Purpose and types of wicker beds, rules for harvesting rods, methods of pulling branches, technology for creating a fence for a flower garden. Wicker beds are original flower beds made of vines and thin twigs in the form of baskets of various interesting shapes. Decorative elements made of natural material give the site a beautiful natural look, while no financial investment is required. We learn about the methods of making such structures from this article.
Features of making a wicker flower bed
Wicker beds are used mainly for decorating a summer cottage. In addition, the walls of the fence protect the flowers from damage, and several products form a single style on the site. They go well with other decorative elements, especially if they are also made in a similar way.
Wicker beds are used when decorating a plot in a rustic, ethnic or natural style. They differ from other methods of fencing in their cheapness, ease of manufacture and environmental friendliness.
There are two types of flower beds - ground and suspended. The former are the most common type of wicker fences. Large products are structures consisting of supports dug into the ground and walls made of thin branches. They look like fences with a beautifully stretched vine.
Depending on the type of plants, the flower bed is supplemented with various elements. For example, for climbing species in the upper part of the structure, a canopy or lattice is formed from twigs, to which young shoots are braided. Visually, it looks like a basket with a tall handle the size of a man.
The fence does not have to be dug into the ground. Small products can be installed without fixing and carried from place to place, thus changing the order on the territory. The most popular ground beds are oval or round baskets, often with handles.
The height of the basket depends on its diameter; the smaller it is, the higher the walls. Low-rise products often play the role of a curb fence. In this case, they are woven in a rectangular shape.
Hanging products are small in size, they can be hung on the walls to decorate the site. Small dimensions allow them to be mounted on walls, tree branches, fences, etc. To create suspended structures, observe the following requirements:
- They must rotate on the suspension to periodically rotate one side towards the light.
- It is recommended to plant plants in suspended flower beds that do not require careful maintenance. Usually petunias, pansies, daisies are placed at a height. They grow quickly and turn the wall into a blooming garden.
- The volume of the product must be at least 10 liters due to the large roots of many plants. In small baskets, they squeeze out the soil and dry out.
- Suspension systems should have a sump that retains moisture after watering. Without it, the water will quickly wash away the minerals. In the absence of pallets, it is necessary to periodically apply fertilizers into the soil.
With the exception of the listed features, caring for seedlings in wicker products does not differ from terrestrial plants.
Wicker flower bed technology
To make a flower garden with a fence made of twigs, several factors should be taken into account - the place of its installation, the properties of the material, the type of plant. All the necessary information for making a wicker flower bed with your own hands is given below.
Harvesting vines
Prepare the material before starting work. For weaving, thin long flexible branches that are easy to bend are suitable. Willow, hazel, willow, birch twigs are best suited. In small quantities, branches of apple, raspberry, dogwood, grapevine can be added to the composition, which add zest to the product. Most often, they stop at what is available.
It is recommended to harvest the material in the fall, when the plants stop growing. At other times of the year, you can also stock up on material, except for the beginning of summer, when the rods have not yet acquired great strength. A vine for weaving flower beds is on sale, but you can cut it yourself.
When harvesting rods, use our recommendations:
- The branches should be at least 1.5 m long, preferably the same length. The best blanks are considered to be one year old.
- Cut the twigs at an angle, leaving 15 cm pieces with buds on the branches. Under these conditions, the plant will recover quickly.
- Examine the cuts. Loose core specimens are not suitable for work. Also, throw away branches with a reddish core and visible defects - breakage, damage, breakage.
- Remove the leaves immediately after cutting from the twigs.
- To remove the bark, you can use a special tool - a pinch. The procedure can be performed immediately after cutting from a tree. Do not delay with this operation. It is very difficult to remove dried bark.
- Store cut branches in water to keep them flexible for a long time.
Before making a wicker flower bed, prepare the vine for laying according to our recommendations:
- Tie the blanks in a bundle and place vertically in a bucket. Make sure that all the branches touch the bottom, then form several bundles, in which the rods in length will differ by no more than 10-15 cm.
- Soak material in hot water for increased flexibility. First divide the vine by size. Twigs with a diameter of about 2 mm are enough to be immersed in water for 10 minutes, with a diameter of 8-10 mm - for 1 hour. During the operation, the bark of the wood releases dyes, so use a container that you do not mind.
- Dry the soaked rods and place in a plastic bag. This increases the maximum flexibility of the vine.
If you often make wicker beds, it makes sense to create a plantation that will constantly grow vines.
To equip it, perform the following operations:
- From twigs with a diameter of 3-4 mm, cut into pieces 25 cm long.
- Make holes in the soil 20 cm deep.
- Install the rods in them so that 4-5 cm protrude above the ground.
- After 1-2 years, the cuttings will grow and can be cut for weaving.
It is necessary to plant blanks every year.
Flowerbed weaving rules
To create flower beds, the vine is stretched between the racks in various ways:
- Horizontal … It is the simplest option for weaving flower beds. Rods are stretched between the pillars parallel to the ground. The junctions of the branches are fastened with wire or bark.
- Vertical … For this case, you will need additional slats. Some are attached to the posts parallel to the ground (for rectangular flower beds), others are needed to increase the rigidity of the structure. They are placed vertically between the supports at the same distance.
- Oblique … It turns out when laying several branches at once.
- Chess … It differs in that the rods are held not through one pillar, but through several, creating a beautiful pattern. It is allowed to paint the material in different colors before work to create aesthetics.
The fence can be turned into a hedge if the supports are made of willow stakes. They will grow and completely change the appearance of the building.
To get a beautiful flower bed, adhere to the basic weaving rules:
- For work, choose rods with a thickness of 1-2 cm, the larger the product, the thicker the workpiece.
- Laying is carried out from the thick part of the rod to the thin one.
- After finishing one row, start the next one on the other side. This ensures a uniform wall thickness over its entire height.
- To ensure the horizontal row and prevent slipping off the stakes of the branches, fix them in their regular position with wire.
Step-by-step instructions for creating a wicker flower bed-basket
To create it, you will need stakes with a diameter of 2-3 cm and thin rods. The height of thick branches is selected taking into account the aboveground part plus 20 cm underground. Thus, for a fence with a height of 25-30 cm, stakes with a length of 50 cm are needed. Sharpen the workpieces and cover with an antiseptic to extend the service life.
Metal tubes can be used, but they will ruin the aesthetic appearance.
To create the walls, you will need a vine 1-1.5 cm thick and 1.5 m long. Before weaving, it must be processed as indicated above.
Sequence of work:
- From the site where you plan to place the flower bed, remove fertile soil, collect plant roots, loosen the soil.
- Mark out the contours of the flower garden on the site. If it is round, draw a circle and mark its position with pegs, driving them into the ground every 25-30 cm.
- Drive stakes in the corners of the rectangular structure, and next to it there are two more, one on each side. During weaving, the rods are pulled through them, forming the so-called "lock". For reliability, they are additionally fixed in this position with a wire.
- Fasten horizontal slats to the supports, along which you can control the horizontalness of the rows.
- Further, the rods are braided around the stakes in a given way. Place the first branch near the ground. It should go around three or four supports in a zigzag, alternately in front and behind. After the end of the branch, take the next one and continue the operation from the area where it ended. In the place where the joint occurs, cut the vine at an angle of 45 degrees and secure it with additional wire. You can experiment with the width of the step or with the number of rods stacked in one row. To make the design beautiful, choose blanks of the same length or cut off the excess.
- After creating a row, tap it with a hammer to reduce the gaps between the branches. This is due to a significant decrease in the diameter of the rods after they dry and the appearance of large gaps between them.
- At the end of weaving, protect the vine from the sun and precipitation, which will extend its life. To do this, the finished product can be varnished or painted with wood stain. The varnish must be matt, because glossy gives the structure an artificial look.
- Cover the bottom and sides of the flower bed with plastic wrap to prevent soil from spilling out.
- Create a drainage layer of rubble, crushed stone and sand at the bottom of the basket.
- Fill the container with fertile soil, plant the plants and water them.
Often, a fence for flower beds is weaved in winter or early spring from willow. It is a type of willow that grows as a small shrub.
The operation is performed as follows:
- Prepare a barrel of any diameter.
- Fill it with snow and compact it.
- Prepare the willow rods. Thick branches are suitable for supports, thin branches for weaving. Cut the blanks before budding on the bushes.
- Along the perimeter of the barrel, insert thick samples into the snow every 15-20 cm.
- Stretch thin willow rods around them, two at a time. After creating the first two rows, the posts will still move, but then the structure will become rigid.
- Repeat the procedure until the basket reaches the required height.
- Cut off any protruding vertical stakes.
- Make a handle for your flower bed. To do this, braid several branches together and fasten them diagonally to the sides of the basket.
- Remove the product from the drum and use it as directed.
How to make a wicker flower bed - watch the video:
A flower garden with a fence made of wicker rods is considered an economical option for decorating a summer cottage. It is not difficult to make it with your own hands; this does not require financial costs and a lot of time. The main thing is to understand the technology of creating a flower bed and choose a vine for work.
