DIY pond

One of the most interesting elements of landscape design in the design of a summer cottage is a pond. A pond can be arranged even in a small garden. It is better if the pond has an unusual shape – with bends along the banks.

For production, you will need a special durable film for waterproofing, concrete solution and reinforcing mesh. The composition is applied in two layers, and after drying, it is decorated with stones, tiles, plants and a fountain. An easier way is to buy a ready-made PVC form in a hardware store. The main rule when installing it is to design the base so as to completely disguise the plastic.

In addition to special means for arranging a pond, summer residents often use improvised materials: tires, bathtubs, barrels and basins.

Cascade pond

The photo shows an artificial cascade pond with a waterfall and aquatic plants.

Pond with a fountain Cozy garden with a pond

Magic teapot

The light in the garden gives it a magical touch, decorating the space and adding volume. Garlands fixed in an old teapot and released through the spout resemble glowing water, which makes them look very impressive. Instead of a teapot, you can use a garden watering can.

The structure is fixed on any suitable hook: it can serve as a free-standing decoration of the territory or be fixed on a fence, wall of a house or building. You should choose a battery-powered garland that is protected from moisture.

Teapot with garlands Watering can instead of a teapot

Stream flowerbed

The idea of the stream is very simple – the flowers should imitate the flow of water. In order to create such spectacular decorations for the garden with your own hands, you will only need a container with a wide neck: an “inverted” ceramic jug, a barrel, a milk can.

The ideal background will be green grass or colored wood chips. When choosing plantings for the composition, you should give preference to unpretentious and bright specimens that bloom throughout the summer. Forget-me-nots, alyssum, lobelia, marigolds, ageratum, petunias are suitable.

Even damaged jugs and pots can be used for the stream. To form a flower bed, part of the soil must be poured into a container, having previously made drainage holes.

Flower and jug decorations Barrel flower bed

Fairy house

Another fairy-tale element that will be the highlight of any garden and will especially delight children. To create it, you will need a thick tree trunk or a large stump, as well as materials at hand, with which you can imitate a door, windows and other small things. You will need popsicle sticks, moss, stones, wooden blocks, cold porcelain and paint.

A tree house A fairy house porch

Wheel decor

Old wooden wheels look surprisingly harmonious in the garden, so if you have this artifact lying around in your attic or shed, don’t rush to throw it away. throw away.

You can make an original garden chandelier from a wheel by hanging it on a tree, use it in a flower arrangement or add it to a bench. The easiest way to decorate a summer house with a wheel is to lean it against a fence and plant climbing plants nearby. The product will serve as a decorative lattice for bindweed.

Wheel chandelier Wheel with flowers Composition with wheels

In the photo flower bed formed with the help of an old wooden cart.

Birdhouse

Birdhouses are considered traditional garden decor, and if desired, they can serve as a real refuge for starlings. The design is easy to make with your own hands according to the drawing – you will not need many tools and materials. The birdhouse is fixed to a tree, fence or special support-pedestal, decorated with paint or climbing plants.

Decorative birdhouse Birdhouses in the garden

Flowerbed from old furniture

To decorate the garden with your own hands, it is not necessary to look for rare and expensive materials. Today, it is popular to use furniture that cannot be restored as garden decor. A cabinet or chair placed on the site and painted in a bright color will become an unusual detail of a cozy garden, and flowers will add decorativeness to them.

Ampelous plants are usually planted in open chest of drawers, and a flowerpot is added to a chair without a seat. In addition to standard compact furniture, you can use a piano, a bed, a typewriter, and even a bathtub. All that is required is to apply a protective compound to the product and plant unpretentious flowers.

Flowerbed from a chest of drawers Flowerbed from a chair

Plastic bottle flowerpots

If you have a small plot of land, you should use its area ergonomically: for example, use vertical gardening. Plastic bottles can be used as planters for table greens or hanging plants, which will grow over time and hide the recognizable containers.

Bottles can be hung horizontally or vertically, covered with acrylic paint, or used to decorate an unsightly fence in the garden.

Vases from bottles Hanging planters from bottles Flowerbed on a fence made of bottles

The photo shows one way to decorate a low fence using a slat and cut bottles.

Decor from concrete

Inexpensive concrete is a wonderful material that is often found in landscape design. It is used to make garden paths, sculptures, and is also used as a basis for creating various figurines – from simple decorations with uncomplicated details to elegant fountains. You can work with concrete yourself.

Dragonfly made of concrete Fountain made of concrete leaves

Stairs with flowers

A simple building element can be an unusual decoration for your favorite garden if you lean it against the wall of a house or a tree and decorate it with plants. An old stepladder will also do – it’s easier to place a flowerpot on its steps without worrying about fixing it.

Vertical compositions are a win-win option for compact areas. In the off-season, such a structure can be easily removed under the roof.

Staircase near the house Stepladder with flowers in the garden

Birdbath

If you love birds, create conditions in your garden that they will want to return to. To set it up, you will need a pedestal, which you can build yourself from stones or bricks, and a flat container filled with water.

Birds not only bathe in them, but also quench their thirst, so on a hot summer day they will be especially grateful to the owners of such a useful structure.

Bathing from a dish Drinking bowls from lids

Dry stream

Not having the opportunity to arrange a real pond on their site, many summer residents use gravel or pebbles, forming winding “streams”, complementing them with a bridge and plants along the banks.

Unlike a natural pond, such garden decor is safe for children and does not attract mosquitoes. A dry stream does not require large investments of money and effort. It visually increases the area of the site and hides the imperfections of the relief.

Stream of stones

The photo shows a successful combination of a dry stream of pebbles with an alpine garden made of large natural stones.

Dry stream with a bridge Stream of pebbles

Car Flowerpot

Your children’s car has already served its purpose, but it’s a pity to throw it away? You can immortalize the toy by turning it into an unusual container for flowers. You should plant unpretentious plants in the back of the car that do not require much space for the root system. An old plastic truck (too bright for the landscape) can be painted in more natural colors or coated with enamel to look like metal.

Toy car in the garden Children's car-planter

Pergola

Such a large-scale decoration for the garden at first glance seems difficult to create with your own hands, but with due diligence, even a beginner can handle this construction. The main thing is to calculate the amount of material and strictly follow the drawing from a trusted source. A pergola is visually lighter and simpler than a gazebo, it copes well with zoning and creates shade.

The structure can be decorated with climbing plants and textiles, a recreation area can be arranged inside, putting garden furniture, hanging a hammock or swing. There are many ideas – their implementation depends only on your imagination.

Pergola with a hammock

The photo shows a structure in the style of a “tropical oasis”. Fine gravel is used as a covering.

A cozy place to relax in the evening Pergola-patio

Bicycle

You can make a dynamic accent for your garden plot from an old bicycle. First, you need to cover it with spray paint – this will allow you to apply it from all sides. Baskets, vases and flower pots of different sizes are usually used as flowerpots on the luggage rack and handlebars. The bicycle can be leaned against a tree or fixed to the wall.

Bicycle-flowerpot on the wall Bicycle in flowers