Landscaped garden, garden or smallholding - a cherished goal of every gardener - gardener. The constant desire for order, beauty and harmony inherent in the human subconscious. And it evokes a sense of achievement and satisfaction of joy. But the concept of "landscaped area" means not only the order on him. Furthermore, this health of all of its components - the soil, plants, garden ponds. Here we talk about mulching - one of the ways of improvement of the soil and plants.

There is nothing new under the sun. Mulching - a natural reception for the conservation of the water balance in the soil and smoothing sharp changes in temperature therein. This method "peeped" in nature. In addition, proper mulching of the soil - is a reliable protection of your site from weeds.

The modern way to care for the earth

Simply put, mulching - is concealing an open ground by various suitable materials. They can vary greatly among themselves. Mulch spread around the crop, having carried out a pre-watering, weeding and fertilizing. Used for mulching materials are well known to many gardeners and gardeners. For this purpose, you can apply a dark film, sawdust, peat.

Recently went on sale a mulch of bark of coniferous trees. This material is not only environmentally friendly, but also beautiful, which is an important quality. Mulch from larch and pine bark - it is ready to use the substance. With its help, you can make your site mulching. It should be easy to distribute on the garden beds, flower beds and flower gardens. This material you can use for decorative purposes, such as for processing tracks or playgrounds for children and leisure.

Until 2000, Russia officially mulch is never used. Gardeners and horticulturists interested in novelty, and landscape designers actively adopts the experience of the application of mulch in the Netherlands, Finland, the United States and other countries. There mulch is used for a long time and very successfully. Foreign trips and landscape exhibition and the Internet have made the business - leading Russian specialists began to slowly work with new technology to protect the land. But most gardeners and horticulturists and to this day have not figured out what it is. This is caused by the lack of clear and detailed information. Another difficulty lies in the fact that under the mulch refers to a completely different material. And some gardeners such diversity does not fit in my head, because I do not relate to a specific commodity.

The whole truth about mulch

Despite the fact that the mulch we used not so long ago, it already has acquired a wide variety of myths. Starting from the hype of record tomatoes weighing a kilogram, to horror stories about ruined area where nothing else grows. Neither one nor the other extreme are without any foundation. The true cause of problems are errors in the work on the ground. This is the wrong choice or the wrong dosage of fertilizer, planting plants that are not suitable for a given soil or to the local climate, the wrong care of them, etc. In itself magically mulching does not correct all the previous mistakes. It does not replace or supersede the work on the site, but it is much easier care of plantings.

Summer time management

Have you ever attention to the fact that in nature do not occur completely bare soil? Earth is constantly gives life to a variety of plants that otmiraya create a natural layer of mulch. At his dacha we plant only those plants that we want to see there. But, unfortunately, they are not only growing, but also the weeds. When they appear, it begins the process of weeding, which may continue without interruption. We start with one corner of the garden or the garden and ends in the opposite, putting in this time-consuming affair tremendous effort. But until we get to the end of the section, you have to start all over again. Weeds are very resistant plants, and get rid of them is not so simple.

We gardeners in the season there is almost no free time. In order to release it myself for relaxation, it is worth considering the use of mulching materials. They are supported in the soil water balance and inhibits the growth of weeds. In practice, this means that you have to spend less time weeding and watering. And free hours you can use for recreation, not for heavy breaking work.

How to apply mulch?

If you have never engaged in mulch, the early spring - the best time for it. Decide for yourself where you will be using this material: whether this is only the beds and flower beds, or you will fall asleep, and it tracks. Depending on this, you have to count the required amount of mulch. She come in different sizes: small, medium and large. All three species are suitable for any work, but experts advise to use for processing large fields and tracks.

For mulching flower beds and flower beds is better to take the material small to medium-sized pine bark. For decorative purposes, you can use larch bark as mulch noble mahogany looks very attractive. Mulching materials from pine and larch in its properties is absolutely equal. All unlike their only lifetime: Pine to the state of humus decomposes in three to four years, and larch - for four or five years. This humus is further excellent plant food.

Naturally, a large mulch is more durable than fine. The average will last you at least three or four years, and small - only two or three. After the decomposition of the mulch you will need to fill up a new layer on top of the old. Nutrients from the resulting humus will gradually enrich the soil and your plants will take out whatever they need.

Mulching is held in the spring before the weeds. The first layer is a minimum thickness of 5-7 centimeters. If you want to fertilize, it must be done before mulching. As experience shows, the material from the bark does not eliminate full of weeds, but they will be small, they are frail and can not grow rapidly. Weed them will not be difficult. In addition, mulch bark has the property to absorb moisture, for example, during watering or rain. Then it will gradually give it your plants during dry weather. So you protect your landing both from excess moisture and lack of it.

Observations show that when using mulch reduces the need for watering several times: where needed daily watering, it will be enough to water once a week. This can be done directly on top of the material. Work on mulching can be carried out in late autumn. They begin when dry up all the weeds. In winter, a layer of mulch to increase to reduce the risk of freezing plants. In the spring, when the threat of frost has passed and established warm weather, a layer of mulch can be reduced. If last year's material, transformed into humus, was not enough, you can pour a new layer with a thickness of up to three centimeters. Dosypki can be done at any time of year - summer, spring or fall.

We have tried to reveal to you all the advantages of the use of mulch in the garden. It is a modern technological way to care for the earth, can significantly reduce the effort required to process it, and make better use of their time and energy. In addition, the use of mulch for decorative purposes allows to use it in landscape design that will help make your site beautiful and well-kept.

Flowers in the garden is never too much! Until recently it seemed that create a charming flower bed, mixborders, flower garden or gravel hill, better and come up with anything. But time passes, you have come fresh ideas, there are interesting varieties, and your flower garden not think you have the same ideal as before. You have a desire to add something to it, to reconstruct, to correct any mistakes and strokes. Spring - it's time to think and plan well for the next season of the necessary changes. Creating flower beds in the area - it is long and complex.

Design: start with the rules

It is necessary to take into account many factors in order to make it harmonious. This is not always obtained immediately. One of the basic rules when creating a flower arrangement is a selection of plants in height. The ridges or mixborders low species should be planted closer to the lawn, or track, and in the flower beds along the edge. Sredneroslye located in the middle, the highest rank in the background, and in beds - in the center.

The flowerbed most plants are planted, following a geometric pattern. At the same mixborders to flower looked natural, plants need to assemble the desired height is not "on line", and moving some of them a little bit. Either shift toward lower or higher whole groups of plants.

There are other important factors in the formation of the flower bed, for example, the color of leaves or flowers. It has meaning only your taste, desire or mood. But in addition, there are certain laws of harmony that dictate which colors are combined with each other and which are not. You can create a song in one color - it will be interesting to watch: white, pink, blue, flower beds and even an entire garden. Superbly will look like composition in which used different shades of the same color, two-color or three polychrome, colorful.

Equally important is the flowering of various plants, and its duration. For flowerbeds, borders, rabatok necessary to select any long blooming or Decorative leef plants or, as they are called florists, consistently fine. In mixborders rights of others: here the plants are chosen so that they, one after another, bloom at different times, and that from early spring to late autumn in the composition were constantly flowering plants. Such a harmonious flower to create not so easy. Therefore, achieving the desired result, the plant has to be changed more than once.

Annuals: add brightness

Add color, brightness, and every year to change the look of your flower garden, you can use annual plants, or annuals. Most often they are used for decoration of flower beds, curbs, flower beds and carpets rabatok. The rockeries and mixborders for them to leave a special "pockets" or use seats that are released after digging flower bulbs and some biennials.

Annuals are presented in a very wide range - from miniature lobelia and lobulyarii to such "large-sized" as kohii, castor, Cleomenes and perilla. There are so many kinds that you can pick them up for any style and type of flower beds, whether it mixborders in natural, natural style or ground bed. And the endless variety of plants color, external structure, the shape of flowers and inflorescences and the leaves will give you the opportunity every year to change the look of your flower garden, adding a new paint.

Annuals planted in a flower garden in the summer or spring, but the place for them is possible and necessary to prepare since autumn. In October, clean flower beds of decorative lost or dead annuals. In the soil, add compost or humus, a little potash and phosphate fertilizers, and if the soil is acidic, the lime and dolomite flour. Earth need to dig up the entire bayonet spade, turning down the fertilizer. Break and cultivate lumps do not - the land in the winter must leave the lumpy bumpy surface.

In the spring when the soil dries and warms up enough, it is necessary to dig up again, making complex and nitrogen fertilizer. Now it is necessary to cultivate the land, and when it's needed the time favorable for planting of a plant start to be planted annuals.

Curbs: five reasons to create them

Around the borders of flower beds needed. There are several reasons:

• It prevents the penetration of border in the flower garden of grass and weeds from the lawn to the site;
• thanks to the curb with flower beds will not "run away" decorative fast-growing plants that grow into the bush or in the lawn;
• when loosening the earth and watering the flower bed edging prevents soil on the track;
• using the border can effectively change the shape of the terrain and the flower garden;
• And most importantly: neatly edged edging flower beds look much more attractive and neat.

So, if you were not around flower beds, borders, it is not too late to fix it. And autumn or spring - the best time for it. When you create a border, you can use a variety of materials - paving tiles, bricks, asbestos strip. But garden centers sell special plastic strip, which for these purposes it is most convenient. They can be of different sizes, thickness, colors, smooth or corrugated, in general, any taste and necessity.

These bands have to dig in along the perimeter vertical landings. The top edge should be a little bit, a couple of centimeters above the surface of the soil. With the help of these strips can be divided and flower bed itself into sectors, which are thrown in different plant species. In addition, the borders will help to effectively change and relief of a flower bed, lifting the various sectors relative to the other.

You can also create a natural border. For this purpose, there are special types of plants. Most suitable for this stable ornamental plants, low- and medium growth to grow slightly. Border plant should be planted because of their lighting requirements. Are suitable for these purposes, both annual and perennial crops. It looks good curb, which is composed of a compact low-growing species. A well-chosen border flower garden is able to give a finished look. Flower frame will decorate even far from ideal composition.

Limit the spread of invasive plants

When you create a flower garden you need to know how much time can exist together different types of plants. Aggressive, fast growing annuals for mixborders not recommended: they sacrificed other cultures, often not for the better by changing the flower garden.

There are plants that are sprawling in all directions long roots, so just cut the shoots did not have enough. Very quickly they grow back again. "Fled" shoots dig also not so easy. Often they grow into other plants, and divide them is very difficult.

And so when planting in the flower garden of cypress spurge, loosestrife point, milfoil, reed canary grass, Anemone sylvestris, miscanthus saharotsvetkovogo, Manica large and similar plants, it is necessary to restrict the area of ​​growth. This can be done, dug into the ground around the perimeter of a metal or plastic strip to a depth of not less than thirty centimeters. Even easier to put the plant in a big container with large holes in it or no bottom, dug in his flower garden in the correct location so above the soil surface protrudes slightly upper edge.

Bulbs: Change of Scenery

Creating a bulbous flower garden begins in mid-August and planting melkolukovichnye bulbous plants from now until mid-October. Such of them as daffodils, muscari, grouse, Proleski can grow without transplanting and digging many years. Within four or five years have not dug and varieties of tulips groups Greig, botanical and Kaufman. Such species are planted in rows or groups among the perennials.

Varieties of tulips, which require annual digging, can be planted in special cassettes, which are large in the bottom of the hole. This simplifies the process of digging up the plants. Such dug up the tape with onion yellowing foliage dropwise in the garden, get quality bulbs can bloom the following year.

Different sides of the flower bed

When you create a flower garden you need to focus on plants that are decorative throughout the season: flowering from summer to autumn annuals, grasses and conifers, giving the flower garden structure. You can add a small architectural forms - vases or statues, which will create the character of the composition or a certain mood. This flower can be a link, which will bring together the different parts of the garden.

Consider some of the techniques of floral design to create flower beds of various compositions.

"Angelic White"

In such a composition is performed in a spectacular flower garden white. In the spring you will appreciate the "foaming" blooming border of Ajuga reptans and saxifrage, and a little later, "arrives" blooming all summer Viola cornuta. This is a rare variety, so it can be replaced, depending on the desire to others. Later reveal its white blossoms Astilbe prostolistnaya. Then pick up a wave of blooming white petunia. After that, the white hats inflorescences will spread magnificent hydrangea.

"Gold nuance"

Such a composition is constructed like this and says the name on the nuances of golden yellow tones. It from June until frost will please long-blooming perennial coreopsis. Bright yellow flowers tagetes echoed him. Add spectacular color barberry - strokes on or light spots on green leaves. It is good that endures adverse conditions. To obtain a composition bush should be cut, giving it a rounded shape. But the main focus of the composition, which is incredibly decorated it become Juniper average (Old Gold).

"Change"

And you can liberally used to design the composition along with perennials annuals that gives wide scope to update the flower garden every year. This includes coleus, and hang-downing form of garden petunias and kochia. All these plants are unpretentious except that coleus hybrid solar space required for the brightness of its color, so this part of the flower bed under a take away open space.

References

Planning and replanning flower garden requires a careful approach. It is important to take into account a variety of factors, both aesthetic and botanical, correct mistakes made and not make new ones.

• Make a list of all the bugs that you would like to change in the flower garden, and analyze the reasons why he was not sufficiently decorative.
• Check the list of dead plants and indicate the possible causes of their deaths.
• Write a list of plants that you want to see in your flower garden, given the characteristics of the ecology of your site.
• Analyze how fit the new plant to the existing flower bed, based on the size, duration and type of flowering foliage.