The desire to decorate and highlight your yard is characteristic of any person. And if in the conditions of a typical urban development it is difficult to do this, then in a private house and, especially in the country, everything is limited only by the imagination and financial capabilities of the owner of the site. And what could be easier than decorating it with flowers and green spaces? Moreover, you can make flower beds from stones with your own hands. Photos of brick beds will become indispensable helpers in decorating your garden.
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Flowerbeds of stones with their own hands: photo examples, materials, types of flower beds
The big advantage of stone and brick flower beds is their relative availability. Certain types of materials, as a rule, are of low cost, and most of the work can be done independently. And at the same time, a brick or stone flower bed will become a bright accent in the design of the garden, harmoniously fitting into any style.
Natural stone is durable, environmentally friendly, resistant to chemicals and extremely aesthetic. It is not afraid of temperature extremes, which opens up great possibilities for its use in garden design. However, its high cost is often a serious drawback.
Materials for decorating flower beds with stones
A wide variety of materials can be used for a flower bed:
- limestone;
- tuff;
- sandstone;
- slate;
- granite;
- quartzite;
- basalt;
- pebbles.
Limestone has a pleasant natural color of light gray, white, yellowish cream, blue, pink shades, which allows you to create interesting garden compositions. Due to its porous structure, the material is not protected from the aggressive effects of water and wind, but the resulting cracks are often filled with soil and used for planting various plants (primarily ground cover and mosses).
A huge number of shades (white, red, purple, pink, orange, gray, brown, black), high strength and, at the same time, surprising ease of processing is distinguished by volcanic tuff - one of the varieties of limestone. Most often it is used for artificial terraces or flower beds near water bodies.
The porous structure is also characteristic of sandstone. It allows air and moisture to pass well, but rather quickly loses its original appearance and collapses. Nevertheless, it is widely used in garden design due to its wide variety of shades (from gray to reddish and sandy) and its beautiful structure. Rubble stones and boulders look especially impressive.
When decorating flower beds, slate is often used. A distinctive feature of this mineral is its peculiar layered structure and the property of being divided into separate plates. Fences for flower beds from it can last for decades, while maintaining their original appearance and characteristic shine. Despite its high cost, slate is extremely popular among landscape designers. It is very plastic, absolutely waterproof, not afraid of fungi, chemicals, or temperature extremes. As a rule, slate (especially lump) is used to make raised flower beds.
Granite is not afraid of moisture or frost; it has served for decades and is distinguished by its striking beauty. Its disadvantages include a very high cost and ability to oxidize the soil. The latter has to be taken into account when choosing plants, as a result, the scope of the stone is rather limited.
Quartzite reflects light, because of this, its surface shines and shimmers in the sun. The rich palette allows the mineral to be widely used in landscape design. Durable basalt is often used to strengthen slopes and create artificial terraces.
Pebbles are widely used in garden decoration. A neat appearance, a large selection of shades and a low cost allow not only to protect the flower garden, but also to make it a real work of art. Most often, pebbles are used to create the outline of a flower bed. To impart strength to the structure, the material is usually laid out on a cement mortar.
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Types of stone beds
There are many types of stone beds. Photos on the Internet and specialized literature give a detailed description and interesting ideas regarding the arrangement of each of them, be it:
- ordinary flower bed;
- raised flower bed;
- gabion;
- rockery;
- alpine slide;
- terraced slope;
- Japanese rock garden;
- arabesque.
An ordinary flower bed is a small, curb-fenced plot of land, usually of a clear geometric shape (round, square, rectangular, oval). The border itself can be laid out of stones in one or several layers.
A raised flower bed is not only a bright and stylish accent in garden design, but also performs quite practical tasks. This design allows you to grow flowers in areas with poor soil, as well as significantly increase the usable area in small areas (especially for multi-tiered raised flower beds).
A raised bed is easier to care for because it is protected from weeds and many pests, and because of the height of the entire structure, there is no need to bend over to reach the plants. In a raised flower bed, it is easier to create suitable conditions for flowers and shrubs with specific soil requirements, for example, hydrangeas and conifers that grow exclusively on acidic soils.
Important! Such a flower bed has its drawbacks.It is a capital structure that requires financial costs and competent planning. The soil in it dries out faster, but this problem can be solved by installing the system drip irrigation.
An original solution for a summer cottage will be the installation of gabions - flower beds made of mesh and stones. This design feature allows you to give a flower bed any shape. Gabions are environmentally friendly, durable, provide excellent soil drainage and do not require a lot of money. With some experience, you can easily build them yourself.
Rockery, or rocky hill, is a group of large stones of different sizes, picturesquely scattered on a small area, but of the same breed (most often, slate or limestone). This is done to simulate a mountain meadow. Large stones for a flower bed are dug into the ground in the ground for greater stability, and small pebbles are scattered nearby. Against this background, undersized shrubs and creeping plants (heather, juniper, dwarf spruce, thuja, sedum, miscanthus) look ideal.
An alpine slide is often confused with rockery. Rockery is located on a plane, and an alpine slide is a complex multi-stage structure, in the center of which a large boulder is usually installed, and around smaller stones, on which various mountain (or similar) plants with a well-developed root system are planted.
A terraced slope is built from walls of various shapes and heights, made of crushed stone (quartz, granite, basalt), sometimes with the addition of sandstone or limestone.
A Japanese rock garden is made up of rounded, often mossy boulders spaced apart from each other. Its peculiarity is the predominance of stones - boulders and pebbles. Plants are planted, but in very small numbers.
Arabesque is a regular flower garden of an unusual shape (in the form of an animal or an insect, more often a butterfly) with strict symmetrical plantings of low carpet plants.
Making a flower bed of stones with your own hands. Photo flower beds made of bricks
Detailed photo and video instructions on how to create a flower bed from stone with your own hands (as well as from bricks and other improvised means) can be found on the Internet. They are specific for each type of material, type of flower bed, conditions and relief of the site. However, there are general rules for laying a flower garden, which must also be followed.
How to make a flower bed of stones with your own hands
First of all, it is necessary to take into account the degree of illumination, as well as the level of humidity. And, already based on this, choose not only plant varieties, but also the type of flower bed. For example, with a high groundwater level or regular stagnation of water on the site, it is worth abandoning ordinary flower beds and giving preference to raised flower beds or gabions.
The location of the flower bed is also important. Under no circumstances should the flower garden interfere with free movement around the site or watering plants. The type of flower bed also depends on this. So, gabions look best along the walls and near the fence. The Alpine slide is most appropriate to place on a small slope, like the arabesque, since the height difference will allow you to clearly see the bizarre ornament. And in the middle of the garden it is worth placing a raised flower bed.
The simplest option is an ordinary flower bed with a border. To do this, a trench is dug around the perimeter of the flower bed, filled with gravel and larger stones are installed on top, pressing them a little into the ground.
Useful advice! Before starting all work, it is necessary to draw a sketch of the future flower garden, make markings on the site, calculate the required amount of materials, carefully remove the top layer of the earth and separate it from the lower layers.
A foundation is required to create a raised flower bed. To do this, it is necessary to dig a trench up to 25 cm deep, lay it out with cobblestone or pebbles and tamp it. With the help of cement mortar, the outer walls of the flower bed are laid out, while they must be placed with a slight inclination inward and very tightly to each other. The smoothest stones are laid out on top, and the cracks are filled with cement or small stones. At the end of all work, you can fill up the drainage layer, then the fertile soil, let it settle, and then plant the plants.
For rockeries, you can use a flat area, or you can make a small artificial slope. Particular attention should be paid to stones - both boulders and pebbles should go well with each other.
A rock garden also requires a slope. First, you need to remove the top fertile soil layer, compact the soil, lay drainage and sprinkle it with fertile soil. The laying of stones should be done in the fall, so that precipitation and bad weather will let them sink. So the alpine slide will acquire the most natural look. It is important to leave earthen pockets at the joints of the stones, into which the plants will later be planted.
Gabions can be installed independently. The simplest option is a square or rectangular gabion, for which you can use ready-made canvases made of anti-corrosion wire mesh.
Do-it-yourself brick flower beds: photo examples of the best ideas and construction tips
Despite their simplicity and unpretentiousness, brick beds have undoubted advantages. Such flower beds do not require serious costs, since for their establishment you can use the material left over from the repair or construction of a country house or farm buildings. In this case, this is even an advantage, the house and the flower garden made of the same material will look harmonious on the site. Moreover, even fragments of bricks or what remains after the demolition of the building can be used for flower beds.
Even an inexperienced builder can work on such a flower bed, because only brick, sand, gravel (or crushed stone), cement mortar, twine and a couple of pegs are needed. As in the construction of a flower bed made of stone, you must first choose a suitable place, draw a sketch, mark the site, remove fertile soil and dig a shallow trench.
The trench is filled with sand, compacted, then a layer of gravel or crushed stone (it will also serve as drainage). It is also well tamped. After that comes a layer of bricks.
Useful advice! You do not need to cement the first two rows of bricks. This will ensure a normal flow of water and protect the plants from root rot.
There is another way to build a brick flower bed (photos on the Internet often describe it). Instead of a sand cushion, the bottom of the trench along the perimeter of the flower garden is filled with a 5-cm layer of concrete. After it has hardened, bricks are laid with the help of cement mortar, and the first layer of bricks is laid below ground level, and in the lower layer, also bonded with mortar, gaps are left for water drainage. It is necessary to check the accuracy of the masonry with a level. The walls of the flower bed, as in the case of a stone, are recommended to be slightly tilted inward. After laying the walls of the flower bed, it is left for several days for the solution to set.
Do not rush to plant flowers immediately after laying the ground. The earth must be shed and left for 10 days so that it settles well. And only after that you can start planting plants.
These simple recommendations will not only allow you to easily decorate your summer cottage, but also create optimal conditions for healthy and full-fledged growth of flowers and green spaces for many years.