Conifers in the landscape design of the summer cottage +75 photos

Beautiful and diverse conifers in the landscape design of a summer cottage are used very often. In addition to high decorativeness, these plants have a significant advantage over other crops. They remain attractive throughout the whole year. A well-groomed and beautifully trimmed tree will become the pride and decoration of a summer cottage for several decades. The scope of conifers is very extensive. Hedges, flower beds, rock gardens - this is not a complete list of compositions where these plants are used. Even in the southern regions with lush vegetation, conifers are invariably in demand. Exotic flowering plants and deciduous trees look even more beautiful against the background of strict greenery of pines, spruces and junipers.

Species of conifers

As already mentioned, conifers are beautiful at any time of the year. And, if in the summer heat they are slightly shaded, giving priority to flowering cultures, in the fall and especially in the winter they become the main decoration of a summer cottage. In September-October, they set off red-golden foliage, and in the winter cold they become a magnificent bright green accent against a uniform monotonous whiteness. Consider which plants are best suited for decorating.

Yew

Yew trees are evergreens, the height of which in nature reaches 5-20 m. The bark has a reddish hue, the crown is dense, round in shape. The needles are thick, juicy green. The length of the needles is 1-3 cm. The yew needles differ from other conifers by the absence of resin channels in the leaves. This is true for those who do not like the smell of needles. The plant tolerates pruning well, retains its shape for a long time. It is used for topiary compositions and rock gardens. It goes well with such plants:

• Juniper;
• Thuja western;
• Quince.

All types of yew are poisonous, so care must be taken. This is especially true for families where kids grow up.

Cypress

Currently, the most popular and popular variety of cypress is its evergreen variety. It is possible to use this plant in single plantings. The pyramidal crown of this tree is admirable. Cypress well tolerate pruning, for a long time the crown retains its shaped appearance. By trimming it is possible to regulate the growth of the tree. Varieties with reduced cold resistance are exposed in pots for a warm period. Less capricious species are used in hedges.The coniferous smell scares away mosquitoes and flies, so that rest in the country will turn into a complete pleasure.

Pine

Pine is a universal tree, especially for northern latitudes. She is not afraid of either land or winter cold. There are many species of this plant. Especially for use on garden plots, compact varieties are appreciated that allow the culture to be used in rockeries and rock gardens. Especially popular is mountain pine, which has these advantages:

• Small dimensions.
• Beautiful view. Even without trimming, the tree looks lovely.
• Frost resistance.
• Unpretentiousness to leaving and quality of the soil.
• Pleasant coniferous aroma with healing effect.
• A fairly dense crown, which allows you to combine pine with shade-loving plants.
• A wide variety of varieties.

Tall

Tall conifers are suitable for sites with different areas. Features of the composition are that they play the role of a dominant, and lower cultures are planted around the conifer. Many summer residents are worried that such trees grow very quickly. Pruning and attaching shoots can slow growth. It is necessary to form a crown annually, otherwise the plant will look groomed. Here are some examples:

• Cedar. The first two or three years of life, the growth rate is very slow. The peculiarity of this species of conifers is that the cedar has very special cones. The most popular Siberian cedars, but other types of this plant are also used in the gardens: European, Korean. It is a sun-loving kind. It is important to choose a site: open and well-lit;
• Juniper, fir, thuja. These handsome men look good at the entrance or for hedges;
• Fur tree, pine tree.

Medium

Not all summer residents dare to plant a tall tree on the traditional "six hundredths". Then you should choose a medium-sized culture. These plants are planted in the form of hedges, at the entrance or as part of compositions. Examples of medium sized conifers:

• Golden yew.The needles of this plant are unusual: in young shrubs it is golden, in adults it is green with a yellowish tinge. Yew tolerates shading;

• Berry yew. Thanks to bright scarlet berries it looks very decorative;

• Panderosis A plant with a fluffy crown and long needles. This is the so-called "yellow pine", which initially grew only in warm climates. However, with the efforts of breeders, panderosis has been successfully adapted to harsh winters, without even requiring shelter;

• Navaki. This is a type of bonsai. The birthplace of this plant is Japan. The main distinguishing feature is plasticity. When cutting, the crown can take many forms;

• "Nana." This is a fluffy pine tree with a dark green crown, as beautiful as it is unpretentious to care for.

Dwarf

If the plot is small, then it is advisable to use low-growing plants on it:

• Spruce "Konika". This miniature Christmas tree grows very slowly, so it is suitable for planting, even on the tiniest site. However, there is a drawback: poor tolerance of winter temperatures. In order to prevent freezing, two options are possible: to grow a plant in a pot or to shelter reliably for the winter;

• Mountain pine. This species of conifers loves partial shade, is unpretentious in leaving. It tolerates a haircut, but also looks great in its usual form. If several skeletal branches are removed from a mountain pine, the rest will go up, forming a luxurious “hat”. The style of the tree will resemble Japanese bonsai;

• "Negroes." This is an unusually beautiful stunted pine, which is distinguished by lilac cones. From a distance, the tree seems to be covered in a lot of flowers;

• Balkan pine. In the wild, the plant reaches three meters in height. You can form a stunted tree of a bizarre configuration by pinching;

• Velda. Creeping plant with horizontally oriented shoots.This species grows rapidly and, if not trimmed, it spreads to a three-meter distance;

• Pygmy. Pine (pinus flexilis) with a very dense crown, pleasant to the eye. The needles are thick, arranged in bundles.

The role of conifers in landscape design

The popularity of conifers in landscape design is due to a number of advantages:

• Good tolerance to the sun;
• Many varieties of conifers are in excellent shape and do not need regular trimming;
• A powerful root system that allows you to do without watering for a long time;
• Pleasant aroma;
• Versatility, the ability to use for solo landings and as part of compositions.

When choosing a plant, you must consider:

• Planned placement on the site;
• Soil composition;
• Features of the climate in the region;
• Type of landing: solo or compositional.

How to compose

There is no consensus on this. Some designers are supporters of natural landscapes that resemble natural ones as much as possible. Others enjoy the creative process by experimenting with the shape of the crowns. Everyone is right in his own way. Representatives of both directions have interesting solutions. Let's try to find a compromise.

Ideally, if the conifer looks like it grew in wildlife. At the same time, he should be trimmed and well groomed. Restraint and a sense of proportion are invariable components of good taste. But one should not be too careful. It is hardly possible to mutilate a piece of land by a living plant.

There are no strict canons and rules in the design of a summer cottage. For example, two separate conifers can create an impression of restlessness. However, the same two Christmas trees planted at the gate will be more than appropriate. Naturally, provided that they are well-groomed. When planting crops, we must not forget that on the north side the plant looks worse than on the south, since the needles are shorter and rarer.So that the result does not disappoint, not only good taste and professionalism of the designer is required, but also the patience of the owner. Many dwarf breeds grow quite slowly. Sometimes people approach the issue simply. They plant the plant they like without any extra fancies and take care of it with pleasure, receiving a charge of positive and good mood.

Variants of application of conifers in the landscape

Coniferous crops can be beautifully combined with other plants, including shrubs and deciduous trees. Consider the rules for composing various compositions.

Rockery

The term "rockery" means "rocky garden." With the help of man-made rockery on the site, it is possible to realize the most daring and diverse design ideas. With the right approach, it will become a real highlight of your site, emphasizing the refined taste of the owners and their understanding of the beautiful. There are 3 style variants of rockeries: English, Japanese and European. If the European and English versions are characterized by an emphasis on plants, then the Japanese style is a rock garden in which conifers and other cultures play a supporting role.

Along with conifers, plants that bloom in different periods are used in rockeries. For early spring, these are crocuses with snowdrops. They are replaced by undersized varieties of tulips and primroses. With the onset of warm days, pilots come into their rights: cat's feet, phlox, sunshine. The real masters in the stone kingdom of the rockery feel like saxifrages with groundcover. Coniferous rockery is not only unusually beautiful, but also useful. Trees saturate the air with a healing coniferous fragrance.

Alpine hill

Ephedra give the alpine hill a natural look. After all the plants have been selected and planted, a magnificent mountain landscape is obtained, which remains attractive in its own way at any time of the year.Conifers with a different shade and shape of the crown help create wonderful compositions on the site. The maximum height of rock garden elements is 1.5 m. If the site is small and the slide is miniature, then it is advisable to choose plants up to 0.8 m. It is advisable to use more than one and a half meter conifers if the entire structure covers an area of ​​more than 50 m2. The range of crops is as follows:

• Pine (Winter Gold, Pumilio, Pug);
• Western Thuja (Joseri, Danica, Golden Ellanger);
• Norway spruce (Nidiformis, Echiniformis, Wils Zwerg);
• Canadian Spruce (Konika, Alberta);
• Juniper (Blue Carpet, Green Carpet);
• Fir (Oberon, Diamond).

You can build conifers for rock garden by experimenting with the configuration of the crown and with a shade of needles. Creeping varieties are placed in the foreground of the composition. Taller trees make up the dominant in the alpine hill. To transition between one and a half meter and dwarf plants, conifers up to 0.8 m are planted. The following plants are well combined with them:

• Edelweiss;
• Liverwort;
• Yarrow;
• Sagebrush;
• Heather;
• Geheira (serves as a bright purple color accent in the composition);
• From annuals use lobelia, diasion.

Of course, creating a rock garden on your own is not easy, but interesting and exciting. It’s worth the effort once, and a corner of the alpine landscape from the Alps, Carpathians, Alatau or Altai will please you for a long time.

Hedge

Coniferous plants are often used in hedges. The composition is incredible beauty, which is difficult to describe. Most often, this is a monolithic wall, which is impossible to overcome. To obtain such a composition, cultures are planted in a checkerboard pattern, with the number of rows from 2 to 3. Naturally, no immediate effect is expected. Before you see the result, you will have to wait a lot of time. For a solid wall, plants with the same shade of needles are used.The use of alternating silver, green and bluish forms allows you to get a composition that is amazing in aesthetics. As for the use of specific plants, such options are possible here:

• High hedge: pine, fir, spruce;
• Average height: juniper, cypress, araucaria, thuja, yew;
• For undersized hedges, dwarf thujas, pines (mountainous option), junipers, cypress trees are suitable.

Mixborder

A mixborder from conifers looks great against the background of a house, fence or hedge. For the preparation of the composition using a variety of cultures, any configurations and sizes. However, there are quite clear rules for composing the composition:

• The tallest plants are placed in the background or on the edge. With the approach to the foot of the composition, the height of the plants gradually decreases;
• The geometric symmetry of the landings is optional. The only thing that must be observed is the transition from a greater height to a smaller one. The crowns of tall trees included in the composition should not form a single flat line;
• A prerequisite is the observance of natural harmony. For taller crops, the planted area should be larger than for undersized crops;
• The presence of repeating plants will set the rhythm of the composition; it will look more natural and interesting.

Forest style coniferous composition

This is a realistic reproduction of a piece of wildlife. First, in the direction "from left to right" planted lilacs, mountain pine and tall Canadian spruce. Plots between plants are planted with barberry and juniper bushes. It turns out a lovely "wild corner" that looks as natural as possible.

Design based on color compositions

Naturally, the dominant color for the conifer is green, but it has many different shades. This must be taken into account when composing a composition of plants. In addition to conifers, other plants with different shades can be involved in the design.However, the exuberant variety of colors is unlikely to be appropriate in composition with conifers. This is not a corner of tropical nature. Recommendations from specialists will help you to avoid excessive variegation:

• If there are 3 elements in the composition, the number of colors involved is only 2;
• The maximum number of colors for a 5-element composition is 3;
• When composing a 25-element composition, it is necessary to combine its parts into separate groups of 3 units. At the same time, the plants should be arranged for each of the groups according to a single shading attribute

Only following these tips will you be able to create thoughtful, harmonious compositions, without violating the integrity of the picture. The use of conifers in landscape design requires experience, skills and knowledge. It’s not enough just to choose healthy and beautiful cultures, plant and care for them. In order for the plot to produce a harmonious impression, you need to sort the plants by color, height and compatibility. Sometimes with the complete similarity of colors, cultures oppress each other.

What neighbors to choose for conifers

It is best to choose plants that are well compatible with conifers by looking at wildlife. First of all, cereal plants successfully coexist with gymnosperms. By the way, here you can break the stereotype by planting a dwarf spruce or pine next to a tall perennial. Sand mountain, Miscanthus or anaphalis perfectly coexist with mountain pine. And next to the tiny young seedlings, a fescue harmoniously looks. The ideal neighbor for conifers is heather. These plants prefer the same type of soil. Therefore, in nature, pine and heather are often nearby. If we are talking about a mixed flower garden, you can choose the suitable summers. For example, the middle-sized mangrove and squat mountain pine form a charming composition. The low Christmas tree Glauca Globosa looks lovely, surrounded by cineraria, hydrangea or begonia.

Now consider more specific compatibility examples for the most popular conifers: fir, spruce, larch and pine:

• Pine. It gets along well with linden, oak, cedar, mountain ash, Tatar maple or larch. Negative neighborhood - aspen or birch;
• Fir. The most desirable option is to plant a “solo,” since this tree inhibits the development and growth of other cultures;
• Spruce. It is adjacent to hazel, mountain ash or raspberry. It gets along badly with rose, viburnum, rosehip, barberry, lilac, horse chestnut, white acacia and thuja;
• Larch - "jealous", which does not tolerate the presence of other varieties of conifers on the entire site.

We must not forget that sometimes conifers have an adverse effect on other plants. For example, rose flowers look great against the background of juicy green needles. But such a neighborhood is undesirable precisely for rose bushes, because needles oxidize the soil.