Choosing between eco-style and naturgarden, some come to a standstill. It seems that they are absolutely identical and are determined by the same principles. In fact, both names mean the same style and are applicable to a natural garden in which the natural forest and field habitats of flora and fauna are recreated.
Nature is an outstanding landscape designer! This idea goes through the main leitmotif in the style of naturgarden. Forest, meadow or savannah can become the prototype of the eco-garden with its own characteristics.
The main characteristics of the natural style:
- Preservation of the natural landscape.
- Natural design. Human intervention should not be felt.
- The creation or use of natural reservoirs in which there are fish and other aquatic inhabitants.
- Lawns with wildflowers or meadow grass.
- If possible, the rejection of any fences. If you still need them, then it is better to use hedges.
- Driftwood, fallen old trees and rotten stumps as decor.
- The smooth merging of garden areas, which may be several, with each other without clear boundaries.
- Feeders for birds and small forest inhabitants (squirrels and chipmunks), if any, live nearby.
- Lumps of stone around which flowers and herbs grow.
Ecostyle in landscape design is complemented by small architectural forms made of natural materials. Rough wooden furniture - solid tables, benches from boards and wicker seats - will look good in the household zone. Sheds and gazebos, twined with weaving plants or covered with thin branches, are indispensable in recreation areas.
Garden paths are lined with saw cut trees, sprinkled with wood bark or gravel. Bridges through a gurgling brook or a small pond are made of branches, boards and logs. In the barbecue area, a barbecue grill or fireplace is laid out from stones to simulate a halt in nature.
Decorating the site, you can create alpine slides with snags and plants living on rocky soil. Wooden sculptures fit well into the landscape. A swing made of wood and hammocks in the recreation area will also organically look in a natural eco-style.
Buildings in the eco-garden are usually made of wood or stone, and their walls are covered with vegetation. Often, vertical landscaping of climbing plants is used for these purposes. Ivy, girl's grapes, bindweed and creepers look spectacular on the walls of the house, arbors and other structures. Sometimes a thin layer of earth is poured onto the roof of the canopies and mosses and low grass are planted in it.
Of course, all kinds of plants are the main decoration of the landscape in the style of naturgarden. It can be coniferous and deciduous trees, shrubs, ferns, flowers and meadow grasses.
For landscape design it is better to choose local plants. For example, in our climatic zone, birch, mountain ash, oak, maple, aspen, linden, hazel, juniper, wild grape, spruce and pine tree look especially good in natural gardens.
It is also possible to place fruit and berry crops, such as gooseberries, currants, raspberries or honeysuckle, and plant aromatic forest strawberries in the mini-garden.
Particularly popular among perennial flowers and plants are tall astilbe, ferns of various species, bells, daisies, daisies, lupins, buttercups and cereals. Valerian, sage, oregano, plantain, St. John's wort and mint and many other medicinal herbs are also frequent guests in eco gardens.
Landscaped natural style is suitable for almost any relief, since it is not necessary to level the terrain and clean it from snags, stumps and boulders. Pristine ravines and ponds harmoniously fit into the eco-garden, bringing its owner peace and tranquility from proximity to nature.
