Vertical gardening in landscape design
Content:
Vertical gardening in landscape design - its main advantage lies in the speed with which you can create a picturesque green curtain that hides the walls of various buildings with a dense vegetative layer.
In addition to the decorative function, vertical gardening in landscape design can play the role of a barrier between a rest corner and dusty and noisy streets, protecting the garden space from wind and sun.
Climbing varieties of perennial plants in all their variety of shapes and colors are suitable for this type of gardening. Most of them multiply quickly and quite quickly form a protective and decorative cover for the walls of houses, decorations for arches, gazebos and pergolas. With the help of vertical gardening, you can expand the area of plantings even in a small area, hide the recreation area from prying eyes, and also disguise unsightly farm buildings or decaying hedges.
In combination with garden sculpture, vertical landscaping in landscape design allows you to personalize your garden and implement the most fantastic design projects.
Do-it-yourself vertical gardening in landscape design: how to place plants
Vertical gardening in landscape design: photo
Vertical crops need supports to climb up to create a green canopy. Frame structures, various types of lattices can serve as supports for floating vines, an ordinary rope or cord will do. Climbing vines need space for shoots to grow and move upward, so the supports for such vines should not be pressed tightly against the walls. Their optimum thickness is 5-8 cm in diameter - no more than the diameter of the stem loop. Otherwise, the shoots will slide off and will not be able to gain a foothold on the support.
In order to protect a residential building from overheating, it is recommended to form a vertical green cover on the south or southwest side. However, you should be aware that not all climbing crops are suitable for this. So, the sunny side is undesirable for sweet peas, fox and Japanese grapes, Colchis ivy.
Types of vertical gardening in landscape design
Do-it-yourself vertical gardening in landscape design: photo
Decorating gazebos, arches, buildings with climbing varieties of plants works to form a vertical compositional line of the landscape, as well as giving shape to tree crowns. The easiest way to plant a green area is to create a vertical green curtain.
The types of structures for vertical gardening in landscape design, chosen for a particular site, depend on its landscape features.
- Green hedges. To form a hedge, supports like trellises and screens will be required. The supporting structures are planted with flowering varieties of climbing crops, using several types at the same time. The appearance of the hedge can be very diverse. Depending on the general style of the garden and the wishes of the owner, it can be made low or high, trimmed neatly or given natural splendor.
- Pergolas. The base of the pergola consists of a wooden lattice entwined with plants.The task of this type of support is not only to decorate the site, but also to protect its sun and wind, as well as mask landscape imperfections. Most often, pergolas are decorated with vines, but other climbing plants can also be used.
- Building walls. Vertical landscaping of the facades of residential buildings allows them to fit into the general concept of garden design, saving the owner of the site from expensive decorative work.
- Container gardening. For vertical gardening in landscape design, plants in boxes, pots, flowerpots are often used. Such mobile compositions are very convenient due to their variability. They can be placed not only on the ground, but also on stairs, terraces, balustrades, suspended on verandas and gazebos. Drought and wind tolerant crops are suitable for container growing.
Plants for vertical gardening in landscape design
Vertical gardening in landscape design: photo
Used for vertical landscaping in landscaping, vines are extremely diverse, offering an extensive color palette to choose from.
Let's take a closer look at the most spectacular and popular varieties.
Maiden grapes
It is a deciduous liana with an extensive distribution area, which is explained by its unpretentiousness. This culture feels great both in sunny areas and in the shade, regardless of the composition of the soil. Shelter for the winter is not required for this plant. Maiden grapes easily get along with any neighbors, but due to their very rapid growth (about 4 m per year), they can grow too much and therefore need to be pruned. Beautifully shaped leaves in the autumn period delight the eye with bright shades of red. You should be aware that its gray-blue fruits should not be eaten.
Maiden grapes are capable of independent reproduction by rooting a vine adjacent to the ground. In culture, it is propagated by cuttings, leaving 30-40 cm between shoots. Shoots root well without stimulants, at first it is enough to regularly loosen, weed and water the plantings. As they grow, girlish grapes should be guided towards supports, which can be of any type.
Amur grapes are considered less common, but also suitable for vertical gardening. Unlike its counterpart, it bears fruit with edible berries, from which you can make jam and make wine.
Common hops
Cultivation of ordinary hops does not require a lot of hassle. This winter-hardy culture will take root in a sunny area, although it prefers partial shade or shade. In addition to watering, no hop care procedures are required. You should know that this vine grows very quickly, which will have to be taken into account when placing it next to other plants. Common hop is not only a beautiful, but also a valuable medicinal plant.
Clematis
One of the favorites in vertical gardening is clematis, thanks to its abundant and lush bloom and variety. The shape, size, color of flowers are very different. Clematis is unpretentious, but for lush flowering it requires regular watering and feeding. At the same time, stagnation of water in the ground, placement in the bright sun and increased acidity of the soil should be avoided.
Clematis retains its decorative properties until the end of autumn, it tolerates winter easily, especially in the presence of the simplest shelter in the form of spruce branches. Before wintering, it is recommended to prune the shoots: varieties blooming on the shoots of the current year are almost completely cut off; plants blooming on last year's shoots are only slightly shortened, their stems must be rolled into a ring and carefully laid.
Clematis need a fairly large area for food, so the distance between individual bushes should be at least 130 cm.This culture loves mineral fertilizers and mullein infusion; composting is recommended for the winter. For vertical placement of clematis, a mesh support is best.
Honeysuckle honeysuckle
The list of hardy crops includes honeysuckle, honeysuckle, a plant that blooms with fragrant pale pink flowers. Like other vines, at first it needs direction of shoots. But pruning is necessary only after frosts stronger than -30 degrees, in case of freezing of the shoots. Honeysuckle propagation is carried out by cuttings or through seedlings, observing a distance of 150 cm between the bushes. The main enemy of honeysuckle is stagnation of moisture in the soil, this must be taken into account when choosing a site for its placement.
Actinidia
The undemanding species include actinidia kolomikta, known not only for its beautiful flowers and leaves, but also for its medicinal berries. Actinidia prefers partial shade, abundant watering and organic fertilizers. She has a rather large feeding area - about 2 m. If there is a cat on the site, then the first 2 years it is necessary to cover young shoots with a special net, because cats love to nibble them.
Schisandra chinensis
The largest vine growing up to 10 m is Chinese magnolia vine. In this regard, large in area and strong supports will be required, for example - pillars and walls of arbors, fences, facades of houses. Lemongrass does not like too bright sun and deep shade, as well as stagnant water in the soil. Otherwise, this plant has only advantages - unpretentious and frost-resistant Character, no danger from pests and diseases, responsiveness to fertilization. All parts of lemongrass have medicinal properties, the most famous are berries with a tonic effect. Reproduction of lemongrass is carried out by root suckers.
Climbing roses
The most labor-intensive type for vertical gardening is climbing roses, which do not have the ability to curl, so it is necessary to tie their shoots to supports. Meanwhile, the effort expended is offset by a truly royal flowering: some varieties bloom profusely, but only once a season, while others produce smaller flowers, but throughout the season. Climbing roses do not tolerate severe frosts and need shelter, otherwise they may simply not bloom next year. The best protection will be given by a box insulated with several layers of non-woven material and lined with sawdust. On this pillow are placed shoots pre-cut by a third and rolled into a ring. In summer, it is recommended to place roses in a well-lit area.
How to make vertical landscaping with Lianas
Do-it-yourself vertical gardening in landscape design: educational video
Advantages of vines:
- shapes and colors of flowers differ in variety
- the leaves are also quite varied and capable of creating the effect of openwork decorations
- Lush and abundant flowering in most cases
- Due to the rapid growth of vines, the green cover is formed throughout the year.
Above, we have listed mainly perennial varieties of vines, but annuals are also suitable for vertical gardening and have a number of advantages. They are characterized by rapid growth, unpretentious nature, ease of use, beauty of flowering.
Vertical gardening in landscape design is not only possible, but also acquires an additional functional load. So, due to the limited area, every square meter is important for landscaping, and vertical methods contribute to the expansion of green areas. Green curtains and carpets are not only picturesque, but also provide protection from the sun, which is extremely important in streets devoid of natural vegetation.
When choosing vines for landscaping a site in a rural or urban area, you must follow simple rules: Vines do not tolerate neighborhoods with their own kind and begin to compete for living space. They grow very quickly and radically change color and appearance throughout the year. In addition, vines also have a number of negative qualities, which you should also be aware of.
Disadvantages of vines:
- the use of vines creates a moist environment throughout their area of distribution, so it is better not - - - to place them on the north and northwest side.
- flowering vines can provoke allergic reactions.
- vines can damage the asphalt or tiled sidewalk near the house
- overgrown shoots of vines can clog drains.
And yet, this type of gardening has much more advantages. Their unsurpassed decorative qualities provide space and soil for the most fantastic landscaping projects. The use of vines for landscaping the walls of residential buildings creates a cozy and favorable microclimate, characterized by increased sound insulation. Vine curtains protect the living space from dust, bright sun, street noise and wind.