The word "dacha" usually brings to mind two associations: those that picture a relaxing retreat with a wondrous array of flowers, plants, and bodies of water, and those that involve only gardening and constant work. I wanted our dacha to be somewhere in between.
So we immediately decided that the dacha would become our permanent home—we added a kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, and a storage room. First, we fixed up the house, and now we've started on the property itself. We poured concrete on the front part of the property, under the shed. We plan to lay tile later. The backyard is our fantasy territory. And there are so many of them that it's impossible to realize everything. And we don't have the budget for it yet.
I planted a small front garden and made concrete paths to my husband's workshop and the sauna. I collected plants for the flower bed from friends: if I saw a beautiful flower, I'd ask for the root.
My front garden and hosta
I saw hostas and pyramidal arborvitaes on landscape design forums. I was very interested, so I planted them in my yard without delay. For some reason, snails immediately took a liking to the hosta, so I sprinkle "Groza" granules around it once a week—a pest control product.
The bush was sick for a long time after planting: the leaves turned lighter and developed a yellow tint. They advised me to replant it in the shade. So I did. And within a couple of weeks, my bush began to gain strength.
Convalescent Hosta
After a while, it bloomed. I saw its flowers for the first time; I hadn't even known about them before. I thought the beauty of the bush was only in its leaves. And how the hosta smells! A sweet, pleasant aroma. But now the snails are even more active, because they live in the shade and damp places. It's impossible to completely protect the plant from them.
Hosta blooming in a new location
The concrete path was decorated with a homemade flower arch. My husband made it for me from scrap metal (a splint) using a welder and a grinder. I want to plant wisteria along the arch, but for now I've planted bellflowers (I don't know the correct name).
The downside of these vines is that the flowers last only a day after fully opening, then fall off. Seeds form in their place.
The liana quickly wove the entire structure.
Future seeds
Every day, many fallen buds remain under the arch.
I planted the tiny arborvitaes in a row. I filled the bottom of the hole with 5 cm of sand, and the rest of the space with a mixture of store-bought potting soil and our own soil. After planting, I watered them generously.
Pyramidal thuja Smaragd
Golden thuja Brabant
A month after planting, I gave them beer to drink. A nursery specialist recommended this method for accelerating growth and strengthening the seedlings' immunity. He said he's been doing it this way for years and doesn't need any store-bought products. I fed the seedlings three times, 10 days apart. Now they're quite grown.
These plants love moisture, but not too much. So I water them every other day. If the weather is very hot and the soil dries out, I water them daily.
This is our plot, not very rich and not entirely clear yet. In time, when all the plants grow and new ones are added, this will become our favorite place to relax—a dacha fairytale.