The narrow strip of land between the house and the neighbor’s plot is often left without attention, and therefore without a stylish solution. In fact, this area has great potential in terms of landscaping and decoration.
If the house in your favorite garden is located on the border of the plots, the situation associated with a” useless ” narrow strip of land is familiar to you. This is a mandatory border zone with a minimum distance between the building and the neighboring properties. As a rule, it stretches to the left or right of the building and connects the front garden with the main garden. Many gardeners are sincerely convinced that it is impossible to decorate this border area beautifully.
This opinion is not without reason, since the strip really often turns out to be problematic: it is located in the deep shadow of a building or fence, or it is in the sun and because of the limited space, hot air constantly stagnates here. However, this area can be turned into a real work of landscape art, and at no significant cost. Our examples are the best proof of this.
The subtleties of floral design of the problem area
The secret of successful design is simple: the right selection of plants. At the same time, the main thing is not to overdo it. Narrow flower beds along the house or fence always look more harmonious, if the landscaping is limited to only a few types of plants that are repeated in planting.
In addition, you should not combine many colors at once. Ensembles of plants with tone-to-tone flowers are more spectacular here. If the territory is too small, you should generally choose only one type. In the photo below: a stock rose is a great candidate for a sunny flower garden near the wall and fence. If in early summer the seeds of the plant are sown directly in the open ground for a permanent place, this biennial will bloom next year.
Attention should be paid primarily to the representatives of the flora, which retain their decorative appearance all season, and ideally-all year round. For sunny areas, lavender, Sedum or Agastache will be the best choice.
In the photo: Saxifraga blooms in May-June. To do this, it needs a lot of sun and soil with good water permeability.
Flower beds along the path
The path in this problem area should be safe in any weather and all year round, so it is better to prefer gravel, paving stones or slabs with a rough surface to boards and lawn. In the photo, the gravel path is accompanied by Stachys byzantina, irises (left) and lavender with Centranthus (right).
A great solution will be spicy herbs-cumin, rosemary and cumin (if the soil is also dry). If the area is mostly in the shade and the soil is quite moist, plant hosts, ferns, rogersia or ornamental grasses. In the spring, bulbous plants can make the planting more colorful.
Use vertical surfaces
Also, for landscaping, you should use vertical surfaces — the wall of the house and the fence. This is the place for trellis fruit trees (sun), as well as climbing plants such as campsis, rose and acebia (sun) or Hydrangea petiolaris and Lonicera caprifolium (partial shade/shade).
Add accessories
Elements of decoration, such as a bench in the cool shade, a narrow pond or even a corner with beautifully draped garbage cans will give a special charm to the problem strip.
If there is a gravel blind area near the house
Around private houses, there is usually a so-called gravel blind area, thanks to which the foundation remains clean and dry. If the layer of stones is thin, it is possible to plant spicy herbs or Sedum in a sunny, very dry place. If a deep trench with a drainage pipe is filled with gravel, the only option for landscaping the territory in this case is pots with plants.
Plants that will survive in the shade
Narrow strips of land under the roof canopy are often in the shade, the soil there is usually dry. In such conditions, Astilbe chinensis var. pumila, foxglove, badan, Epimedium, hellebore, Alchemilla, sedge and brunner are able to survive.
In the photo on the left: Heptacodium miconioides, which blooms throughout August, is great for small flower beds, as it is easy to form. In autumn, the branches of the plant are decorated with bright pink fruits. In the center: a shady flower garden near the wall of the house is decorated with a low border of evergreen boxwood. Behind it, the territory is divided by Rodgersia aesculifolia and ornamental onion. Right: badan is beautiful not only during flowering – its large leaves remain decorative all year round. The plant is ideal for planting in narrow flower beds in the shade.
Some plants need protection from the harshness of winter, but there are some that do not. If you’re looking for a plant to bravely stand guard over your house and keep it safe during this icy season, then consider using these three options: The first is evergreen shrubs such as juniper or bay laurel which will withstand any type of cold weather no matter how brutal it may be. The second choice would be an ornamental grass with pinkish-purple flowers called lavender cotton because they grow best in dry climates like ours where water might freeze before reaching them if… Read more »