A romantic wild corner, and even more so a whole natural style garden involves a minimum of work in the beds, berry gardens or flower beds and at the same time a maximum of rest. At the same time, gentle human intervention will not spoil the charming picture of wild nature.

To implement such a project, in fact, nothing is required except patience.

By the way, you can just as easily re-register old garden, as well as laying a new one in a natural style. True, these transformations will take time.

What is a natural garden

Natural gardens change their appearance from season to season and exist only as long as a harmonious balance is maintained between all its parts, including between wildlife and crops interspersed into the overall picture by the will of man.

Plants that dominated last season will not necessarily dominate next season. And those flowers that bloom faithfully and reliably from year to year, for some reason suddenly appear in a completely different place.

However, it is precisely such changes that attract wildlife lovers. Sometimes all it takes is buying a few packets of wild flower seeds to change the overall look of your natural garden.

How to make a garden in a natural style

By planting additional crops in a natural garden, take into account the microclimate of the garden. For example, south-facing slopes are often much warmer than flat and low-lying areas. Hedge, located across the direction of the winds, prevents excessive drying of the reservoir, and the stones serve as heat accumulators on its shore.

In a garden that imitates a natural landscape, you can create many different habitats: from a dry gravel flower bed to the wet banks of a pond.

You can lay it out along the slopes stone walls, on which to plant dry- and heat-loving cushion-shaped perennials and shrubs. A group of trees can simulate an entire grove. Can be planted under trees ground cover plants and spring flowers, which will resemble forest edges.

A lawn with wild flowers can be divided into small groups of bushes. Create a swampy area, a wet lawn and an area with perennials around the pond.

Herbs and berries can be planted in hilly and spiral beds that imitate miniature hills and mountain slopes. And leave certain areas of the garden completely to your own devices - for example, a pile of brushwood or a pile of stones. Perhaps they will settle there wild animals- hedgehog, lizards and others.

In a natural garden that imitates wild nature, there should be a place for everyone.

Mostly local species are chosen from plants, which significantly reduces garden maintenance. Feeders and houses are provided for animals. And they definitely arrange it a place to relax and admire nature.

For bright spots, the wild-growing mixture can be interspersed with cultural species - sunflowers, stock roses, nasturtiums.

	Stock rose (mallow)
	Meadowsweet ( ) dwarf

The soul of a natural garden will be a hedge formed from native shrubs. A hedge can separate you from the “cultural” part of the garden or frame a bench on which you like to relax.

In a large garden you can plant such spreading and large bushes as hawthorn, lilac, jasmine or euonymus. In small gardens, a few bushes will serve as a hedge. rosehip, barberry or dwarf meadowsweet.

Birds like to nest among thickets of wild plants, so do not prune the plants until September, until the chicks take wing.

Natural Garden Ideas

Mixtures of multi-colored wild seeds and wildflowers They fill large areas very quickly, and they bloom for a very long time. They are generally inexpensive and can be used to fill in part of your lawn or area that you haven't yet worked on. Do not sow seeds too often, otherwise certain types of flowers simply will not sprout.	Nivyaniki and vespers Nivyanyky(Leucanthemum), commonly called daisies, and very fragrant, especially after dark, Evening girls(Hesperis) formed a not very bright but elegant mixture. True, plants have different needs, so they are unlikely to be able to live together for a long time.
Eschsolzia - border for the path A gravel path leads from the garden gate to the house. However Eschsolzia(Eschscholzia) turned it into a narrow, overgrown forest path. Eschscholzia can be sown even in very dry and windy areas.	An old root is like a house for fairies and gnomes Old tree root will give the garden in a natural style some mystery and even more romance. It will also serve as a shelter for beetles and other insects. Mosses and lichens will also decorate it well.
Dandelions Children, unlike adults, love bright yellow dandelions, and even more - their fluffy white heads with parachute seeds. Once you get dandelions on your lawn, in a couple of years it will turn into a bright yellow, and then into a silver-white carpet.	Shore of a reservoir attracts with the variety of manifestations of life.
The pond is the easiest part of the garden to maintain. A man-made pond, in which everything is coordinated with each other, will independently maintain biological balance. It is only important from the very beginning to correctly correlate the number of plants and animals and the size of the water garden. Plants should feed themselves without additional feeding. To maintain balance, no fertilizer is added to the pond, and the fish are given only enough food to eat within a quarter of an hour. To get rid of algae starting to multiply, underwater plants are planted, which take nutrients from the algae. Work in the pond itself limited to thinning overgrown plants, as well as removing fallen leaves and dying parts of plants in the fall.	Sweet Buddleia Attracts Butterflies Pink, fragrant buddleia flowers(Buddleja) are very rich in nectar and therefore attract many pollinating insects, including beautiful diurnal butterflies. Buddleia variety "Pink Delight" blooms with strongly fragrant flowers starting in June. The spicy-sweet scent of flower clusters is reminiscent of a mixture of nutmeg and vanilla. The plant, native to the slopes of the Tibetan mountains and in the northern hemispheres, prefers a wide variety of wastelands. In some countries it is called summer lilac or butterfly bush. Heavy pruning of spent shoots increases the flowering time of buddleia. There will still be more than enough seeds for propagation. Individual seeds germinate on their own.
Taming the Blackberry Wild blackberries are often found in deciduous forests, along clearings or along the edges of fields. Cultivated varieties of blackberries spread very quickly in the garden. Regular pruning of blackberries it is simply necessary, otherwise within a few years these thorny climbing bushes will form a completely impenetrable thicket, strewn with thorns on all sides. However, you can leave blackberries to your own devices, but keep in mind that you are not growing them for yourself, but for birds and other animals. Birds love to eat and cultivated varieties of blackberries. Then the bushes are pruned only in the spring, and not very much. There are garden varieties on sale without thorns, bred not to please birds, but for human needs. True, these berries are so juicy and aromatic that the birds will not refuse the treat. The upright, early-ripening variety "Wilsons Fruhe" can be grown without supports, giving the bushes a place near a fence or fence.	Plants for rock gardens Rock garden stones, accumulating heat, attract many plants and animals. Build a wall of natural stones not difficult at all. The main thing is to lay the foundation. Several plants can be sown directly while laying stones on top of each other - later they will spread in all directions, looking for the slightest crack in the masonry. As soon as plants grow here, a variety of small animals will immediately appear - butterflies, beetles, lizards, spindles.

As the name suggests, these lovely poppies with bright red flowers they reproduce by self-sowing.
Forbs And here are the seeds aconite, fragrant sage, and foxgloves you still have to sow - they are not self-seeding.

A garden decorated in a natural style is an original design option for a summer cottage. When arranging it, it is recommended to ensure that it is in harmony with the environment.

Photo example:

How to design a garden in a natural way?

When creating a garden in natural style there is no need to use crops that require special care. The design can be done in the form of:

1. Rows of open spaces;
2. Backstage complex;
3. Species points.

In this case, cereal plants are used, which can become not only the main aspect, but also complement the design. An important aspect is creating the effect free space. Plants must independently take over the territory of the summer cottage.

What should a natural garden be like?

The placement of cropped crops in the garden is strictly prohibited. Statues and waterfalls should also be abandoned. When arranging a summer cottage, it is recommended to ensure that it is high-tech and comfortable.

To get inspiration and ideas for landscape design, it is recommended to observe nature itself. If there is a small pine forest on the site, it is recommended to create scenes. In this case, hawthorn and various low-growing crops are used.

In the foreground, ferns, strawberries, and blueberries are being planted. When creating a site, it is recommended to use all the crops that were planted before. You can also use ornamental plants that can withstand natural growing conditions.

If a person adheres to certain principles when creating landscape design, this will create an atmosphere of comfort and peace.

Selecting plants to decorate a natural garden

To create a natural style, you must follow certain rules. In order for the landscape design to be as similar as possible to the natural one, it is necessary to plant plants that have various forms of inflorescences:

1. Umbrellas;
2. Balls;
3. Panicles.

It will look very beautiful if bright and delicate flowers are visible through the tall grass. For example, you can plant basilisk or burnet. In the background there may be loosestrife, speedwell, and black cohosh.

Flower garden in natural style: maximum naturalness

We also need to take care of the flower garden. A natural flower garden is charming and catches the eye of anyone. Given that correct selection range of plants ensures ease of care. To decorate a natural flower garden, it is recommended to use ornamental grasses.

The ideal option would be to plant perennials:

• Turf pike;
• Reed grass;
• Switch millet.

You can also plant annual cereals - maned barley, shaker grass, haretail, canary grass, bristle grass.

For the design of flower beds it is allowed to use annual plants –annual flax, cornflower, cosmos, eschscholzia, keeled chrysanthemum. These crops are often used if perennials were planted this year and they were not able to grow to their full potential.

By what principle should plants be placed?

In the center of the flower garden you can plant a shrub or small tree that has bluish foliage. In most cases, the use of silver oleaster or rowan aria is used.

You can also plant a flower bed under a silver birch. The structure is created using ordinary yarrow, which has bright orange inflorescences. It should be combined with purple oak sage.

The creation of clear vertical lines is carried out with the help of reed grass, alpine burnet and soddy pike.

Creating the garden of your dreams requires a lot of effort, investment, style searches, and time. The value of landscape design lies in the ability to competently and logically distribute and break up space, and place floral and other plant accents on the site. This requires a special creative approach.

Let's take a closer look at the nuances of site design in this article.

Peculiarities

It is human nature to surround yourself with beauty. Today you can create natural harmony and landscape beauty with your own hands. The main thing is to follow the chosen direction. And the choice here is really very large. Modern style garden design or personal plot can tell a lot about the owner: his tastes, preferences, knowledge.

Today in country villages you can find both individual trends and a mixture of styles. Eclecticism has its own characteristic features here too - in one corner you can see alpine design, in the other - avant-garde. The use of different styles allows you to find a solution for a specific site using modern construction, covering and other materials, for example, geotextiles.

Stylistic decisions

In landscape design, all attention is paid to details: the shape of alleys and paths, the selection of plants, the color palette of the entire site, the presence of ponds and hills. The selected styles may differ in popularity, but not in energy.

Any landscape is good if it is made with soul. For example, you can organize a chalet on flat terrain. But let’s focus on the most common styles.

Landscape

This style is the most natural, classic. There is another popular name for it - English, so it is named for its commitment to classicism and traditions. A characteristic feature of this genre is the strict symmetry inherent in the landscape style. This applies to both the layout of the site and trimmed bushes. The naturalness of wild nature is absent in this aspect - everything is ruled by rationality and regularity in garden care.

You can also come across such a name for the landscape style as cottage style. Wealthy people living in cottages outside the city need a calm, predictable atmosphere, at the same time not without some lush vegetation. Certain types of plants are suitable for this, for example, bright, catchy spirea.

Signs of landscape style in garden landscape design:

• straight paths, paths and alleys;
• strict outlines of flower beds;
• classic look of trees and ponds;
• the presence of fountains (especially in the middle of the composition);
• the presence of gazebos at the intersection of paths.

Landscape design is best for large plots (at least 15 acres). The color palette of the landscape can be anything, the transition of shades should be soft.

To make the design more natural natural materials are often used (stone, wood).

In landscape style, it is preferable to use topiary plants - linden, thuja, pyramidal poplar, and maple are suitable for the main vegetation. A worthy decoration the garden will become grapes, jasmine, lilac, juniper.

It is better to install a gazebo in a round shape with an imitation of an ancient Greek portico, or you can use pergolas. The garden will be decorated with cast or forged benches and ledges. To complete the composition, sculptural figures, columns, flowerpots on legs and arches are suitable.

In the landscape style and in any of its varieties there is romance and a desire for harmonious combinations, correct geometry (combinations of both strict and more loyal shapes and sizes), much depends on general style site design.

Regular

Strictness and symmetry are also present in the regular style of landscape design. This is more French chic with popular centerpiece compositions.

All attention is given to the key object in the landscape. The central figure is a sculpture, a tree, a fountain, a bush, and even a house. All objects are arranged symmetrically in relation to each other. Although it is worth emphasizing that experiments are appropriate in a regular style. You can put up a classic gazebo and plant a motley flower bed around it. The pond can be natural or artificial, as well as a gazebo (for example, made of bushes).

The choice of plants for a regular garden is based on fundamentally important factors:

• strict symmetry and axial compositions;
• central or key figures;
• neat lawn and paths;
• symmetrical arrangement of flowers, shrubs and trees;
• flower beds planted in a certain order;
• the presence of gazebos made of plants (bosquets) is welcome;
• main flower garden in regular garden usually consists of a long flowering plants(for example, marigolds or pergolas);
• It is better to choose bush plants that retain their shape for a long time after cutting (for example, barberry, maple, hawthorn, spirea);
• symmetrical cultural plantings can be diluted with plant species from the natural environment.

Scandinavian

The sophisticated and free Scandinavian style in landscape design attracts with the chaotic distribution of trees, flowers, bushes or sculptural figures on the site, the abundance of vegetation of different varieties and their bold combinations. At the same time, in the design of such a garden there is a clear line of harmonious combination of all elements, right down to the garden furniture.

In many modern areas, the eye is drawn to beautiful wicker or wooden furniture. It creates an indescribable feeling of homeliness and comfort.

Some designers advise moving away from stereotypes and giving preference not to finely crafted benches, but to large hewn logs. Even a simple snag under a bush can bring more positive emotions than a chic sculpture.

In the Scandinavian style, the emphasis is on natural beauty and naturalness, natural shades in landscape design. The presence of pebbles, cobblestones and branches “accidentally” found around the bend in the path is welcome.

Unusual shapes of objects are considered appropriate here.(benches, tables, canopies). Next to a high hedge may be adjacent beautiful canvas from flowers. In general, there should be plenty of greenery in such a garden.

In Scandinavian style, details play an important role. So, some rustic utensils can dilute the overall picture.

The main points that decide a lot in the Scandinavian style of site design:

• mandatory presence of stones (from ordinary and unprocessed blocks to small pebbles);
• artificial grottoes in the background variety of plants create a natural phenomenon;
• the presence of decorative elements made of wood or stone;
• no asphalt paths, only grass or stone;
• free sites rectangular shape they are also created from stone, and brightly colored plants and even berry bushes are planted around the perimeter;
• There should be no clear zoning on such a site.

Russian estate

Of great interest in landscape design is the design of a garden in the style of a Russian estate. The main difference between this design is that it skillfully combines beauty and practicality. In such a garden, both bright flower beds and neat vegetable beds look great.

Harmony is the main factor for success in the design of a Russian estate. But it is worth considering that a vegetable garden is inappropriate here for everyday use. It looks more like a decorative element of the landscape. In this style mini-gardens are practiced “for the soul and benefit”- this is one of the conditions for decorating a garden in the Russian style.

The natural environment, even some carelessness and randomness of the vegetation on the site are also one of the characteristic features of this style.

The garden requires regular care, but without fanaticism. It is more difficult to create a natural or natural landscape under the guidance of a gardener. In this case, you can do without cutting the bushes, but the lawn must be well-groomed. In a Russian garden you can use both plants typical of Russian latitudes and exotic ones.

Particular attention is paid to the topic of zoning on the site, when it needs to be divided into recreational and functional zones.

Using the example of many areas, you can see the placement of accents from stones, architectural elements, vegetable hedges, and gazebos. If we take examples of what ancient Russian estates looked like, we can recall vast areas with forest, where birch, oak, conifers. Next to the house there were always lilac bushes and fragrant flowers.

The breadth and generosity of the Russian soul is expressed not only in song, but also in space. Moreover, to feel free, you don’t have to have large plots of land. The main thing is the competent use of landscape space.

Japanese

This is a themed garden that evokes East Asian philosophy. A feature of a Japanese-style garden is maximum unity with nature. At the same time, here you will not find chaotic planting or “randomly” scattered stones and sculptures. Landscape design in Japanese style is possible even on a miniature plot, where several dwarf plants of a variety of conifers are usually located.

Thanks to the sophisticated psychology of Japanese designers, a unique, inimitable landscape is created on the site, which does not accept regular geometric outlines. For Japanese garden characterized by the creation of several at once functional zones regardless of area.

The interzonal space has very smooth transitions thanks to the right choice of plants and materials. A garden in a classic Japanese style appears only in calm, delicate colors.

Chinese

Another type of Asian-style plot is a Chinese garden. It is not always possible to arrange a garden in this style the first time. Although it seems that the ideas of the Chinese garden are simple, they are easy to implement.

The main subtleties of Chinese landscape design are that different styles can easily be combined here. For example, it is easy for the uninitiated to confuse Japanese and Chinese landscape design. In fact, there are a lot of differences here. The Japanese style, like the Chinese, emphasizes the superiority and beauty of nature itself. However for the Chinese it is important to emphasize the man-made nature of the garden.

The elements of water, fire and earth are the main components of the landscape.

When designing a site, wood and metal are necessarily used. The design options for such a garden are extremely varied. So before you change general form plot, it’s worth deciding on the design directions in the Chinese style:

• a classic version of garden design - with bright colors and smooth transitions, with many decorative elements;
• creating a philosophical garden - a corner for solitude and reflection, without bright spots of color;
• home garden - more like a small decorative vegetable garden;
• calm or aggressive garden in the Chinese style.

The entire landscape is arranged for high or, conversely, low plants. But a full-fledged Chinese-style garden can only be laid out on a large area.

Country

Exquisite country style Country music is attractive because it seems very familiar and familiar to many. This rural style in the design of a site has been known for a long time; subsequently, designers managed to find other approaches to designing a garden in an eco-style.

Free flight of imagination against the backdrop of a natural riot of colors, lush flower beds, low hedges with a mysterious gate. Free eco-style in the design of the site implies naturalness and low maintenance.

Landscape design in country style can be arranged even in a summer cottage.

Main features of country style:

• the presence of trees of different sizes;
• rural simplicity;
• romance;
• bench near the house;
• a low white fence or fence;
• fragrant berry bushes and small fruit trees;
• country gazebos;
• all kinds of paths and paths bordered with flowers.

To create a country-style garden, three main principles are used. Site design should be built on romance, softness, without inclusions of exotic flowers. Preference is given to hydrangea, phlox, peonies, lilac or jasmine. Chamomiles, cornflowers, field herbs, yarrow and plantain are suitable as decorative frames.

Romance is characterized by a slight carelessness - in such a garden you will not see perfectly smooth paths and an English lawn. Creates the feeling of being a part of the garden environment, without human intervention.

Artificial decorative materials are practically inappropriate here; even elegant plastic figurines will stand out noticeably against the general background of calm and natural harmony. But the presence of clay pots, wooden watering cans, carts with vegetation and even old wheels is welcome.

Country style includes accessories that recreate the old country style. For example, a small mill, if a stream flows nearby, a gazebo from a rose garden, a wooden trough or bucket.

Country-style humor includes clay figurines of gnomes or wooden sculptures of animals.

Modern

The modern style of the garden plot has been embodied in a striking example of Art Nouveau. There is also a mixture of minimalism and hi-tech here. This style reflects the individuality of the home owners, who prefer a bright urban style in design.

A Art Nouveau style garden does not take up much space. Everything you need is already at hand - a lawn with clear lines, a couple of bushes, flowers and herbs in the corner, free planning or zoning, perhaps the presence of a pond or stream. The geometry of the garden here seems more symbolic, natural, and unpretentious.

The presence of forging elements in the garden on a bench and a German-style lantern will perfectly complement the overall appearance of the site. The simplicity of the garden lies in the fact that it is clearly visible from any side.

The Art Nouveau landscape also implies the presence of contrasts. This applies to shapes, lines and colors, horizontal and vertical transitions, the play of light and shadow. When organizing a stylish garden, you need to select plants, preferably exotic species. The more unusual or unusual the colors of large leaves of garden plants, the better. Bushes can be trimmed in the most unusual shape and made spherical, rectangular with transitions. Preference is given to bushy plants, which are easy to give the desired geometric shape.

The well-groomed Art Nouveau style garden contrasts with lush vegetation of asymmetrical shapes.

You can plant rhododendrons, giving them, on the one hand, a fancy look, and on the other hand, leaving them in a slightly original form. From plants unchanged For a long time, virgin grapes, clematis, bindweed, and hops have been companions in the Art Nouveau style..

Original patterns on a green carpet are created by a contrasting combination of floral plants. Bionics, vintage and architectural forms in landscape design in the Art Nouveau style can combine characteristic features classical elements design, any theme can be chosen.

Provence

The exquisite look and romance of a garden in the Provence style goes back to its original source - French Provence. This style with lavender fields, winding paths, ornate decorative elements on stone walls fills the garden with indescribable charm.

Soft, invigorating style Provence in landscape design represents both the Mediterranean and Italian design . Designing a garden in this style is typical mostly for countries with arid, hot climates.

It is no secret that in almost all countries with deep traditions of ornamental gardening and magnificent parks that capture our imagination, interest in natural “wild” landscapes has increased in recent years. At the most prestigious exhibitions, displays that reproduce the ecosystem of a swamp, meadow, virgin forest, etc. win. City dwellers, who are hungry for simple, but so understandable and sincere colors, are especially persistent in striving for this style. The most modern parks in Chicago, Singapore and Hong Kong transport city dwellers, always in a hurry on business, to prairies and savannahs, jungles and mountains. Even in the landscaping of high-tech buildings, compositions made of cereals and wild herbs look most advantageous in contrast with the hard lines and shapes. In our country, this design style is most in demand in areas allocated in the forest zone, which in Lately Not unusual. Or maybe you just dream of enjoying a vacation on your property, as if you were far beyond the borders of civilization. Then our advice will help you with this.

Of course, when we talk about a “wild” garden, we do not mean a neglected and unkempt one, where plants grow on their own and have turned into impenetrable “hashes.” Few people find vegetation attractive in a neighboring planting or along the road and would like to have it in their garden. We all understand the difference between stylization, for example, “antique” and real rarities, antiques; there are even special techniques for “aging” things, etc. So it is here: the “wildness” of the garden must be carefully planned, it is necessary to think through the outlines, lines and materials that will create a special atmosphere.

I personally like the approach of the masters who notice the most beautiful and harmonious pictures in the natural landscape, thoughtfully analyze why it is beautiful, pleasing to the eye, what it is made of, according to what laws it is built, and then try to put such a picture together like a mosaic in their gardens.

For those who want to create their own “wild garden”, two main tasks need to be solved step by step. On the one hand, it is necessary to first build various objects for living, recreation and work, connect them with paths and platforms, and then proceed directly to the selection of an assortment of plants characteristic of the selected natural community. Naturally, for complete harmony it is necessary that all buildings and even fences be made in a suitable style, for example, a wooden log house or chalet, or be decorated natural materials(wood, natural or imitations).

If this is not possible, then the distant areas of the garden are decorated in a natural style, visually separating them with curtains of trees and shrubs.

It is also important at the planning stage to give the paving and contours of flower beds a rounded, “streamlined” shape. Look at the paths that people and animals trample in the forest. Not a single right angle, no sharp or small bends, no flashy contrasts that beginner gardeners are guilty of. Only smoothly flowing lines that bend around obstacles. For finishing paving, you also need to choose natural materials: stone, wood, pebbles, for mulching - decorative crushed stone or crushed bark. However, here too you should avoid geometric shapes, clear patterns and contrasting color combinations, which are sometimes used in modern design. In areas located in the forest, where there is especially little light between closed trees, you can mulch the surface with fallen pine needles and pine cones. This mulch looks very natural and original, and it’s practically free. Fits very nicely into the landscape (natural) style of an area of ​​imitation water or a “dry river bed”, recreated with the help of pebbles or small gravel, possibly with a bridge, water devices in the form of a spring, a “crying stone”, paths made of separate slabs, between which a gradually growing moss or self-seeding ground covers. Next to the path, dig in “grown into the ground” boulders, weathered and covered with lichens.

It has also become traditional to paving paths and platforms in forest areas from transverse wooden cuts or timber beams with a rectangular cross-section 20-25 cm wide and 15-20 cm thick, laid along or across the path. Long-lasting paths and steps are made from old sleepers. The most suitable wood for harvesting is aspen, oak or black alder. But, of course, pine is more accessible and more often used. In order to make a path, you need cuts 10-15 cm thick and at least 20 cm in diameter. The combination of “round pieces” looks the most interesting. different diameters. If you show ingenuity and imagination, combine several materials that are harmonious in color and texture, such a path will not only be economical, but will also become a feature of your site.

Sometimes, for paths in a landscape-style garden, backfilling is used on top of the lower underlying crushed stone layer with gravel or screening out granite rocks with a grain fraction of 3 to 10 mm. However, we must remember that bulk materials It is difficult to clean from leaves, mowed grass, and in winter from snow. Gravel spreads on your feet, and therefore every few years the paths will have to be renewed, adding fresh ones. To prevent gravel from spreading, paths can be limited with boards, stones or other suitable materials.

For construction, garden furniture, swing supports, pergolas, etc. You can use logs, stumps, thick branches of attractive shape, removing the bark and treating them with special impregnants. Often for these purposes, so-called “floaters” are used - trunks that have lain in water for a long time, thrown ashore and dried. They have an interesting shape, however, working with such material requires artistic taste and skill.

Regarding the selection of an assortment of plants for a “wild” garden, I suggest remembering that people themselves determine, according to their own taste, which plants are considered weeds, and how beautiful garden flowers worthy of growing in our gardens. Meanwhile, all plants originally grew somewhere in the wild and can be harmful weeds in their homeland. Aglaonemas, monsteras, begonias, regal orchids, etc. grow quietly along roads in countries of the corresponding climatic zones. Only an attentive person appreciated their natural beauty and brought it into our gardens. Later they were cultivated, new varieties were developed and began to be considered domestic. In the most luxurious English gardens, our malicious weeds and their relatives - thistle, mordovnik, yarrow, eryngium and many others - cause delight. Perhaps we, too, need to learn to see the beauty of familiar plants and bring them into our gardens. As a rule, plants from other countries and continents seem more interesting to us. When starting to plan an assortment of plants, you also need to understand what kind of landscape (or rather biogeocenosis) in this place you want to reproduce (meadow, forest edge, shore of a reservoir or dry gravel scree). Then you will have to start by creating the appropriate conditions, or select plants to match existing ones. In nature, all natural processes are so established that every piece of territory with a certain set of factors will be inhabited by living organisms adapted specifically to given conditions (temperature, light, moisture, soil -nutrients). By compensating for the missing element, you can significantly expand the range of plants grown. Without changing anything on your site, you can easily grow only those plants that are already growing in your neighborhood, plants of the same zone from another continent (for example, North American), or a more severe climate zone. There is a large assortment of very stable, unpretentious plants, usually species (taken from the wild), but their decorative qualities may not always suit us. Therefore, we have to look for an alternative: either create conditions for attractive and more demanding plants, or plant representatives of natural flora on your site. Usually we look for the “golden mean”, combining both.

You can make it cozy and peaceful, and isolate your wild garden from the surrounding view using curtains of trees and shrubs, especially conifers that grow naturally in our or a similar climate, or their varieties with an interesting habit or unusual shape of leaves, flowers, and branches. In order to fit new plants into the natural landscape, choose varieties with discreet, pastel shades flowers. In a wild garden, you should not get carried away with decorative foliage, especially purple and golden ones; they can only be present and slightly shade the greenery of other plants. Moreover, do not make too contrasting combinations, diluting the plantings with neutral and transitional shades.

Some of the most unpretentious (up to 2 zones) are a variety of different varieties everyone's favorite and familiar warty birch (Betula pendula) with different shapes crowns, from columnar to weeping - "Youngii", "Goldbirk", as a color accent you can plant a birch with purple foliage - "Purpurea" or with gracefully dissected openwork foliage - "Laciniata".

Up to zone 3, you can successfully grow fragrant bird cherry trees: common bird cherry (P. padus) and medium-sized virgin bird cherry (Padus virginiana) with an almost round crown, reaching 4-6 m, covered in clusters of fragrant flowers in May. The trees are quite unpretentious, but grow best in humus, moist soil.

Also pay attention to the very unpretentious (zone 2), original varieties with openwork carved leaves of gray alder (Alnus incana "Laciniata") and black alder (A. glutinosa "Laciniata").

I can’t imagine a natural-style garden without the mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), which is spectacular both in the spring during flowering, when it is covered with large (up to 15 cm) cream-colored inflorescences, and in the fall, covered with clusters of scarlet berries, delighting both people and birds. Of course, one cannot do without beautiful flowering trees, for example, apple trees of the Far Eastern and North American species. The abundantly flowering apple tree (Malus x floribunda), exported back in the 19th century from Japan, is very beautiful when the purple buds on graceful branches gradually open into white and pink flowers, or the Siberian berry apple tree (M. baccata) with white flowers. If you want to have a tree with pink flowers, it is worth planting a very frost-resistant, unpretentious, resistant to pests and diseases Niedzwetzkyana apple tree (M. niedzwetzkyana) - a small tree with purple leaves during the blooming period, later turning green on the outside, deep pink flowers. By autumn, the tree is covered with a mass of small, burgundy apples, which gives it additional decorativeness.

A natural style garden cannot be complete without shrubs. In the background of the mixborder, species of lilacs are very good, for example, Hungarian lilac (Syringa josikaea), growing in the form of a large openwork bush, covered with purple fragrant inflorescences, or the more compact Meyer lilac (Syringa meyeri). The prickly rose (R. pimpinellifolia) is covered with white or yellowish flowers in May, and the gray rose (R. glauca) is a large bush with shiny blue-green leaves with a reddish tint (yellow and red-orange in autumn), blooms purple in June-July -red flowers, and in July orange-red spherical fruits ripen.

Fieldfare (Sorbaria sorbifolia) is a large bush with characteristic feathery leaves, especially beautiful during flowering, when it is covered with white paniculate inflorescences.

Similar to it is the dioecious (Aruncus dioicus) native to the western regions of the European part of Russia, the Caucasus and Central Europe, perennial up to 2 m tall with compound, double-pinnate leaves and white paniculate inflorescences

In the foreground, closer to the path, plant cinquefoil (Potentilla): low (P. supina) - a beautiful shrub with a creeping, uneven habit (reaches 60-80 cm in height) slightly blue-green leaves, has varieties with white, yellow and red flowers (zone 3), or shrubby (P. fruticosa)

Interesting shrubs for a wild garden are numerous types of honeysuckle. Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) is our endemic, blooms pink fragrant flowers, very stable and unpretentious.

Red honeysuckle (L. xylosteum)- shade-tolerant shrub, 3-5m in height, first produces yellow-white flowers, and then dark red inedible, but quite decorative berries. Tolerates dry sandy soil. Maack honeysuckle (L. maackii) has an umbrella-shaped crown and red berries that hang on the bush for a very long time.

If you are planning, there is room in it for mahonia holly and snowberries. White snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a low branched shrub up to 1.5-2 m -3 high, especially beautiful in the fall, when it is completely covered with spherical, white fruits so that from a distance it looks like a blooming spirea.

Flowering and decorative deciduous perennials and ground cover will take their place under the canopy of trees and shrubs. Naturally, it’s impossible to list everything, but I can’t imagine a natural garden without some.

The drooping flowers of aquilegia (columbine) look very cute. Blue aquilegia (Aquilegia caеrulea) is a spreading bush 40-50 cm with large, bluish-green leaves and soft bluish-lilac drooping flowers (winter-hardy to -40 degrees). Aquilegia fan (A.flabellata) has varieties with pure white, blue-white or solid blue flowers. Common aquilegia (A. vulgaris) has a very decorative varieties with white, pink or purple flowers (winter-hardy to -35 degrees).

Everyone's favorites are also the peach-leafed bells (Campanula percisifolia) and the crowded bells (C. glomerata), which bloom in early summer with characteristically shaped blue-violet flowers (zones 3-8). Very similar is Platycodon grandiflorus, which also has tall and compact, blue, pink and white varieties. In a natural garden there must be a place for everyone’s favorite daisies. This could be chamomile (Matricária recutita) or yellow chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria), or different varieties of garden flower (Leucanthemum maximum, Chrys.leucanthemum).

If you have plenty of sunny space for your wild garden, surprise your guests with luxurious eryngium bushes (our endemic is E. planum, but others are much more beautiful species - alpine(E. alpinum), amethyst (E. amethystinum), etc.) or sphaerocephalus (Echinops sphaerocephalus).

They will complete the picture and create a wonderful carpet under the canopy. tall plants often found in our gardens and parks, on the edges of deciduous forests, ivy leaf (Clechoma hederacea), May lily of the valley (Convalaria majalis), small periwinkle (Vínca mínor), European hoofweed (Ásarum europaéum), hollow corydalis (Corydalis cava). Also suitable for this are Duchesnea indica, Ajuga reptans, Lamium galeobdolon and Tiarella cordifolia.

Instead of a traditional lawn in a natural garden, you can arrange a so-called lawn, which is a motley mixture of various plants - cereals, annual and perennial flowers, and even bulbous ones, reminiscent of a natural flowering meadow. Often, instead of cereal grasses, the basis of a “Moorish lawn” can be made up of plants from the legume family, for example, creeping clover, white clover (Trifolium repens) and horned grass (Lotus corniculatus), which blooms with yellow flowers. Lyadvenets is able to grow on poor, dry soils, but at the same time tolerates short-term waterlogging. Creeping clover develops normally on soils of varying moisture and fertility in wide range pH. Both plants are light-loving. A wide range of annual and perennial plants can be included in the grass mixture.

If your site is very sunny, you cannot do without drought-resistant perennial and aromatic plants, such as: speedwell (Veronica spicata), deltoid carnation (Dianthus deltoides), hybrid yarrow (Achillea hybride), oak sage (Salvia nemorosa), veined catnip ( Nepeta nervosa), fassen catnip (Nepeta x faassenii) and many others. Cereals, even varietal ones, fit perfectly into the “wild garden” in any combination and quantity.

Plants of the “wild garden” are very unpretentious and require virtually no intervention from you if the right place is chosen for them. However, such a garden still needs care; you will have to remove excess self-seeding, control that some plants do not suppress or crowd out others, and trim dry leaves and faded stems. Of course, your creation will become a real “natural” garden only after a few years, when the plants acquire their normal size, self-seeding or moss appears among the stones, and the boundaries of the groups are erased. You should be patient. One thing is certain: creating a “wild garden” will give you great pleasure even at the stage of planning and direct work, and even more so then you will be able to fully enjoy your holiday in your man-made corner of nature

Victoria Roy
landscape designer
especially for the Internet portal
garden center "Your Garden"