Simple private garden configuration
Article summary: Knowledge about home decoration, simple configuration of private gardens, let's take a look together.
The real beauty of a garden lies in the change of seasons. The interview was conducted in a rooftop garden at Yike located on XinSong Road. The bright pansies pave the road, the daisies compete to stick their heads out, while the flowers of azaleas and roses are still in the bud. This is not the time of the year with the most flowers, but it is the happiest time for Hou Jianying, because "there are different changes every day".
In contact with customers, Hou Jianying also tries to make them adapt to the seasons and nature, "to appreciate the feeling of fallen leaves and the slightly desolate feeling of winter". In the garden, this atmosphere needs to be designed and created, "if it's all green around, it can make people feel cold, but if it's all branches, it will look very desolate." Proportion is a subtle topic in gardening.
CBN: What preparations need to be made before building a garden?
Hou Jianying: If you want to build your own garden, I suggest you read some information in advance. Even if you find a professional designer, this is a prerequisite. You need to understand it first. The designer is there to help you achieve what you want, and if you can communicate more with the designer, he can help you achieve it better. And for the cost of the garden, you must also have a rough estimate in your mind.
CBN: If you want to simply take care of a garden at home, how should you do it?
Hou Jianying: The most important thing to pay attention to first is whether the structure of the whole garden is stable, whether the garden site has good drainage, and whether the direction of drainage is chosen well; whether the plants are planted in places that match their habits in the garden, this is what must be considered when building a garden. Of course, the choice of soil is especially important. If the basic fertilizer of the garden is not good, even if there is good top dressing in the later stage, it will not help. It is recommended to apply more organic fertilizers and farm manures.
If your garden is small, it is recommended to plant taller trees around; and for trees in the garden, planting odd numbers looks better and more natural.
CBN: Layered plant collocation
Hou Jianying: Herbs like Marguerite and French perfume can be used as border plants, but if they are all herbaceous plants with thin leaves, soft stems, and soft flowers, the border will be scattered. At this time, you can properly combine some flowering shrubs, such as红花檵木, which blooms in spring with dark red leaves and bright red flowers; rosemary, which is evergreen; these are good backgrounds for border plants. Border plants are generally about 20 to 30 centimeters, flowering shrubs are about 50 to 60 centimeters, and you can trim them into relatively regular spheres or clustering shapes.
Then there are small trees and large shrubs, like red maple, begonia, etc., about 70 to 80 centimeters; finally, there are large trees, about 3 to 5 meters, and gardens of about 100 to 200 square meters can use trees of this size. Small gardens are not recommended to use big trees, otherwise, one tree will break the whole balance.
CBN: When arranging plants in the garden, how should you pay attention to the collocation of the four seasons?
Hou Jianying: Perennial herbs like sage are the shallowest plants, and most of them no longer sprout above the ground in winter. At this time, you can cover a layer of pine bark to make your courtyard look more open. When spring comes the next year, they will all naturally sprout out.
What I mean is, actually, it's not necessarily required for your garden to have flowers all year round. In winter, you can plant some ornamental kale at some local points in the garden, at the entrance, or in pots. But overall, it's better to let the garden stay in a gestating state in winter and wait for the following spring, especially in late spring and early summer, when many flowers will naturally bloom. In summer, the leaves will grow beautifully; in autumn, you can see the "fruit" and the color change of the leaves.
CBN: What are the considerations for planting location and planting?
Hou Jianying: This is determined by the habits of the plants. Sun-loving plants should be planted in the south garden, and shade-loving plants should be planted in the north garden. In fact, it is not recommended to plant too many plants in the north garden because there is not much sunshine in the north garden. Remember, do not pave grass in the north garden.
The southwest corner of the garden is often the place with the strongest sunlight, where you can plant some deciduous trees. In summer, it can provide shade for you; and in winter, when the leaves fall, it can let the sunshine penetrate in. Like Shanghai, which has a subtropical monsoon climate, in winter, it is northeast wind, so in the northeast corner of the garden, you should plant a community of shrubs, not just a single big tree, as a big tree can attract the wind. This is also good for the housing building itself. Even if your room faces southwest, planting plants will have the effect of shading and blocking the sun.
CBN: Besides flowers and grass, what other details in the garden must be paid attention to?
Hou Jianying: The outdoor staying space platform should be at least 2.8 meters by 2.8 meters, or 3 meters, and it should be able to accommodate a set of outdoor furniture at least. And on the side of the platform, you can plant some small plants and mosquito-repelling plants like mugwort. But you can also have a big main tree on one side to make the whole platform feel more supported and have a focal point. Also, the element of "water" is very important in the garden, as it makes the garden look vibrant and lively. In a small garden, you can make a spring, and in a slightly larger garden, you can make a pond, where you can raise fish, turtles, or some aquatic plants.
CBN: What should be done in spring to take care of the garden?
Hou Jianying: Early spring is the stage of germination, so you should apply a moderate amount of nitrogen fertilizer, but in late spring, when it's about to bloom, you can apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers; water is also indispensable in spring, generally every two or three days you need to water a bit. Actually, the maintenance in spring is relatively simple. After the summer, pruning will become very important.
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