Every year, more and more citizens dream of moving to live outside the city. Someone acquires a summer cottage for this and spends there all summer, and some even change their stuffy apartment into a small country house located closer to nature. Not every resident of the country has funds for a large, chic plot, but with the help of landscape design you can create coziness and beauty in a relatively small space by correctly planning its territory.

Planning rules

Creating a comfortable and eye-pleasing landscape design on a plot of 7 acres is actually not so difficult. Especially, if we are talking about a plot without buildings where you can build a house, arrange outbuildings, as well as equip a recreation area as you wish.

Often, even in small areas, owners are full of all kinds of ideas, trying to place everything that is possible and impossible:

• a bath;
• place for cooking barbecue;
• a small shed;
• summer kitchen;
• garden stove;
• playground
• small pool.

Where to build a house and other buildings

First of all, you need to determine the location of the home. There are certain fire safety standards that must be observed when creating a construction project. So, the distance from the house to the border with the neighboring plot should be at least 3 m, and from the street - at least 5 m.

Important! Do not build a house right in the middle of the plot - with such an arrangement it is very difficult to create a beautiful picture.

Living sector

On the territory of a rectangular or square shape, it is better to place the house in the second half of the plot, and on the elongated one - in depth. Such an arrangement of a residential building will make it possible to use each meter of land as efficiently as possible.Outbuildings, for example, a barn or a summer kitchen, are better located near the apartment building, but in such a place that the approach to them was from either side of the site. This is convenient if you need, for example, to get garden tools or firewood for a barbecue.

When choosing a place for home, it is important to consider such a mandatory component as natural lighting. So, sunlight should enter the living quarters for at least two and a half hours a day, so the windows of the bedrooms and the living room must face south or southeast, while the windows of the kitchen, bathroom and dressing room can look in the north and north-west direction. Among other things, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the shadow from the buildings should not fall on the site most of the day.

Did you know? The fashion for landscape design came to Russia from Europe back in the 17th century. Then the so-called "entertainment gardens" first appeared.

Currently, almost every family has a car, or even several, so when planning a site, you need to consider a parking space or a garage. The parking lot should be located as close as possible to the gate. On a small plot, the garage is often combined with a utility room or equiped in the basement of the house.

Rest zone

When designing a project, one should also consider a recreation area, which should be located near the house, but not close to it. Here you can place a gazebo, barbecue or garden stove, when using which smoke should not enter the rooms. It is advisable to install the arbor in partial shade, away from the drafts, because otherwise it would be uncomfortable to be under scorching sunshine on hot days, and with the slightest cooling, the drafts will not allow you to enjoy fresh air.

The same placement rules apply to the playground. You can make it with your own hands, as well as purchase it in a finished form, since there are plenty of options now available for every taste and budget. First of all, the site for children should be well visible from the windows of the house. It should not be in the open air, but the dense shade of trees will also not work. In addition, before starting to arrange the playground, you should carefully level the soil on the site, as well as take care of high-quality coating - natural or artificial lawn.

What country house does without a bathhouse, where is it so nice to take a steam bath after working days? It is better to place the bath at some distance from the house so that an accidental spark from the chimney does not cause a fire. However, this site should be hidden from the eyes of curious neighbors.

If there is a desire to establish a pool in a summer cottage, then it is placed in the open air so that the water warms up well. The area around the pool is laid out with materials that prevent slipping when wet, to avoid accidental falling into the water.

Garden and garden areas

Specialists assign a major role in the landscape planning of a suburban area to the correct location of the garden and garden zones. Inexperienced owners often try to immediately plant a real garden in front of the house with all kinds of fruit trees, completely forgetting that plants over time tend to grow in breadth and height. Over the years, instead of a bright orchard, they can turn the site into a dark grove. In addition, the root system of trees can eventually destroy the foundation of the house and utility buildings.

Important! When arranging vegetable beds in the same area with lawn grass and flowering plants, a good option that solves the problem of irrigation is the arrangement of drip irrigation, which allows you to adjust the soil moisture in a particular area and does not allow drying and waterlogging of the earth.

The optimal solution for a small summer cottage are modern columnar hybrids of fruit trees. They take up little space, but at the same time, bear fruit well and do not obscure the site to the extent that their classic relatives.1- loofah sharp silver; 2- beans; 3- tomato; 4- beets; 5- parsley; 6- cabbage; 7- bow; 8- basil; 9- eggplant; 10- pumpkin.

If we talk about the garden in its usual sense, then the beds are best placed in the backyard, choosing a well-lit place for this. Among other things, today there is a wide variety of various greenhouses and hotbeds that allow you to grow vegetables and herbs in almost any climate and in any area.

In recent years, it has become a fashionable trend to make vegetable beds as part of the decorative zone of garden plots. To do this, they are placed in the middle of lawn grass, next to flower beds and ornamental shrubs. And so that the soil is not washed out during irrigation, the edges of the beds are ennobled with the help of decorative elements.

Can be used:

• shingles;
• large pebbles;
• wild stone;
• decorative fences.

All kinds of vegetables - bright Bulgarian peppers, tomatoes and strong cucumbers - perfectly combine with the environment, thanks to bright and saturated colors, and spicy greens, such as parsley and basil, can make them company.

Decorative zone

A decorative zone is usually placed in front of the facade of a residential building. With the help of modern techniques of landscape design, you can beat the roughness of the soil, correctly highlighting the hills and lowlands. All kinds of alpine hills can be arranged on the hills, and artificial ponds and streams can be placed in the lowlands.

In small areas, it is better not to use sharp straight lines and angles. They only emphasize the isolation of space. When planning a summer cottage with a size of no more than 7 hundred parts, it is better to use smooth, rounded lines and bends, as well as beat the design with the help of winding paths and decorative elements.

It is worth thinking about the correct hedge separating the territory from neighbors and the street. A deaf, massive fence will look extremely disadvantageous in a small area, because it will create a feeling of confined space and an additional shadow. For the hedge, wrought iron openwork or a fence made of a wooden fence painted in light or white colors is much better. And to protect the owners from the prying eyes of neighbors will help plants planted along the hedge.

The following evergreen crops are perfect:

• juniper;
• boxwood;
• holly mahonia.

The simplest and budget option for the hedge is the familiar mesh netting along which decorative climbing plants are planted.

The most popular among them are:

• clematis;
• decorative beans;
• wild grapes;
• morning glory.

When planning a decorative zone, you should not try to place as many elements on it as possible - this will look clumsy and inappropriate. For zoning the space it is better to use openwork light arches, light wooden fences or other objects of decor.

Planning

When drawing up a plan, first of all, the size of the future home should be taken into account. So, it should be quite spacious in order to accommodate all family members, as well as possible guests. If the site is small, then you can expand the living area by building a two-story house.

In addition, the terrain, as well as the location of groundwater, which in spring, during the period of melting snow, come close to the surface of the soil and can become dangerous both for plants and buildings, should be taken into account. In this case, special waterproofing materials should be used during construction.

Landscaping

The easiest way to landscaping the site, which does not cause almost any trouble, is to create a natural lawn.

Important! Before using a lawn mower or trimmer, it is important to clean the area of ​​stones and other solid objects that could damage the equipment.

It requires considerable effort only with its original structure:

1. Level the soil in the area intended for the lawn.
2. Tamp the ground and add sand for density.
3. Mix sand with the earth using a rake.
4. Sow the future lawn with grass seeds, following the recommendations on the density of planting specified by the supplier.
5. Provide sufficient watering and wait for the first green shoots to appear.

The lawn is unpretentious in care - it only requires daily watering in the dry season and a weekly mowing with the help of a lawn mower. For smaller lawns, a cheaper version of the mower is perfect - an electric trimmer.

Important! Lawn grass does not grow well in shaded areas, for example, under the crowns of trees. In such cases, open land should be mulched with pieces of bark, expanded clay, colored pebbles, and even shells. Along with the decorative effect, this will save the owner from the need to control weeds.

Of course, none of the design options is complete without ornamental plants and shrubs that need to be arranged, taking into account the characteristics of the plant's growth, flowering period and its requirements for the conditions of detention.

So, as in bright, well-lit areas, they will feel fine:

• hydrangea bushes:
• slender gladioli;
• fragrant jasmine;
• cloves;
• chrysanthemum.

A wonderful classic ensemble is a combination of multi-colored perennial phlox and royal chamomile. The company they will make rudbeckia and annual cornflowers.

Did you know? The first bureau of landscape design in Russia was created by order of Peter the Great. The office was responsible for the arrangement of parks and gardens.

In shaded areas you can drop:

• forget-me-nots;
• violets;
• petunia;
• begonia;
• miniature marigolds.

Openwork asparagus, which happens both dwarf varieties and large ones, up to 2.5 m in height, will shade the floral splendor. In the deep shade, where it is humid and cool, all kinds of ferns and hostas feel great, which, moreover, at the beginning of summer pleases with the blooming of white and purple flowers, depending on the variety.

If there is a decorative pond on the territory, next to it will be very comfortable to feel a decorative sedge. A truly magical picture will be created by water lilies, the pots with which are installed directly on the bottom of the reservoir in early spring. With the onset of cold weather, plants are removed from the pond and cleaned in a dark, cool place until the next season.

Miniature conifers, such as juniper and dwarf pine species, look great in landscape design of a small area. In addition, they can be formed, taking into account the preferences of the owners and the surrounding atmosphere.

Decor Elements

When creating a landscape design can not do without decoration elements. Products made of wood and ceramics look very organic among greenery and plants, unless, of course, these are massive statues, more suitable for the palace garden. Light metal structures that create a more modern style also fit in well with the surrounding atmosphere.

When choosing decorative elements, you should adhere to a single style, otherwise instead of a design solution made with love and taste, you can get an incomprehensible mosaic created from different parts. For example, if a wooden mini-fence is used to create the beds, paired with it will look great wooden shelves with pots of flowers or greens placed on them. In addition, on the territory you can place a bench made in a similar style, as well as arrange wooden troughs, barrels and buckets as improvised flower beds.

Another popular material used in the modern design of country houses is ceramics. In this case, the alpine slides made of stone complement ceramic vases with plants, both decorative and garden, located on the site. In addition, today on sale you can find all kinds of art objects made of ceramics - for example, pots in the form of a watering can, etc.

When planning the design of a territory of 7 acres, it is not necessary to resort to the services of specialists. Possessing good taste and observing some subtleties of landscape craftsmanship, any owner of a country house is able to create his own individual project, which has its own unique style.