Alpine slide: a step-by-step description of how to make a rock garden with your own hands. How to make an alpine slide with your own hands: examples with photos

Alpine slide is one of the elements of garden landscape design. Almost everyone dreams of creating such a decorative object on their site, but not many people know how to make an alpine slide in the country. This process, though laborious, but very interesting. With the proper approach and study of the stages of creating such a garden decoration, any gardener can cope with such a task.

Types of alpine slides are varied in design and size. Which option to choose depends on the area of ​​​​the suburban area and on how much space will be allocated for this mini-garden for alpine plants.

Slides are of various types:

Before you think about how to make an alpine slide with your own hands, you need to understand that only alpine plants. Their difference from other species lies in the fact that it is these plants that are most harmoniously combined with a rocky landscape and are not large. But at the same time, it must be borne in mind that the selected plants must be suitable for the climatic conditions that exist in the region where they will grow.

When choosing a place for such a landscape element, it is necessary to choose a site where a lot of sunlight. Alpine plants need increased lighting. Therefore, the chosen place should not be located under the trees. The presence of dew, excess moisture and autumn leaves can adversely affect the condition of the rock garden.

The following plants are suitable for such slides:

• coniferous trees and shrubs of compact form no more than 40 cm in height;
• different types of ground cover plants;
• dwarf forms of shrubs;
• small-bulbous;
• ferns;
• rock varieties of flowering plants.

In order to figure out how to arrange an alpine slide in the country, the first thing to consider is what the process of creating this garden element consists of. The creation process consists of several stages: site preparation, creation of a drainage layer, soil laying, design.

To begin the arrangement of the slide, it is necessary to free the site from all possible weeds. It is necessary to remove a layer of soil by about 25 centimeters. It would be useful to treat the soil with a special compound against weeds.

drainage layer

A drainage layer must be laid in the resulting cavity in the area. This layer can be made from various materials. To create a drainage layer, you can use:

• broken brick;
• expanded clay;
• medium size gravel.

To build a rock garden, it is necessary to attach importance to the peculiarities of the local climate. If the area is arid and in summer it is hot with rare rains, then serious drainage is not worth doing. Water will quickly leave the soil, which is already quite dry in such regions. Plants will not receive the necessary moisture. For such areas, it is enough to make a not very large layer of drainage.

On the drainage layer must be laid a large number of sand. Its amount depends on the shape of the desired slide and landscape features. If there is a natural slope, then forming a stepped surface is not difficult. But if the slide has to be built on a completely flat area, then you will have to try to achieve the required height.

After the required shape of the slide is reached, the soil mixture is laid out on the sandy layer. Fertile soil, which is suitable for alpine plants, has approximately the following composition: one part of turf, peat, humus and sand. All plants grow well in this soil mixture.

At this stage, several important points. It is necessary to lay out stones from the base to the top of the hill. You need to form a slide with larger stones, and finish with medium and smaller ones. The rock type must be the same.

In nature, there is no stone massif of different rocks. And since it is necessary to make an imitation of the natural landscape on the site, this must be taken into account when selecting stones. After installing the stones, the slide must be watered and allowed to stand for two or three weeks.

A common mistake when laying stones is uniformity. The stones do not need to be laid out in a certain order, this betrays the artificiality of creating a landscape. Stones should be laid out randomly. In one part of the slide, stones can be grouped, in the other, on the contrary, they can be spread out at a certain distance.

planting

In this matter, certain conditions must be observed. Large plants are planted first. These include conifers and shrubs. Then they move on to large-rhizome plants and perennials that have a large shape. At the last stage, the hill is planted with ground cover plants.

All plants are removed from shipping pots and planted in fertile soil. To do this, a recess is made in the sand layer, into which nutrient soil is poured. This is where the plant is planted.

It should be borne in mind that the fertile layer will settle a little over time, so you need to pour the earth a little with a margin.

Ground cover plants do not require a large amount of soil, so they can be planted in gaps between rocks and in areas where there is little land. Then the area around the plant is sprinkled with earth and watered.

You can decorate an alpine slide with the help of an artificial waterfall. Such a waterfall created from slate rocks looks especially unusual. The cascading stones and the water slowly flowing over them will certainly beautify any garden.

But we must not forget that the task of such a garden decoration is to recreate a piece of the natural landscape on your site. Therefore, the use of various decorative techniques, such as filling with a precisely defined pattern, will spoil the natural beauty of the rock garden. It is allowed to use a small garden decor in the form of lanterns and garden sculptures, but you need to know the measure in everything.

Rock garden tips:

Each gardener, in matters of arranging his garden, adheres to his own taste and his desires, but in order to avoid problems in the future, certain rules must be followed from the very beginning. Otherwise, the rock garden will sag over time and you will have to redo everything. Therefore, adhering to technology, you can get a corner in your garden for several years that will attract the eyes of all garden visitors.

Today, in landscape design, along with flower beds, ridges and plaster sculptures, they are widely used rock gardens. They serve as a decoration for rich estates, dachas, city gardens, squares, they are also arranged near offices and restaurants.

Thanks to the ability to correctly select cobblestones and plants, you can create a zone of luxury, beauty and peace even on the smallest piece of land near country house. From the article you will learn how to make such a section of the garden with your own hands step by step according to the scheme.

Place selection

When choosing a place, it is necessary to take into account the following nuances:

Landscape designers prefer to use this particular decor option, compared to others.

• It should be an open space, visible from all sides of the garden.
• The rock garden is arranged in a sunny place, on which the shadow from the trees does not fall.
• Rocky - Must be planted in a wind-sheltered area.
• The territory is decorated in the same style, so plants choose certain types.

Landscaping provides for many different styles of garden design in the country, for example, desert landscape elements, gardens, ponds and bridges, they must fit aesthetically into the design.

Garden decoration is better to build yourself. Since this can significantly save on the services of a landscape designer. Instructions with diagrams and step by step photos allows you to do the work with your own hands without much hassle.

And once again about the choice of location

Such an alpine design can be done by yourself on the estate.

First you need to determine the territory on the site. Trees and perennial shrubs should not grow nearby, which over time can form a falling shadow and thereby cover the planted flora from the sun. open area must be visible from all sides of the garden and be dry. If the groundwater in the country is located close, this will negatively affect the durability and strength of the base of the structure. In this case, the level ground water needs to be lowered, for this, landscape design uses special drainage.

Step-by-step instructions for a drainage device

Where to start building such a garden section if the groundwater level is high:

The use of large cobblestones will significantly transform the landscape design.

• First you need to dig a pit with an area equal to the size of the slide or a little more. The preliminary stage is marking with the installation of pegs, on which the cord is strengthened and stretched. Reliable drainage will become the basis for the durability and strength of the structure, so the depth of the pit must be made at least 0.8 m.
• Crushed stone, pebbles or brickwork are poured into the finished pit in layers to a minimum height of 0.3 m. The backfill layer must be poured with water so that it settles. 5–10 cm of sand and gravel mixture is poured over the gravel, then it is also watered with water and carefully compacted.
• When digging a pit, soil was formed, which must be freed from debris and cobblestones, and then laid out on the created drainage. They are laid according to the scheme only after the soil shrinks. To do this, wait about 2-3 weeks. Usually they begin to create it in the fall, leaving the natural shrinkage of the soil for the winter.
• The base support structure is created after the final shrinkage of the base. According to the planned laying out plan, it is necessary to install the largest cobblestones around the perimeter, while the stones are buried by 60%. Smaller ones are located taking into account that precipitation does not erode and thereby jeopardize the stability of the structure. It is also necessary to constantly select stones for harmonious combination them among themselves. Between them, you should leave an interval for planting decorative sprouts.

​Device diagram

While the soil is shrinking, you can draw up a design scheme, work on locating boulders, and select the right vegetation for planting. How to make a design with your own hands in the country? To do this, stock up:

• Natural boulders, including pebbles.
• Large sand.
• Ornamental sprouts and flowers, in particular, miniature trees and shrubs.
• Moss-sphagnum.

Click to enlarge.

Construction scheme using boulders and perennials.

The scheme and plan of the site must take into account the height of the construction, which is located at a height of 1 to 3 meters.

Important! If the rock garden is conceived above a meter, you need an additional device in the form of a core.

Alpine construction is an unusual element of the garden, as it changes appearance several times during the season.

Selection of stones

Various variations of use in the design of various cobblestones.

As a rule, natural rock stones are used for construction: granite, limestone, basalt, sandstone, rare rocks low strength and porosity. Dolomite, shell rock, tuff are not used for the device. Since they absorb water very much due to porosity, which is why they quickly collapse.

Of great importance is the shape and color of the boulders. Do not use rounded boulders, as well as overly acute-angled ones. Boulders of different shades look good only in a certain type of rock garden. Classic style involves the use of stones of the same breed, but of different shapes.

The stones are arranged so that the edges look the most advantageous when viewed. Defective boulders are masked, positioned in a special way. Stack them up according to weight and size, while making sure that the appearance of the created slide remains harmonious. The boulders are placed randomly, imitating natural conditions, so it is better not to resort to blocks and artificial boulders made in an industrial environment.

What plants to choose

Representatives of the flora can be very different, but it is best to use perennials.

The creation of an alpine structure, as well as the selection of sprouts for it, requires special knowledge about varieties of greenery and agricultural technology. The selection is based on the type. For example, for such a slide on sunny area drought tolerant varieties.

Classic rock garden provides for the growth of dwarf trees and shrubs, as well as perennial herbs and flowers.

Feel great in rockeries:

• lavender,
• fescue,
• geranium,
• iberis,
• lumbago,
• sedum,
• young.

• grouse,
• dwarf tulips,
• crocuses,
• miniature hyacinths,
• scylla.

They become decoration in early spring when there is still a little color, and it looks unpresentable. The first brightly blooming crocuses that emerged from under the snow change the situation.

To create an alpine hill of high decorativeness, they plant perennials with different flowering periods. In this case, it will retain its presentability for a long time. The brightness of the colors of blooming flowers in this case can please the eye from early spring to late autumn.

During planting in rockeries, the height of each representative of the species should be taken into account. Very tall varieties should not inhibit the full development of undersized ones. Bright specimens are placed in the foreground with a large overview.

The basis of the composition miniature trees, coniferous varieties look especially good with different form crowns:

• pines,
• cypress trees,
• junipers.

For the arrangement of rock gardens in design are often used ornamental flowering shrubs, such as:

• Erika,
• cowberry,
• blueberry,
• rhododendrons.

They are complemented by perennial crops:

• astilbe,
• drooping reed,
• badan,
• dwarf daylily.

Rules for the care of rock garden

During the first year, it will be necessary to add soil more than once, since it is washed out during precipitation and irrigation, and also if it becomes necessary to strengthen the stones. Photos and videos on the topic, made by landscape designers, focus on the correct execution of work. The soil is carefully poured, after which it is compacted.

Care behind green spaces consists in regular watering, pruning, removal of dried flowers, damaged leaves. Fertilize several times a season. Do not use nitrogen, as it causes vigorous growth, which should be avoided when planting in rock gardens.

Important! On such a design, representatives of the flora should not receive excess nutrients, because in connection with this they lose all their decorative effect.

Watering is carried out using a hose or a watering can with a fixed sprayer, while it is necessary to ensure that the soil does not erode.

If the stones loosen or fall out, they should be strengthened.

Sometimes it is necessary to treat plants from pests. Sick specimens without the possibility of their treatment are removed with the replacement of the earth in the place of their growth. When transplanting, you can use a special drug - "Epin" it relieves stress.

Thus, the design of park areas increasingly involves the creation of decorative alpine slides. Rockery continues gardens, goes well with ponds and bridges, vertical gardening and lawns. An alpine slide created by your own hands will be an excellent decoration of the territory, add charm, and add variety to the landscape design of your summer cottage.

Photo gallery

rock garden

Editor Rock garden and rockery 6860

Blooming from early spring to late autumn, the alpine slide is a gardener's pride and trouble. Beauty revived with one's own hands seems simple and natural, but behind this is labor multiplied by creativity. The more natural the alpine slide looks in the country, the more effort was put into it by its creator.

The idea of ​​​​creating a corner of wildlife in the country is very tempting. The ideal composition is a combination of stones and plants. Well-chosen variations resemble a mountain landscape. There are certain rules for arranging alpine slides with your own hands, but this only applies to laying technology. The visible upper part is the process of personal creativity. The gardener can rely on recommendations, however, he will receive only his final result. There are no two similar alpine slides. It is always a manifestation of individuality. The presence of one or more large stones is a prerequisite for the composition. This emphasizes the desire to resemble a mountain peak. Country hill is no more than two meters high. The slopes are planted with low-growing evergreens and seasonally flowering plants.

The main misconception of novice gardeners is the idea that a pile of stones, half covered with fertile soil and covered with a vegetable carpet, can already claim the title of an alpine hill. I would like to emphasize once again that making an organic composition with your own hands is a creative, time-consuming process associated with financial costs.

The rock garden has a history

The mention of the Alps suggests that the idea was born to create a mountain landscape in the garden somewhere in Europe. But it's not. The Japanese are considered to be the founders of stone gardens. It was they who discovered to the world the art of combining the hardness of stone with the tenderness of flowers. Spectacular rock gardens on the distant islands of the Rising Sun are known and described thousands of years ago. This idea came to civilized Europe in the 16th century, and to Russia only in the 18th century.

What is rockery?

Rockery is a composition of stones and plants, where hard rock plays the main role, and herbs and flowers serve as a background. Only one type of stone is used here. They are arranged randomly or folded with their own hands in parallel rows into low walls. There is an illusion of a rocky mountain environment.

Plants play the main role in rock gardens. It is their beauty among the stones that attracts the eye.

You should not confuse these concepts and know what exactly you want: rock garden or rockery.

The main green components of the rock garden

Feature for all herbs and flowers:

• unpretentiousness in care;
• short stature;
• survivability in adverse conditions: with excess water and in case of drought.

You can change the image of the flower bed every year by planting annuals with your own hands. But it is better to immediately focus on perennial specimens. Then every year the appearance will become more attractive. You should take into account the seasonality of flowering of each inhabitant of the flower bed and pick up a variety of specimens.

In the natural environment, there are several representatives of the wild flora, which have long been cultivated as garden plants.

For an alpine slide fit:

• edelweiss; a romantic symbol of love that overcomes all obstacles; frost-resistant perennial; spreads on the ground with small rugs; flowering season - early and mid-summer;
• rejuvenated or stone rose; flower with earthy fleshy leaves; grows rapidly between stones; light purple flowers; resistant to any weather changes;
• lumbago; small perennial from the buttercup family; blooms the very first; grows well;
• stonecrop; represented by several varieties; perfectly spreads along the ground with creeping stems, destroys weeds around it; changes color under the influence of the sun;
• saxifrage; likes northern or shaded slopes; weaves a green flowering rug even over stones;
• crocus; small bulbous stars of a wide variety of colors; bloom from March to May; breed well;
• dwarf barberry; refers to the type of shrubs; creeps on the ground; suitable for the lower tier; in spring it pleases with flowering, in autumn with red berries;
• juniper; evergreen undersized bush; can serve as the center of the composition; unpretentious and stable.

Alpine aster, dwarf barberry, aquilegia are also used; phloxes; Japanese spirea. All plants need time to show themselves in all their glory. Applying multi-tier landings, it will be possible to achieve a better result.

Location selection

It is advisable to define a spacious, well-lit corner for the rock garden. The flowerbed should be visible from all sides. Handmade beauty needs to be shown.

The composition looks more natural in spacious places: in the center of the garden, between the paths, as an independent flower bed. The location in the corner, between the trees and buildings will not allow you to fully show the beauty of creation.

If one of the slopes of the hill is shaded, this is not a reason to be upset. You will have to choose plants for which such conditions are the most comfortable.

Drainage is a necessary procedure for soil health

The nature of the soil must be taken into account. Sandy soil is better and is natural drainage. There will be no problem with excess moisture. For clay soil and clean, oily black soil, a mandatory drainage layer is required from any convenient materials. The work is simple, done by hand.

You can arrange the drainage system around the entire perimeter of the base. If the problem of fluid accumulation is not for your area, it is enough to dig a few holes.

The equipment technology is simple:

• remove a layer of soil to a depth of 30 cm;
• fill up 20 cm of crushed stone or gravel, any small construction waste will do;
• ideally, it is better to cover the drainage with a layer of geosynthetic textiles; it allows water to pass through, but does not allow even the smallest particles of soil to leave with the liquid; separates the layers, does not allow them to mix; subsidence of the soil is excluded;
• then a 10 cm layer of sand is poured;
• layer of earth.

Each part of this cake must be well watered after backfilling.

soil mix

To form the best natural base, cleaned and sifted earth, coarse sand and dry humus are combined in equal parts.

If this is the first experience at the base of the rock garden, then its height is desirable no more than 1 m.

Stone laying

Three tiers is enough. At the stage of formation of an earthen hill, large specimens are laid in the lower tier so that they look out of the ground.

After that, you need to take a break from work for two weeks. During this time, the soil will settle, compacted. Problem areas will show up.

Then the creative process of laying stones in tiers with your own hands begins. Remember that the natural environment is being formed. Stones should not lie on the surface, but seem to peek out of the ground, forming a single whole with it. There is no need to rush and observe symmetry. Change, move, flip until you get what you like.

The principle of placement of tiers is a pyramid. Small samples should rest securely on the lower large ones. It depends on taste, but it is desirable to select specimens that are uniform in structure and color.

You can draw a diagram of an alpine slide top view. Then it will be easier to do what you want in practice with your own hands.

Top construction

This is the final stage construction works. There are several options:

• hoist to the top, a massive beautiful stone; it will protect the slide from surface erosion;
• create a mini-pyramid with your own hands with a hollow middle and plant flowers there;
• make a crown of small but attractive samples.

After the completion of construction, it is better to wait a week. Next, proceed to the landing of green inhabitants.

And a few more tips:

• do not use artificial materials, garden sculptures, and unsuitable plants in decorating the slide; the task of obtaining a corner of natural nature should be paramount;
• mountain compositions look great on the edge of lawns;
• it is more convenient to fill the slide with flowers from above;
• fertilizers should be applied in limited quantities, especially when planting; plants must take root on their own; top dressing is necessary after the third year;
• small voids and dips will periodically form; fill them with a mixture of clay soil with peat;
• always water the hill from the foot; impregnated lower layers will not allow soil and microelements to be washed out from above.

If there is a ledge or unevenness in your dacha, plot or garden, make an alpine hill.

Firstly, such a flower bed is very beautiful, in a year its stony cliffs will cover with a solid carpet lovely cushions of flowers, herbs and mosses.

Secondly, the construction of the rock garden itself is a fascinating activity. Here you need to think everything over: where to plant coniferous shrubs, what stones and perennials to choose, so that a colored carpet in the middle of the rocky scree plays with colors for a whole year.

And thirdly, if the soil in your dacha is poor, sandy or rocky, and is completely unsuitable for organizing other types of flower beds, then the plants of the alpine hill in such conditions, on the contrary, will develop normally and bloom well.

Not everyone understands correctly what an alpine slide is. Structures made of plants and stones on the site are far from alpine slides.

Rock garden (alpine slide)- these are landscape compositions that imitate a mountain landscape with platforms like terraces with stones, squat shrubs and long-flowering perennials.

Consider some of the subtleties of designing an alpine hill flower bed

Rock garden in the garden, if possible, should be:

• isolated from outbuildings, playground, etc.;

• proportional to the entire area of ​​the site;

• removed from flower beds with bright lush flowering;

• located in the most illuminated place of the site, close to the source of water supply (if this is not possible, then it will be necessary to equip additional irrigation points);

• as plausible as possible to the mountain landscape;

• located near the house or recreation area.

Many people thought about how to make an alpine slide with their own hands. And only a few, especially stubborn and patient, decorated their summer cottage with terraced hills. Where did they start? Of course, with the choice of location.

In order for the rocky flower bed to organically fit into environment garden, it is not necessary to look for a large space - alpine plants are so compact that it costs nothing for them to fit in dozens on a modest area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe hill.

The height of the rock garden should not conflict with the already existing landscape. If possible, you need to make sure that the forms, textures and colors of the slide blend harmoniously into the concept of landscape design.

The alpine decorative flower garden in the garden looks very expressively against the background of dense, tall bushes or small but lush trees.

Do-it-yourself Alpine slide - step by step instructions

What materials and tools do you need to buy for an alpine slide?

• stones of the same breed, river sand, crushed stone, gravel, turf, humus, peat, limestone, earth and planting material;

• tape measure, cord, pegs, bayonet shovel, scrap metal, garden shovel with a long handle, wheelbarrow, scissors, ladle (in order to rake the earth out of the wide slide sump), garden watering can.

Is everything at hand? Then get to work!

• Any alpine slide project begins with a breakdown of the site and drawing the outline of the future flower garden (this is where you need a tape measure, pegs and a cord). The area under the flower garden is cleared, the soil layer is removed to a depth of 30-40 cm, weeded thoroughly and weeds are removed.

• When clearing is completely finished on a deepened area, it is necessary to make a gravel cushion - fill in a layer of gravel, slag and construction waste (broken brick, limestone or granite rubble is suitable), 10 cm thick. This kind of drainage will protect the roots of plants from waterlogging, preventing stagnation of groundwater, and provide adequate aeration.

• The water-permeable layer should be made thicker where the soil is very dense, structureless, silty and poorly permeable to water. Wetlands are the first enemy of alpine plants - ascetics are used to growing on slopes in light, stony-sandy, acidic soils.

• On top of the drainage layer (the base of the rock garden), it is necessary to make a sand cushion - pour a layer of river sand (5 cm thick), tamp well and water.

• Next, mix in equal proportions soddy soil (it can be prepared in advance or bought at any nursery), perlite, sand, pine bark, wood chips, fine gravel, crushed peat, humus and sphagnum.

• Do not add too much fertilizer to this layer. The over-enrichment of the land can lead to the fact that the trees and flowers on the hill grow too large or, conversely, die altogether. It is recommended to feed only some tuberous and bulbous, and then as rarely and carefully as possible.

• The finished soil mixture is poured over the entire surface of the hill, while modeling the relief of the rock garden on the model of the natural landscape. The embankment of the earth does not need to be made uniform and neat. Both on a large and on a small alpine hill in the garden, it is necessary to manually form "cliffs" and "valleys", "tops" and "plateaus", paths and transitions.

• After the residual backfilling of the area with a ball of earth, you can start laying stones, “laying” “pillows” of river sand under them.

What shape should the stones be in rock gardens and how to arrange them correctly?

Consider what stones are needed for a small and large alpine slide, their names and laying methods.

To organize such an exotic flower garden, you need to choose only those stony rocks that will not transfer heavy metals and salts to the soil, and will not oxidize the soil.

Hewn over the years, water and wind, irregularly shaped rocks in the landscape of the garden will look much better than freshly mined ones. Stone screes should be similar in structure, and preferably exactly the same, but at the same time different in size.

An excellent choice for rock garden has always been and will be: natural granite, organic limestone or decorative sandstone. Suitable forest boulder, dolomite, travertine, gneiss or basalt. Another option: serpentinite, elbrus, jasper, serpentine, quartz, etc.

Stones do not need to be collected in the fields and meadows. You can buy good copies in the quarry. The weight of one stone can reach approximately 15-100 kg. That is, for a stone flower bed measuring 1.5 x 3 m, the developer will need about 1-1.5 tons of stones.

We go further. Laying should begin from the bottom (from the foot) up - gradually moving from larger specimens of stones to smaller ones. The first form the core of the alpine slide. For this purpose, the largest and most beautiful boulder is chosen and placed in a small recess. To prevent the stone from rocking, it can be strengthened with rubble.

Advice. It is not necessary to lay with equal distances and geometric harmony - in the natural environment, on mountain slopes, stones and blocks are located in a chaotic mess.

When laying, you need to gradually deepen not only the core of the composition, but also all the other stones. The resulting sinuses are lightly covered with an earthen mixture for rock garden and watered with a sprayed jet of water - plants will be planted in them a little later.

In the upper part, a conical boulder looks beautiful, symbolizing the top of the mountain, surrounded by flat stones.

In the process of placing stones, landscape designers are advised to move away from the composition and evaluate the result from different angles. An alpine slide, decorated with your own hands, is considered ready if it looks holistic and harmonious even without conifers, shrubs and flowers.

But that's not all. Huge weight boulders and stones should lie down for two or three weeks, "settle down", so to speak. And only when the earth settles and you can start arranging a flower garden on an alpine hill.

Plants for an alpine slide - the key to a spectacular design

hardened hard climatic conditions highlands: cold, low atmospheric pressure, strong wind and temperature fluctuations, flowers for the Alpine hill show amazing endurance in the difficult climate of Russia.

In order for the rock garden created in the country to really look like an oasis of a mountain landscape, shrubs and plants must be selected according to the following criteria:

1. unpretentiousness to climate and soil;
2. short stature;
3. moderate growth;
4. non-aggressive breeding method;
5. multi-year development cycle.

Low-growing and ground cover plants for an alpine slide

• Acena Bukhanana;
• young;
• Hairy beard;
• Mining grate;
• tenacious;
• Kostenets hairy;
• Fern;
• Stonecrop short-leaved;
• decorative cabbage;
• fat woman;
• Sagebrush;
• Geichera;
• Spurge;
• Stachys.

Advice. Ground cover plants with a powerful root system are placed on the slopes of an alpine hill to prevent its erosion.

Flowering plants for an alpine slide

• Barberry;
• Colchicum;
• Veronica;
• Carnation;
• Gentian;
• Gypsophila, wulfenia;
• Delphinium;
• Dryad;
• Gorse lancet;
• Poskharsky's bell;
• Primula Allioni;
• Saxifrage;
• Bloodroot;
• Burachok;
• Buttercup is cereal;
• Edelweiss;
• Kachem creeping;
• Oenothera Missouri;
• Iberian catchment;
• Thyme;
• Gargan bell;
• Phlox is undersized;
• Soapweed basil leaf;
• Yaskolka;
• Draba evergreen;
• Mertensia maritime;
• Fuopsis long columnar;
• Krylovychinnik round-leaved;
• Strawberry decorative;
• Rose Rhodiola;
• Chiastophyllum oppositeleaf;
• Himalayan geranium;
• Mountain cornflower;
• Hellebore;
• Liverwort;
• Anemone;
• Cat's paw;
• Rezuha;
• Violets and daisies.

Advice. Each of the flowering individuals in the rock garden composition plays a role, so the flowers should not obscure and interfere with each other. It is important to achieve a smooth change in the shades of the slide. This can be easily achieved by combining alpine plants in terms of flowering.

Long-flowering plants for an alpine slide

Onion and bulbous

• Decorative Karatav;
• Cornflower and island bow;
• Tubergen's bow and Besianum;
• Scylla;
• Vesennik;
• Sternbergia;
• Cyclamen;
• Snowdrop;
• Ranunculus;
• Pushkinia;
• Clivia;
• Rhodohypoxis;
• Brandushka;
• Hyacites;
• lilies of the valley;
• Babian;
• Corydalis;
• Merender;
• Sisyrynchium;
• Thecophylea;
• Poultry farmers;
• Moricia;
• Muscari;
• garden ranunculus;
• Dwarf varieties of irises, daffodils, dahlias and tulips.

Advice. The rocky structures of the rock garden will look as decorative as possible if you know the exact timing of the flowering of the bulbous. And yet, when planting onions in a rock garden with good drainage (stones and gravel prevent the bulbs from rotting), leave enough space between them to grow. Mulch temporarily empty places with tree bark or pebbles.

Low-growing grasses for an alpine slide

• Quaking grass;
• Lagurus;
• Highlander;
• Cuff;
• Alyssum;
• Oregano;
• Reed grass spicy;
• Feather grass;
• Pennysetum orientalis;
• Fescue gray and red;
• Liriope;
• Sheep evergreen;
• Barley is maned;
• Esholz;
• Heathers;
• Erica.

Advice. herbaceous plants remain attractive until late autumn, while others have already wilted or have not yet blossomed. Acting as a background, ornamental grasses serve as a juicy decoration in the creation of an alpine slide.

Compact shrubs for alpine hills

• mountain pine;
• Boletus boletus;
• Blue spruce;
• Barberry;
• Cotoneaster horizontal;
• Juniper;
• Larch;
• Thuja western;
• Miniature Pine;
• Korean fir;
• Euonymus;
• Spirea;
• Dryad;
• Rhododendron;
• Daphne.

Advice. Plant dwarf trees and bushes first, highlighting the most spacious sections of the hill for them. Do not plant them on the sole or on top of the ground. The best place for upright dwarf forms in rock gardens - near large stones along the edges of the hill, at a great distance from each other. At proper fit deciduous and coniferous shrubs will not require any special care. But some of them, winter period, you will have to cover by tying the plant with burlap or a special cover.

Very often, moss is included in the design of alpine slides. The transplantation of moss plates from the forest onto rock garden stones is carried out as follows. First, the moss pillow is cleaned from its native land, and then it is thoroughly mixed with a blender with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and 200 g of kefir. With the resulting homogeneous mass, you need to lubricate the sections of stones (using a brush), on which in the future they want to see a green carpet of moss. The plant will take root faster if it is regularly moistened within three weeks after planting.

A neatly trimmed green lawn can become a good frame for an alpine slide.

Advice. No need to try to place in the rock garden more species. You will succeed in a holistic composition only when, having learned about the types of plants from A to Z, you will be able to provide, albeit for a small number of flowers, a worthy existence.

Alpine hill - landing scheme

Between the stone scattering there should be enough space for the normal development and growth of green spaces. In a small hole dug at an angle, as shown in the figure, seedlings are planted, their roots are straightened, lightly sprinkled with earth and tamped. After planting, the hill needs to be watered. It is better to do this from top to bottom - the water, flowing down, will saturate the soil well and go straight to the roots.

When planting rosette flowers on a hill: orostachis, gentian, levisia, etc., do not plant them next to ground covers. The latter grow rapidly and can crowd out tender plants.

Plant bulbs will not spread if planted inside a limiter - a jar or an old bucket without a bottom.

Schemes of alpine slides (with the names of plants)

Scheme No. 1

Scheme No. 4

Types of Alpine slides

The paradoxical unity of fragile vegetation and boulders gives real pleasure to summer residents, disposes to reflection and soothes.

And after reading the article, you only have to choose: admire the bizarre harmony of the alpine slides in the photo or recreate one of the views on your site. Moreover, there are 7 of them at the stony flower beds at once:

• "rock" with natural fractures of the surface;

• rather difficult in execution "mountain slope" with coniferous and huge boulders;

• landscape "mountain valley" with asymmetrically placed groups of stones;

• "terraced slope" retaining walls different heights, lengths and shapes;

• decorative "forest ravine" with a spring or an artificially created waterfall;

• "stony wall" - a low mound with randomly scattered stones;

• the extravagant "Czech rolling pin", the defining technical feature of which is layered masonry;

• the most stylish of the stone compositions is the "alpine lawn" with wild plants growing exclusively in the highlands.

Conclusion

Do not listen to those who assure that a rock garden in a country house can be planned and created in one day. Of course not. Well, perhaps the simplest version of a mini alpine slide, and even then not in the garden, but in a city apartment.

Want to make things right? Then lay the drainage, fill the ground and form the base of the hill in the fall, and lay the stones and flowers and plant them only in the spring.

Alpine hill - photo of beautiful rock garden design options

Quick navigation through the material

A beautiful, well-groomed territory is the hallmark of any site. It is good when among all kinds of plantings in the garden there is a central element that stands out against the general background.

This element can be a rock garden - a rocky elevation, decorated with flowers and plants and imitating a fragment of a mountain landscape.

Often summer residents confuse two similar concepts - rock garden and rockery. In fact, they are not too mistaken, because rockery is the common name for rocky gardens, and alpine slide is one of its varieties. At the same time, many landscape designers are accustomed to defining rockeries only as a flat composition.

A rock garden, unlike a rockery, is an elevated composition, necessarily tiered, with slopes and a peak.

Alpine hill against the backdrop of a log house

Compared with rockeries, it is more difficult to make an alpine slide with your own hands, but it has a more pronounced relief, attracts more attention due to its height, makes the landscape noticeably more picturesque not only in summer, but also in winter.

And you can also zone a summer cottage with a rock garden, for example, visually separate working area from the front. In addition, a rocky hill will allow you to beautifully beat embankments unsuitable for planting.

From this article you will learn how to make an alpine slide with your own hands and draw landscape design ideas from 50 photos of rock gardens.

Planning the composition and design of the alpine slide

So, how to compose a composition, how to choose and arrange plants and stones? Full answers to these questions will not fit within the framework of one article, but in short, here are a few main rules and principles that must be followed:

• According to the canons, an alpine slide should not consist of boulders and run-in stones (with the exception of rock gardens near water bodies), but of rough and broken ones. For example, it can be: tuff, sandstone, limestone, granite or slate.
• In one composition, it is desirable to combine no more than 2 species, otherwise the rock garden will look unnatural.
• As a rule, the height of the alpine slide is 3-5 tiers (it is better that the number of tiers be odd). It is better not to make country rock gardens too high - their optimal height is 50-80 cm.

In choosing the design of an alpine slide, be guided by a sense of proportion - the composition should look natural and fit organically into the landscape. Cliffs and rocks (see photo below) in summer cottages most often seem foreign. But simple imitations of a slope or a mountain valley without a pronounced peak are appropriate everywhere.

On a small suburban area high types of rock gardens as in this photo are not very appropriate

Now let's talk about the choice of plants for the alpine slide. If you build a rock garden strictly according to the rules, then the flora for it must be selected strictly of alpine origin: miniature conifers, shrubs, ground cover, bulbous and herbaceous perennials.

However, real "Alpines" are not so easy to find and grow in middle lane, so you can choose any plants that are characterized by squat (height up to 60 cm), unpretentiousness and, of course, decorative. On the northern slope it is better to plant shade tolerant plants: tenacious, periwinkle, fern, bergenia and others. On the southern slope, respectively, light-loving plants grow better: lavender, barberry, adonis, iris, acena and others. Very harmoniously fit into the "mountain ensemble" evergreens, such as mountain pine, Canadian spruce, juniper and others.

It is desirable that the plants of your rock garden retain their decorative effect throughout the season, otherwise the withered leaves will spoil the whole composition, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to hide them behind the flowering "neighbors". For this reason, it is good to use flyers in the design of an alpine slide. Although they are not quite “canonical”, they will decorate a rocky garden for a long time.

Step by step instruction of 8 steps

Having roughly imagined what our rock garden will be like, we can begin to create an alpine slide with our own hands.

The technology for creating an alpine slide consists of the following steps:

1. Choose a place, determine the size;
2. We draw a rock garden scheme;
3. We designate the contour, remove the sod;
4. We make a drainage layer;
5. We prepare fertile soil and fill it up;
6. We erect the core of the hill, sprinkle the soil;
7. Planting plants;
8. Let's put the finishing touches on.

And now let's talk about each stage in more detail.

Step 1. Draw a plan for an alpine slide

Creating even the simplest alpine slide is best to start with the development of the project. The simplest option is a schematic sketch, observing the approximate sizes of stones and plants relative to each other. For example, it could be something like this.

1 - Mountain pine, 2 - Creeping thyme, 3 - Canadian phlox, 4 - Evers stonecrop, 5 - Gray fescue, 6 - Rocky alissum, 7 - Angustifolia lavender, 8 - Stonecrop, 9 - Fragrant rue, 10 - Steller's wormwood. Note: the scheme of the alpine slide is shown without taking into account the flowering time of plants

Ideally, a slide, especially a large and multi-tiered one, should be designed on a scale of, say, 1:50 or 1:25 (1 cm on paper corresponds to 50 or 25 "natural" centimeters) and with a grid with 2 × 2 cm cells (that is, with transferring the grid to nature, the cells will correspond to cells of 50 × 50 cm at a scale of 1:25).

Step 2. Choose a place

Here are some tips for choosing a place for an alpine slide:

• It is desirable that the rock garden is located in a sunny place, and the slope is oriented to the east and south. Of course, you can choose a shaded place, but then the choice of flora will be limited - you will have to plant only shade-tolerant plants.
• Well, if the composition was placed so that it could be seen from different sides.
• The arrangement of an alpine slide near a house or other buildings is undesirable, since from the melting of snow or drops, the flower garden can sag and be damaged.
• Rock garden on the background of the fence - not best idea, but if you can’t find another place, then bushes planted along the fence, or lianas, as in the photo below, will help to ennoble the background of the slide.

An example of an alpine hill against the backdrop of a fence. By the way, here the rock garden is designed to hide water communications This small alpine slide would look much better if the fence was wrapped in vines or planted with shrubs.

• You should not build an alpine slide under the trees (deciduous and flower), otherwise every autumn you will have to clear the rocky garden from fallen leaves.
• If the site has uneven terrain created by nature, then this the best option for rock climbing.

Suitable places:

• Front area of ​​the site;
• Entrance area;
• Recreation area (in the barbecue area, at the gazebo, pool, pond);
• Backyard;
• Near any rocky retaining walls.

Step 3. Remove the sod

In accordance with the plan, we designate the contour of the future slide in the selected area: we drive in the pegs and stretch the twine through them.

Next, we remove the sod to a depth of just over 30 cm and leave it aside for a while. Later, on its basis, we will prepare the soil substrate. Being engaged in land work, do not forget to remove the rhizomes of weeds.

Step 4. Prepare the base

So, we got a "pit" rock garden. Now we need to fill it with a "sandwich" of drainage and soil. Broken bricks, pebbles, crushed stone or medium-sized gravel can be used as the first layer of drainage. We fill it with a thickness of 10-15 cm, depending on the size of the stones. Next, we fill up a layer of sand 5-10 cm thick, ram it well and fill it with water to achieve maximum density.

• To prevent the destruction of the composition from the raids of moles and shrews (if they are found in the vicinity of your dacha), you need to lay a fine metal mesh on the bottom of the pit.
• If you arrange a rock garden on a slope with dry and loose sandy soil, then drainage can be omitted.

Step 5. Prepare the soil

When the laying of the drainage layer is completed, you can begin to prepare fertile soil. We will mix it from equal parts: previously dug turf, peat, humus and sand.

• Soddy land before preparing the soil substrate must be thoroughly cleaned of weeds and their rhizomes.

Step 6. We erect a hill

The construction of an alpine slide begins with the laying of the most beautiful and largest boulders around the perimeter of the future rock garden.

Stones should lie as stable as possible. To do this, they must, firstly, be placed on the ground with the largest side, and secondly, if necessary, place smaller support stones under them or add gravel or soil. The bottom row of boulders needs to be completely dug a third or two thirds into the ground - this way you will achieve not only stability, but also the desired effect of naturalness.

Having folded the first row of large stones, we fill the prepared soil in the center of the composition and at the same time lay out the medium stones, forming the second tier.

Finally, small cobblestones are placed at the top of the hill and on the slopes where voids need to be filled. At the top of the hill, you can put one large or two medium stones. When erecting an alpine slide, do not forget to refer to your scheme and leave enough space for planting. At the end of the construction of the alpine slide, it must be watered abundantly and left for a couple of weeks to shrink.

• Try to lay the stones so that the planting pockets are horizontal, not sloping, as plantings on a slope are not very easy to water.
• Before laying each new stone, the soil under it is pre-tamped.
• Remember that the rock garden should have as little geometry and symmetry as possible, because it is rare in nature.

Some experts recommend that the core of the hill be formed not from fertile soil, but from sand mixed with a small fraction of crushed stone (the soil is only poured into the planting holes, and then the entire embankment is covered with it to hide light sand). So the elevation will be more reliable and durable. High slides require a core of three layers: gravel (or other rocky placer), sand and soil (see diagram below).

Step 7 Planting the Plants

When the composition of stones suits you, proceed to the most pleasant stage - planting the flora. To do this, first arrange pots with seedlings on the slopes according to your project, starting with large ones and ending with small ones. Planting plants should start from the top, gradually going down. The depth of the planting holes depends on the size of the root systems of specific species. Finally, the finished slide needs to be poured with water, washing the earth off the stones.

• Do not overdo it with fertilizers to avoid unwanted growth of plants in breadth and height.
• The soil substrate (acidity and alkalinity) can be adjusted for each species.

Step 8: Adding the Finishing Touches

Hurray, the alpine slide is ready! Now you can add backfill (pebbles, gravel or crushed stone) where necessary, or install decor (garden figures, lanterns, etc.)
Finally, we suggest you watch a visual master class on how to make a simple alpine slide with your own hands.

See also the gallery of rock garden ideas in the country.

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