5 interesting ideas for a country landscape, popular styles and ways of their realization

A modern country house should be surrounded by a quality landscape. Regardless of how many acres are available, they need to be properly distributed in functional areas and beautifully decorated. The easiest way to do this, relying on a particular style of landscape design. In this article, we talk about which styles of landscape design are the most popular today, as well as how each of these styles can be implemented in the most effective way.

What is landscape design

This is the art of designing open territories. As well as in architectural design, there is its own system of rules and techniques. When creating landscapes, a variety of styles and trends are used. There is in this area and its own fashion. So, for example, landscape solutions in rustic, Chinese, classical, Mediterranean style and minimalism are relevant.

Rustic style

When recreating this style, various attributes of simple rural life are used. It can be all sorts of clay pots, garden equipment items, wooden fences, wickers, plain garden figurines. It is very important for this style to display the rural flavor of a particular area. Thus, plants should be planted in flowerbeds only characteristic of a certain region, and in the design of the courtyard and the facades of the house itself there should be national motives of only one ethnic group, otherwise the style will be deprived of its charm.

For our compatriots, it is easier and more logical to embody the Russian village style. It has a practical approach to zoning. It is characterized by a clear division into zones - garden, garden, recreation area. In this case, the garden occupies a fairly decent part of the territory and is separated by a low fence. The garden can be located in the back of the yard. Another option is planting garden trees along the fence. The recreation area is equipped with wooden garden furniture installed at the entrance to the house.

If you wish, you can depict English, Dutch or American country (country) style on your plot. For all these areas is characterized by the allocation of more spacious space for a recreation area and the presence of a small garden in the corner of the site. The English country style is underlined by the correct symmetry of the paths and flower beds and the absence of small decorations. American style is expressed by wide light lawns and comfortable garden furniture with hammocks and rocking chairs. The Dutch landscape garden style presupposes an artificial reservoir and large flower beds with lush greenery and large flowers in the courtyard.

No matter what national orientation the rural landscape will have, you must follow certain rules when creating it.

• The recreation area should be "woven into" the natural environment. It can not be roughly separated by a high terrace or a closed gazebo. It is best to put everything you need for outdoor recreation right on the lawn or in the garden.
• To design such a landscape, you only need to use natural materials - wood, stone, and ceramics. Colors should be natural too.
• Trees and shrubs should be predominantly fruitful . Instead of traditional ornamental shrubs, it is better to plant raspberries or currants.
• The whole territory of the village courtyard should, of course, be well-groomed, but not cleaned to a shine. For a rustic style, natural carelessness is natural, when the grass grows a little on the garden paths, and the bushes do not cut and have an irregular shape. To achieve this effect, you can plant some wildflowers between ornamental plants.

Rustic-style landscape design examples

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Chinese style

The Chinese landscape style, which is shown below, is based on the principles of rationalism, minimalism, symbolism, and the rules of feng shui. This style is very original, as it was formed separately from all other ethnic trends. To create a cozy and original Chinese garden on your site, you need to study the basic tenets of Chinese philosophy, from which the laws of space formation flow.

• The decoration should not have nothing extra or random, each element has its specific place and purpose.

• The center of landscape composition should be a certain accent element . It can be a sculpture, a flower bed or a tree. The accent element is usually placed on a hill.

• The landscape in a harmonious ratio should contain symbols of the four elements - fire, water, wood, metal. At the site it is desirable to equip a fountain or pond, as well as gently weave metal objects into the landscape composition.

• When allocating the space of a plot, you must follow the rules Feng Shui so that its composition contains enough elements symbolizing the feminine and masculine and that it is filled with the vital energy of Qi .

The Chinese style combines ethnic and natural artistic direction. His main idea is to recreate a miniature model of a harmonious world in a limited space, in which there are all types of energy, nature in all its manifestations and man-made objects that can be both practical and purely aesthetic. But all this should be presented in well-proportioned proportions, mainly in the form of symbols and allegories.

In a real Chinese garden, there should be more natural than decorative. Ideally, it is a space in which everything is done by human hands, but it creates a feeling of complete union with the natural nature.

Chinese style implies absolute versatility. He is unobtrusive and calm. It is equally comfortable at any time of the day and at any time of the year. All greens are carefully groomed, it grows freely. Elements of architecture and decorative design consist of smooth lines.

To get a recognizable Chinese landscape, you need to place on the site some characteristic details.

• Gate of rectangular shape with curved top. Such gates are difficult to make functional, they can be simply decorative, so they are not installed directly at the entrance to the courtyard, but inside the site itself on one of the main garden paths.

• Stone sculptures , namely, sculptures of stylized lions - this is a classic attribute of the landscape in the Chinese style. They have a symbolic meaning and are always located at the entrance to the house or at the entrance gate.

• Chinese lights can make the design more colorful and spectacular. They are placed under a canopy at home or in the gazebo.

• The Chinese style arbor has characteristic outlines. It consists of transparent partitions and a curved roof. It is usually installed near the reservoir.

• Bridges in oriental style is almost a required element. They also have their symbolic meaning. They are made of wood, decorated with carvings, next to create a composition of stone and sand.

• The arches in the garden stone walls or simply as stand-alone constructions reinforce the effect of the eastern landscape.

The concept of a Chinese garden implies a conditional division of the site into several segments, each of which should be a complete landscape composition. Separation is carried out with the help of hedges, garden walls, bamboo or wooden fences. But if the plot is not very spacious, you can apply another popular Asian style - Japanese. It is much like Chinese, but Japanese gardens are more uniform and minimalistic.

Principles of Chinese style in landscape design

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Classic style

Classic is always up to date. This also applies to the classic style of landscape design, a photo of which demonstrates its versatility. It can be applied with a minimum budget, but you can make it as pathetic and respectable as possible. Despite the fact that this style is quite simple and familiar, to create a high-quality classical landscape, it is necessary to study its basic rules well.

• For classical gardens, symmetry is characteristic. The larger the plot and the more expensive its design, the greater should be the symmetric elements. They emphasize the solidity and splendor of the entire local area.

• The classical landscape does not tolerate fragmentation. If the site is small, do not clutter it with decorations, it is better to simply designate the style of the entrance, and select the middle of the courtyard under the open lawn. A large plot also does not need to be split, it should be well viewed . It can be divided into zones only by low fences or light translucent fences.

• Materials of decorative details and garden items are only natural - wood, gypsum, stone.In small doses, you can use ceramics and glass. Shades mostly light and muffled.

• Front entrance in the cottage should be framed beautiful lush flower beds with large bright plants. The walls of the beds may be of plaster or concrete. Plants in them should be large enough and bright.

• The classic style is distinguished by severity and orderliness . It necessarily contains the correct geometric lines. All paths should be perfectly smooth, shrubs - carefully trimmed.

• The style front is emphasized by graceful plaster or bronze sculptures . It is advisable to find a place on the site for an artificial reservoir with a fountain.

In landscape design, classical style is called regular or formal. It is formed on the basis of the Italian Renaissance, which absorbed the culture of antiquity. It combines impeccable forms and sophisticated decor. When you create it you need to show a refined taste, the garden in this style should be a small work of art.

Rules for creating a landscape in a classic style

Mediterranean style

This style is southern resorts. It is ideal for families who like to spend time in the summer in the yard of their homes. For the Mediterranean garden is characterized by the use of bright flowers and a large number of decorations, as well as conifers and citrus plants. On its territory, various grottoes, arches and pergolas are appropriate, giving space and versatility to the space.

The main feature of the Mediterranean landscape is a large amount of stone in its various variants. So, for the decoration of the garden you need to use the processed and natural stone, products made of artificial stone, and even sea pebbles and marble chips. The texture and color of the stone will give the design an atmosphere of the sea coast. It is very important when creating such a landscape to create the illusion that the house and the garden around it is located in a rocky area. This is achieved by creating a multi-level site with the use of terraced slopes, stairs and decorative retaining walls.

There should be a lot of plants on the plot. The absence of exotic trees and shrubs that are difficult to grow in cold climates can be compensated for by the abundance of ordinary plants. But they should always be well cut and have a spherical or domed shape.

For more colorful garden you need to give a shade of antiquity. For this purpose, sculptures imitating ancient works of art, as well as various cracked or even broken amphoras and flowerpots are used.

A particular element of the Mediterranean landscape is the patio. A patio located in the shade of a house with a gazebo or terrace is necessary to hide from the hot sun. In our area, the presence of a patio is usually not provided at the sites. But if you want the effect of the courtyard you can create right in the middle of the usual area. For this purpose, fences, hedges and decorative walls are used.

In many cases, recognizability of the style is ensured by the erection of a stylish pergola. It can become the center of the recreation area, regardless of whether this area is located in the courtyard or just in front of the house. To expand the functionality of the recreation area, a stone barbecue is often installed near the pergola.

Virtually any garden furniture is suitable for such a garden. It does not have to be in a single set, you can combine wooden, forged and stone elements. But it is desirable to add a pair of vintage items. For example, a table with a marble aged worktop or an old chair made of wicker will do.

Rules for recreating a Mediterranean style in landscape design

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Minimalism

Minimalism is now very popular in architecture, interior design and landscape design. It is based on the principles of simplicity and conciseness, but when properly used it produces very expressive and vivid landscapes. For minimalism, pretentiousness and embellishment are not acceptable. He is discreet, logical, practical.

Minimalism "grew" from constructivism, its essence is the order and organization of space. Using the rules of this style, anyone, even the most neglected courtyard, can very quickly be transformed into a comfortable territory in all respects.

The minimalism style is close to the Japanese style, but it allows the use of modern materials such as plastic or shiny metal. In addition, the minimalism of functionality is given even more importance, and the decoration is excluded altogether. The entire landscape composition should be assembled from the objects used - furniture, terrace (or gazebo), fence, garden paths, pool lighting.