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There are many ways to arrange beds on your site. Some owners simply dig up the soil, forming a small embankment, while others build fences from scrap materials. If you want to add some zest, they set up the so-called French beds, transforming the dull garden into a real work of art.
What is special about French beds?
The French style of garden plot design takes us back to the reign of Louis XIV. If you look at the photo, such a vegetable garden symbolizes, first of all, the cleanliness of the site with harmoniously arranged beautiful flower beds. The main distinguishing feature of French beds is symmetry in design and the presence of geometric shapes. The simplest example is dividing a rectangular vegetable garden into four equal squares, and installing a garden sculpture in the center.
Vegetable garden with French beds differs in decorativeness. Each segment of the flower bed is separated by a beautiful fence. Paving slabs are laid between the beds or bulk foundations are made. tracks from colored stone. Plantings can be used not only vegetables, but also ornamental plants, flowers and even trees.
Decor
Before you start laying out the beds, you need to decide on their shape. One of the geometric shapes is taken as a basis. It can be a circle, a rectangle, equal squares forming a chessboard, etc.
When designing a vegetable garden, you need to consider that:
- Flowerbeds can be made on the same level as a common garden. They will stand out only due to their decorative design.
- It is allowed to raise the beds above the ground level up to 20–30 cm. In such cases, fences are most often made of brick or cobblestones. You can use other materials, the main thing is that the flowerbed turns out beautiful.
Having decided on the shape of the bed, we begin to select plants. A feature of the design of a French vegetable garden is the absence of empty land in the flowerbed. Vegetable crops alternate harmoniously, and the spaces between them are planted with ornamental vegetation. When choosing plantings, the characteristics of each plant are taken into account: growth, flowering time, light-loving nature, etc. All crops growing in a flowerbed from early spring to late autumn should not interfere with each other.
An integral decoration of the French bed are vertical decorations from vegetation:
- Temporary elements are made from annual plants. Tall tomatoes or corn work well. You can build a vertical trellis in the flowerbed, along which annual plants, for example, beans, will grow.
- Perennial climbing plants, shrubs and dwarf fruit trees can be permanent elements of vertical gardening.
When planting in garden beds, you should not give preference to very spreading trees or shrubs. Over time, their crown will shade other low-growing plants.
Choosing a shape for the future garden bed
We have already said that French beds have the shape of a geometric figure. However, the more complex it is, the harder it is to build a flower bed. It is better for a beginning gardener to take a square or circle as a basis and divide it into several segments.
Square flower bed
For a square-shaped French bed, a high fence is installed, as shown in this photo. Typically, the seat is raised up to 30 cm from ground level. Each bed segment can be in the shape of a diamond, triangle or rectangle. Four equal squares are assembled from them, forming one common quadrangle of regular shape.
Round flowerbed
The photo shows an example of the design of a round French bed. A large circle is used as a basis. From its center to the edges, boundaries are broken, dividing the area into several equal segments. Paths made of gravel or paving slabs are paved along the dividing lines. The result will be a large round flowerbed, divided into equal triangles with one semicircular side. If desired, at the point where the triangles meet, you can make a small round bed.
Whether the flowerbed is round or square, it is designed according to a certain style. If the owner prefers retro, forged elements would be a good decorative element. These can be not only fences, but also figures of birds, animals or plants. However, forging costs a lot of money. You can cheaply decorate with a scarecrow or install a pole with hanging glass balls from an old chandelier.You can focus on a flowerpot with growing medicinal plants installed in the center of the flowerbed. Calendula is good for these purposes. The bright orange flower will decorate the garden bed throughout the summer. You can make a flowerpot yourself from an old bucket or clay vessel, decorated with multi-colored patterns.
Choosing a place
French style garden beds represent beauty. They are located in the most visible area of the yard. It is optimal to adhere to a checkerboard pattern, which improves the comfort of servicing the flower beds.
When choosing a location, it is important to consider how the plantings will be cared for. In small segments, planting crops and digging the soil is done manually. Large flower beds can be maintained with specialized equipment, which means that convenient access must be provided for it.
DIY example
Now we will look at how you can create French beds on your own site. Regardless of the chosen shape, the technology remains the same, so let’s take the example of arranging a square flower bed with a circle in the center:
- Work begins with preparing the area of the yard where the future bed will be laid out. The area is cleared of vegetation and any debris.
- Next, start marking. A circle of the desired diameter is drawn in the center of the square. Rays are drawn from it to the corners of the square. The end result will be a large square flower bed with four triangular segments and a round bed in the center. If the area in the yard is very small, you can draw a semicircle instead of a circle. Then its flat side will be able to organize a resting place. A bench is installed here, and a canopy is built from a vertically installed lattice with climbing plants.When arranging a resting place, it is necessary to ensure that vertical structures do not shade the plants in the flowerbed.
- According to the markings, the fencing of each club segment is installed. For these purposes, any building material is used: brick, stone, boards, etc. Vertically embedded plastic bottles are suitable as an option.
- Paths are laid between the fences of the segments. The soil can simply be mulched with black film, and gravel or crushed stone can be poured on top. Beautiful paths will be made from paving slabs or savage stone. The width of the path is determined individually, but not less than 50 cm.
- Fertile soil is poured inside the finished fences, after which they begin planting plants.
A resting place near the flowerbed can be organized from an installed bench and table. It is better to braid a lattice canopy with clematis or climbing roses.
An integral element is an installed sculpture or other similar structure. It’s easier to buy a concrete garden gnome or another fairy tale hero. If you get creative, you can weave an arch out of wicker, and install wooden benches underneath it. Any vertical structure can be equipped with bowls. Then it is possible to additionally grow remontant strawberries in them.
Plantings in a French flowerbed should consist of your favorite vegetables and flowers. A beautiful decoration is obtained with lettuce of different colors, basil and other edible greens.
What is better to plant
In terms of their purpose, French beds are no different from their traditional counterparts. You can grow whatever your heart desires. It is only important to maintain the harmony of the garden so that the plants do not interfere with each other’s development, flowering and bearing fruit.If spicy herbs are preferred, then carrots or radishes planted between them will not interfere with them. The decorative appearance of the French garden bed will not be affected, and the owner will also receive fresh root vegetables.
When planting different types of salads, the flowerbed can be decorated with low-growing flowers. Even beet leaves will add decorativeness to the plantings. Curly parsley combines beautifully with fennel and onions.
The French garden bed is an ideal place for growing medicinal plants. Many of them have excellent decorative properties. Common medicinal plants are: sage, lavender, calendula, nasturtium, echinacea. Each planted group of plants in a flowerbed should be distinguished by a bright area, which provides the basic requirement for arranging a French bed.
In the photo you can see how ideal the cabbage plantings look, and the fencing of the French flowerbed itself is made of ornamental vegetation.
This complicates the maintenance of plantings in the fall. When digging up annuals, there is a risk of damaging the root system of perennials.
The video shows how to make a French vegetable garden:
The French garden bed is an ideal option for people who love order in their garden.
