Landscaping in Provence style. Do-it-yourself Provence style garden landscape design - stages of creation and recommendations Gardens with roses in the Provence style
Gardens in Provence are not just plots of land, but a way of life with its own philosophy and thousand-year history. Picturesque countryside Provence is a famous example of the development of the Mediterranean European culture where productive and ornamental gardening, practicality and pleasure have never been separated.
Mediterranean gardening is the art of living in harmony with the conditions of the place: soil, materials, flora, everything that nature provides. Any plant in the garden of Provence has properties that can be used in everyday life. But each of them also gives its own beauty, heady aroma, refreshing shade, leisurely enjoyment of observing the seasons ... Gardeners and designers all over the world admire Provence as a source of inspiration for landscape art, in which you can find the perfect balance between earthy and sophisticated. A Provence-style garden is a place where a person can feel as free and peaceful as possible.
Recreation of Provence style in middle lane Russia, unfortunately, is not a very practical idea, since our climate simply does not correspond to the Mediterranean. However, to bring elements of the Provencal style to own garden new site is very possible. Should a Russian not know what simplicity and naturalness are in a country house! It remains only to add, remake and ennoble something to create a landscape in the spirit of a Provencal garden. You can choose how many elements you need for this.
PROVENCE STYLE ELEMENTS IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Gravel
winding gravel paths and a graveled dining area are the most traditional elements of a Provencal garden. The gravel mixture is poured over the insulating material and serves as an environmentally friendly coating for any selected areas.
Terracotta
Burnt terracotta clay is an indispensable element of everyday culture, because it is the oldest and most the most accessible material. And the paths or walls are laid out with terracotta tiles. The shape and method of laying are different, but without tiles Provencal garden won't be traditional.
Flower pots and vases
Not only pots, but tubs, boxes, hanging planters- in Provence, plants are grown in any containers. This is an integral part of the atmosphere of the courtyard. Ideal option for planting plants that do not tolerate cold well, is a flowerpot. With the onset of winter, flowerpots can be moved indoors.
Masonry
Before natural stone used to lay any building in Provence. Instead of a wall natural stone you can use large stones as borders and backgrounds for planting. A great option is stonework around the flower garden.
An abundance of fragrant herbs
The fragrance plays an important role in the atmosphere of the garden, and the colors of the herbs are very soft and muted, with large quantity shades of silver, blue, yellow, purple, purple. Number one is lavender. In addition to it, rosemary, savory, mint, marjoram, sage are popular. It is better to plant them in a place protected from the winds by a wall.
evergreens
Provencal trees are designed for well-drained soil and long, hot summers. Columnar cypresses are a luxurious and recognizable architectural element, they are also a great company for another must-have that characterizes the Provence style in landscape design - olive tree. But cypresses and olives can be found more suitable for our climate analogues. Evergreens can also be grown in pots, keeping them warm for the winter.
Vertical gardening
Walls, pergolas and arches entwined with ivy or grapes are another element that is typical for Provence private houses. Yes, and fit it into your own garden is not at all difficult.
Garden furniture in vintage style
Even if the furniture is bought at IKEA, it can be stylishly "aged" to resemble a family piece. Another option is openwork wrought iron furniture in retro style. And you can also rethink our dacha tradition: do not throw away used room furniture. Old armchairs and even a sofa, after appropriate processing, will still serve in the patio. It is enough to place them inside the reinforcing cage, and place a waterproof coating on top.
Man-made household items
Tablecloths, seat covers and cushions, blankets, decorative items - all this should look like it was made by craftswomen in the south of France or family members. No stiffness, but only comfort and eye-catching details that, in fact, remain in the memory of the house ...
landscape design has many styles with which you can plunge into various countries and feel like the owner of large estates or colorful villas. The most common style at present is Provence style. In this style, even tall two or three-story houses look restrained and elegant.
The walls of a Provence-style house deliberately age the house with uneven whitewashing. The facades of such buildings are most often decorated with limestone or plaster. Another feature of this style is a large number of decorative elements, they are usually replaced with colorful tiles on the roof.
The main element of the decor of this style are fountains or ponds in front of the house. When planning a garden, you should clearly maintain the forms. In the center of the garden, there must be a large flower bed with various colorful plants, the combination of which creates a colorful pattern. The area near this landscape element covered with soil and basically not formalized in any way.
Since the Provence style came to us from France, its feature is the creation of a romantic mood in the garden. Here you can find various figurines, fountains and high hedges made of climbing plants. The combination of plants and shrubs, fountains and flower beds - all this is an unusual style of Provence. Walking through such a garden, each time you can find new elements for yourself. It seems that plants in this style are planted randomly, however, this is not so, all plants and their planting sites are strictly planned.
The main color in the garden is green. Here there is a play of light and shadow, which is quite difficult to achieve on your own. In France, the garden is a continuation of the house; it is believed that this is a large, green room designed to meet and see off guests. Therefore, it is created especially carefully.
In the backyard of such a house, there are usually small beds on which vegetables and fruits sprout, this allows the French to cook food directly from the garden, so their food always seems filled with a special taste.
Stages of creating a garden in Provence style
As in all styles, the first step in creating a Provence-style garden is to plan it, then plants are selected, mainly climbing individuals and fruit trees. After that, small plants and flowers are selected for flower beds. Another innovation in this style are plants planted in pots, they are usually located in a recreation area where the owner retires after a hard day.
Creating such a Provence-style garden as in the photo is not an easy task, but if you decide, be sure to adhere to the features of this style and remember, even though a riot of various shrubs and plants plays in it, the garden should look well-groomed.
Provence is an exquisite style of cute French villages, who became last years incredibly popular all over the world. It is always associated with special sophistication, delicate shades of purple and an abundance of white in the design, a slight touch of antiquity on objects and a subtle smell of lavender fields. A Provence-style garden is ideal for delicate romantic natures who love to while away summer evenings, wrapping themselves in a blanket on a bench and inhaling the fragrant aroma of herbs.
Conceptual design features of French gardens
french garden in the style of Provence has a number of pronounced distinguishing features, which will not allow it to be confused with any other style direction in landscape design.
Delicate colors of plants are characteristic of Provence
The most important, setting the tone and mood, are the following features:
- the predominance of fruit trees (apple, cherry, peach), often formed in the form of palmettes;
- abundance flowering plants with flowers of predominantly delicate shades of lilac, pink;
- flowerbeds with herbs and spices;
- the use of antique or artificially aged items in decorating the garden;
- the presence of gazebos, gazebos or just places to relax with cozy garden furniture (preferably antique or antique-style).
To create a garden in the Provence style with your own hands, it is enough to choose plants in a characteristic color scheme, get several beds with herbs and, in search of garden decor, take a good look at things around you or rummage in the attic.
The highlight of Provence style garden decor is a touch of antiquity
Chipped ceramic dishes lying around in the kitchen, grandmother's chairs that have long been wanted to be thrown into a landfill, old buckets and watering cans can easily find a second life and turn into exclusive decor items in the style french village.
The French garden is, first of all, Orchard. So, if it is possible to start the design of landscape design from scratch, then preference should be given to fruitful fruit trees.
Usually they are planted along the painted in White color fence. The crown is systematically pruned as it grows, ensuring that the branches grow in width, and not grow in height.
Fragrant lavender is a mandatory attribute of the Provencal garden
As for flowers and spices, in the Provencal garden, in most cases, lavender and geranium are in the spotlight.
Ivy, petunia, rosemary, and a little less often roses are also planted in the flower beds. When buying seeds and seedlings, be sure to pay attention to the photo indicating colors inflorescences, because a feature of the style is the presence purple and such pastel shades as lilac, pink, beige. Bright colors are acceptable as small accents or framing elements.
The flower beds themselves, as a rule, have a round shape. Along the perimeter they are laid out with stones or bricks. Flowers and herbs do not have to be planted in flower beds - they will look great in wooden boxes, tubs, hanging planters, baskets and old dishes, while creating a unique atmosphere of a French rural courtyard.
Herbs and spices can be planted in any suitable style container
French country garden decor
Another mandatory requirement for a real garden in the Provence style is that the comfort here should be almost the same as in the house. For this reason, a variety of trinkets, furniture and textiles are widely used in its design. And it's not always special. garden furniture. Very often in such a garden right under a tree you can find an ordinary home chair with a blanket and pillows or a small sofa that decorated the living room yesterday.
Often used for garden decoration. ordinary furniture
Quite often, the landscape is decorated with wooden or wrought-iron arbors. They are most often painted white and artificially aged. In other words, in a Provencal garden there cannot be a perfectly painted fence or copper accessories shining in the sun. The painted elements must necessarily shine through with light scuffs, as if the painter's brush touched them in last time many years ago, and it is better to cover polished copper figures or details with a noble greenish patina, as if they had been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.
You can create a truly Provencal garden only by investing a piece of your soul in the creative process, otherwise you won’t get an atmosphere home comfort characteristic of this particular style of landscape design.
17.10.2017
What associations do you have when you hear “Provence-style garden”. Perhaps ancient stone walls covered with ivy, a sea of lavender, cozy armchair under the shade of a gray olive and a glass of good wine.
“It would be nice to organize all this beauty in your area,” thoughts immediately arise.
But is it really possible to create a Provence-style garden in the suburbs?
Provence is a region in the south of France, and the appearance of the gardens of the old villages of this area is just the dream that some would really like to realize in central Russia or specifically in the Moscow region.
Do not forget that Provence is located much south of the Moscow region and winter temperatures here do not fall below zero degrees. Accordingly, not all plants from Provence can be grown in our area. But this does not mean that it is impossible to create a garden in the Provence style with us. You just need to replace the plants with similar ones appearance and growing in our climate, and bring the appropriate atmosphere with the help of decorative techniques and things.
The main characteristics of the Provence style
Romance, light colors, a touch of antiquity, unpretentious comfort and fullness of aromas - these are the main features of the French southern villages. If you want a Provence-style garden, take the basic character traits style and bring them into your garden.
Fruit trees grow in rural gardens in the south of France
These are apple trees, cherries, pears, peaches, olives, and also grapes. Still village gardens primarily intended not for beauty, but for harvesting fruits. More often, trees are located along the edges of the garden, along a fence, usually stone or painted with white paint. If you have to part with peaches, then the rest of the fruit trees are beyond doubt. Strive to form the crown of the trees in such a way that they grow not up, but in breadth, filling the garden with shade.
Grapes grow in the Moscow region - plant winter-hardy varieties fruit Isabella, Amur, fox or wild grapes, you don’t even need to cover it for the winter.
Oliva does not winter in our area, but its gray crown can be replaced by narrow-leaved sucker. Cypress trees that feel comfortable in the south of France will not survive in the climate near Moscow, you can plant them instead
Spicy herbs are a must in the garden
Lavender is a symbol of Provence, it is the endless flowering fields of lavender that are presented in the first place when it comes to this French region.
To give a touch of Provence to your garden, rosemary and thyme. And in the flowerbeds, plant Fassen's catnip, oak sage. they may well replace lavender, which does not take root very well in our area.
Give preference to herbs with lush greenery, and blooming sun-loving and undemanding plants. If there is no place for a spicy bed, then you can grow herbs in boxes or pots, and with the onset of cold weather, take them into the house - it's beautiful, and there is always fresh aromatic seasoning.
There are a lot of flowering plants in the Provence style garden.
The flowers are predominantly pastel shades of pink and purple.
An excellent companion for sage or catnip, which we replaced with lavender, will be a rose, they look great together and it is this combination of colors and smells that will convey the atmosphere of the French south. Roses choose delicate pink and white shades.
Another flower of Provence is the geranium. Geranium can be grown on the windowsill, and in the summer it can be transplanted into the ground or placed directly in pots on the street. Instead of pots, boxes are also suitable, old clay dishes, hanging pots. There should not be many bright blotches of red, only light accents that only emphasize the romanticism of the pale lilac range.
Can you add flower planting sweet peas, petunias, delphinium. Climbing plants and vines on the pergolas and facade of the house also fit perfectly into the intended style.
Dried lavender decorations will come in handy both in the Provence-style garden and in the house (after all, the house must first of all withstand the style). Tied up in bunches, they can be hung in the kitchen or placed in vases.
A large number of flowering plants planted throughout the site and arranged in pots, tubs, boxes, old dishes, is very welcome.
Antiquity is felt in everything
One of the most important components of a Provence-style garden is antiquity. No modern buildings, finishes and decor elements. The spirit of the times should be felt in everything, starting from the house itself and ending with the little things in the garden.
Natural materials or finishes like stone or wood will fit well into the design, cracked paint on the shutters, terracotta tiles through which grass breaks through, worn furniture - this is just what you need.
Rummage in the attic or in the garage, most likely there will be old chairs, stools, whatnots, ceramic products- all this can be used in the garden.
If possible, you can specially age the pieces of furniture so that they fit the design. It is clear that there should not be any varnish and polishing. Take paint, blue, white or purple, and paint a couple of pieces of furniture yourself, maybe even new ones made of raw pine - you will like the result, and even if it is far from ideal, the furniture will look great in the garden.
The garden must have a cozy seating area
It could be cozy corner with an armchair and a coffee table, a bench in flowers or - it's up to you. The main thing is to create comfort in this place with the help of fabrics, pillows, blankets, tablecloths and flowers. Furniture for a recreation area is not needed modern - remember about the feeling of antiquity. And do not forget that it will have to be brought home for the winter, otherwise it will become completely dilapidated and will have to be thrown out.
Arbors, pergolas, canopies entwined with lianas, giving shade on sunny days, will perfectly fit into the style of Provence. Organize a small fountain that spouts from the ground or is a spring flowing from a wall.
All these are decorative techniques, but the main thing that a person should feel when entering a garden in the Provence style is peace and the unhurried passage of time, sincerity and warmth in every corner of the garden, romance and grandeur of antiquity in unpretentious things.
House of the project "Time to create gardens", Oksana Tsyganova
Probably, there are very few people in the world who are indifferent to the Provence style. This is not surprising - Provencal motifs are able to calm, inspire and even restore interest in life at the same time. I wonder what is the mystery of this simple but surprisingly popular style? Perhaps it's all about the magic of purple shades of lavender?Or in old shabby furniture that brings back memories and many stories that happened once upon a time?
Be that as it may, it is lavender and antique interior items that will be the basis for creating a corner on the site in Provencal style. We will please you: not only six acres, but also four or even two are suitable for this style of garden. - This option is distinguished by intimacy, therefore it involves a minimum of space.
Lavender in a Provencal garden should be literally everywhere, from living plants in a flower bed to painted flowers on watering cans and planters. In addition, it should be remembered that the overall color scheme of the garden should also be designed in blue-lilac shades: the colors of the sky, freshness and transparent air.- here is your Provencal "set".
When choosing plants, give preference to unpretentious wildflowers and perennials: a Provence-style garden should look a little casual, as if you just threw the seeds into the ground and now everything grows by itself.
Of course, this does not mean that plants do not need to be looked after at all, however interesting idea will make various garden mixes of flowers and herbs. For example, a bright Moorish lawn would be a great solution.
Provencal style also involves decorating the facade of the house with plants; an alternative could be a small aged gazebo in a concise style, decorated with flower pots.
By the way, you can use flower pots in the Provencal garden to the maximum: they will be appropriate both on the veranda and near the entrance to the house, and even as a spectacular decor in the corners of the garden.
If you do not want to make your Provencal garden completely decorative, then it is perfectly acceptable to break small vegetable garden with greens or vegetables of suitable shades. For example, a good idea would be sweet pea, onion sets and even eggplant. True, we recommend not to get carried away: nevertheless, the garden must maintain its compact dimensions, which is rather difficult with a rich harvest.
However, the main idea should be cozy zone relaxation surrounded by fragrant herbs combined with shabby furniture. Simple textiles will also be appropriate, such as pillows and rugs made from natural coarse fabrics, decorated with embroidery.
If there is very little space, try using folding furniture.- perfect for lunch fresh air, and then it can simply be removed to a barn or closet, where it will wait for the right moment.
As for the decor, here you have a wide scope for imagination. Recall that the Provence style is a symbol of the impoverished aristocracy, so it perfectly combines elegant pendant lamps in the form of bird cages and improvised planters in the shape of an old cart.
The mix of such details creates amazing dynamics even in the smallest space; in addition, it allows you to use the entire old junk accumulated in your attic. Do not be afraid to improvise and transform old things! For example, we talked in detail about how to make Provence-style decor from an old bicycle.
