What is geoplasticity in landscape? Geoplastics in landscape architecture. Where the curve will lead

Geoplastics is a science that allows you to change inclined surfaces on the relief. If there are embankments, mountains, craters, stairs on your site, then all objects may be subject to changes in geoplasticity.

The main directions in geoplastics are the construction of dams, embankments, as well as the creation of terraces using retaining walls. In order for the result to meet expectations, it is necessary:

Initially, you need to immediately understand what exactly will happen on the garden plot in order to carry out work on it. This is an artificial transformation of the area, so it will require a lot of effort on the part of the gardener. It is worth remembering that not all ideas can be brought to life, so in your choice you need to act in accordance with the planting rules.

Professional designers note a number of advantages that distinguish garden plots when using geoplastics:

Using this style, there is a unique opportunity to create a beautiful and original look in the territory of a dacha or garden plot. Following the style, you can even make an alpine slide, which, it would seem, cannot appear here;
When creating a main place on a hill, you can install a gazebo on it;
On the territory of the site you can hide all the shortcomings that may exist on it. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the fact that with the help of artificially created hills, you can hide outbuildings that are located on each plot of the dacha;
The minimum cost of investment in creating geoplastics is also noted.

Please note that when creating a site according to the rules of geoplasticity, difficulties may arise that require attention from the gardener. Among them, the most common are:

Speaking about the process, it is worth remembering that it can not only help make a beautiful garden plot, but can also harm nature. Therefore, before starting work, it is worth remembering that there are a number of problems that need to be paid attention to;
It is possible that there is groundwater on the site, which will interfere with proper work on it;
The soil may be loose, so it will not be possible to do what was intended;
There may be a lot of trees on a summer cottage that will not allow you to create what is intended.

A correctly created site according to the rules of geoplastics is a rather complex process. This is why you may need the help of professional designers. Our company is located in the city of Kaluga. We are ready to offer garden landscaping services, even using hard-to-reach methods. To order specialist services, you can contact us by phone number or leave a request on the website. We will create something that you will like.

Many people, when thinking about a country house, imagine a perfectly flat piece of land. It is believed that there are fewer problems with it, and it is easier to care for it. However, if a dacha is not a work front for you, but a place for rest and relaxation, you probably want to have something more than a banal rectangle of land. And if fate has not gifted you with a site with differences in elevation, it is within your power to create artificial hills yourself.

The process of artificial transformation of relief is referred to as geoplastics. Today, this direction of landscape design has gained wide popularity due to the desire of people to bring diversity and originality to the surrounding landscape. Depending on the purpose of the work, geoplastics are divided into several types:

slope terracing
construction of dams and shafts
creation of slides, labyrinths and other play structures
construction of hills and slopes

We will consider the last point in more detail.

Why are artificial hills needed?

First of all, with the help of such a design technique, you have a wonderful opportunity to hide those places on the site that are unlikely to please the eye of the observer: a not very elegant garage or barn, an old landfill or a blank concrete fence. Do you remember the small mounds that skillfully hide cellars or buildings for household tools? Previously, almost no estate could do without them. However, even now such relief elements have a right to exist. And by placing a small gazebo on the top of a hill, you will have an ideal place to relax and contemplate the surrounding landscape.

Planning

Those wishing to build an artificial hill on their site should keep in mind the size of the available land: such a relief element will be appropriate only on an area of at least 10 acres. The height of the hill should be natural, characteristic of the area. If you don’t want to give up the geoplastic hill, and only the standard six acres are available, you can arrange picturesque rock gardens and rockeries.

It is impossible to model a hill without drawing up a relief map of the site. If the surface of your site is not very flat, it is better to entrust all design work to professionals. They will draw up all the necessary working documentation, including a layout drawing, landscaping plan, and master plan. However, if you have basic knowledge in the field of landscape design, you can draw up a relief map yourself and also take all the measurements. To do this, you will need a tape measure of at least 10 m, a ruler of at least 1 m, a cord, pegs and a hydraulic level. To begin with, the site is divided into squares of 10 × 10 m with a grid with the desired accuracy of up to 5 cm. In accordance with the plan, pegs are placed on the ground at the corners of the squares (up to 30 cm above ground level). Using a hydraulic level and a meter ruler, the difference between adjacent pegs is determined with an accuracy of 1 cm. All measurements should be taken from the highest point of the site. The data obtained should be transferred to a specially kept notebook, and on their basis you can build a cross-section of the relief on your site. The information you collect will be useful not only for constructing a hill, but also when laying out a drainage system, for example. If you have an area with very complex terrain, then the grid in the work area is made more frequent: 2×2 or 5×5 m. Having decided on a relief map, you can make markings and begin transferring the model directly to the area.

What to make a hill out of?

To save money when filling a hill, you can use soil from a house pit, soil from planting holes and drainage systems. Provided that the soil is thoroughly cleaned of debris, glass and other contaminants, technical soil will also work. If there is nothing of the kind, the material will have to be imported. It is very important to remember what is not suitable for filling an artificial hill:

Humus (top fertile soil layer) - the organic matter contained in it will decompose and, accordingly, decrease in volume. And this threatens uneven soil subsidence and destruction of architectural elements.
Peat soils - they change in volume with changes in humidity.
Clay also swells at high humidity. In addition, it creates an impermeable layer, which causes water to accumulate on the surface.

To increase the height or volume of an artificial hill, try using inserts (implants). This could be shaped concrete products (well rings, for example), old car tires, a non-functioning refrigerator, or even an old car rusting near the fence. It all depends on your sense of humor and imagination.

The process of creating an artificial hill

When all design work is completed, the construction of the hill can begin. First you need to remove the top fertile layer of soil. On average, its thickness is 20-30 cm, and it is easily recognized by its darker color than subsequent layers. On sandy soils, the humus layer can be several centimeters long, so this work is not difficult. The next step will be filling the hill with infertile soil. Most often, the height of the hill does not exceed 120-140 cm. It needs to be given smooth outlines and slopes formed. It is important to remember that the slope angle should not exceed 45°. This condition can be easily met by pouring soil from the top of the embankment. The material rolls down, creating the required slope angle.

All bulk objects need time to settle, so that the earth subsides under its own weight. This usually takes about six months. If there is no time to wait, you can pour the soil in layers of 30 cm, compacting each one using a tamping machine. When natural subsidence stops appearing in the soil, you need to add more soil to level the surface and roll the soil with a lawn roller. Upon completion of this work, a layer of humus is poured onto the sites for future planting.

The slopes of artificial hills need to be secured. For this purpose, special materials used in geoplastics are used - geogrid (rolled mesh material made of polymer or synthetic threads, covered with a protective layer, with identical holes ranging in size from 2.5 to 40 mm) and geogrids (volumetric honeycomb structure made of polymer or synthetic tapes, fastened each other in a checkerboard pattern). Both materials are designed to ensure slope stability and also guarantee reliable operation of the artificial hill. Rolled lawn is perfect for quickly greening a hill.

So, the main work on creating an artificial hill on your site has been completed. All that remains is to plant the selected plants and, if desired, place a gazebo. Now the new relief will delight the eye and, perhaps, inspire new transformations.

Many of us often hear the interesting word “geoplastic”, but few people really understand what it is. We all see only a beautiful and beautiful picture of the site, which amazes with its excellent relief. Only few of us have thought about whether it is real or created artificially. We would like to reveal a little secret - many areas were made artificially. In this article we would like to talk in more detail about what it is, how to do it and why it is needed. We will also try to tell you where exactly this can be applied, what problems there may be, and what can be created in general.

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You've certainly seen the perfect lawn in a movie, on an alley, or perhaps on your neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area on their site will no doubt say that it is a huge amount of work. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, and watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think this way; professionals have long known about the innovative product - liquid lawn AquaGrazz.

What it is?

To begin with, I would like to understand what it is. Geoplastics is an artificial change in the natural relief of a piece of land. Few people immediately get that piece of land that will satisfy them in all respects and truly satisfy them. That is why many resort to a method such as geoplastics. Most often, this technique is used in landscape design and architecture, helping to create the yard of your dreams.

You must understand that you can create anything (streams, lakes, hills, depressions).

Before you create something on the site, do not forget to come up with and draw a layout. You are unlikely to cope with such a procedure on your own, but in the modern world there are many design firms that will take on the implementation of your idea.

Why is this necessary?

After you read what it is, the question arises: why? It is worth noting that geoplastics are decorative in nature. It's up to you to decide where exactly to use it. You can create it in a small area of your yard or dacha, but, on the other hand, you can create not only a garden, but also a park, a recreation area or a “green” area in the city.

Geoplastics solves several aesthetic problems. It helps improve the appearance and is created as a decorative element at the same time. Most often, only entertainment purposes are pursued.
Solves several engineering problems related to the natural conditions of the site: soil strengthening, drainage, drainage, protection from winds.

What can you create?

Since geoplastics will definitely interest you, we decided to immediately talk about what can be created:

Various hills and embankments, slides and small mountains;
Grottoes and terraces;
Artificial reservoirs;
Other.

Terracing your area will help you diversify your landscape. You can build special supporting walls that can level your site, and the created hills, on the contrary, make it more uneven. At the same time, in the grottoes created by you, you can place basements or storage areas.

You can also use streams and lakes to create a real Eden! Ponds can be created to the desired shape and depth.

What problems might arise?

Many, excited about the idea of geoplasticity of a site, forget to think that this can not only help nature, but also harm it. There are a number of problems in which geoplastics are contraindicated for landscape design, among them.

Thank you so much for writing back!
You are right, in my clumsy plan a lot of things are not at all clear (I somehow read it completely differently and drew it, knowing my ideas). I apologize - I’m just learning to draw in this program and not everything works out well and clearly for me right away.

I'll try to explain some aspects of the plan:
- ALTITUDE OF THE SITE: the highest point of the site is in the upper right corner, where I have drawn a mini pond (on the north side), the altitude is 11.75 meters above sea level. All other elevation lines - each below the 11.75m mark by 0.25 meters, t.t. - 11.5m, 11.25m, 11m and so on until the lowest line 8.5 meters above sea level (in the lower right corner plot, on the south side, near the road). The height difference in the area from north to south diagonally is 3.25 meters. The slope of the site, as I already wrote, is 5%.
- DEAD-END PATHWAYS: on the plan, dead-end paths in the backyard appeared because I want to plant a vegetable garden/flower garden there along the edges of these paths. These are like walkways between the beds/flower beds. I plan not to make a traditional vegetable garden with traditional bordered beds, but to plant vegetables/herbs/flowers (sort of like a mixed border) along the edges of these paths and passages. On the plan, the light green color of the area does not mean at all that there will be a lawn there. It is possible that the lawn will only be on the paths and also in the foreground (where there is a dark spot at the site of the drainage and septic tank reserve). I’m thinking of planting everything else (light green) with flowers and herbs. But it won’t be soon and that’s why I haven’t painted plants yet. I think that from the beginning you need to clearly decide on the site plan itself and the terraces, and which plants specifically and where to plant them - this can only be decided later, when the problem with the land has already been resolved. There is no need for a lawn in the backyard, since this function is performed by a large wooden deck (wooden terrace).
- SEPARATE BUILDING (outbuilding): this is a 2.5x5 meter structure consisting of 3 separate rooms: 1) laundry room and shower (lower part of the building), 2) separate toilet with sink (upper left corner), 3) separate room for a pump and filters for swimming pool, garden tools (upper right corner). According to our lifestyle, we spend 2/3 of our daytime outside the house, on the property. Therefore, we simply need a toilet and shower in the yard, especially next to the pool. The laundry room is located outside the house, since I don’t like to do laundry in the house and be stuck all over the house with dirty and/or wet clothes (the drying place for clothes is also in the yard, but I haven’t yet fully decided on a permanent location for it).
- STRENGTHENING THE POOL WALLS: according to the plan, our pool is partially dug into the ground, partially above the ground. To be honest, I don’t know how exactly my husband will solve the issues of strengthening the walls of the pool, I was somehow not interested in this, but I don’t think that there could be any problem here: both in-ground and above-ground pools have a place and problems with their construction and operation, as a rule, do not arise if the quality of the work performed is good.
- RAISED HOUSE: We decided to build a raised house for many reasons, the main one being the humid climate. In such a climate, there is very high humidity in houses and people try to raise houses above the ground, since no waterproofing helps protect against such moisture. This type of house is traditional and very common in this area. On the other hand, the elevation of the house to the level of the horizon of the site makes it possible to create a backyard with the least differences in heights, i.e., the most comfortable for movement. We think that we will not be able to do without adding backfill soil in the backyard and therefore the ground level will rise slightly next to the wooden terrace and it will not be so high above the ground (maybe there will be a maximum of 3-4 steps instead of 7). The third reason is saving space on the site. According to the requirements of local authorities, we cannot reduce the area of the septic tank drainage system and therefore we can build a house no closer than 10-11 meters from the front border of the site (from the road side). The elevation of the house allows you to save space by placing a rainwater collection system under the house, a septic tank and moving the lower tier (garage/workshop/parking lot) two meters deeper into the house.
- DRY STREAMS ON THE PLAN: I don’t even know... most likely I was trying to draw just a line of terraces (how I think they should be positioned, I don’t know why I drew a bridge over this “stream”, maybe because I’m thinking about some kind of grooves/streams for rainwater, but I don’t know how exactly to place them). Thank you for the link to the topic on retaining walls - a good topic. But I’m not thinking about making retaining walls (the height difference between the landscape lines is only 25 cm) - maybe it would be possible to somehow do without retaining walls or minimize their number? I don’t even know, that’s why I need advice - I just can’t figure out how to deal with this.
Look at the attached pictures - I would really like to make my terraces according to this principle for natural self-watering, and the edges of the grooves raised on a layer of organic matter - beds/flower beds for sustainable soil fertility (in Russian they are called valakanavas, in English - swales). I can’t plan this without your advice. Help, good people, please! Maybe someone has more knowledge and practice in this matter?

The presence of a land plot imposes certain obligations on the owners. Everyone strives to make the local area unique and resorts to various methods. Many people strive to level the area near their house to make it easier to grow a lawn and flowers. As a rule, human imagination is limited to the installation of artificial ponds, waterfalls and fountains. And few people think that a certain topography of a site is a way to create your own unique landscape. Who said that a smooth lawn is a model? These are relics of the past! We will talk about how to create an artificial relief, how to make it fashionable and how to care for it.

What is geoplastics?

This is an architecturally artistic change to a site, a method of creating your own style. Proper changes in topography have always been important when implementing landscape design ideas. Geoplastics combines two sides: decorative and functional.

Geoplastics works with relief, which means the composition is more voluminous. When creating such a project, all details are taken into account: the location of the house, the size of the plot, the size of the composition details. The designer has to work with vertical lines in addition to horizontal ones. It is necessary to achieve a balance between all volumes and planes, flower beds and lawns.

By changing the landscape, we can hide the shortcomings and emphasize the advantages of our territory, visually enlarge it, and place accents in the right places. You can hide a barn or garage from view, make a gazebo or other resting place more secluded. Geoplastics helps to divide an area into zones. Each of them has its own decorative and functional properties. A properly modified landscape of the site allows you to expand the boundaries of the territory, thus the human eye covers more space and creates the impression that the site is larger. In addition, when many decorative objects come into view, a person’s nerves calm down, he slowly examines each of them and is distracted from problems. This is a positive psychological feature of having a garden as such. All that remains is to properly design this garden.

If you have a very large plot, small hills are necessary to hide some parts of it from prying eyes. When using geoplastics, you need to take care of the smoothness of the forms. Each subsequent part (hill, pond, vegetation) should be a natural continuation of the previous part; there should be no artificiality visible in the area.

The presence of a slope on the site has a beneficial effect on all plants and flower beds. Thanks to the slope, the water does not stagnate, but flows away, the soil dries out and warms up faster, plants and flowers grow faster, pleasing the eye.

A favorite technique of landscape designers is to create coastal hills. First, an artificial reservoir is created; and since no designer will allow the excavated soil to remain unclaimed, coastal hills are made from it, imitating natural reliefs. Moreover, the soil is a natural material and will blend well with the surrounding composition.

What materials are used in geoplastics?

The best material is taken from anywhere priming, if it is available. You don’t need to take it anywhere, but simply fit it into the design of the site by building a small hill. Also suitable material would be sandy loam - a mixture of sand and clay particles. Clean sand is good for growing coniferous plants. But it also has a disadvantage - it dries quickly; water practically does not linger in the sand. Pure clay is also a bad choice - it does not allow air to pass through well, and water stagnates in it. Clay soil warms up very slowly, and this inhibits the growth and development of plants. Therefore, if your sandy loam has an incorrect ratio between sand and clay, then you will have to transport one or another material. But if you are lucky with the proportions, this will immediately affect the growth of the plants. Sandy loam is a very good material for growing flowers.

Another material is peat soils– they are able to change their volume with changes in humidity.

Some landscape designers use geogrid– it protects the soil from erosion and holds the soil on the hillsides. But other experts try to do without it altogether, believing that it adds artificiality to the surrounding appearance.

Can be used gabion– a special mesh structure filled with stone material. Why do you need a gabion? It is used for supporting walls that are subject to erosion, or for organizing flows in rivers. Gabion is a very convenient material: it does not require either a foundation or drainage. It does not crack or break over time.

To increase the volume or height of a hill, use artificial inserts. They can be anything, such as an old tire or a broken refrigerator. “Bury” something broken for the sake of the original design of your garden.

How to create a hill?

First you need to remove the top layer of soil. Its layer is usually 20-30 cm. It is darker than subsequent layers, so you can easily notice the place where the fertile layer ends. Next, you need to fill a hill from infertile soil; it is possible to use objects to artificially raise the hill. Standard hills do not exceed 120-140 cm in height. Give the hill smooth natural contours, fill the slopes so that the angle does not exceed 45 °. This is not difficult, you can simply pour the soil from top to bottom, and the material itself will form the desired shape.

All new mounds take several months to settle completely. The soil gradually compacts under its own weight, and the hill becomes denser. If you don't have time for this, then you can use a tamping machine. In this case, make mounds in layers up to 30 cm. The top layer of the hill must be fertile.

If the hill is large, then it is better to secure it with a geogrid or geogrid. To quickly green up a hill, use a rolled lawn.

Geoplastics is an interesting and creative activity; it will help you realize all your ideas for creating a unique landscape design.

Land owners are often dissatisfied with this flat and boring appearance around the house. And really, how can such a monotonous relief please the eye? But don’t despair, geoplastics will come to the rescue. Her goal is to change and embellish the area, while everything looks natural, natural and unusually beautiful.

What is geoplastics used for?

Geoplastics is a way of artistic improvement of a garden, an exceptional opportunity to make your garden plot more expressive by modifying the topography of the place.

In other words, any change in natural relief will be considered geoplasticity. For example, the well-known flowerbed also applies to this method of improving a plot of land. But in our time, its main task is to form earthen hills and slopes in places where they are absent. It is recommended to apply this solution on your site after first weighing all the pros and cons of the planned project. Spontaneity is not welcome in this matter.

People use geoplastics for several reasons. First of all, creating relief artificially allows you to play with space. Especially if a whole chain of hills is formed, which smoothly transition from one to the next, and delight the eye not only with the wonderful green color of the grass, but also with the correct selection of plants that have decorative value.

Without taking into account the creation of a visual effect, hand-made elevations allow solving quite practical problems in the household. For large areas, geoplastics is a great way to divide the area into separate zones. In addition, the hill (if the height reaches 2.5-3 m), planting it with various plants, will help hide the place for rest from the gaze of inquisitive people passing by. In addition, it will provide excellent sound insulation, which is important when locating a site near a railway, highway or other infrastructure facilities. Also, inside the elevation it is possible to design a so-called “glacier” (a cellar in which, regardless of the time of year, a low temperature is maintained, allowing for the storage of various products) or another room necessary on the farm, which the owners of the site want to disguise it.

The creation of artificial types of relief on the site contributes to changes in the microclimate. For example, adjustments are made to the temperature of the area, its wind regime, hydrological data of the soil and its structure. In short, the diversity of relief entails an expansion of the climatic range in the area. For those who are interested in floristry, the hills make it possible to plant new types of flowers, the cultivation of which was impossible under previous conditions.

As topographers say, a hill is a relief related to positive forms. There are forms that are considered negative: if we take forms from geoplastics as an example, then they will include pits created artificially.

Another highly popular part of geoplastics is terracing - the formation of platforms on existing slopes that look like wide steps, limited by retaining walls of different heights.

Hill design stage

Having made the final decision that the site needs the construction of a hill, you need to start modeling either on a piece of paper or on a gadget, depending on personal preferences. To start designing a hill, you first need to draw up a plan that reflects the topography of the site down to the smallest detail. Nowadays, specialists in the field of landscape design prepare a whole folder of documents - layout drawings, a landscaping plan, as well as a computer layout of the territory. If you have the desire to design an elevation, you can do it yourself.

To understand the original location of the relief and the exact distances between some objects on the ground, it is divided using rods into separate sections in the form of 3x3 m squares, while the heights of all rods above ground level must be equal. Next, using a meter ruler and a building level, we take measurements of the relief and reflect them on the layout. After completing the preparation of the topographical diagram, we plot the features of the planned hill on it.

We place the hill on the plan, taking into account aesthetic views, and at the same time remember that such outbuildings must also meet the following criteria:

functionality;
reliability;
durability;
heights and angles of inclination must be in accordance with the proportions of the territory.

An important point is the slope of the hills on the south side; it should be illuminated as much as possible by the sun's rays.

Having brought the modeling of the contours of the hill to full readiness, we transfer them to the site using rods and signal tape. We remove the soil layer along the marked lines, then begin to form the planned hill.

Forming the base for the hill

When creating a hill, you will need earth, drainage, and a small number of elements necessary for reinforcement.

Drainage will be required when working with one of the parts of the hill, namely the retaining wall: the so-called body of the hill consists of it and the soil, and crushed stone must be laid between these layers. Also, you need to lay a drainage pipe, which is used to avoid the accumulation of water. We install it at the base of the wall.

When you plan to plant plants on a hill, drainage is indispensable. In this case, a high-quality drainage cushion is created at the base of the hill. In addition, drains will also need to be laid at the foot and throughout the entire area of the slopes. These works are so important because of the change in the hydrology of the area due to the construction of the hill. Underground water flows at the foothills begin to slow down, which in turn causes water stagnation.

Almost all waste after construction can be elements for reinforcement; for example, broken bricks or rings of concrete are suitable for us. Reinforcement is in every sense a mandatory step, which will strengthen the hill and prevent it from “sliding” in the future.

To reduce costs, the soil needed to form the hills can be taken from the site. For example, land removed during the construction of roads or terraces. In such cases, the volume of soil layer is sufficient for this purpose. To make it more clear when building a terrace of 100 sq. m. Soil is sampled to a depth of 70 cm. This means we get 70 cubic meters. land that is suitable for raising land. But it is worth considering that peat cannot be used! It changes its volume depending on the humidity level.

It is forbidden to create a base from humus, because it rots in a short period of time, which subsequently causes subsidence of the hill. Also, you should not use the soil that was mined when digging a pit. In such soil, the percentage of clay in the composition is too high, which will interfere with the drainage stage. Vegetation at such an elevation will not be able to take root, due to the fact that the clay is waterproof.

Creating hills

If you plan to import soil, the best option would be hills in the garden made of sand or sandy loam.

O = (P1+P2):2*P, where:

O-volume of soil,
P1 and P2 - cross-sectional areas,
P is the distance from one to another cut.

We lay the soil gradually, layer by layer (the thickness of each is approximately 26-31 cm). Do not forget that the slopes of the walls of the planned hill should not be more than 45 degrees, otherwise difficulties may arise during the landscaping stage and directly when caring for the plants. Some experts advise that when laying layers, water each of them with water, and then eliminate the gaps that form. In reality, it is a waste of water.

We form an artificial topography of the garden, and then compact the soil with a vibrating plate or vibrating tamp. But we use this method only for short periods of work. Ideally, you need to leave the raised area for natural, natural shrinkage. But in this case it will take about 4-6 months.

Landscaping, planting plants on hills

If you simply plant plants, then later on the slope of the hill they will wash away and slide down. In order to avoid such consequences, it is necessary to make reinforcement using geogrids or, in the case where the slope is small, you can use a geogrid. When landscaping a hill, a rolled lawn is most often used; it is pressed tightly to the soil and is fixed with rods for the first time.

If you want to create a natural lawn, sow seeds into geogrid pockets. Why is it necessary to landscape a hill? The thing is that a lawn or any other type of plant perfectly strengthens the soil. Also, vegetation on slopes in the garden takes root better due to soil drainage, which prevents water stagnation.

Make your own slopes

People who have natural slopes in their garden are very lucky. But what about those who don’t have them? Firstly, don’t be upset, because this type of relief can be created using solely your own strength.

The technique for forming a slope is very simple. In addition, it is almost identical to the instructions for creating a hill. The materials required will be soil, drainage and reinforcing elements. The only tool needed to make slopes is a shovel.

To begin with, we design the planned slope (for this we perform all the same steps as when designing a hill). After drawing the lines directly on the site itself, we begin to “dig out” our slope. We make the first recess by 30 cm, and then every half a meter we go deeper by 5 cm. The best option would be to level the resulting slope using a rake for a smoother transition. Next, you need to carry out drainage and install a pipe to drain the water. Don't forget about the reinforcement stage. The final work will be compacting the soil.

Your slope is ready, but to improve the aesthetic appearance and service life, we recommend terracing.

Do-it-yourself terracing

First, let's figure out what terracing is. Terracing is the installation of platforms on slopes that look like wide steps. Such areas are often intended for growing various fruit plants or other economic crops. In addition, terracing helps protect the soil from soil erosion and prevents the washing away of the fertile layer of soil. This method is known and widespread in almost all countries of the world.

Terracing creates a unique landscape design for your site. In addition, this method can be used when constructing complex types of terrain. For example, slopes in a ravine, river banks, soil changes.

With proper planning of elevation changes, they will become original features of the area.

There are three main principles when terracing:

1. It is imperative to organize a surface pipe system for water drainage that has a short length;

2. It is necessary to decide in advance where the entrance for the car will be located;

3. Design how recreational areas, landscaping areas, buildings and other structures will be placed.

When installing terraces yourself, you need to do the following work:

1. Cutting.

2. Formation of terraces to give them the final surface appearance.

The connection between the terraces is created by paths, ramps, and stairs. To prevent the slopes of the terrace from collapsing and to make it possible to lay paths, use retaining walls. For an even better effect, plant trees or bushes; their roots prevent soil erosion.

Also, remember that the terrace has several varieties, the choice of which depends only on your preferences:

ridge;
trench;
stepped;
bench-shaped;
terrace-ditch.

Other types of artificial relief

Hills and slopes are not the only options for garden design. In addition to them there are:

artificial reservoirs;
alpine slides;
rock gardens;
rockeries;
landscape labyrinths;
fountains;
artificial small waterfalls.

After reading this article, land owners will not ask questions about how to create hills, how to make slopes in the garden with their own hands and how to improve them. Now everyone can independently create their own unique and inimitable garden landscape.

slope terracing
construction of dams and shafts
creation of slides, labyrinths and other play structures
construction of hills and slopes

We will consider the last point in more detail.

Why are artificial hills needed?

Planning

It is impossible to model a hill without drawing up a relief map of the site. If the surface of your site is not very flat, it is better to entrust all design work to professionals. They will draw up all the necessary working documentation, including a layout drawing, landscaping plan, and master plan. However, if you have basic knowledge in the field of landscape design, you can draw up a relief map yourself, as well as take all the measurements. To do this, you will need a tape measure of at least 10 m, a ruler of at least 1 m, a cord, pegs and a hydraulic level. To begin with, the site is divided into squares of 10 × 10 m with a grid with the desired accuracy of up to 5 cm. In accordance with the plan, pegs are placed on the ground at the corners of the squares (up to 30 cm above ground level). Using a hydraulic level and a meter ruler, the difference between adjacent pegs is determined with an accuracy of 1 cm. All measurements should be taken from the highest point of the site. The data obtained should be transferred to a specially kept notebook, and on their basis you can build a cross-section of the relief on your site. The information you collect will be useful not only for constructing a hill, but also when laying out a drainage system, for example. If you have an area with very complex terrain, then the grid in the work area is made more frequent: 2×2 or 5×5 m. Having decided on a relief map, you can make markings and begin transferring the model directly to the area.

What to make a hill out of?

Humus (top fertile soil layer) - the organic matter contained in it will decompose and, accordingly, decrease in volume. And this threatens uneven soil subsidence and destruction of architectural elements.
Peat soils - they change in volume with changes in humidity.
Clay also swells at high humidity. In addition, it creates an impermeable layer, which causes water to accumulate on the surface.

The process of creating an artificial hill

Hills and ravines can turn into stunning landscapes if sloped landscaping is done correctly. Not many people know how to further decorate their garden if there are uneven areas, but the advice and recommendations of experienced specialists will help you make your garden a wonderful place to relax.

1 Landscape design of a site with a slope - what are its advantages?

In such an area, contrary to popular belief, you can create incredible compositions. For example, by combining lowlands and hills with the help of beautiful terraces and a stone fence, you can recreate a beautiful castle. The recreation area created in this way, protected from the wind on all sides, will become a pleasant place for spending wonderful evenings with friends.

Possibilities of an uneven area:

Original elements. Here you can create unusual terraces and stairs that will attract attention with their originality.
Great prospect. The presence of an uneven area does not indicate the impossibility of creation - quite the opposite. Planting trees of different heights, shrubs and flowers that combine with each other, wisely used lighting - all this will allow you to create a harmonious ensemble. The most important thing is to correctly highlight and emphasize all the design elements used.
Thoughtful solutions. It is much easier to make such a site more comfortable with proper placement of all utilities and buildings - drainage of water from important structures, protection from wind and rain, and much more.

2 Landscape design on a slope and its key elements

In order for the landscape design of a relief area to be designed correctly, one should not forget about its basic elements. These are the ones that should be taken into account when developing a drawing.

Key elements:

Retaining walls are considered the most important element when planning a site that has slopes and ravines. In addition to their practical function, they also allow you to add incredible charm to your garden. When planning landscape design on a slope, think in advance about what materials you will use and whether you will use climbing plants as additional decoration. Don't forget about garden paths, which should also look harmonious near the retaining walls.

Advice: if their height exceeds half a meter, retaining walls are best made of stone, concrete or brick.

. Thanks to this design element, the site will become more attractive for recreation. That is why, before planting, the soil should be prepared and the surface for planting should be leveled as much as possible.
Terracing is the formation of terraces (ledges) reinforced with retaining walls. They are used to design slopes, ponds, slopes and ravines; in addition, it is the terraces that help to zone the area, which is very important for further work in the garden. With their help, the landscape design of a sloping area becomes not only more attractive, but also more functional. Before starting work, assess the size of the territory, because the size and number of terraces will depend on this. On average, for a small plot, a maximum of four terraces no more than five meters wide are enough. At the same time, you can decorate each of the terraces uniquely, using lighting or climbing types of plants.
Patio. Set aside the highest part of the site for a comfortable patio. From here you usually have a magnificent view of the site and the surrounding area. Choose your furniture and other elements carefully to ensure they match the style of your garden. Think about the practical aspects of the issue when selecting: how will your site be protected, will you have a lot of time for delicate things, where will you store it in the winter?

3 Uneven area - landscape design and its elements

To get a complete picture when developing landscape design, you should know several important rules for planting plants and their selection. So, if your house is located at the top of a slope, then you need to plant tall trees and shrubs here. These include oak, poplar, thuja, spruce, linden, lilac, barberry and forsythia. The compositions made from them can even be asymmetrical, the main thing is that they do not cover the residential building. Going down the slope, pay attention to the flower beds.

Low-growing types of plants must be planted in low areas. Juniper, boxwood and mahonia look great. In early spring you can plant crocuses, hazel grouse, and hyacinths. In mid-summer you will be pleased with marigolds, decorative onions, rudbeckias, and the “queen of autumn” can be called the chrysanthemum. Undoubtedly, an important component of any. By laying it in the form of a serpentine, you will be able to emphasize the steepness of the slope. Design can be done using stone slabs, wooden elements, brick and breccia. You can decorate and complement the path with the help of rockeries, for which it is better to choose sedum, saxifrage, juniper and young. If the house is located in a low area, then all design elements are placed differently.

We plant tall shrubs and trees at the top at the entrance to your estate, and surround the building itself with the help of lush shrubs: lilac, rowan, cypress and viburnum. Don’t forget to take care of the tree crowns in front of the house - they should be shaped according to the height of a person. In this case, they will not become an obstacle to the normal development of other shrubs and flowers that are shorter in stature. If you purchased a plot of land on a slope, landscape design in this case will be a little more difficult than when working on a flat surface. But at the same time it’s more interesting, because here you can fully realize all your fantasies.

What pictures does our imagination paint when imagining an ideal life outside the city? Perhaps everyone has their own dreams and plans, landscape tastes and architectural preferences. But let's try to derive a general formula for comfortable country living. Surely it will be a cozy house in a quiet place with good transport accessibility. If there are neighbors, then it’s better to be further away, but so that you can ask for help at the right time. Nearby there is a picturesque pond, on the banks of which you can relax with all your heart from city problems; someone might want forest silence, a leisurely walk to pick mushrooms and berries... Forgot something? Of course, what is a house without a wonderful garden, where it is so pleasant to relax in the shade of trees on a hot summer day! Or without a cool lawn, caressing with soft, lush grass? Or maybe you dream of a series of alpine slides and natural stone paths along which children will have fun running? Or your own golf course and playground?

Don’t be upset if your site is completely flat or, on the contrary, full of holes and potholes left after construction. Turning it into a space worthy of the cover of a landscape design magazine, with terraces and slides, smooth slopes and lawns, ponds and waterfalls is not an easy task, but very exciting and interesting!

The vertical layout of the site and its variety - geoplastics, or “landscape sculpture” - will help solve the problem of arranging a country estate by embodying all your wishes in garden design.

Vertical layout - what is it for?

Being one of the most important engineering measures, vertical terrain planning can solve a number of problems, cleverly masking the shortcomings of the local area. Accordingly, it should be done at the earliest stages of arranging suburban housing, ideally at the planning stage.

What tasks is vertical space planning designed to accomplish?
Functionality in any business comes first, therefore, engineering and technical problems are solved first, for example, such as:

Ensuring the unimpeded flow of excess water from the surface, preventing the accumulation of storm and flood waters;
. creating favorable conditions for the placement of buildings and laying utility networks;
. organization of relief in cases where unfavorable processes occur (soil erosion, formation of ravines, waterlogging).

Once we have decided on the technical issues, it’s time to think about how to link their solution with the architectural and artistic component of the project and adapt the site for games, recreation and sports, while observing measures for its engineering protection. Design tasks that can be solved in vertical planning using geoplastic techniques include:

Adaptation of the terrain for a comfortable life for plants by installing special structures: terraces, slopes, retaining walls or stairs, ramps.

Creation of artificial relief forms to give greater aesthetics and expressiveness to the site.

We apply geoplastics

As already mentioned, the essence of the measures taken in connection with geoplasticity is to give the existing area a new architectural sound, to diversify it with hills and depressions, terraces and retaining walls, reservoirs and man-made streams. Let's take a closer look at the elements of landscape sculpture.

Terracing.
Very often, the natural slope of a site is quite pronounced, and in order to preserve it and protect it from landslides, ledges or terraces are formed. However, they can also be erected on flat terrain, bringing a certain variety to the landscape.

Before you begin constructing ledges, you need to assess the scale of the site, which determines the number of terraces and their future sizes. Sometimes it is enough to build 2 or 4 terraces, but there can be more if there is enough free space. The height of the ledges is usually 60-80 cm, and their width is at least 4-5 m - then they will become a real highlight of the garden, transforming the space. Don’t forget about storm drainage and drainage systems, which are installed on terraces to avoid water accumulation, thereby extending their service life.

Creating terraces on the local area has many positive aspects - it provides ample opportunities for landscaping the area, because each of them can be decorated in a unique way, forming a unique picture of the area. Properly constructed terraces protect slopes from destruction and soil erosion, and also help in dividing the garden space into different zones, such as a front entrance and a recreation area.

Retaining walls
In order for the constructed terrace to please the eye for as long as possible, it must be reinforced with a retaining wall, which helps to restrain soil movements. It not only performs an engineering function of securing the mass of the earth, but also acts as a decorative element integrated into the architecture of the landscape. It should be noted that retaining walls are widely used in hydraulic engineering, in road construction, and are an important element in the design of many buildings.

In landscape construction, retaining structures can be either capital or lightweight. The first ones are built on a solid foundation of crushed stone, gravel or concrete blocks to hold large masses of earth. When the thickness of the foundation is less than 60-70 cm and the width of the structure itself is less than 25 cm, deformation and destruction can occur, so the construction of a permanent wall must be approached with the utmost seriousness. In turn, light retaining elements can be built without a concrete or stone foundation, but a gravel or crushed stone cushion of 20-40 cm will not hurt. Due to their structure, such walls are easier to install, but you shouldn’t expect much strength from them - after all, this is more of a decorative technique.

A wide variety of materials can be used for the construction of retaining systems, depending on your wishes and capabilities: natural and artificial stone, wood, brick, concrete or metal. To reduce the cost of a retaining wall and increase its strength, a concrete base is first built, and then it is lined with decorative materials: natural limestone, slate, sandstone, dolomite, tiles and even wooden logs. By the way, wooden decor is very popular, despite its lower strength and durability. It's easy to explain. What other material can look as advantageous in a wide variety of gardens as wood? Country style or Provence, a la “Russian village” or the severity of a regular garden - with wooden trim any garden will take on a finished look.

A brick wall, when laid correctly - without matching vertical seams - will also introduce a certain aesthetics into the garden landscape, more characteristic of the Art Nouveau style popular at the beginning of the last century, with its clarity of lines and shapes, and will become an excellent design for the green mass of the garden.

Natural stone retaining structures are often laid without mortar using a dry masonry method, but they are very strong and durable. When the surface of the stonework begins to be overgrown with plants and mosses, the special charm of an ancient park fence appears, adding charm to the entire garden.

If the modern style in architecture and landscape art is more familiar to you, then you will probably like the variety of artificial materials - pressed chips, concrete mixtures and retaining elements made from them. The contrast of the rough surface of the wall with the green “inhabitants” of the garden - flowers and trees, if implemented well, will become a real find, a source of your pride and the admiration of your neighbors.

Hills and slopes
The slopes on the site are excellent for creating an alpine slide, which usually consists of several levels. It is also convenient to place flower beds and flower beds on sloping places. And of course, slopes are great for creating waterfalls and cascades. The movement of water brings the garden closer to natural landscapes, brings life to its space, giving it a harmonious appearance. Streams and waterfalls, streams and canals, cascades of any size will always attract attention, providing a break from the bustle of the city.

The garden levels can be used for a variety of plantings: fruit trees, shrubs, flower beds, flower beds, rose gardens and an ornamental vegetable garden. Plants suitable for planting on slopes should preferably have a strong, widely distributed root system to promote soil retention. Roses, barberry, dwarf and Canadian spruce, juniper are tree-like shrubs that are perfect for arranging a slope as part of the vertical layout of the site.

Popular styles of landscape sculpture
Despite the modern sound of the term and its unknownness to most ordinary people, you have probably seen many elements of landscape sculpture while walking through Moscow parks and gardens.

Thus, in the famous royal estates of Kolomenskoye, Izmailovo, Lefortovo and Lyublino, since the 18th century, techniques for creating terraces, mounding hills, changing the shorelines of reservoirs, borrowed from the best gardens in Europe, were used. The architects of the estates - Rastrelli, Rinaldi - were inspired by the baroque Versailles gardens, creating similar regular parks with a clear geometric layout: straight alleys, symmetrical flower beds, perfectly trimmed trees, straight pools and grottoes, towering terraces from which one could look out over the entire area.

Soon, fashion in landscape art turned to the landscape gardens of England with their surprises and unpredictability, worship of the natural beauty of the landscape. The construction of artificial unevenness - hills, ravines, slopes and reservoirs, as if created by nature itself without human intervention - is a distinctive feature of the English style, which was to the taste of the Russian emperors. Architectural structures in such a space are secondary and masterfully fit into the space surrounding them, camouflaged behind the green mass of plants. Despite the seeming chaos of the arrangement, everything in such a garden is subject to a certain order: the plants are selected taking into account the flowering period in order to delight the eye with their harmonious splendor at any time of the year.

Along with Western traditions, the Chinese style was popular in the design of estates and parks in Russia, as well as its European analogue - chinoiserie (literally - “Chinese”), which came along with the fashion for oriental aesthetics. A feature of such directions was the imitation of natural relief forms: hills and gorges, cliffs and valleys, picturesque bodies of water, characterized by smooth outlines and the absence of strict symmetry.

Japanese gardens can rightfully be considered an example of masterly mastery of the art of geoplastics, in which intervention in the natural environment of the area is subordinated to an established system of symbols and is closely intertwined with traditional Japanese religious beliefs - Shintoism and Zen Buddhism. Thus, the structure of space is set by stones that represent peace. Their arrangement should be asymmetrical, but at the same time not devoid of harmony, as if using natural materials you are painting a picture of your garden. Another indispensable attribute of a Japanese garden is water, which sets the mood with its living energy and strength. It can be designed either in the form of a waterfall located near the house, or in the form of a pond with a rugged coastline overgrown with many plants. Numerous paths crossing the area lengthen the path and reveal all the beauty of the garden from different angles. And skillfully planted plants replace each other in their flowering so that the garden looks interesting at any time of the year.

The era of the heyday of royal estates and estates has gone into the past, but now all the rich experience and knowledge accumulated over many years of landscape construction are available to us. Creating your own regular park with terraces, a Japanese rock garden, or building a Chinese pagoda surrounded by shady trees and paved paths is not difficult if you trust professional landscape architects.

Vertical layout arrangement

Like any complex undertaking, the implementation of a vertical terrain planning project is carried out in several stages. The first stage covers the process of bringing the surface of the site to the design vertical marks, which are set on the basis of a geodetic survey. Measurement data is associated with the position of the house, the boundaries of the garden and planned measures to remove excess moisture from the surface, combining all objects into an integral system.

After the survey of the area has been completed, a project for transforming the territory is drawn up, in which alleys and paths, as well as areas for various purposes, for example, for sports, must first be planned. This can easily be explained by the fact that their construction requires strict adherence to permissible surface slopes. And then the areas intended for planting are worked out, since in this case there are no requirements for slopes, and their placement depends solely on your imagination.

How to quickly navigate where and how much land needs to be removed, and where, on the contrary, to add? The necessary tool for a landscape architect will help you figure this out - a large-scale topographic map. The actual surface of the earth shown on the map is called "black" because existing elevations and contours are usually shown in black. In turn, all projected lines are marked in red, and their interweaving forms a “red” surface. All calculations on the volumes of imported and exported soil are plotted on a detailed cartogram of the work, where the minuses, which are used as working marks, show the excavations, and the pluses show the soil embankments.

In the vertical layout of the garden, a variety of modern materials and structures are used: rolled geosynthetics (permeable non-woven and woven), geocomposites. As well as special plastics from which geogrids and geogrids are made, waterproof geomembranes and a number of other components necessary for the qualitative transformation of the territory.

In conclusion, I would like to note once again that the creation of artificial relief in vertical planning is impossible without a comprehensive analysis of the natural features of the area and, of course, without the development of a detailed project. We must not forget about proportionality, the harmonious combination of all spatial elements of the estate, the correspondence of the idea of the surrounding landscape with the architecture of the building, and most importantly - about its living and active participation in country life, because not only the house is a reflection of the life and inner world of its owners, but also the space that surrounds him.