Landscaping and landscaping of a summer cottage is a set of measures that includes reconstruction, restoration, major repairs of landscape gardening facilities and planting green spaces in undeveloped, aged or previously green areas. Landscaping is the main stage of landscaping as an element of landscape design, towards the implementation of which all other activities are aimed.
Tasks of landscaping and landscaping
Activities for improvement and landscaping of local areas, country houses, gardens and park areas, and greening of the city solve the following problems:
- decoration of the territory;
- hiding obvious landscape defects;
- creation of a unique microclimate;
- organization of a buffer ecological zone.
Landscaping and landscaping are elements of landscape design, which is one of the areas of modern art.
Modern design of the site
Modern landscape design deals with the design of large garden plots and local areas of elite villages.
Modern design of the site is an integrated approach, including construction, architecture and plant growing.
Previously, only very wealthy people could afford this method of landscaping. Currently, landscape design ideas are widely covered on the Internet. You can get all the necessary information on modern site design without leaving your home.
Advice from professionals helps create, even in small summer cottages, works of art from flowers, plants and garden decor items.
Unusual landscaping ideas and unique landscape design styles help home owners create fashionable and cozy gardens and parks in their backyards.
Stages of improvement
In order for the improvement of the territory of a garden plot of a dacha or a city-wide park area to proceed quickly and efficiently, it is necessary to carry out a number of activities in the following stages:
Draw up a landscaping and landscaping project
For this:
- conduct a soil analysis;
- assess the location of reservoirs and the proximity of groundwater;
- assess the climatic characteristics of the area.
The project is developed by specialists, taking into account customer requirements and subjective natural characteristics.
Prepare the soil
For this:
- remove, if there is, an infertile layer of soil;
- carry out soil cultivation work with mandatory removal of weeds, pests and debris.
Conduct a site breakdown.
For this:
- create the required relief or level the area;
- lay paths, install gazebos, benches, lanterns, etc.
Landscaping also includes work on installing a drainage system and laying communication channels.
Landscaping - professional care
About the mission of improving urban areas
Psychologists and doctors have long argued that contemplation of the beauty of the environment has a positive effect on a person’s physical and emotional state, stimulating his vitality and calming the nervous system.
Aesthetically attractive panoramas or individual elements and forms interspersed in the human environment cause not only a certain interest, but also strong positive effects - pleasure, joy, enjoyment, love.
And such experiences, in turn, create feelings of vigor, the need and desire to act.
A modern city is a complex ecosystem with favorable conditions created for human life.
And this is not only comfortable and convenient housing, services or transport, but also a living and healthy living environment, clean air, green urban landscape and practical and beautifully designed territories.
Caring for the improvement of the territory around one’s own home or in one’s settlement has been inherent in human society since ancient times.
So, the need to organize landscaping of the territory should definitely be attributed to a natural human need, ensuring not only the safety and cleanliness of the environment, but also health, positively affecting the psyche and mood in general.
For obvious reasons, the organization of improvement in large cities and metropolitan areas is of particular importance.
This task arises when developing any land property, be it a summer cottage or a large microdistrict in the city.
What is the improvement?
The modern concept of “ territory improvement ” implies a whole range of construction and installation works aimed at improving the practical and aesthetic characteristics of the surrounding landscape.
These works form part of the total scope of landscape design work and are carried out in accordance with the developed project, which takes into account the features of the landscape, its strengths and weaknesses.
To create a project, the territory is first surveyed, for which geodetic and geological survey activities are carried out. They provide valuable information for design, for making appropriate design decisions, for assessing the complexity of work, and for eliminating possible emergency situations in the future.
An integrated approach to improving the functionality of the territory involves the creation, for example, of a convenient network of pedestrian paths and sidewalks, ramps, railings for people with limited mobility, etc.), and aesthetic possibilities can be expanded through various structural elements that will not only be convenient and pleasant to use, but also pleasing to the eye, for example, small architectural forms, playgrounds, benches, flower beds, flower beds, outdoor exercise equipment.
The volume of work to improve the territory and their sequence are determined by a number of factors, such as the size of the territory, its initial state, and the need for preparatory work.
In large areas, work is carried out gradually and sequentially in different parts of the site. In small areas it is possible to carry out several types of work simultaneously.
This approach allows you to correctly resolve issues of zoning the territory, think about the location of communications in advance, and avoid overspending on correcting mistakes.
Improvement objects
Landscaping includes solving the problems mentioned above for various objects - residential buildings, kindergartens, schools, shops, parks, etc. taking into account their specifics.
Thus, landscaping the territory of a residential building requires choosing an option that satisfies everyone: for mothers, it must be clean and safe for children, which means it is necessary to improve playgrounds for outdoor games, and for car owners it will be necessary to provide the opportunity to leave them close to the house.
That is, when deciding on the issue of landscaping the city's courtyard areas, the optimal option would be one where car parking and well-equipped children's playgrounds, recreation areas and pedestrian paths do not create inconvenience for each other.
And landscaping the territory of enterprises and company offices plays a very important role in creating their image. An aesthetically attractive and landscaped area always evokes respect and respect among guests and partners. There is no doubt that such an area will be convenient for the employees working there.
Providing convenient exits and entrances and the availability of parking spaces not only demonstrates genuine care for employees and visitors, but also contributes to better organization of the work process.
With the growing volume of residential construction, developers do not always pay due attention to the improvement of local areas, adjacent park areas and city streets. Often the local area near a new building is a frankly pitiful sight.
Builders are sometimes more interested in the number of residential “squares” put into operation than in the comfort of residents, the feeling of which should begin outside the apartments, near the house.
The development project provides for the improvement and landscaping of urban areas, but it is up to specialists who are professionally involved in territory improvement and landscape design to bring the task begun, but not completed by the builders, to its logical conclusion, forming the conformity of the appearance of the territory and the residential building with the general landscape of the area.
How do landscaping and landscape design specialists work?
To carry out landscaping and landscaping work, professionals will do the following:
- development of a project for landscaping and landscaping of the site;
- choosing a design style and creating a landscape project;
- site planning related to the implementation of the necessary earthworks to level the site and correct, if necessary, the terrain of the territory;
- engineering and construction work, which will include, in addition to landscaping, the installation of flower beds and lawns, laying hard sidewalks, paving areas and roadways.
All landscaping work is carried out only after the necessary approvals, in strict accordance with the standards established by SNIPs and other documents regulating construction work.
In St. Petersburg, companies that deal with this issue professionally, for example, such as Blagodor LLC, offer a full range of works of any complexity to improve the city's territories, while maintaining the appearance of the Northern capital at the proper level.
Types and content of landscaping
After the main stages of landscaping have been completed, you can move on to landscaping the area with plants. Its main types:
- Strengthening (slopes, river banks, protection from wind).
- Horizontal gardening.
- Vertical gardening.
The latter type is most popular when creating modern landscape design projects. Vertical gardening is the growing of ornamental plants in a vertical direction on walls, building facades and fences.
Landscaping of the local area and summer cottage includes:
- laying rolled lawns;
- sowing lawn grass;
- sowing bushes;
- tree planting;
- arrangement of flower beds and flower beds;
- plant treatment and service.
The end result of landscaping is the achievement of environmental improvement of the territory and landscape improvement.
“Showdowns” with the soil
Before planting plants, shrubs and trees, work must be done to improve the soil structure. Increased acidity, humidity, soil fertility depend on the type of soil, according to which certain actions must be taken:
- Dig up clayey areas to loosen them with sand, peat, enrich them with ash, and add lime to reduce acidity.
- On sandstones, it is necessary to add clay flour for binding and the ability to better retain moisture, as well as peat, compost, and humus to improve nutritional qualities.
- Sandy loamy land plots will not require any special preliminary work, but it won’t hurt to dig up and add organic matter.
- You will have to work harder with swampy soil: think through and implement drainage and saturation measures. Add sand, clay flour, preferably manure or compost and lime to allow air penetration.
- Loamy soils, due to their full structure, will not require additional trouble.
Changing the topography of the site will be needed not only to create a unique landscape according to the drawn up plan, but also to comfortably accommodate the most demanding plants. Therefore, you must first decide what will grow and where.
Plant species can be roughly divided into zones, depending on which part of the site will be landscaped with their help. There will be three groups: for planting around the perimeter of the garden (external), for decorating the local area (internal) and for improving the area around the planting area - beds, greenhouses, hotbeds, and clearings for recreation - intermediate.
Stages of landscaping
In order to achieve significant results in the cultural and aesthetic improvement of the territory with plants, it is necessary to perform the following stages of landscaping:
- Planting large trees and shrubs. This will prevent damage to the lawn and small plants.
- Arrangement of flower beds and flower beds. Flowers are selected taking into account preferences, climatic conditions and soil capabilities, drainage system, and care.
- Lawn installation . The final stage of landscape work, creating a finished look.
As a rule, landscaping is carried out on a pre-prepared area according to a specially developed project.
Landscaping principles
When creating flower beds, you need to follow the principles of their design:
- Maintaining proportions between the height of plants and their number.
- Formation of smooth lines of flowers. This is achieved by planting taller flowers in rows next to shorter plants.
- A harmonious combination of shades of flowers in a flower bed.
The essence of improvement
Landscaping is a set of measures whose task is to improve the aesthetic, sanitary and environmental condition of the area surrounding the house. Landscaping of the territory is aimed at improving the image of the entire site, allowing both the owners and their guests to look at the house and the surrounding area differently. To achieve the desired result, there are a number of goals that are important to achieve.
Event goals
The main goal of landscaping should be to create such comfortable conditions for everyday life and recreation that would be in maximum harmony with nature. This is due not only to the fact that harm to the environment should be prevented, but also to the aesthetic appeal of the result. Landscape design compositions that are organically combined with natural elements look the most natural and attractive. It is also important to have an idea of other landscaping goals, including:
- Arrangement of the area adjacent to the house in such a way that it favorably emphasizes the design of all real estate objects.
- Completely work on the layout of the site. It is necessary to take into account all the features, including household, local, climatic and other specific ones.
- Landscaping should bring comfort and coziness to people’s activities. For example, it will be nice to find yourself in a spacious courtyard full of natural splendor after office routine.
- The territory must be designed in such a way that, despite all its beauty, functionality is preserved. It will be of little use if the house is surrounded by continuous beauty, which cannot be passed by without damaging something. In any case, convenience should be maintained.
While creating beauty around you, try to do it in such a way that it is easy to maintain in the future.
One-time use is inappropriate in this matter. If you don’t have the desire, knowledge or strength to carry out landscaping work on your own, you can entrust it to specialists.
If you have the opportunity to engage in these activities yourself, then you should use not only technical knowledge, but also your entire creative potential - creativity decides a lot, and can even compensate for the lack of certain knowledge.
Land improvement options
The basis of a peaceful environment, which is an integral part of landscaping, is comfortable places to relax, surrounded by green spaces and appropriate exterior details. The main works aimed at changing the local area and creating a cozy zone include:
- formation of tracks;
- lighting layout;
- arrangement of a drainage system;
- organization of irrigation and watering systems;
- arrangement of places for comfortable rest;
- improvement of natural or creation of artificial reservoirs;
- landscaping of the territory.
Each specific area will require an individual amount of work, so it will not be possible to make universal calculations for the necessary transformations. Moreover, it is better to discard this approach. Also, you should not focus on other people’s developed territories, because all land plots have their own unique characteristics, and their owners have tastes. You should proceed only from your sense of style, unless you seek advice from a designer.
