One of the main elements in the formation of landscape design is the lawn. It can be used as an independent component or as a background that gives stylistic completeness to the area. A lawn in landscape design not only performs an aesthetic function, but also helps normalize the microclimate, absorbs dust, and reduces noise and vibration levels. As a complement to it, you can use various embankments, natural stones, flowers and other design options, allowing you to create an original design of the site.
The lawn is an integral part of almost any landscape design
Features of a lawn in landscape design
To create a beautiful lawn, you should carefully consider the selection of plants, which is carried out individually depending on the purpose of the lawn on the site, its location and other factors. There are many types of ornamental grasses, each of which has its own resistance to weathering and environmental conditions.
Nowadays, owners of even small suburban areas already have a small lawn with green grass or dream of creating one.
The greenery of the lawn pleases the eye and calms the nervous system
To arrange a lawn, you can use the services of professional specialists or perform all stages of its production yourself. To do this, you will need to properly prepare the soil and sow it with the selected seed composition.
The lawn creates its own microclimate, reducing moisture evaporation and lowering soil temperature
Why lawn?
This direction of landscape design performs not only a decorative function. Thanks to the lawn, the yard becomes a wonderful place for children's games and family recreation. The grass cover helps regulate the microclimate in the garden plot - the temperature difference between the air layer and the ground surface becomes less sharp. In addition, the grass has phytoncidal and filtration properties, which helps cleanse the air space from the accumulation of dust, gas impurities and heavy metals. For example, a lawn with an area of 1 hectare can absorb up to 60 tons of dust. The soil structure improves and more moisture is retained. Lawn coverings muffle excessive noise and reduce the level of surface vibration. In addition, lawn grass produces oxygen saturated with negative ions, which has a beneficial effect on the well-being of people living nearby.
The main types of lawns for a summer cottage and at home
There are several classifications according to which a lawn at a dacha can be classified as a certain type. Depending on the method of creating decorative elements, the lawn can be:
- natural - settles in areas with good grass stand;
- artificial, which is created on specially prepared or imported soil.
Depending on the number of types of plants used, lawns are divided into pure (1 type of grass) or mixed (several varieties).
Lawn geometry in Art Nouveau style
The main classification is the division of lawns near the house according to the purpose of decorative elements:
- for relax;
- decorative;
- blooming;
- sports;
- for extreme places;
- roll
Each type has its own characteristics and advantages, is used in different areas and performs certain functions.
Before purchasing herbs for sowing, you need to decide on the type of future lawn
For relax
It is a universal type that can be arranged in large and small areas. Excellent for cultural and sporting events.
This lawn can be used to cover a children's playground or a place to relax in the garden.
Decorative
Used for recreation and walking, it has a dense turf and has the most attractive appearance. Such a lawn grows evenly, does not allow weeds to pass through and can withstand moderate loads. It is divided into several types, among which are park, parterre, and meadow.
Decorative lawn suitable for landscaping walking areas
Parkovy
It does not require special care, since the herbs included in its composition are able to grow on various soils and tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions. It has a homogeneous structure and uniform color. Used as a decoration for recreation areas in courtyards, gardens and parks.
The classic park lawn is quite unpretentious, suitable for shady areas
Parterre
It is used for decorative filling of space, it looks expensive and elegant, but is quite sensitive to environmental conditions. To create it, selected herbal mixtures that are demanding on the soil are used. Such a lawn requires special care; it is not intended for walking and is used only for decorative purposes.
The ground lawn is created to enjoy its ideal view from the gazebo or from the windows of the house
Lugovoy
Similar to a park, it can withstand significant loads and is a lawn made of various types of grass.
Meadow lawn is well suited for relaxation and walking, has a natural appearance and does not need frequent mowing
Flowering
Used to imitate natural landscapes. When selecting plants, you should rely on their flowering period, which will make your landscape lawn bright for a long time. With the help of this type they decorate areas in which conditions for the growth of cultivated plants are not created.
The thought of a flowering meadow often comes when you get tired of mowing the classic lawn once or even twice a week.
For extreme places
Lawns for technical purposes are the most resistant to environmental conditions, as they consist of low grasses that can grow without sufficient lighting. Situated on inclined surfaces, they help preserve soil from erosion.
Special purpose lawns are used to cover areas that are difficult to maintain.
Sports
It has increased resistance to trampling and is used for arranging children's playgrounds and sports grounds. It consists of grasses with fast-growing wide shoots and also forming dense turf.
The composition of grasses for such a lawn depends on the purpose of the site - some grasses are more suitable for a football field, others for a children's playground
A properly formed lawn will look well-groomed for a long time. For play areas, it is best to plant mixtures with meadow bluegrass, red fescue and perennial ryegrass.
Roll
Allows you to get a complete landscape with a lawn in a short time. It is a seeded turf that is rolled out like a carpet. Such a lawn will not be overgrown with weeds and does not require treatment with a lawn mower or loosening the soil.
For a rolled lawn to take root, it needs high-quality watering.
How to choose a lawn and what should influence your choice
When going through a bunch of options in your head for what your lawn should be like, considering different types of lawns or lawn grasses, focus not on their effectiveness, but on your capabilities.
- If you don’t have extra money, we exclude English from the list, since its cost is very high.
- If you have little time, immediately exclude English and floral, because you will have to watch them regularly.
- Are you planning an active holiday in your yard? Then you have few options - only gardening, and it is much easier to care for.
- Allergy? Then the flowers will have to be crossed out.
- Don't have a sunny place? Flowers and “English” will immediately fall off the wish list - they require a lot of light, and in the shade their appearance will leave much to be desired.
This way, you can eliminate almost all unsuitable options and choose what you need.
Options for designing lawns at your summer cottage
Many people prefer to arrange their lawn themselves. To find out how to properly make a lawn at your dacha with your own hands, you should understand the features of the mixtures and accurately carry out all phases of the process, which consists of the following steps:
- Preparing the area. It is cleared of plants and debris by digging or using special preparations.
- Tillage in which the ground is plowed and leveled.
- Sowing of grass, which is carried out with fan-shaped movements, which ensures uniform distribution of the material along the entire perimeter.
After planting the seeds, the soil should be compacted, which will prevent them from being blown away and level the soil cover.
To understand whether a lawn will decorate a summer cottage and whether it will look aesthetically pleasing and attractive, you need to decide in advance on its type and purpose.
Compacting the soil with a roller
Sowing grass seeds
Watering the planted azon
A green lawn landscape can be decorated with all kinds of gravel paths, stone borders, sculptures or decorative elements. To create a pattern on the site, you can combine stripes with different heights of grass, which will allow you to get any pattern or geometric composition. To design the transition from the platforms, you can use alternating sections of grass and paving slabs. To create embankments, stone chips or mulch (bark, wood chips, nut husks) are used. Flowerbeds, which can be placed along paths, fences or in the center of the lawn, will perfectly complement the look.
Decorative lawn combined with flower beds
Beautiful lawn with parterre lawn
Sowing
- Before sowing, the soil must be compacted tightly.
- The soil is rolled with a special roller, and if there is none, it is slammed down with a board or carefully trampled down with shoes.
- After this, the soil is slightly loosened with a rake and sown with a lawn mixture.
Sowing by hand
If you sow your own seeds, it is difficult to get your lawn brush-smooth because the grass is not spread evenly. As a result, some places will grow thickly, while others will grow weakly.
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To achieve uniformity, a portion of seeds calculated for 1 m of space is mixed with the same volume of fine sand and then sown.
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Sowing with a seeder
It is optimal to sow with a manual seeder. It helps to use grass seeds more economically and at the same time the sowing is more uniform. The approximate sowing rate is 30-50 g of seeds per 1 m².
All that remains is to wait for the shoots to emerge and enjoy the beautiful lawn.
Photo: Sowing with a seeder
Options for designing a lawn in front of the house
The space in front of the house requires special attention, since it is where the first impression of the site and housing is formed. That is why the question of how to make a lawn in front of the house is relevant for many homeowners. It is not recommended to divide your lawn into small areas as this can make it difficult to maintain. A single lawn will be an excellent backdrop for placing decorative elements on it.
A small ground lawn in front of the main entrance to the site
The lawn near the house can be supplemented with flower beds or small paths that are laid out from the gate to the entrance to the room. A few large objects will look better than many small ones, so you should not overdo it in using them. You can decorate the planting with vertical free-standing flower beds or vines framing the gazebos.
Children playing on a grass playground will bring less dirt home
Lawn care
Basic lawn care involves cutting and watering the grass in a timely manner.
It is better to mow the grass on clear and cloudy days when there is no rain, since wet grass and its removal usually cause many problems. It is better to mow with a lawn mower, ideally if it has a box for collecting the cut grass, so as not to clean the lawn later. Garden shears are suitable for maintaining the edge of a green area.
It is better not to create artificial barriers to the growth of grass on the lawn - it is useless, it will only waste your time. It is better to spend it on preventing the grass on the lawn from being trampled, through the correct selection of the mixture and timely watering.
Recommendations for using lawn in landscape design
There are a number of tips that will help keep your lawn looking attractive and prevent it from overgrowing and drying out:
- Timely and correct haircut. It is not recommended to cut the grass very short. Haircut frequency: up to 2 times a week (more often in summer, less often in autumn). Before the procedure, it is recommended to comb the grass to avoid the growth of weeds.
- Aeration of the soil, due to which it is enriched with oxygen. For this, a rake or special fork is used.
- Timely and moderate watering. The procedure is carried out only in the evening using a spray. Puddles should not be allowed to appear, as they contribute to plant rotting.
- Feeding. Fertilizers are applied after each cutting, and their type depends on the type of seeds planted.
- Regular correction of the boundaries of the planting, which will give it the desired appearance.
The lawn on the site gives the impression of order, and well-groomed plants perfectly complement the landscape.
Lawn mowing
Lawn aeration
Combing the lawn
There are many photos of the design of lawns in front of the house, where you can see popular and exclusive options. The use of different grasses, thoughtful design and care will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the lawn for a long time, play on soft grass with children or host various events.
