DIY gravel garden - PHOTOS
EXAMPLE OF CREATING A GRAVEL GARDEN
How exciting to walk along Moscow streets and courtyards! What flower decoration you will not see ... We have already met you with a rustic garden, with an aristocratic garden, with the work of professionals and even with a container garden. Today I will introduce you to an unusual phenomenon (I can’t find another word), which I’ve been watching for several years
Imagine that in the street in one of the sleeping districts of Moscow there is a whole assortment of a large nursery: all imaginable species and varieties of hvoyniki, deciduous trees and ornamental shrubs.
All this is planted in adulthood and, therefore, is worth a huge fortune (sorry for the pun). Who did this? Maybe this is an advertising campaign of suppliers of large plants?
I walked through the neighboring houses - I did not find any office of the company. I ask employees of nearby stores and employees of organizations - no one knows anything. And the incomprehensible always gives rise to either gossip or speculation.
There was no one to gossip about this topic: this phenomenon did not excite any passersby, people went about their business, at best, giving a casual look to this magnificence. Various versions began to swarm in my head - probably, the nursery went bankrupt and planted unsold plants under the owner’s windows.
Stop!
All these plants could be “cheaply” sold to more successful entrepreneurs. Not; Probably, someone decided to deprive his gratuitous grandchildren of their inheritance and bought this magnificence instead of an apartment for blockheads to please strangers.
See also: What plants to plant in a gravel garden and how to do it correctly
You can even come up with a bunch of versions, the truth has never opened to me - and the garden of large-sized plants beckons with its mysterious origin.
At first, it was interesting for me to observe how the plants grow in volume, grow stronger, pour in juices (some conifers, however, lose their decorative effect from sunburns and diseases). Everything was planted in a row, and from the point of view of the compositional solution for me is not at all attractive (PHOTO 2). Only here the gravel dumping again amazed with its volumes. I know how much it costs!
But! The day came when I was pleasantly surprised: a boring gravel garden turned into an attractive composition in a natural style. What happened?
Color, color came - and revived the monotony of green mass. Between the hvoyniki planted hosts of different varieties. Especially good - with lilac flowers. She is echoed by the purple catnip and the Blue Mainage sage.
Lilac-blue splendor contrasts with the red leaves of the barberries 'Atropurpurea', 'Lutin Rouge' and the yellow - the spirea 'Golden Princess' (PHOTO on the screen saver). The catnip shoots scattering along the sides bring lightness to the composition, creating the illusion of a natural meadow, and the blue color of sage visually increases the distance between plants in the flower garden (PHOTO 3).
These two unpretentious grassy perennials are good against the background of green mountain pine 'Mops', and blue spruce 'Blue Diamond', and variegated white derena 'Elegantissima' (PHOTO 7). The white sage 'Schneehugel' visually separates the catnip from the blue sage 'Mainacht', emphasizing the individuality of each.
Tiny yellow-leaved spiraea 'Golden Princess' with picturesque flocks perched at the feet of larger trees and shrubs - mountain pine, thuja, blue spruce 'Blue Diamond', sucker silver, barberry 'Atropurpurea' (PHOTO 4). The yellow color of their foliage enlivens the greenery of pine and thuja and successfully contrasts with both the blue color of the spruce and the red color of barberry.
Having carefully studied these groups of trees and shrubs, you will surely find something useful for creating your own compositions. Pay attention to the variety of tree and shrub shapes (PHOTO 6), color nuances (PHOTO 5) and contrasts, and you probably want to change something, to make a new interesting note in your favorite garden.
GRAVEL GARDEN WITH YOUR HANDS – TIPS AND REVIEWS
THE GRAVEL GARDEN IS CALLED A “LAZY ALPINE SLIDE”.
It looks no less attractive than the slide that many people love, but there is no need to waste effort on creating an elevation. A flat plot also has its own irresistible character. What is a gravel garden? This is a flower garden or a composition of plants where the soil surface is covered with gravel. True, instead of it there can be any other stones - crushed stone, pebbles of various colors. Or you can spread out tree bark, nut shells, and even small snail or sea clam shells.
As for plants, their choice for gravel gardens is so wide that preference depends on your taste, capabilities and imagination.
ACCENTS – TREES AND CEREALS
Small trees can be accents in the compositions of gravel gardens, deciduous or coniferous, with an interesting crown shape - on a trunk or in the form of various figures - balls, pyramids, columns or in the form of bonsai. Conifers with a creeping crown shape also fit organically here.
Among the shrubs and subshrubs you can plant here are medium-sized rhododendrons and azaleas, heathers and ericas, dwarf birch and spirea, and, of course, roses.
The range of herbaceous and cereal plants for gravel gardens is also very wide.
Ornamental grasses are airy, romantic accents. For example, densely bushy species with “non-spreading” bushes – varieties of Chinese miscanthus, pike, ground reed grass “Carl Foster”, molinia.
In the southern regions, cortaderia Sello (pampas grass), yucca and lavender add drama.
Of the herbaceous plants in gravel gardens, heucheras and hostas are especially good, as well as ground cover species - fescue clumps, subulate phlox, etc.
Such a flower garden can be decorated with large decorative stones, flowerpots for garden plants, as well as garden sculptures.
HOW TO SET UP A GRAVEL GARDEN
To create a gravel garden It’s not enough to just plant plants and put stones or bark around them. In this case, when watering and weeding, stones, bark and other materials will mix with the soil, the flower garden will take on a sloppy appearance and will be quite difficult to care for. To prevent this from happening, we will have to do the following work.
- We determine the boundaries of the flower garden and install borders along them. These can be curb stones along the paths or plastic curb strips. They are necessary so that rhizomes of plants from neighboring areas do not penetrate into the future flower garden, and stones, on the contrary, do not fall into neighboring areas. Curbs should be installed so that they rise only slightly, just 2-3 cm, above the soil level.
- Removing a layer of soil from the surface of the site. If the soil is initially good, the layer of removed soil may be small. If the soil is poor and unstructured, then replace it with nutritious garden soil. Add compost or humus to the soil. Carefully remove weed rhizomes. If there are a lot of weeds on the site, it is advisable to wait a week or a week and a half for them to begin to sprout. Afterwards the area must be thoroughly weeded. Or treat it with an herbicide, then wait another week for the weeds to die.
- We plan places for planting large plants. If you plan to install large boulders, dig them into the soil so that they stand steadily and look natural, as if they have been there for centuries.
- Planting larger trees and shrubs. When planting in holes, it is advisable to add long-acting mineral fertilizers. We plant plants sparsely, taking into account, firstly, that smaller specimens will be planted between them, secondly, the trees and shrubs themselves will increase in size, and thirdly, there should be space between all plants (at least half the area) , covered with gravel and free from flowers or bushes.
- Carefully level the soil surface in the area. We cut off a piece of dense non-woven covering material (lutrasil, spunbond, etc.) slightly larger than the area. It is better to choose the color of the material close to the color of the stones. We lay it on the site. From the edges closest to the plants, we make cuts to the stems. If there are boulders on the site, cut holes for them with small cuts along the edge, slightly smaller than the size of the boulder. We straighten the material, tucking its edges into the soil along curbs and boulders.
- We plan places for planting smaller plants. In these places we make cross-shaped cuts in the material, move the edges to the sides, carefully plant the plants and straighten the material in its original position. To prevent soil from getting onto the surface of the material, it is advisable to lay narrow strips of the same material under all cuts.
- Pour gravel (or other decorative covering) onto the non-woven material a layer of at least 4-5 cm, so that the base © does not show through between the stones. The gravel flower garden is ready.
WHAT IS THE CARE OF A GRAVEL GARDEN?
Maintaining a gravel garden is easy. If necessary, you need to water the plants with a hose with a sprayer, and occasionally feed them by pouring a solution with fertilizer from a watering can. And make sure that the bushes do not grow too much. When pruning plants, it is advisable to cover the gravel under them with a cloth so that you do not have to pick out cuttings of branches and leaves from the stones. If there is a need to replace a plant, this is also easy. It is enough to move the gravel away from the “culprit”, bend the edges of the material, remove the old plant and plant a new one in its place. Return the material and gravel to its original location.
GRAVEL GARDEN WITH YOUR HANDS – BRIEFLY ABOUT IMPORTANT
- A gravel garden can take up a large area or not. The form is arbitrary.
- Sunny areas are optimal, but partial shade is also acceptable.
- Watering is necessary in the first year after planting or during dry times. Further, the gravel will retain moisture well.
- Weeds do not grow through Lutrasil. Plants grown deep in the embankment are easy to weed.
- It is advisable to use stones of the same type for the embankment; variegated mixtures look unnatural. Every few years you will have to add some stones or bark.
- During leaf fall, it is easier to clean the surface of such a flower garden using a garden vacuum cleaner, placing it on the blower.
- Flowerpots and garden sculptures can be placed directly on the gravel in those places where they will look most decorative.
© Author: Elena Kolesnikova, Ph.D. X. N., professional florist, plant collector
We also recommend reading: Gravel grounds and do-it-yourself paths - photos, ideas and solutions
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© Author: M.Bragina
TOOLS FOR MASTERS AND MASTERS, AND HOME GOODS ARE VERY CHEAP. FREE SHIPPING. THERE ARE REVIEWS.
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