▷ Ideas for a renewable garden: what to leave, what to give up, which plants to plant

When it comes to creating a design for an empty lot, garden ideas seem to flow one after another. And what to do if the soil was planted a long time ago? Then it’s much more complicated: what to give up, what to save and how to give a new character to an old plot, in the LRT show”This is my garden” said landscape designer Rima Šimaitė. In this article you will find her advice and a list of plants she created for the new flower garden on the plot.

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Garden ideas on a specific plot

With the LRT show and landscape designer Rima Šimaite (“Magic Gardens”) we went on a concrete plot – after all, the best advice can be given with an example before your eyes. Maybe you too will recognize your problems in it and find solutions?

This plot was planted 13-14 years ago. Since the owners were renovating the house, they decided it would be a good idea to renovate the backyard as well.

What we already have:

An extremely steep slope,
Many thorns,
Under them are many pebbles and torn films,
Abandoned Rosary.

What is the hosts need:

Update the design to make it more free, light, with a French spirit,
Using a lawn robot means adapting the environment to it.

And what to do with the trees? As if they want to introduce new waves of design, but the plants grew a long time ago, the trees are big, so it would be a shame to destroy them. Let’s look at everything in turn.

Junipers that do well should be left

This terrain is characterized by a steep slope, already selected for reinforcement junipers. The tips served their purpose well, so it was decided to save them and simply shape them to make them look neater. If the old systems perform the function of strengthening the slope well, it is not necessary to destroy them.

Lawn paths – to be widened

Since the owners of the land wanted to install a lawn robot, it was decided to preserve as much of the lawn surface as possible by rearranging the slope and to create paths for the robot so that it could move from one green area to another without obstacles.

It is important to know that lawn is not always the right choice for a slope. Rima Šimaitė says that it is suitable when a quick slope strengthening effect is needed or when laying a rolled lawn. In other cases, it can create further problems. For example, if the slope is on the south side and the irrigation system is not installed, the lawn will never be perfectly lush and green. In this case, the landscape designer recommends looking for other alternatives to beautify the slope.

The new ideas for the garden also depend on the needs of the owners: in this case it was decided to leave more lawn. photo Lina Lubertaitė

Retaining wall – leave

When floors are needed on the land, terracing with retaining walls is one of the best solutions. At the bottom of this courtyard there used to be a basketball court, next to it was a retaining wall with spikes. The hosts therefore have everything they need: a flat pitch and undemanding tips, where the ball does not cause problems.

Even if spikes are no longer in fashion now, this solution is very practical. Is it necessary to change this position? It’s not necessary at all. Leave what works great in the garden.

Trees – to be saved

And what to do with the trees? The landscaper recommends leaving trees that have been growing for many years as structural plants. It takes time to grow new trees, so it would be unwise to discard trees, even if they are out of date or bored. Also in this case it was decided to do this: it was only necessary to thin out the old trees a little and shape them to make them look tidy.

Problems of the old flower garden

The owners previously had a rose garden on this land where they grew coniferous plantsdecorative stones were laid out, and under them still a real agricultural film. This place hasn’t looked good for a long time, so the decision was made to rebuild this area from scratch.

First of all, it was decided to completely abandon the old, “tired” agricultural film. Rima Šimaitė says that it is generally not necessary to put film under decorative stones if the area is away from the sun. In the summer the soil will be warmed by the sun and the warm pebbles will act as mulch, so no weeds will really grow.

Flower garden: to create again

Trees last much longer than a flowerbed, so if not enough care has been taken, it is quite normal for a flowerbed to degenerate within a decade and lose its beauty. Compared to trees, you will very quickly see the results of a newly created flowerbed. Therefore, if you want to make changes to the courtyard, the cardinal renovation of the flower garden will have a great effect.

Before forming a new flowerbed, consider not only the colors, but also the place from which you will view it. For example, this flower garden is located near the terrace, so it was decided to plant taller plants so that the view from the living room windows is pleasant.

The choice of new plants in the area of the former rose garden was also dictated by the fact that the plot faces south. That is why plants that tolerate heat and do not require a lot of humidity are planted in greenery: snails, Honey, echinaceaours, wise. Selected in the shade rasakiloscloser to home – lavender.

The landscape designer suggests not to forget about planting decorative plants that would look beautiful not only in summer. In this flower garden, shiloki trees were chosen, which turn an enchanting red in autumn, and the general picture was enlivened by interspersed broom and echinacea.