Lakeside farm on a slope with spectacular views – it’s like a fairy tale! But we all know that behind every fairy tale lies a lot of work and many challenges. In the first LRT show of the new season «This is my gardenLandscape architect Vilma Vebeliūnienė talks about the decisions made on this land so that you too can find ideas for yourselves.
How the beautiful lake view was «used», why the pine trees withered, what grows in the arid soil – read on and you will also find a list of the plants.
Layout of the land
The first work carried out on this terrain was to level the «hump» of the slope with a bulldozer. The landscape architect says the hill blocked the beautiful view of the lake and the overall view didn’t look as attractive as the lot with a much more subtle slope appears now.
A winding path is created
Creating the route for the descent from the slope, it was decided to make it not straight, but slightly tortuous. This was decided for several reasons.
The first reason is practical: the winding path helps you not feel the steepness of the slope while walking, which makes walking more comfortable.
However, the aesthetic side is also very important. This farm is a place of rest and peace for the owners, which is why the path is winding, so that the fabulous beauty of the land and the lake beyond gradually reveals itself as you walk along it and take your time.
New recreational areas have been created
Vilma shares another tip: When you have a lot of space on the ground, you can choose several spots from which the view looks most beautiful and interesting and open up that view.
The landscape architect looked for these places together with the owners of the farm so that they could enjoy the beauty of their land not only from a terrace. At the same time, the owners’ needs were also discussed: how much time they intend to spend on the farm and what their hobbies are.
Finally, two new pitches have been created which offer breathtaking views:
On the first site, halfway between the house and the lake, there is a seating area surrounded by fragrant plants. This place offers a beautiful view of the lake, and from a new perspective the plot itself looks different than when viewed from the terrace of the house.
Meanwhile, another site with a fire pit is specially designed in the shade to shelter from the sun on a hot summer day. Herbaceous plants that give a sense of lightness, such as Stipa capillata, are also grown on this site.
Vilma reveals that on this site they were specifically searched for places where it is good to be at different times of the day: for example, on one site you can enjoy the morning sun, and on the other you can escape from the midday heat.
It is better to «feel» these places yourself, because neither you nor the designer will be able to see on paper where you feel best at different times of the day or where the best views open up to you.
Pine trees were planted to strengthen the slope
It was difficult to see the view of the lake not only because of the pre-existing «hump», but also because of the wild pines that had sprouted. Pines are excellent for reinforcing the slope, especially where there is sand, but it was decided to fix the situation so that the existing pines do not obscure the entire view. Therefore, some self-driving cars have been removed and replaced by others where necessary.
For this purpose, the landscape architect chose mountain pines which, even when they have grown, remain relatively low and fit beautifully into the environment.
However, the first pine trees planted here did not please the owners and they had to be replanted. Vilma explains that this probably happened for several reasons:
- The first bare root pines have already been brought back from the nursery. The roots were soaked in a special liquid before planting, but after soaking they were left to dry, and the pines were planted late.
- Another mistake may have been filling the root neck with soil. Pines should be planted so that the root neck protrudes slightly above the ground.
Instead, new pine trees have now been planted, which today are still very small. They will grow soon, but will not be tall yet: ‘Pumilio’ mountain pines have been chosen.
The trick of perspective is framing
An arch was also built on the terrace overlooking the lake, which appeared here for a reason. Looking into the distance through the arch, the view looks like a framed picture.
According to Vilma, the arch appeared in this place so that a person would stop, look around and admire the entire wonderful landscape that opens up here. In addition, such an arch resembles an open door or window, which immediately encourages you to look around and at the same time explore new places created on the farm.
If you also have a rink with a nice view on your property, create something similar – you won’t regret it.
Lakeside Farm: A Complete List of Plants
The soil of this plot is sandy, so when choosing plants it was necessary to evaluate which of them tolerates sterile soils well and feels great when not watered.
Here are the plants that ended up being planted on the farm:
Coniferous plants:
- tarpine corpses (Juniperus × pfitzerryan) ‘Mint Juple’,
- maritime juniper (Juniperus conferta),
- mountain pine (Pinus mugo and Pinus mugo var. pumilio),
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris);
Deciduous woody plants:
- ‘Betiles of the Betula ‘Doorenbo’,
- Baltoji sedula (Cornus alba) ‘Elegantissima’,
- Carpinus betulus (Carpinus betulus),
- vine (Vitis vinifera) ‘Palanga’;
Perennial flowering plants:
- Aster cordifolius ‘Little Carlow’,
- apskritalapė etjonema (Aethionema rotundifolium),
- red coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Raspberry Truffle’,
- The Benseno Fuseeno × Fassenii × ‘Juni Walker’,
- Cameras (Eupatorium Doubt) ‘Baby Joe’,
- rugtis (Persicaria polymorpha),
- virgininis veronikūnas (Veronicastrum virginicum) ‘Lavendelturm’,
- raudonžiedis viduvis (Centranthus ruber var. coccineus) ‘Rosenrot’,
- zunda (Eryngium) ‘Big Blue’,
- decorative garlic (Allium) ‘Purple Sensation’, garlic egg (Allium sphaerocephalon),
- Caucasian Star (Scabiosa caucasia) ‘Perfecta Alba’;
Bell-shaped plants:
- Capillary stipa,
- Korean crab (Calamagrostis brachytricha),
- calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’,
- blue mulberry (Molinia caerulea) ‘Edith Dudszus’ and ‘Moorflamme’, cane mulberry (Molinia arundinacea) ‘Karl Förster’,
- Kinis miskantas (Miscanthus sinensis) ‘Bogenlampe’ or ‘Ferner Osten’,
- Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Goldstrich’ and ‘Hameln’,
- palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis),
- (Achnatherum calamagrostis) ‘Algäu’,
- Tufted broom (Deschampsia cespitosa) ‘Goldtau’ – creates a great effect in the flower garden near the house.
Medicinal plants and others:
- mountain mint (Pycnanthemum pilosum) ‘Bee Friend’,
- true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) ‘Hidcote Blue’,
- oregano (Origanum vulgare) ‘Compactum’ and ‘Kulturform’,
- sage (Salvia nemorosa) ‘Caradonna’.
In short
Here is the whole lakeside farm in Druskininkai – with slope, lake view and other nuances. We thank the hosts Dovila and Kęstučius Kuktis for the hospitality, the landscape architect Vilma Vebeliūniena for the explanation and the list of plants. Well, I invite you to watch the complete recording of the show «Čia mano sodas». LRT mediatekoje.
Related courses:
«Farm landscaping«: renovate the farm according to your needs: in the course you will design the territory of the plot and learn to choose plants. The farm should be comfortable and pleasant, not tiring. Create one yourself.
Read also:
«Idea for a farm: how to set up a beach yourself” – a specific example from Kaunas district
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