Plants for a dry stream. How to make a dry stream in the country with your own hands (60 photos)

A stream flows, a stream runs ... It turns out that there are also dry streams that do not run anywhere, but perfectly adorn any territory. Trying to transform an ordinary personal plot, landscape designers regularly experiment with materials. The result of one of these experiments was a dry stream. This is a real work of art, in which there is not a drop of water. The main material is stones that successfully imitate the stream bed. Despite its "piquancy" and originality, building a dry stream with your own hands is not difficult at all. In addition, the implementation of this idea is unlikely to require significant material investments from you.

The history of the origin of the dry stream

There is nothing surprising in the fact that for the first time this original design element began to be used in Japan. Water for the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun has always been associated with lightness and purity, the murmur reminded that life is fleeting and never stands still. If you manage to visit this mysterious eastern country, pay attention to . Dry streams are found here and there. They perfectly imitate the water element. One gets the impression that the water in the garden dried up yesterday, and today the raindrops will fill it with saving moisture.

TOP 5 reasons to choose a dry stream instead of a water one

Simplicity. Dry streams are created with their own hands without any serious efforts and significant financial investments.
Fast erection. Indeed, in order to choose a place, mark the bed of the stream and fill it with the necessary pebbles, it will take no more than 2-3 days.
Easy care. All that is required of you is to remove weeds in a timely manner and maintain the shape of the channel. With a real source, everything is much more complicated, starting from cleaning the stream from algae and ending with the removal of sediments.
Registration. Indeed, almost any plants can be planted near a dry stream, while a traditional reservoir requires moisture-loving representatives of the fauna.
Security. If you have small children in your family, don't worry. There are no mosquitoes near the artificial stream, the child will not get his feet wet and will not fall.

And the bed of a dry stream does not require the purchase of terribly expensive compressors, purification systems and water supply. Now you understand all the benefits of using a dry pond?

Manufacturing process. The choice of design and preparation of stones

With the help of this element of landscape design, you can not only, but also hide visible imperfections in the relief. Due to its shape, the streamlet expands the space, makes small garden more spacious. The arrangement of a dry stream is a very simple and exciting activity. It allows you to realize almost any ideas related to the creation of a truly original jewelry.

Your own stream of small pebbles is “drawn” based on the obvious features of the landscape. If you mark the contour with sand, this will allow you to form a structure and estimate how well it will combine with existing elements. And this form is easily adjusted. Want to make a change? No problem! Just "write" the contours with a line and choose the option that is best for you. Prepare the pebbles various shapes and size. After that, you can safely move on to more detailed work with material.

Large cobblestones are considered an ideal decoration option, although small pebbles are also suitable. By combining pebbles of various sizes, textures and colors, you can create truly spectacular compositions. In the future, they will become a really striking addition to any type of design. Little secret: Use slate, basalt, and gneiss to make a dry stream in your garden bluish gray. To give the pond a red-brown hue, use materials such as marble, granite and ordinary limestone.

You can give the stream a special effect with the help of waterproof paint. Apply it to the stones - and they will glow in the dark. Pebbles covered with a layer of varnish look no less original. In the bright rays of the sun, she begins to play with delightful tints.

Do you want a dry stream in the country with your own hands to be in complete harmony with the natural landscape? In this case, use the types of stones characteristic of your region. To create an amazing flowing effect, use flat-shaped pebbles. As for the coastline, it is best to decorate it with heavier stones. For creating artificial waterfall light elements are suitable.

How to lay stones along the finished contour?

So, the contour has been ready for a long time, the place has been chosen, the materials for creating the composition are lying and waiting in the wings. And it has come - we are starting to build! Where you marked the contour with sand, you need to dig the so-called "trough" to a depth of 15 to 25-30 centimeters. The resulting "pit" is leveled with a rake. Of course, you want to see as few weeds as possible on your site. Such a desire is quite understandable and understandable, because they can spoil appearance stream.

The solution to the problem is very simple. Enough to cover the bottom nonwoven fabric which allows air and moisture to pass through. For example, lutrasil, geotextiles. If there is no such material at hand, use a polymer film or, in extreme cases, pour concrete. The surface became even and protected from weeds. Excellent - now it can be decorated with special stones.

When you calculate the depth of the channel, the guideline for you should be its width. A ratio of 2 to 1 is considered ideal. For example, if your stream is 2 meters wide, a depth of 1 meter would be optimal.

Start laying the reservoir with the arrangement of the "shore". Using cobblestones and rubble, prop up the inner edges. Available naked allows you to lay crevices. The bed of the reservoir itself is recommended to be covered with small pebbles.

A dry stream will fit well into the composition

How to neatly arrange a stone pond?

It is difficult to imagine a truly perfect dry-type stream without beautiful plants. With their help, you can achieve maximum realism of the site, which becomes like a real body of water.

So, let's get down to choosing plants. You can decorate the "shores" with absolutely any beautiful flowering plants. By the way, bushes are also welcome. The main and, perhaps, the key requirement is absolute harmony. Do not forget about other important things. The selected plants care about how well the site will be illuminated, what kind of soil is used, whether the temperature and humidity conditions are observed.

Keep in mind that people associate with water plants that have long leaves, differ in blue and green hues.

Plants that bloom in a bright blue tint will help to effectively decorate a stone stream. The choice of such representatives of the flora is really huge: lobelia and obrietta, blue fescue, iris, bruner with large leaves, creeping tenacious.

Chinese reed and pampas grass, hosta, plantain sedge, sunflower, etc. will help to complement the existing composition. When creating a dry stream, do not hesitate to experiment. Use as many quality elements as possible.

A small wooden bridge will look especially impressive.

For those who have long dreamed of a fairly large and voluminous stream, plantings can be advised. coniferous trees. Feel free to plant dwarf junipers, mountain pines, firs and spruces on the shore. This type plants feel comfortable on sandy or light loamy soil.

But low deciduous shrubs should be chosen with extreme caution. Otherwise, in the fall you will find a big "surprise" from the almost daily cleaning of the territory from leaves. They will regularly get stuck between rocks. Otherwise, you will have to immediately purchase some kind of garden vacuum cleaner. It is better to replace them with cotoneaster, which can delight you with bright colors almost all year round.

How useful is a dry stream in landscape design?

We figured out which plants for a dry stream are worth buying and why it is better than a traditional reservoir. You also know how to make a dry stream without the help of specialists. At the end of this publication, you will learn about all the real benefits that open up to the owner of the site after the construction of a stone pond:

The main function is decorative. Our dry stream copes with it perfectly!
A dry stream provides a quick and efficient runoff of water after rain.
Since some of the moisture is still retained under the stones, the need for plants growing nearby disappears by itself.
Creates clear boundaries between landscape zones.
Significantly reduces soil erosion.
Expands the area of the garden. Even the smallest area becomes wider if it has a reservoir of stones.

A dry stream will perfectly delineate your design

Instead of output

Any landscape designer will tell you one simple truth. When arranging the site, never be afraid to experiment, especially if we are talking about completely new, innovative ways of working. Some 10-20 years ago, few people heard about dry streams, and today they are being actively built not only in Japan, but also in most European countries. The advantages of a stone pond are obvious - they have already been discussed above. With skillful design, an amazing effect of a dried up river is created, which pleasantly pleases the eye and looks equally good at any time of the year.

How to make a dry stream on the site

It is impossible to get drunk from a dried up stream and launch a boat on its waves. Dry stream is exceptional decorative element landscape design and an excellent illustration of how the fashionable philosophical ideas of the East take root in the Russian country house.

We will talk about decorative imitation a dry stream with small pebbles, sand and plants planted on a rocky shore.

Dry stream design: who needs it?

The Japanese create their gardens for the purpose of contemplation and solitude. Everything from flowers to stone in the oriental garden does not excite, but calms and pacifies. We, unfortunately, are still far from the inhabitants of the East with their understanding of nature. Maybe because we are used to seeing in nature native land source of inspiration and vitality? It is clear that it is completely incorrect to compare the garden of a truly Russian person with a Japanese one. But many of the ideas came to our summer residents to their liking. Take at least a dry stream. It would seem that it is so easy to make it with your own hands: pick up a place, mark the channel, fill it with rubble or rounded pebbles, and plant beautiful flowers along the banks.

Yes and no. Of course, the creation of a dry stream is not as costly as, for example, the construction of a natural reservoir. But without competent planning and creative inspiration, the maximum effect of the similarity of a stream of pebbles with a real raging watercourse is not possible.

Let's start with the simplest dry stream scheme. It will surely appeal to those who live with the dream of beautiful garden but too lazy to do anything about it.

How to make a dry stream - step by step instructions

Scheme of the device of a winding dry stream for the laziest

The material was prepared for the site www.site

Place for a dry stream

Take a close look country cottage area. Look for any obvious imperfections in the terrain. Here we will veil them with the help of a winding bed of a rocky stream. A “dried” water stream will visually deepen the space, mask the flaws of a small area, visually make it larger and delimit it into functional zones.

dry stream plan

Your first step in creating an original decoration should be drawing the outline of the future stream. We will draw the borders not with a pencil, but with ordinary sand. To do this, lay a string on the ground, imitating the natural bends of the stream (the more irregular and unexpected the turns are, the more natural the water flow on the site will look). The source of the stream is best located on a small hill.

Dry stream depth

When calculating the depth of the channel, you need to focus on its width. The ideal ratio is 2:1. Those. if the width of your stream is one and a half meters, then its depth is 0.75 cm (a dry stream, the photo and diagram of which is presented below, is not more than a meter wide, respectively, the depth of the channel varies between 30-40 cm.

"Dig!" No, this is not a phrase from Galygin's miniature, but a gentle call to action. So, when the plan is outlined, you can proceed to digging work.

When removing the top layer of sod, it is important to make the walls of the trench at an angle of 45 degrees.

Then the channel must be cleaned of weeds, carefully removing their roots, and the soil should be well compacted along inclined and horizontal planes.

Let's leave a waterproof concrete base for a real stream with living water, and our decorative moat for the lazy will be lined with a dense (any!) covering material. Suitable and construction (polymer) film, and permeable lutrasil, and even roofing material.

The bottom of the dry riverbed

The laying of the bottom begins with the bottom of the channel, which must be covered with a layer of crushed stone or expanded clay (5 cm) and sprinkled with sand. And only then start laying the stream with stones different sizes and forms.

Dry stream stones

In our scheme (her photo can be seen below), we propose to use large cobblestones, medium and small pebbles of a gray-blue hue. Suitable basalt (rock of volcanic origin), slate (characterized by excellent texture and color) or gneiss (metamorphic, coarse shale rock). Stones in an artificial stream can be opened with a layer of varnish, making them “wet” or painted with waterproof paint in blue, azure or blue, shimmering in the dark.

Stone laying

The place from which the water "flows" should look like a rock. Choose the largest stones and build a mound (places where the stones do not fit with each other need to be filled with small gravel).

Form the effect of a mountain stream from flat pebble stones. Lay more convex stones around the edges.

Equip the coastline with the remaining large boulders (it will look more natural if one coast turns out to be steeper, “rocky”, and the other is gentle). Those. concentrate all the large stones on one side of the dry stream, and decorate the other side with smaller rough stones.

Scatter small pebbles on the "shallow water".

Create a "stormy rapid current" with the help of flat pebbles laid on the edge.

In the middle of the "water" channel, you can put a hewn boulder, and create the illusion of a "whirlpool" with pebbles around it.

The crevices of the stream can be laid with medium and large pebbles.

With the help of stones of a darker color, we create a feeling of depth in the stream, light pebbles, glass or plastic granules - water waves.

Stones in a dry stream must be laid out so that no one has any doubts - they lie here all their stone life.

Are you afraid that the stones will be washed away by a strong stream of rainwater? Then, in small portions, fill the crushed stone sole with a cement-sand mortar and “sink” the stones directly into it.

A bridge made of a solid natural block is the most suitable option for a dry stream in the country. Do you want a more functional means of crossing? Take an ordinary log or make a wooden bridge with your own hands. Or even better - arrange a real ford through the seething mountain stream, spreading suitable stones on the surface of the stream.

Plants for the coastal zone. The main thing here is not to overdo it with decorating the banks, otherwise the dried-up drain will turn into a flower bed. When selecting shrubs, cereals and flowers, it is important to take into account the composition of the soil on the site, its illumination, heat and humidity conditions.

Do-it-yourself dry stream - choose plants

Natural blooming carpet along the edges of a dry stream can be obtained using ground cover and herbaceous plants. Among the beautifully flowering, it is best to choose species with juicy blue, purple and blue shades of flowers. Will not leave the stream faceless and in early spring, and in late summer, such perennials as portenschlag bell, large-leaved brunner (forget-me-not), styloid phlox, creeping tenacious, shaving delovidny, lobelia, muscari, thick-leaved bergenia, bryozoan, primula, blue astilbe, catchment area, periwinkle, silver lily of the valley, geyhera, iris Siberian, etc.

When decorating a dry stream of stones and flowers, it is impossible to do without daylilies, cereal grasses, bamboos and reeds. Juicy, long-narrow leaves of these plants create an optical illusion of wild thickets on the banks of natural reservoirs. The most popular include: miscanthus, blue fescue, cortaderia, sedge, hosta, calamus, hosta.

If you plan to break a large, voluminous coniferous stream, then feel free to plant dwarf species of junipers, mountain pines, spruces and fir trees on the rocky shore - these plants for a dry stream grow well on loamy or light sandy soil.

Low deciduous shrubs must be chosen with great care. Otherwise, in the fall, without unbending, you will remove the fallen leaves that will get stuck between the stones. Have you already purchased a garden vacuum cleaner for this purpose? Well then, be sure to plant cotoneaster and barberry next to the stream - these plants will surprise you with bright colors all four seasons in a row.

Annual bulbs will become a special decoration of dry streams: lilies, ornamental bows, daffodils, tulips and hyacinths.

Dry stream scheme

"Bamboo-leaf" bluish-green color
Variegated "Iris bearded"
Air-tender "lobelia"
The real decoration of the garden - "creeping tenacious"
Unpretentious "Poskharsky bell"
Bright carpet from "shaving hybrids"
"Brunera large-leaved" with variegated broad-hearted leaves
Evergreen "bryozoan awl-leaved"
Red-leaved "tenacious creeping"
Dense thickets of "arundo reed"

Dry stream in landscape design

Creating a dry stream with your own hands, you need to act in stages. You can not worry that in the future it will be difficult to care for a dry bed. Yes, it will have to be weeded, anthills destroyed under the stones and watered regularly. But if you do all this regularly and do not leave the stream unattended for a long time, caring for it will not cause you much trouble.

For your information. A graceful dry stream, in addition to its main decorative function, performs the following important tasks in arranging a garden:

provides direct drainage of storm water (a sort of Japanese-style garden drainage system);

retains some of the moisture under the stones, which allows the plants of a dry stream to be watered extremely rarely;

serves as a boundary between different landscape zones;

reduces soil erosion;

visually enlarges the area of the garden.

Advice. Flowers can be used instead of pebbles. But a dry stream of flowers is decorative only during flowering.

Conclusion

A skillfully designed decorative dry stream creates the feeling that it has just dried up, and until recently there was water in it. Wait a bit and maybe the creation of your hands will bring a random rain back to life?

Dry stream - photos and pictures for inspiration

What kind of decoration techniques do designers not use to transform ordinary personal plots in fabulous corners for a good rest. A dry stream is one of the most popular modern landscape design tools, in which there is not a single drop of water, but only stones imitating the bed of a dry stream. The main advantage of this "piquant" design element is that when deciding to create a dry stream with your own hands on a garden plot, the implementation of the idea does not require significant material costs.

The widely used decoration element originates from sunny Japan. In the land of the rising sun, the element of water is associated with purity and a thirst for life, and murmur is a symbol of the transience of time. Dry streams, which are very popular in Japanese gardens, are necessarily present in areas where water for any reason cannot be used as an element of landscape design. A dry stream in the garden, as an imitation of this element, allows you to create the impression that the water in the channel of the source has just dried up, and the first drops of rain will fill it with life-giving moisture again.

The ability to create a dry stream with your own hands, without applying special efforts and significant financial costs.
The speed of erection: it takes only two to three days to choose a place, designate the channel of the stream and fill it with stones.
Ease of care, which is limited only to maintaining the shape of the channel and removing weeds. While caring for a water stream involves timely cleaning of lime deposits and algae.
The design of a dry stream by plants is not limited to anything. While for planting near a natural reservoir, the choice is limited only to moisture-loving flowers and plants.
Safe for small children. In addition, in dry streams, unlike natural reservoirs, there are no mosquitoes that cause so much inconvenience for a good rest.

The dry stream bed does not require the purchase of expensive compressors, water supply and purification systems, which are necessary attribute arrangement of natural reservoirs.

The dry stream will become optimal solution for plots of any garden style

We choose the shape of the structure and prepare stones

Proper planning of the placement of the bed of a dry stream in the country will make it possible to disguise the imperfections of the terrain. A narrow meandering brook visually deepens the space, making the visually small garden somewhat larger.

The device of a dry stream is a fascinating and easy-to-perform activity that allows you to embody ideas on your site to create an original decoration that will emphasize the sophistication of landscape design.

The contours of the stone stream are "drawn" based on the features of the forms and landscape of the area garden plot. The contour drawn with sand will allow you to preliminarily determine the shape of the future structure and its harmonious combination with the existing decor elements. The shape can be easily corrected by “writing” new contours with a thin line of sand, selecting best option, which will fit perfectly into the landscape of the area. Having decided on the shape and size of the stone structure, you can proceed to the choice of the nature of the material and its quantity.

One of the secrets that reveal how to make a dry stream that mimics the flow of water is the exclusion of clear boundaries and the heterogeneity of the structure.

A dry stream looks more beautiful and natural in the area, which does not have the same width along the flow simulation

Both large cobblestones and small pebbles are suitable for decorating the stream. The combination of stones of various sizes, colors and textures allows you to create spectacular compositions that will be a bright addition to any direction of landscape design. You can get a gray-bluish brook by using slate, basalt and gneiss.

Red-brown shades acquire ponds made of granite, marble and limestone. Spectacular decoration pebbles painted with waterproof paint, which gives a slight light in the dark, can become a stream. Stones exposed with a layer of varnish look no less original. Stones playing with iridescence in the sun's rays give the compositions a "wet" effect.

The illusion of water flow can be easily obtained by supplementing the composition of stones with a scattering of glass granules or balls.

In order for the stone stream to be harmoniously combined with the natural landscape of the area, it is desirable to use local rocks in the arrangement of the structure. To create the effect of a stream, flat pebble stones are suitable, for a coastline - larger boulders. Irregularities of the terrain are successfully decorated with waterfalls made of stones of lighter shades.

Laying stones along the prepared contour

Having chosen a place and having decided on the contours of the structure and the materials of the composition, you can begin construction. A "trough" is dug along the contour marked with sand: a layer of earth 15-30 cm deep is removed. The surface of the "pit" is leveled with a rake. In order to avoid the growth of weeds that can spoil all the beauty of a dry stream, you should cover the bottom with a dark non-woven covering material that allows moisture and air to pass through, for example: geotextile or lutrasil. An alternative option may also be a thin layer of concrete or a polymer film. A leveled and covered surface can now be decorated with stones.

The main requirement for the design of a stone composition is conciseness and moderation.

Laying a stone reservoir begins with the "shores". Booth and cobblestones are used to support the inner edges, the pebble is used to fill crevices, the bed of the stone reservoir itself is covered with small pebbles.

Decoration of a stone pond with plants

Plants are an obligatory element in the design of a stone stream. A dry stream of flowers allows you to get maximum effect the similarity of a stone structure with a real reservoir.

When choosing plants for decorating the “banks” of a stone stream, you can use any shrub, ornamental and leafy flowering plants. The main requirement is flower composition should be in harmony. When selecting plants, the illumination of the site, soil composition, moisture and temperature conditions. When designing the bed of a stone stream, it is advisable to use plants that actually grow in water.

Against the background of small pebbles, plants look spectacular, the color of which is associated with the water element, for example: large-leaved forget-me-not or creeping tenacious

Water spaces are also associated with plants of blue-green hues with long leaves. Spectacular decoration of a stone stream will be plants, the flowers of which are painted in juicy shades. of blue color. Among the beauties that bloom in all sorts of shades of blue, the following are suitable for decorating a reservoir: lobelia, obrietta, blue fescue, creeping tenacious, bearded iris, large-leaved bruner.

A good addition to the composition can be Chinese reed, pampas grass, willow sunflower, hosta, daylily, plantain sedge.

When planning a stone pond on your site, you can use the following plant design option: 1 - bamboo-leaf, 2 - varieties of bearded iris, 3 - lobelia, 4 - creeping tenacious, 5 - Poskharsky bell, 6 - hybrid forms of shaving, 7 - large-leaved bruner , 8 - awl-leaved bryozoan, 9 - red-leaved creeping tenacious, 10 - reed arundo

When creating a dry stream in the country, for the harmony of the composition, it is desirable to use more natural elements. A decorative wooden bridge looks very impressive against the background of a stream.

The decoration in the form of a dry stream bed will bring a touch of romance and wildlife to a monotonous landscape. Unlike the alpine slide, which has a similar aesthetic, a dry stream in the country or near the house can also have an applied value. If you build it along the path of communications, electrical wiring or water supply, you can provide easy access, especially to the joints, if repairs are needed.

With skillful planning, you can combine decorative effect with drainage that removes excess moisture from cultivated land.

Layout features

To create a picture close to nature, you need to decide on the location and area that needs to be taken under a dry stream.

In areas with a slope, an imitation of a rocky mountain stream will look good. The smaller the area, the more compact this decorative element should look. A sinuous and sometimes expanding pattern completes the illusion.

The choice of location for the source and channel is also important. A stone brook can suddenly peep out of the thickets, and at the end of the serpentine flow into a decorative jug half buried in the ground.

For large-scale projects, a hill of boulders is built at the source, and a small decorative pond is laid out below.

On flat plots of land, the beds of decorative dry streams can be evenly lined or winding. Additional elements from plants, clay decor, artificial and road bridges will complement the design.

Nuances of construction

It is not difficult to make a dry stream with your own hands, you can give free rein to your imagination, and if the result does not justify itself, redo or reschedule finished project to another place.

AT step by step the creation of this decor is as follows:

Creating a project: choosing a place and materials, with a drawing of the trajectory and the placement of decorative accents.
Channel marking. You can use string or wooden pegs. But in order to visualize the area occupied and re-align the pattern, it is better to draw a work area with a stream of sand.
Digging a shallow (10-15 cm) canal. With a narrow channel, it is necessary to provide for the slope of the walls, which will allow you to save the pattern.
Land clearing and ramming.
Isolation of the channel with a waterproof material - construction or other polypropylene film.
Laying stones along the coast line and filling the channel with small pebbles or expanded clay.
Final styling.

When laying, you can use design tricks:

flat river stones mounted on an edge or at an angle will create the effect of a fast flow;
For the illusion of a shallow, you can install a massive stone, with sand and pebbles randomly located right next to it;
The color palette of the fill can be made darker towards the middle of the channel to create a depth effect;
Glass balls and small mirror inclusions, as well as lacquered stones, will help create the effect of water.

When choosing materials, it is necessary to insure against possible injuries, to refuse cutting and sharp materials, or to place them out of reach of people. In the case of work on an inclined plane, the risk of collapse must be excluded.

Design ideas and styles

In order to get the effect as close as possible to the natural one, it is necessary not only to take into account the features of the site, but also to make additional seating. characteristic plants. This most difficult project to implement must be thought out to the smallest detail, only untreated natural material should be used for masonry.

To maintain the illusion, regular maintenance and adjustment of the overall picture may be necessary. This approach is more expedient to apply in the case when the features of the relief are as close as possible to the possibilities of imitation.

Semi-stylized options are used most often. At the same time, the wild beauty of stones can be shaded stylish decor, creating the impression of well-groomed and allowing to individualize the project.

When laying, you can use blotches of painted stone, glass, shells. Sandboxes, bridges, flower beds located along the trajectory will help to enter new element into the general landscape.

Dry streams can complement artificial reservoirs, alpine slides and gazebos, becoming a tool for zoning the territory. The examples of dry stream design projects shown in the photo show the variety of possible options.

Purely decorative designs are usually used to create children's fairy tales, with figurines of characters and blue pebbles that replace the water in the stream.

Another option is a geometrically outlined masonry created in a minimalist style from stones of the same size.

Photo of a dry stream

AT landscape design now there are many various elements, with the help of which decorate suburban areas. Designers create new and more interesting projects for laconic decoration adjoining territory. One such option is to create a so-called dry stream. Such a stream can be created in the shortest possible time, unlike a full-fledged reservoir, and it looks incredibly beautiful and organic in any landscape.

Characteristics and origin

Commonly used in landscape design are various types reservoirs, but not every site can perform such a design. In addition, the creation and operation of water facilities in a suburban area is always associated with additional financial and time costs, for example, for purification, construction of a water supply system and other components. For those who do not see the point in additional costs and holding long work on the site, designers offer dry ponds.

Dry stream has become very popular in landscape design, especially in those areas that are made in the style rocky garden which came to us from Japan. In the Land of the Rising Sun, gardens were decorated with dry beds 700 years ago.

In Eastern beliefs, it is believed that such an imitation of a source attracts positive energy to the owner of the home and affects life. in the best way and also contributes to the achievement of harmony and well-being.

In fact, a dry stream is an imitation of a dried-up stream, the bottom of which is lined with stones, sand, gravel and other materials. Ornamental plants are planted along its banks.

The advantages of such a decorative dry element on the site in front of a real reservoir are:

No need for constant care.
Minimum financial costs for creation.
Possibility of fast installation.
Attractive appearance regardless of the season.
Lack of attraction to harmful insects.
The ability to hide landscape defects.
Performing the function of a drainage ditch.
The ability to mask communications on the site, for example, sewer manholes, pipes, cables, and more.
No restrictions in the choice of plants for planting.
Complete security.

A dry stream is able to visually enlarge the site, divide it into functional zones, and also enhance the impression of other significant landscape objects.

Dry stream options

It is conditionally possible to divide dry-type flows into several types:

In fact, there are many different sub-types of dry streams that differ both in appearance and in the stages of creation. We will consider the most popular ones that are used by landscape designers to decorate plots.

source of the stream

Such a dry stream has a specially designed source in its composition. It can be an overturned bowl or jug, a rock or a well. Such an imitation looks spectacular due to its naturalness.

sand jets

It will take a lot of time and effort to design such a dry stream. The common dry stream consists of several thin jets that are connected together. Throughout the channel, this effect is maintained. As a rule, these jets have different shades, or are made of materials that are contrasting, but combined with each other.

Important! Simulated waves, which are easy to create with a rake, can bring originality to this element of the landscape.

Merging sleeves

This composition is complex and requires additional design before creation. With proper execution, such a dry stream will look impressive and natural. In appearance, it resembles a dry stream, where several more flow into. In the same way, several sleeves are formed at once, which merge together in a certain place.

In order to landscape element with the effect of a dried-up stream turned out to be concise and harmoniously fit into general design when creating it, you must adhere to the following tips:

Caring for a dry stream is simple, the process consists mainly in loosening the soil around the plants and fertilizing them. In the summer months, stones and the plants themselves are recommended to be watered. As necessary, the channel is cleared of moss, debris, fallen leaves in order to maintain its original appearance. If weeds break through the stones, they should be removed in time to avoid overgrowing the composition. At the same time, you can not remove wild flowers, for example, chamomile. They will become an additional decoration of a dry stream. If those plants that are prone to freezing are planted near it, they should be prepared in advance for wintering.

Self-assembly

There is nothing difficult in doing a dry stream on a site with your own hands, unless, of course, you take the matter very carefully and allocate enough time.

Training

Before proceeding to the formation of a composition of a dry stream, it is necessary to determine its size, shape, color and materials.

The first 2 indicators are chosen based on the area of \u200b\u200bthe site. For example, if the territory is narrow and long, then an imitation of a dried-up lake will look better on the site. It is best to decorate a short and wide area with a winding stream, which will visually lengthen the territory. At the same time, for correct perception, the width of the stream should not be more than 1 meter and less than 30 cm.

A place for laying a stream is also an important component that you should pay close attention to. In general, you can arrange such a landscape decor anywhere, whether it is the area in front of the house, in the garden or in the backyard. In this case, the source is placed both on a hill and on a plain. If desired, you can make such a dry stream, which, when divided, will zone the site. Perfectly the object will fit into the territory along the path.

The most commonly used materials to create a dry creek are pebbles and gravel. You can buy them at construction market. If the project so requires, the material can be painted with water-repellent paint of any color to fit into the quality general style site. So, small blue pebbles will resemble a real reservoir from afar.

If the budget is not strictly limited, then it is quite possible to use basalt and slate for decoration in gray-blue tones. If you dilute the finished channel with interspersed with glass beads, then when exposed to sunlight, the stream will sparkle interestingly with colors.

If it is planned to move away from the classical understanding of the stream and create a red-brown stream, they take granite, marble or limestone for decoration.

To create accents, it is precisely large stones that are used, between which pebbles are placed.

After it is decided where the stream will be located and how it will look, it will be useful to capture it on paper in the form of a sketch so that in the future you will not go astray and complete the landscape object in accordance with the creative plan.

Stone laying

Installation of a dry stream begins with marking and surface preparation. So, the boundaries of the future stream are outlined with sand or highlighted with a rope. These contours are used to dig a trench with a depth of about 15 - 30 cm along them. They do not make it too deep.

The bottom of the trench is qualitatively leveled and compacted. Geotextile is laid on top - a material that will prevent the growth of plants and the deepening of the trench after the creation of a dry stream.

Next, you can already proceed to the direct laying of stones. It begins with the design of the banks with large cobblestones. In the crevices, smaller stones are placed in a chaotic manner. After the shores, the stream itself is created in the way that fantasy requires.

If necessary, a dry stream is decorated with stones painted in different colors. You can even arrange a backlight so that at night the stream plays with colors and gives the site a touch of romance and mystery.

Important! Stones are laid only in the most natural order, so that no one even has the thought that the stream was created artificially.

flower stream

Not only stones can create a stream. Plants are often used for decoration. This semblance of a stream looks incredibly luxurious on the site. As a rule, ground cover and ampelous representatives of the flora are used as the basis. Great fit pansies, buttercups, phlox and lobelia.

Important! Such a stream will have a decorative appearance only during the flowering period of the plants that form it.

Plant selection

Both flowery and dry rock streams need flowers to support the arrangement and complete it. It is important to choose plant varieties that will be optimal for this function.

Meadowsweet, bathing suits, irises and loosestrife are especially effective when planted along the edges of the stream. Places where the stream takes a different shape are decorated with decorative onions or small bushes planted singly.

In places where the shade falls, there is a place for shade-tolerant plants, such as ferns and hostas.

Important! For a dry stream, those plants that are usually used for decoration are excellent. alpine slides Location on.

Flowers and herbs are usually planted in small groups to avoid heavy density that will obscure the outward beauty of a dry stream. Large spreading flowers should be combined with ground cover to avoid the effect of neglected plantings.

Conclusion

A dry stream is a great alternative to a full-fledged reservoir. There are a huge number of options for decorating it on the site. You can even make a completely new and previously unknown type of such landscape decoration, just a little imagination and desire is enough.