Birthday
HydrangeasA beautiful garden doesn’t have to mean a landscape designer and a big budget. Well-chosen flowers, a few colourful planters made from old things and some stones can turn an ordinary plot into a cosy place to relax. Here are simple ideas and tips for decorating your garden yourself.
Which flowers to plant
Combine annuals and perennials. Annuals — petunias, marigolds, zinnias, cosmos — flower brightly all summer but must be replanted every year. Perennials — peonies, daylilies, hostas, echinacea, sedums — stay put for years and need little attention. Ideally, perennials form the backbone of a bed and annuals add bright accents.
Plan for every season. Pick plants that open in different months and your bed will look good from April until the frosts.
Use vertical space. Petunias and calibrachoa look great in hanging baskets, while clematis, roses and Virginia creeper will dress a gazebo, fence or arch.
Short on time? Plant an edging of low annuals — marigolds, sweet alyssum, ageratum — along paths and around a gazebo. This “frame” ties all parts of the garden together. For shady spots, see shade-loving flowers.
Décor from old things
Old objects come alive with plants. Tin basins and buckets, jugs, milk churns, wooden crates, carts and even chairs make original planters.
- Planters of different heights. Group old pots and buckets, plant a mix of flowers and place them by the front door.
- Chair planter. Cut a circle in the seat of an old chair and drop a pot of trailing flowers into it.
- Shoes and bags. Old boots make fun pots for succulents.
- Get the kids involved. Paint stones, barrels or logs together — cheerful faces lift everyone’s mood.
Remember to make drainage holes in every container. Avoid old car tyres as planters: rubber heats up and can release harmful substances over time, especially near vegetables. For more ideas see DIY flower pot decorating.
Rockery and root garden
A rockery combines stones and plants. Even in a small corner you can arrange stones of different sizes and plant sedums, houseleeks, thyme, low grasses and dwarf conifers between them.
A stumpery, or root garden, uses unusual stumps, roots and branches to create a fairy-tale feel, especially with ferns and moss. Treat the wood with preservative first so it doesn’t rot. Complete the look with DIY garden paths.
FAQ
Which flowers are easiest for a country garden?
Daylilies, marigolds, cosmos, sedums, echinacea, hostas and irises need almost no care.
How do I keep a bed flowering all summer?
Combine plants with different flowering times and add annuals that bloom until the frosts.
Can I decorate a garden on a budget?
Yes — old buckets, crates and stones, a little imagination and packets of annual seeds are the cheapest way.
And for your home, fresh bouquets are available with delivery in Kyiv from UFL.
View full-size photo
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
