For many citizens, a summer residence is a favorite summer vacation spot where you can enjoy socializing with nature. It is especially pleasant to spend time on a site that stands out among others with bright colors. A simple and quick way to diversify the landscape is to plant flowering plants. They can be interestingly combined, given the shades, shape and size of the buds, the time of opening, height. Flowerbeds, alpine slides, paths and simply solitary bushes will enliven and decorate the space, turning even the most inconspicuous summer cottage into a paradise.
Features of flowers for a country site
If the villagers and the owners of the cottages can constantly look after the garden, then most summer residents have only short weekends. This means that the plants for the site should be as resistant to adverse weather, weeds and pests. Of course, even the most unpretentious cultures from time to time need fertilizer, weeding, trimming, replanting: all this is the key to their good development. But still, initially it’s worth choosing varieties adapted to the conditions of a particular region.
A suitable climate and flowering period are not the only important factors when arranging a flower bed in a country house. It is also necessary to decide whether its design will become durable or will be updated annually. For the first option, perennials are suitable - a variety of bushes, bulbous, tuberous, some types of rhizome grasses. They tolerate frosty winters well, and the first sprouts and buds appear immediately after the snow melts. One and two year old species are more capricious: they are usually planted in open ground from seedlings, and each year the procedure has to be repeated anew. Mostly autumn flowers are grown from seeds, which are pleasing to the eye from August to November.
Types of flowers for a summer residence
Depending on the time of blooming, the flowers are divided into categories according to the warm seasons. The season begins with primroses that emerge from the ground in early spring: crocuses, Pushkinia, hellebore, Muscari, then the well-known daffodils and tulips. The miniature inhabitants of the forest edges - snowdrops, bluebells, primroses, violets - look no less exquisite on country drapes. In the shade of trees or buildings, a periwinkle interspersed with sky-blue stars spills a thick carpet.
May flowers (in the cold lands - June flowers) are the quintessence of spring luxury. The buds of roses, peonies, irises regally open, colorful bells of aquilegia and hazel grouse appear, pink hearts are dicentres. The air is filled with the aroma of lilies of the valley - by the way, they feel best in cool partial shade, like daisies and pansies.
In the summer, roses continue to bloom, gladioli, lilies, delphinium, astilbe, chamomile, phlox, hydrangea, carnation bloom. For pleasant evenings, somewhere near the veranda or gazebo it is worth sowing the night violet-matthiola - apparently inconspicuous, it fills the air with a delicious aroma, like lilac, jasmine or acacia.
In autumn, chrysanthemums, asters, dahlias, zinnia (majoriki), nasturtiums, marigolds, gelenium, immortelle come to the fore. The “lower” tier of the flowerbed belongs to quivering petunias and orange lanterns of the physalis. From August to the end of October, mallows (stem roses) adorn the courtyard, and terry varieties may well compete with their splendor for real bush roses. But the golden suns of Jerusalem artichoke will last until the first frost, and this perennial can reach 2 meters or more in height.
By external parameters, plants for flower beds are classified into low, medium and high-growth; flowering, aromatic flowering, decorative foliage, plants with decorative berries. Depending on the type of stem, there are distinguished bush flowers, upright, curly, ampelous (falling), border and carpet.
Where to use different types of colors?
In the landscape design of a country site, you can not do without bright floral arrangements. With decorative plants, you can frame the paths, emphasize the beauty of buildings and fences, obscure the house from the southern sun or add brightness to the northern corners. At the cottage, the space is completely open for experiments and unusual solutions, and if desired, certain flowers can always be transplanted to another place.
Tall erect plants
Sunflowers, mallow, dahlias, delphinium, gladiolus are ideal for planting in a row along blind walls and fences. Under the windows, lush bushes up to 1 meter high will look more appropriate - single roses, peonies, chrysanthemums.
Perennial shrubs
They are a very interesting addition to the garden. They are conveniently located near benches and arbors, next to the hedge, as well as in the depths of the site. It is only necessary to ensure proper lighting and watering: under the open sun, buddleya, spirea, hydrangea, viburnum, jasmine grow well, but rhododendron, barberry, forzition, magonium and elderberry tolerate shade well.
Coniferous dwarfs
Yew, boxwood, juniper - are widely used in mixborders and rock gardens that mimic the mountain landscape. Such evergreen elements preserve the aesthetic appearance of compositions even in the cold season, and frost-resistant moss helps to complement the stone slides.
Convolvulus creeper
Lianas are what you need to quickly shade a summer cottage from the sun and create coziness. They definitely need support - a mesh netting, a pergola, a ladder or any other structure on which the branches of the plant will be woven. This group includes clematis, morning glory, decorative peas, nasturtium, petiole hydrangea. Of the decorative leafy ones, hops, ivy, wood pliers and Chinese magnolia vine are worth mentioning.
Carpet plants
Indispensable for creating colorful rabatki and patterned compositions. Using only them, you can "draw" a real picture on the lawn, and a bright combination of millions of petals in the distance will look like an expensive fluffy carpet. To create such beauty, you may need gelichrizum, antennae, stellaria, pyrethrum, hosta, coleus, mesembriantemum, pelargonium, begonia, cineraria, alternantera, santolina, stonecrops, juveniles, stachis, echeveria.
Ideas for a flower garden in the country
Gardening of a summer cottage is a creative process, and any manifestations of fantasy in it are only welcome. You can grow flowers anywhere - this is proved by numerous original examples collected below.
In tires
Erased rubber from car wheels is an extremely popular capacity for mini flower beds. Tires are often repainted in bright colors - so the composition looks more elegant and attracts more attention. Sometimes larger objects are also used as a flowerpot - cars, carts, vans and even boats written off for scrap metal.
Using old things
Unnecessary baskets, suitcases, dishes, umbrellas, furniture, plumbing, bicycles, perforated shoes and any other things that have been accumulating in the country for decades, can easily be adapted for landscape exclusivity. At the same time, it is important to observe a sense of proportion so that as a result the site does not turn into an abandoned landfill.
Vertical composition
Ideal for small plots, although a spacious garden will benefit from them. It can be pyramidal structures from individual flowerpots, columns with ampelous flowers, multi-tier boxes located one above the other on some wall or fence, ladders with different angles of inclination and many other things.As a decor for lanterns, the standard and falling varieties will become a good solution.