very cozy due to the deep texture. In order for them to last a long time, the surface is pre-coated with a protective varnish.
The owners of brick houses will surely have material for the corresponding paths. By combining details of different shades, you can create geometric patterns, like a mosaic. However, paving stones, pebbles or gravel are also suitable for this effect - the cheapest option.
However, some masters manage to create unusual alleys from waste materials - soda caps or wine corks.
Garden decorations from plastic bottles
Oh, how many wonderful products plastic bottles are preparing for us! And don't let their unenviable environmental reputation scare you. As a decor in the garden, they will serve with distinction. Plastic is quite strong, durable and offers many options for use, despite the external unattractiveness.
Pet bottles are an excellent basis for creating figurines. To do this, in addition to the containers themselves, you will need glue, scissors and acrylic paint in case the initial surface does not suit you. Well, then you need to use your imagination, because from such a container you can make any figure. In this case, you can use both a solid container and cut out many small parts from it.
Plastic bottles are great for creating useful decorative items, such as flower beds. To do this, it is enough to cut a small vertical section from the eggplant and fill it with earth. The “nose” of the container will become the muzzle of an animal figurine, which can be decorated in any way possible.
Another option is cheap borders for flower beds. For this, a smaller container is suitable - they must be filled with sand or another weighting base, and then “landed” around the desired piece of land. So that all this does not look boring, the border can be painted.
Stone garden decorations
In addition to the fact that garden paths can be made from pebbles, it is also an excellent material for a wide variety of crafts.
A large stone is used for flower beds and flower beds, laying it out in the desired sequence - for example, as a kind of border. For the stability of the structure, pebbles can be applied to the cement mortar, while trying to avoid the formation of cracks. In this way, it will be possible to create tall structures.
Traditionally, in landscape design, natural stone is used to decorate reservoirs, which is laid out along its contour, alternating stones of different sizes. A well-groomed pond will become a key object of any garden.
Some people use pebbles as a facing material for garden elements. With their help, you can even create real art objects by filling frame structures of a given shape with this material.
But the most popular way to use stone is figured decor. Pebbles are an excellent canvas for intricate and simple artistic compositions that will wonderfully decorate any garden. With their help, you can create, for example, a ladybug or a large cat - it all depends on the level of your skill.
Summer is the most favorite time for summer residents and gardeners, because in addition to the planting and harvesting season, you can show your imagination and decorate your own plot. What is used as a garden decoration? A variety of materials are suitable for this: tires, old furniture, firewood and much more. Landscaping of the site will reflect the character and taste of the owner. Unleash your abilities and start making garden crafts to decorate the garden. The photos from this article will help you visualize what handmade products from improvised materials look like.
Plastic bottles for garden decoration
Today, almost all drinks are produced in plastic containers, from water to milk and kefir. Most often, all bottles accumulate on the balcony or in the pantry, since it is not very convenient to throw them in the trash - the container takes up almost the entire bucket. But is it worth throwing them out at all or can they become a good material for decorating your summer cottage?!
Any site should have a beautiful flower bed, but sometimes there are not enough building materials to fence it. Plastic bottles are ideal for decorating a flower garden in the country. To do this, you will have to decide on the place where the flowers will grow. After that, around it is necessary to dig a trench into which bottles will need to be inserted. Pick up a plastic container of the same size and fill it with sand to make solid and reliable supports. Then insert and bury the bottles upside down.
Flowerbed from plastic bottles
Flower from a bottle
To do this, you need to draw a blank, and then decorate and cut it. In order for the flower to look like a real one, the edges of the plastic are slightly melted over the flame of a candle.
Butterflies from plastic bottles
Many gardeners have already planted a palm tree from plastic bottles on their plot. It is very easy to make, as bottles are a versatile material and easy to work with. You will need to prepare brown and green bottles, as well as a frame for the palm tree so that it does not blow away.
bottle palm tree
Do you have an ugly facade of the house? Try decorating it with flowerpots. To do this, it is not necessary to buy expensive flower pots, just pick up a few plastic bottles, make cuts in them, fill them with earth with flowers and hang them on threads.
Craft Ideas for Garden Decoration
How to decorate a garden or summer cottage? It all depends on your imagination and the available materials. Remember that flowers and ponds will attract the eye for a long time, and crafts from improvised materials will have to be updated periodically. Combine natural and artificial materials, then your site can rightfully be called unique.
A beautiful garden design will help you make your garden not only more attractive and convenient, but also more productive. Modern landscape design trends say that vegetables are as beautiful as flowers and deserve to be the star of our garden. As a result, vegetables grow right next to their decorative relatives - and even crowd them out to take on the functions of the main character in.
Garden design is an old idea that is now experiencing a new birth.
And now in the best gardens of the world you will always find gardens that harmoniously combine vegetables, berries and flowers. 
Want to learn how to make a beautiful garden design? 
Simple 8 tricks will help you make it luxurious, filled with warmth and beauty, decorating your beautiful garden.
1. We are planning a place for a garden.
Good garden design starts with thoughtful planning. You must decide what area your garden will be, what vegetables you will grow on it, where your beds will be located. 
Your garden will not always be large, more and more summer residents are leaning towards a small garden, which occupies a worthy place in the overall landscape design of the garden.
2. Garden Design - Let the garden be beautiful.
Most people think of long, boring vegetable beds when they think of the word "garden." But this shouldn't be the only option for your garden design. 
You can make your garden look as beautiful as your flower beds.
A little advice. It makes sense in the first year to test a new form of a garden, invented on paper. Life can make its own adjustments and the shape of the beds and their number.
3. Fix the garden design on paper.
Even a small garden requires careful planning.
A pre-designed vegetable garden that you have on paper will help you analyze the performance of your design this season and plan new plant combinations and new beds for future seasons.
4. Make comfortable beds.
Be sure to clearly define each section of your garden. Not only will this give it a neater look, but it will also help you plan your plantings in the next step. 
The clear geometric contours of the beds, even in a small space, create a visual accent in landscape design, while creating a sense of order and cleanliness.
If the soil in your area is not ideal, raised beds are the easiest way to solve this problem. Vegetables do surprisingly well in this modern setting. 
High beds require an investment of time and effort, but all this will return a hundredfold when you realize that your back no longer hurts after the next weeding. Of course, it is not necessary to raise the entire garden above the ground.
Save the high beds for the kitchen garden with greenery and those crops that require the most care. So your forces will be spent with maximum efficiency.
Avoid wide beds. You must have good access to process them.
But long - please. The main thing is that you can freely reach the middle while standing on the track.
Try different garden designs and choose what works best for you.
5. Unusual garden design options.
If you're short on space or aren't planning a full-scale vegetable garden, you can make custom beds almost anywhere in your garden. Try in place of a small flower bed to make a bed with various types of greens and tomatoes.
And this miniature garden looks very impressive because of its location.
And this one helps grow more crops per square meter.
6. Choose plants for the garden.
There is no single answer to the question of the placement of various crops in the garden. Too many factors play an important role here and, first of all, your climate zone and soil composition. But there are simple general rules to keep in mind when planning your landings.
Consider the position and orientation of your site. Plant tall plants so that they do not shade their shorter neighbors.
Consider the lighting and watering conditions of a particular crop. Do not dictate your terms to the plants and grow your favorite plants where you have a place, without taking into account their preferences. 
You can always adjust your landing plans to suit the specific conditions of your site. Believe me, there are many plants that will grow with pleasure in your conditions.
Remember to take into account the watering schedule for each bed, so that it does not turn out that plants that require more frequent watering are located in the most inconvenient place for this.
Do not plant the same crop two years in a row in the same place. This depletes the soil, increases the likelihood of plant disease, and reduces yields.
7. Modern garden design
The basic principle of modern garden design is a combination. Abandoning the idea of the usual flat beds of one cabbage, next to which there are boring beds of only cucumbers, you can turn your vegetable garden into a work of art.
How often do we pay attention to the beauty of the tops of carrots and beets, or how dotted inclusions of unpretentious marigolds add a beautiful bright accent to the overall green array of the garden? 
Flowers, located among the greenery of the garden, create sparks of light. They are also a great way to attract beneficial insects. By learning to “draw” with the texture, color and shape of plants in the garden, you can create a real vegetable bed.
And, as in an ordinary flower bed, in the design of your garden you can fully express your imagination, gain new experience and enjoy successful finds.
Even a small space in the garden can be filled with a mixture of vegetables and flowers that both complement each other and serve as a winning backdrop for plants in the most vibrant colors.
8. How to combine plants in the garden.
But, of course, you can’t just take and plant everything mixed in the garden. Some cultures go well with each other, and some combinations should be avoided.
In addition, the right neighborhood helps prevent various diseases and scare away some pests. The compatibility table will help you understand this.
9. Design of an ornamental garden.
You can combine not only garden crops with each other. The trendy design of the ornamental garden successfully combines vegetables with flowers.
The traditional rural garden always pleases with a riot of color and texture, in which both flowerbeds and beds are cozily combined. While many vegetables, such as tomatoes and bell peppers, are decorative in their own right, adding a flower or two to other types of vegetables can provide the necessary presence of vibrant tones.
If you like to cook on the grill in the garden, then why not plant the necessary seasonings nearby. This bright mix of vegetables and ornamental grasses will liven up your patio or gazebo.
And the neighborhood of vegetables with flowers will make your beds especially attractive and will not harm your crop at all. So you can create whole compositions of tasty, healthy and beautiful.
Garden design is a living process of interaction with the beauty of nature. Experiment! Something depends on your imagination and your desire, but the plants themselves will tell you something.
A magnificent well-groomed garden, where only vegetables grow or in combination with flowers and ornamental herbs, makes any cottage worthy of our admiration. Have you tried experimenting with vegetable garden designs in your garden? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
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