Alpine slide in the country: principles of construction, construction, landscaping. Alpine hill do it yourself: step by step instructions with photos and video

Wildlife Corner on the Plot - Alpine Hill

Step-by-step instructions for creating an alpine slide (rock garden)

Alpine slide or rock garden  - one of the favorite techniques in the device of landscape design, as in gardeners-amateurs, and from professional designers. A piece of untouched nature on your site can be created in the form of a fragment of the mountain landscape.

Certainly rock garden  perfectly decorates any site, but at the same time, it is one of the most difficult compositions to create.

In order to to make do it yourself location on alpine slide right, it is necessary to adhere to clear rules, observing their sequence.

Step 1. Choosing a place for an alpine slide (rock garden)

Rocky hill  It is best to place on a hill that will be well covered from all sides. Winners in this case winners of the hilly areas or those with areas on the slopes.

Very attractive rock garden  looks against the background of a green lawn, and if in the background, a little distance away, tall trees grow, which cast their shadow on the rock garden, the composition will be very advantageous.

Alpine Hill  should have slopes that are oriented to different sides of the world.

Designing   rock gardenit is necessary to take into account that its southern and southeastern slopes should be more visible, therefore these slopes are more gentle than the northern and northeastern slopes.

Step 2. Selection of stones for alpine slides (rock garden)

1)   Select the size and number of stones according to the size of the alpine slide. For example, for a rock garden the size of 1.5 × 2.5 m and a height of 0.5 m will require about 1 ton of stone.

2)   When creating stony compositions you need to remember that the stone must be natural, natural forms and surfaces.

3)   Don't arrange alpine slide  from the remains of construction debris (fragments of plates, curbs, concrete, etc.).

  Alpine Hill Stones

4)   Use stones of the same rock, let the stones come from your area, they are easier to find and cheaper to purchase and deliver to the site. In addition, “local” stones will most harmoniously and naturally be combined with the local landscape.

5) Stones and plants in rock gardens must harmoniously emphasize the natural beauty of each other. Therefore, to obtain the final composition that will fit your ideas, choose the stones yourself and be present during their transportation.

6)   Do not use chipped stones, with unnaturally sharp edges or, on the contrary, stones of ideal shape - smooth river.

7)   The best option for a rock garden is a moss-covered stone that can be found in the forest. Such a stone will be cheaper than all the options, and the natural design of the stone, created by nature itself, can’t be better!

Step 3. Sizes and outlines of the alpine slide (rock garden)

One of the important conditions when creating an alpine slide  that it should fit harmoniously into the overall picture of your site and not look like a pile of stones, because of which the house looks modestly.

there is clear calculationswith which it is possible to determine rock garden size for  specific area plot:

In the area of ​​6-8 acres, the alpine slide can occupy an area of ​​up to 5-10 m 2 and reach a height of 60 cm.

The minimum size of the alpine slide is 1.5 × 2.5 m.

If you are a happy owner of a larger territory, recalculate on the basis of these numbers.

The maximum height of an alpine slide with an area of ​​more than 40 m 2 can be up to 1.5 m.

Step 4. Drawing a contour for the alpine hill (rock garden)

Before you begin to lay out stones on the site, which is intended for the construction of rock garden, it is necessary to outline the contours of the future structure.

This is a very important stage, which can not be neglected!

At first glance it seems that it is very simple, but its implementation is the basis of the whole process of the device slides.

  Marking rock garden on the site

For a good example, draw a draft of a future slide on paper, in the form of a drawing or a diagram. Calculate the size and location of the alpine slide on the plot, visually place the stones, marking them in the diagram.

Think about what plants will take place in your hill, respectively, distribute the location of the stones.

After applying the contours to the paper, transfer it to the land plot, laying out the outline of the structure with a rope, bright tape or garden hose.

View the future composition from all points of view: you may need to adjust the boundaries and location on the ground.

Step 5. Removal of the upper fertile layer of the earth

Important stage rock garden devices is also the removal of sod land. To do this, carefully remove the top fertile layer of soil that will need to be sifted, and after sieving add to the composition of the substrate to fill the space between the stones on the hill.

Topsoil is removed to a depth of 20 - 30 cm over the entire area of ​​the future rock garden.

Such work is best done when the ground is dry enough so that it can be sifted.

If the site is heavily overgrown with grass weeds, it is recommended to apply herbicides, otherwise the seeds remaining in the soil will sprout on a hill of thick grass.

Step 6. The device of the drainage system for alpine slide (rock garden)

Alpine slide drainage system  necessary, but its creation is not always required. Drainage is indispensable in areas with loamy or clayey soil, as well as in flat areas with high groundwater storage.

  Drainage layer for rock garden

As a drainage, beaten brick, crushed stone or other small stones are used, which are piled with a layer of 10-30 cm. The layer of drainage is unevenly distributed - where the hill is planned to be elevated, the layer will be thicker.

Sand is poured on a drainage stony layer with a layer of 10 cm. At the same time, it is thicker in places of future elevations.

After laying the drainage of gravel and sand requires abundant watering. The need for irrigation lies in the fact that after it the drainage is slightly compacted, and all the flaws in the work done will manifest themselves. But at this stage everything can be fixed. Dip the rubble and sand into the resulting holes, spill, once again evaluate the quality of the work done.

Step 7. Preparation of soil mixture for alpine hills (rock garden)

Soil soil  to fill the space between the stones in rock gardens  should be fairly nutritious and moderately moist.

You can cook it yourself. Soil composition:

• 1/3 of sod land
• 1/3 peat or compost,
• 1/3 coarse sand
• perlite can also be added.

If the land in your area is good - quite fertile, then the top layer, which was removed to prepare the pit for drainage, can be used to prepare soil mixture for alpine slides.

One of the blunders when preparing land for the alpine slide  is that many amateurs recommend adding fertilizer to the plant substrate to increase soil fertility. This is by no means acceptable for alpine slides!

"Alpine" plants on such a soil will be strongly drawn out, the green mass will prevail over flowering, and flowering will become less abundant.

In addition, the aggressively expanding ground covers will quickly fill the area and close the stone, causing the entire meaning of the rocky hill to be lost.

Soil soil poured on the hill at the same time laying stones, a little tamping it. Upon completion of work, the alpine slide well spill water, and then correct the resulting grooves.

Step 8. Vertical rock garden planning. Creating an alpine slide

Now came the most crucial step in the construction of rock garden. It consists in setting and grouping stones.

With the help of stones they create volumetric compositions. In addition, each individual group should be different from the next, in size, ratio of sections and color.

  Alpine slide

Alpine Hill  It has a basic construction principle and includes several basic elements. She is consists of  foot of the hill - " valleys» and three terraces.  A lawn is planted in the “valley”, or a decorative embankment is poured in, or an artificial reservoir is arranged.

Terraces are located one behind the other in the form of a ladder.  Each terrace is a small natural composition of plants and stones. The alternation of a terrace made only of stone and terraces with stones and plants looks very interesting.

When creating an imitation of a mountain landscape, you must avoid the correct geometric shapes. This will give a natural composition, otherwise the natural appearance of the slide will lose its flavor.

  Laying stones in the alpine slide

1)   The first thing to start when laying stones for rock garden  - it is to install the first stone, the so-called main one from which the remaining stones in the composition will be laid. Choose the largest stone. Its location should be shifted from the center to the east side.

2)   Then place the stones from medium to smaller size, stick to the rule - the closer to the border of the hill, the smaller should be the stones.

Place stones in groups. Some groups of stones should be laid close to each other, between the others, leave gaps. Do not forget to avoid symmetry as much as possible.

When installing stones, it is necessary to leave soil pockets for planting.

The stones must be stable - they should not swing, therefore, under their base, prepare small depressions not less than 1/3 of the height of the stone itself.

If necessary, add soil or small stones.

If your plot is absolutely flat, then you will need imported land at the rate of 0.5-0.7 t / m 2. With the help of drainage and imported land create the necessary relief for your future alpine slide.

Artificial creek on the alpine hill

Create artificial stream, a combination of water, stone and plant in the alpine hill  - This is the most ideal option rock garden. The murmur of water flowing over stones and playing in the sun will decorate in a fabulous way rocky hill.

The brook, which from stone to stone will flow to man-made reservoirlocated on the south side at its foot.

Artificial pond  will feed the stream, which flows over the stones of the slide and goes back into the reservoir. The principle of circulation will ensure a continuous flow of water.

  Artificial reservoir scheme

To create a reservoir:

1)   It is necessary to dig a pit at the foot of the rock garden.

2)   Cover the bottom with foil with a thickness of 0.8-1.2 mm.

3)   Lay out the film with a layer of clay or loam, or sand 2 cm thick.

4)   Cover with a layer of pebbles or rubble up to 1 cm thick.

To create a stream:

  Artificial stream on the site for rock garden

1)   From the artificial reservoir they lay a chute to the place from which the stream will flow (usually this is the top of the hill).

2)   A hose is placed in the gutter and sanding the “water supply system” with sand, waterproofing is placed.

3)   With the help of a pump (pump) water will flow from the reservoir through a hose to the source of the stream.

  Falls on the alpine hill

4)   The stream bed is arranged at the same time when creating an alpine slide, tamping and compacting the clay soil, making it semi-circular, 15 cm deep and 30 cm wide. You can put the stream bed with small stones or pebbles.

As a channel, you can use plastic water pipes of the appropriate diameter, cut along along. After installation, the pipe must be masked with stones.

Alpine Hill  can be arranged in the form   waterfall, cascades. It all depends on the size of the rock garden and your imagination.

Selection and planting of plants for rock garden

Planting plants in the rock garden, it is advisable to start after a few heavy irrigations. After that, when the land has settled and the resulting grooves will be filled.

• Plant the most light-loving plants on the south or southeast side of the hill.
• Plant large plants near large stones, small plants near small ones. Avoid close placement of plants on the hill!
• Ground-cover, fast-growing plants, plant 3-5 pieces. / m 2.
• Place cushion perennials at 8–12 pcs / m 2.
• Dwarf trees and shrubs planted separately or in small groups, so as to emphasize the asymmetry of the hill.
• In no case can not be planted trees in the center or on top of the rock garden!

Mulch the soil after planting by sifting out the stone used in the construction of rock garden or gravel, marble chips, pebbles, organic mulch (wood chips, agro vermiculite, perlite, etc.).

10 errors at the alpine slide device:

1)   The device rock garden in the area with close to the groundwater without drainage.

2)   Accommodation rock garden on the background of outbuildings.

3)   Unstable placement of stones.

4)   The use of several different stony rocks in one composition.

5)   Using fragments of concrete slabs.

6)   Use as a substrate of rich soils and fertilizers that increase fertility.

7)   Observance of symmetry when laying stones and planting plants.

8)   Ignoring watering slides after the drainage device and at the final stage.

9)   Planting soil patrons who grow quickly, next to small rosettes or very rare plants.

10)   Planting annual plants.

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The expression "Alpine meadows" immediately transfers mentally to a mountain plateau with delicate fragrant flowers, huge rocks, and crystal clear air. It is surprising how miraculously unpretentious plants could grow on these clumps. A piece of perfect nature can be recreated in your garden, which seems quite incredible. How to make an alpine slide with your own hands? But to equip the most beautiful corner of nature for everyone.

Such a masterpiece is not very capricious in the care, the main thing is to find a great place, find unusual stones and choose the right vegetation. Flowers require a particularly careful approach. Their appearance should resemble mountain flowers. Only then the selected composition will match the natural piece of the Alpine landscape.

Choosing a place

A place to create a picturesque corner should be chosen without trees, since they are not typical for stony gardens. The alpine slide at the cottage, located in the recreation area, looks spectacular. It will be perfectly visible, besides it will constantly delight with its unsurpassed beauty. Perfect harmony creates a slide, arranged near an artificial reservoir.

Even in the absence of a rocky slope in the area, you can perfectly adapt to any selected area. An open area, freely blown by the wind and perfectly illuminated by the sun, is the best place for arranging the alpine landscape. A perfect place is the south side of the plot or the south-west. Remember that it makes no sense to hide such beauty from the eyes. The main function of the rock garden is to bring joy, to pacify, to attract admiring glances.

Preparation of the pit

After choosing a place, you should proceed to the preparatory work. At the site of the future rock garden you need to dig a pit with a depth of up to 1 meter with the size of the slide itself 2x2 meters. In order for an alpine slide, created with its own hands, to delight for an incredibly long time, it is necessary to think over good drainage. That he performs the function of the foundation, keeping the rock garden from failures and protecting the soil from subsidence. In addition, proper drainage removes excess moisture that can cause damage to plants.

Everything is suitable for good drainage: broken brick, crushed stone, expanded clay, gravel and even construction waste (however, it is necessary to completely eliminate wood waste). The next layer should be sand. Instead, you can apply a kind of mixture of pebbles, sand and small gravel. Centimeters for 30-40 to the surface should be finished. Next comes a layer of excellent fertile soil. It must be tamped with the utmost care.

Rock garden stones

Foundation, limestone stones, sandstones, granite crowbars, boulders are perfect for building a unique landscape corner. You can use any stones for alpine slides. The more exotic the form looks, the more original and more beautiful the construction will turn out.

The size of the stone is important. In large areas, large, massive stones look great, for smaller areas it is better to choose smaller ones. The texture and color must be fully in harmony with the surrounding vegetation. To make the alpine hill look natural, stop choosing one rock.

The laying process is done in tiers, from the largest to the smallest. The largest boulders are located at the base of the structure, and smaller stones are used for the top. Each layer is necessarily poured earth. The classic version usually consists of 3-5 tiers. Between the boulders must leave space for vegetation.

There are no hard and fast rules for how to make an alpine slide with your own hands. The form of rock garden is completely dependent on the imagination and taste of the owner. Try not to attach too correct a hill or, on the contrary, an excessively chaotic look. Principles should be naturalness, naturalness, harmony, sustainability.

Rock garden scheme

Any landowner or dacha at least once in their life thinks about how to make an alpine slide. In this case, I want it to become a real highlight of the site. To achieve this is not difficult. The most important thing is to calculate the correct proportions and sustain the composition. Do not make a mistake in size and proportions will help alpine slides.

It is necessary to fully plan a plan, draw a rough sketch on paper. No matter how great imagination you have, you should not abandon the scheme. Place all stones and vegetation on paper first. Practice shows that it is very rare to create a beautiful design without a scheme. Most often, you have to repeatedly transfer stones from one place to another.

Alpine slide composition

The compositional decision is exclusively a figment of your imagination. It is important to remember that any solution should create a natural look. Do not try to lay out the stones symmetrically. Perfectly demonstrates how an asymmetrical alpine slide looks like, photo. How to make such a masterpiece yourself, described below.

Composition examples

Composition "Rocks".  Placed such a project on the slope. Huge boulders are used for it. Pines, juniper, dwarf ferns, ampelous bells, wormwood, stonecrop are planted.

"Mountain Valley".  The harmonious combination of boulders with boulders. Vegetation should be alternated in height, it is possible to plant trees and shrubs and even cereals. Moss-covered stones will create a beautiful backdrop.

"Water cascade".  To create such a composition requires an appropriate relief. Badany, irises, primroses, ferns are ideal for the banks of the hills. Thanks to a waterfall, a fountain or a pond, the alpine slide acquires exquisite charm, and the play of water contributes to the creation of a zone of comfort and relaxation.

Backfilling

In order for the vegetation to delight in its flowering and health, important points should be taken into account. This will help to resolve the issue of how to properly make an alpine slide. One of them is the ground. Most plants are quite unpretentious, but only a specially designed soil mixture will provide the "green inhabitants" with the necessary nutrition. Soil can be made independently. For this, one part of peat should be added three parts of clay soil. The resulting mixture is taken as five parts, to which you need to add another one - gravel.

Alpine vegetation

Planting vegetation begins with shrubs and stunted trees. Next, perennial grasses are planted. Ferns, bulbous plants, cereals, and various herbs are widely used for landscaping. It is necessary to take into account the compatibility of the species and stop the choice on really unpretentious plants, so as not to select a soil for each “landscaper”.

It is necessary to combine vegetation in such a way that the alpine slide at the summer cottage looks attractive all year round, so that the withering of one “pet” will be replaced by a violent flowering of others. Coniferous plants will allow a rock garden to provide a fresh look in winter: mountain pine, juniper, thuja.

Medicinal herbs are very appropriate for the hill: rosemary, thyme, sage, almond. Fern will add incredible exotics, bulbous will enrich with bright spring paints, cereals will give originality and unusualness, and marigolds, nasturtiums, narcissuses will provide sincerity and tenderness.

Before planting the soil should be moistened generously. Planting any flower or tree, you need to carefully tamp the soil and sprinkle with small pebbles. This will allow not so quickly evaporate moisture and perfectly relieve weeds.

Care of a hill

To make the hill always happy with its beautiful view, it is not enough to correctly design the design of the alpine slide and recreate it. Care should be taken about the proper care. Due to the simplicity of the plants too much effort is not required. But watering should be done regularly. Sprouted weeds should be removed immediately so that they do not clog the planted vegetation. The application of top dressing (mineral fertilizers) will pay off with magnificent flowering.

Alpine slide with a pond

Perfectly diversify even the most boring landscape design alpine slides with a pond. A miniature lake, beautiful flowers, a mountain landscape - a truly amazing sight!

When constructing such a hill, it is necessary to follow all the above recommendations. For the reservoir will need capacity. You can buy a special, with pockets for placing plants. However, an old bath and a huge basin would be nice for creating a lake. Sometimes they use a special film, spreading it along the bottom.

Main steps

It is a reservoir for most people that raises many questions. How to make an alpine slide with your own hands without the help of a professional? If you clearly adhere to the main stages, difficulties will not arise with any composition.

1. Marking places. Pegs and rope marked territory. When preparing the pit, consider the depth of the reservoir.
2. Accommodation pond. Capacity under the lake is installed in the prepared pit. To adjust the level, the tank slowly fills with water. The space between the pond and the ground should be covered with sand, which is poured with water to thoroughly seal.
3. Hill of sand and stone. Along the perimeter of the reservoir with a slight slope back should pour a hill of sand and put the stones. Do not forget that only smooth lines will give the slide a natural look. If the selected site has a natural slope, then this need for embankment disappears. In this case, the pond should be placed at the foot of the slope. When the terrain is flat, the hill should be strengthened. This may be a retaining wall of brick or stone. If you want to create a small waterfall at this stage it is necessary to build a cascade. To create it, use large flat boulders. They are placed in the part of the reservoir where the waterfall is planned. For immobility, they are fastened with cement.
4. Installation of the pump. The pump is installed at the bottom of the reservoir. It is very important that it is completely under water. That he will pump the water, delighting the surrounding waterfall. Hose from the pump can be buried in the ground. You can leave it on the surface, disguised with stones and vegetation.
5. Soil layer A layer of fertile soil is poured around the reservoir. Vegetation is planted on the hill and the coastal strip.

Alpine slide in the apartment

In winter, on quite cold evenings, there is a desire to touch something beautiful, to get close to nature. A great alternative would be to create a small corner of nature in the apartment. Have you thought about how to make an alpine slide with your own hands in the walls of the house? Pretty simple.

The simplest option of a hill is window. To create such a masterpiece, you will need:

• the basis - it is possible to apply an old tray or a usual piece of plywood;
• stones - small in size and necessarily different in shape and size;
• seashells - any, those that can remind of a pleasant summer holiday;
• cement glue;
• glue gun;
• polyurethane foam.

From the base will depend on the shape and size of the alpine slide. Stock up on several plastic bottles. To avoid deformation, fill them with water. Wrap the bottles in cellophane and place them on the base in the places where the pots are to be placed. Instead of bottles, you can use the pots themselves, necessarily wrapped in cellophane.

If decorative rock snags or other elements are included in the rock garden, they should be fastened directly to the base with a pistol. Next, the foundation is filled with foam. After it hardens the bottle (pots) can be obtained. The slide is covered with cement glue and left to cure.

The next stage is the decoration of stones and shells of the hill and base. Try to create the most natural mini-rock garden.

Instead of conclusion

Creating such a decorative element as an alpine slide with your own hands will bring a lot of pleasure and make the world around you more alive and beautiful. In addition, a lot of effort for the manufacture of a corner of nature is not required. However, in your exterior or interior will be created, albeit a small, but a real piece of the alpine meadow.

Rock garden is a rather labor-consuming construction, which means earthworks, therefore, competent planning and serious preparation. Get acquainted with the "pitfalls" of the construction of an alpine slide with their own, capable of spoiling the impression of the result. Learn how to choose the right material and plants for a corner of wildlife in the garden, what difficulties to take care of in advance. Learn the rules of care that will help preserve the composition for many years.

What is rockeries and rock garden

It is not uncommon for a site owner to conceive a rock garden, draw a sketch, compare it with images found in magazines, and discover that he is going to build rockeries. To avoid confusion in concepts, we will understand what distinguishes rockeries from the alpine slide.

The best stone flower beds create the impression that the man’s hand did not touch them.

Rock garden is an artificial rocky hill laid in tiers and planted with continuously flowering herbs and low shrubs. The classic slide is adorned with plants from Central Europe (the Alps, the Carpathians), although there is a Japanese version, providing for planting Far Eastern species, and even the Mexican one with cacti.

Alpine slides styles

Rockery is a garden composed of stones, often on flat terrain. Large and small stones, gravel sites, sand waves - every detail has its own sacral purpose. Single plants are maximally underlined. In Japanese rockeries, plants may not exist at all; in European and English versions, species originating from the middle zone are planted.

The drawing of rockeries is based on the contrasts of the texture and size of the stones, whereas on the alpine slide the main characters are plants. The second basic difference - rock garden implies working with a deliberately uneven relief, rockeries are possible and planar.

Japanese style rockery - focus on inanimate nature

Making an alpine slide with your own hands

Developing a plan for the rock garden, you need to remember about the main features of such buildings landscaping:

• layering;
• the presence of open stone surfaces;
• the prevalence of low-growing plant forms;
• combination of contrasting types.

The scheme of terraced composition

When determining the length and width of the composition usually use a ratio of 5: 1, the height is taken from 1 to 3 m, while remembering that the size of the rock garden should be in harmony with the dimensions of the site. It is desirable to depict the project in a scale as detailed as possible, from all sides and in color, as well as to consider seasonal changes in habit and color planned for planting.

Carefully made in color, the project greatly facilitates further work.

Simple alpine slide for beginners - possible difficulties

Having a simple scheme, it is easy to make an alpine slide with improvised materials with your own hands. However, any mistake made at the initial stage will cause the composition to be rebuilt. To avoid this, consider the following problems:

1. Water stagnation. The combination of such factors as the lowland area, the abundance of snow and melt water, heavy rainfall and clay soil, quickly deprive the construction of decorative. Rock gardens are equipped with good drainage.
2. Subsidence. Before folding the hill, they soil the soil under it, otherwise the stones will fall down, bend down or even crawl down the slope.
3. Weeds The Alpine hill should be protected from their penetration from two fronts: from under the soil and from the air. So that the remaining roots at the depth of the rhizome did not let up the shoots, the bottom of the pit is covered with geotextiles. If the seeds are brought by the wind, the weeds are felted by hand.
4. Digging animals. The sabotage of moles and shrews is hampered by a fine galvanized steel mesh, which is laid under geotextiles.

Elegant rock garden-flower bed

The effect of these negative factors increases in the case of arrangement of rock arias, whose relief is more easily subjected to deformation. In particular, experienced weavers against weeds, two or three weeks before planting, treat the soil with herbicides.

Choosing a place for an alpine slide

For maximum aesthetic effect, the rock garden on the site is formed in such a place that it can be seen at least from three sides. It is useful to consider placing a comfortable bench nearby under an awning or a thick woody crown.

Often, construction is started in order to conceal the lack of relief: a ravine, a hill, a slope, looking out of the ground at the top of a moraine boulder, which is impossible to dig because of its dimensions. The existing height difference will complement the rock garden with a stream and even a waterfall. The best neighbors of the rock garden in landscape design are open lawns and overgrown shrubs, the worst - metal fences.

Alpine meadows, accustomed to live without a forest canopy, are sun-loving and require high-grade lighting. Rockery can be placed with a light shading, but then the species composition of plants is subject to correction.

Mini-rock garden is relevant for small courtyards

How to choose and where to get suitable stones

Properly selected stones - the beauty and durability of rock garden. Each breed has its own special qualities, on which its resistance to atmospheric precipitation and winter freezing depends. The most popular such breeds are:

• shell rock, limestone are rough, which allows mosses and lichens to cling to them, absorb moisture and gradually give it to plants, but are destroyed by acid rain and become polluted;
• sandstone - has a beautiful layered structure, weakly weathered;
• granite and basalt are massive, almost unaffected by household tools, but they are resistant to any impacts;
• slate - forms a thin flat tiles, great for creating deliberately careless stairs.

Large stones of beige tones - an excellent background for lush greenery

In nature, there are stones, fragments with jagged edges and smooth - rounded by sea or river. The rock gardens naturally look fragments, especially with pronounced traces of erosion. But if according to the plan a pond is provided, then its banks are allowed to be laid out and smooth.

Excessive diversity distorts alpine hills, so it is recommended to limit one or two species of rocks. The largest boulder forms the center of the composition, the rest will complement the landscape, provided there is a balance between orderly and chaotic styling.

You can buy stones in two ways. In the presence of a truck or a car with a trailer, pebbles are collected on the banks of the nearest river or in a quarry. It is simpler, but more expensive to order them with delivery to the site from organizations that sell natural stone, or to negotiate with the working quarry, if there is one nearby.

Rock garden device

The device is a small rock garden and its construction

Before planting, the rock garden should settle, so work on its creation with their own hands is carried out in early autumn. Consider them step by step on the example of the construction of a mini-rock garden with a height of about 1 m.

1. Ditch. From the contour outlined by the twine, the soil is taken out to a depth of 30-35 cm. A metal mesh from burrowing animals and geotextiles are placed on the bottom.
2. Drainage. It is made of expanded clay, broken tiles or bricks. 10 cm of coarse sand are poured into 10 cm of drainage and shed with water to prevent cavities from forming.
3. The device of the lower tier. So that large elements do not subside, several rubble stones are placed on the lower tier, and the volume between them is filled with rubble. In this form, the hill is allowed to stand for about a month: during this time, the foundation stones will gain stability.
4. Formation. The composition of the stones is laid out in accordance with the sketch, leaving gaps for the ground and the roots. Soft breeds, such as shell rock and tuff, allow you to drill into them the deepening of the desired size under the flower pots.
5. Drawing earth mixture. The soil, taken out of the pit, is sorted, removing the rhizomes of weeds from it. Add equal shares of river sand, expanded clay and humus. Granite slide allows the use of peat, but if limestones are used, acidic additives are avoided.
6. Filling with earth mixture. This operation is performed on each tier, carefully sealing up the voids. It is necessary to water the earth with a spray jet, otherwise the water will wash it out of the recesses.

In this form, the rock garden will experience the first winter in his life.

The finished slide is left to winter. In the spring, if necessary, correct it and start decorating plants.

Video tutorial for beginners

In order not to miss any important moment, creating an alpine slide with stones in the country with their own hands, you can use the video instruction.

An experienced landscape designer, who has decorated dozens of luxurious estates and ordinary cottages, will tell and show how:

• do a minimum of material, money and hard work;
• do not make mistakes when laying boulders and planting flowers;
• properly care for the rock garden, so decorative does not disappear over time.

Video: Alpine slide construction instructions

Using the instruction, even a novice will turn the flaws of his plot into a rock garden worthy of admiring glances or rockeries.

In the arrangement of plants your order: the grass should not be blocked by shrubs

Alpine slide with a waterfall - a duet of water and mountain scenery

Combination of rock garden and water in landscape design is the highest aerobatics of craftsmanship with regard to stone structures that imitate natural ones. The rustle of the streams or the yellow leaf slowly floating along the stream adds to the composition of European Romanticism or Eastern philosophy.

Maximum natural

What to consider for a composition with a pond

If possible, add to the rock garden pond or even a waterfall will have to take into account the following nuances:

• the bottom of the reservoir should not pass water into the ground;
• for the pump that raises the water, you will need to lay the electric wire;
• the selection of plants takes into account the difference in humidity along the shores and at the top;
• periodically the pond will have to be cleaned and drained for the winter.

Bright fish in mysterious water give the composition a special charm

In summer, Japanese koi carps look spectacular in the pond, however, they will have to create a wintering pit at least 80 cm deep and aerate it after solidification on the ice surface.

Creating a pool of water - how to avoid disappointment

They begin to make a reservoir at the same time with a slide in order to immediately take out the ground from under both objects. At this stage, the depth of the pond is determined, which rarely exceeds 30 cm: the shallow pond is easier to clean, and the pebbles on its bottom become particularly expressive. Should be deepened bottom section, designed to install the pump. At the same stage, an electrical cable for powering the pump is supplied to the pond.

Waterfall scheme

It is advisable to place a reservoir from the northeast of the hill, so that it is in its shadow for several hours daily, otherwise the water will bloom too fast. It is better to leave walls with a bias, it will facilitate placement on them of stones.

The bottom of the pond is covered with a layer of sand 10 cm thick and carefully tamped. Geotextiles are first put on top of the sand, and a waterproofing film made of butyl rubber with a life span of 20–30 years is placed on top of it. For the reliability of the edge of the film at 30-40 cm should protrude beyond the pit. Subsequently, they are dropped into the ground, but by the time the bowl is filled with water, the edges of the film are left free.

Rock garden with a pond - a great solution for a hilly area

Technical equipment and artistic decoration of the waterfall

The pump for a small waterfall acquire a power of 70 watts. It is installed in the pond on a special stand to minimize contact with bottom sludge. The device itself, as well as taking away water and pushing out its hoses are masked with stones. Be sure to check the security of the electrical connection.

By this time, the slide should be laid out to the point where the water begins to fall. An ejector hose is brought to this point, hiding its tip among the stones.

Pumping equipment carefully camouflaged

The decoration of the waterfall is carried out with the help of rough limestone, which prevents slipping on the wet stone. Sometimes it is appropriate to apply in the decor large ceramics, for example, an old jug, which can be slightly buried lying on its side.

The presence of mist in the air will affect the selection of vegetation: near a pond mirror ferns, mosses, swimsuits, and bergenia will take root. Potted specimens also look good, if they are landed in wide flowerpots, in hue and texture resembling flagstone.

Placement and combinations of plants

What plants are needed for decoration garden composition

To the rock garden always had a well-groomed appearance, plants are selected for it, taking into account the time of their flowering. They have to enter the best time of life to alternately and permanently create a joyous variegation. In this case, the appearance and range of colors will change with the seasons of the year. The general rule is this: the curtain of any plant should not grow rapidly and thereby suppress the neighboring species.

Sometimes it makes sense to plant potted plants.

The second factor influencing the choice of flora is the level and direction of the slope. The northern part is colonized by stonecrops, euphorbia, violets, and stone-cutlets. Iberis, thyme, alissum, pike, cat's paw are ideal for the southern slope and summit. In the lower tier, it is allowed to land such pets of landscape design as tagetesy, mountaineers, and host.

Plant layout

To maintain decorativeness of the rock garden all year round allows shrub juniper, whose elegant greens will emphasize the snow dropped on the stones. When the flowers bloom again, this dark conifer will shade their beauty.

Plant selection

Alpine Hill Care

A rock garden requires less attention than, for example, a flower bed or a garden bed, but you shouldn’t forget about it either.

Maintaining attractiveness depends on the well-being of the plants located in rock gardens.

1. Open terrain, heated stones and free winds contribute to the drying of the soil, so the alpine grasses need a careful but systematic watering sprayed. The frequency of watering depends on the weather, but it should not be carried out more than once a day to avoid rotting of the roots.
2. At least once a month, the plants are fed with a complex fertilizer, bringing it under the root of moist soil and preventing fluid from flowing down the slopes.
3. During the summer, dead shoots are cut out, monitor the occurrence of unwanted insects and their larvae, if necessary, sprinkle mulch, weed out weeds and remove leaves caused by wind. If rockeries contain crushed stones laid with waves or crests, it will be necessary to correct it from time to time with a rake.

Wide open spaces are mulched

Preparing for the winter - how to protect a designer corner

Before the onset of winter, care should be taken to ensure that plants could survive the bad weather. Species for which the winter temperatures of the region are unacceptable are dug up and transferred to protected ground. The rest of the plants are covered with agrofibre, a material that does not allow drying out. The ephedra wrapped them completely and tied with a string of twine.

To protect against wind and frost, the hill should be well covered with snow. Shields placed around will help to hold it: old doors, remnants of a professional sheet and slate. In order not to spoil the aesthetics of the snow-covered alpine hills, you can weave with your own hands special fences of wicker.

The pond at the rock gardens is drained or thrown into it several children's rubber balls that will take on the pressure of ice. The pump and hoses are removed and stored in the house.

Spring work - cleaning aftermath of winter weather

The most extensive work on alpinaria care is planned for spring, because at this time of the year it will be necessary to restore the masterpiece after snowfall, blizzards and abundance of melt water. It is usually found that a part of the plants died, some of the stones slid down, and the whole structure was filled up with unattractive rotten foliage. Carefully removing the covering material in the spring, perform the following operations:

• a fan rake removes dead plant debris;
• “escaped” stones return to the place;
• pour soil and mulch;
• planted overwintering plants and add new ones.

At the same time, conclusions are made about the mistakes that were made during the preparation of the rock garden for winter, so that the upcoming cold season would not become so destructive.

To rock garden, rockeries or other stone-flower composition became a true decoration of a country estate, follow the three golden rules:

1. Divide the volume of the slide into zones to form a plateau, scree, rock, ladder. This will allow the eye to never tire when contemplating an object.
2. Avoid unnecessary variegation. Ideal to look 3-4 different sized color spots on a thick green background of ground covers.
3. Do not buy flashy coarse ceramic and plastic jewelry.

We offer you a beautiful design examples on the garden of alpine hills and rockeries. Of course, each of them is tied to a specific area, so when you transfer the idea to your weave, you will have to make adjustments to the sketch.

It’s worthwhile to design an alpine slide with your own hands, if only because it most reflects the character and mood of the author. Rock gardens are unique, each has its own zest, a unique pattern, inimitable compositional notes. Do-it-yourself construction of the roller coaster is an amazing compromise between the rigor of the garden and the indomitable rampage of pristine nature.

Alpine slide in the country or in a country house - it is very fashionable. It is in great demand because it contributes to peace and good rest. Most often, it is constructed not independently, but with the help of specialists. Designers, of course, know their stuff, but the cost of their services is sometimes fabulous. In fact, there is nothing difficult in arranging a rock garden, and it can be done with your own hands in just a day or two. It is only necessary to understand some subtleties in order not to make typical mistakes.

Stages of work

There are several stages:

1. First of all, you need to choose a place for rock garden or rock arias.
2. The second stage is the drainage device.
3. When the site is ready, you need to pick up the stones and lay them.
4. The next step is to prepare the soil for vegetation.
5. The fifth stage is planting.

The whole process consists of only five stages, each of which must be disassembled in detail.

First you need to choose a sunny and noticeable area on the site. Rock garden is a piece of wildlife created artificially. Therefore, we must make sure that both the stones and the plants fit organically into the landscape.

A shaded place is not suitable for such purposes. Likewise, the area hidden from the eyes will not work. The best place to go is the south side. Usually there is optimal lighting in the daytime.

Plot drainage

You need to build on a good drainage system. Otherwise, one day, the soil under the alpine slide will begin to subside, and it will not look so aesthetically pleasing and natural.

How to make a drainage system?

1. First you need to dig a pit.
2. The depth of the pit depends on the area of ​​the future rock garden. So, for a rock garden sized 2.5 by 2.5 meters, the optimum depth of the pit will be about 1 meter.
3. At the bottom you need to install a drainage system. Here you can use sand, rubble, debris, shards. Wood chips, however, can not be laid.
4. On top of the drainage is laid fertile soil.
5. The last stage - tamper.

Stones for slides

When the drainage is ready, you need to pick up the stones.

Stones are laid in tiers. Below are those that are larger. At the very top you can put some unusual or especially beautiful instance of a boulder.

Soil for plants

In order to plant vegetation on an alpine hill, you need to carefully prepare the ground. You can do it yourself. To do this, you need to take a clay soil that is clean enough so that later weeds do not appear on it. The soil is mixed with peat. Peat should be three times less than land. Next, you need to add some gravel to the soil.

The soil is poured into the places that are intended for landing. These can be crevices and empty spaces between boulders. You can also just pour the soil on the stones.

Vegetation selection

Plants for alpine slides are selected according to certain criteria.

1. They should be unpretentious. This ensures that the owner does not have to constantly take care of his stone garden. After all, rock garden should be as natural as possible. This means that it is necessary to limit the intervention of a person in his environment.
2. Plants should please the eye not only in summer, but even in the cold season.
3. All vegetation must coexist peacefully. Avoid planting on the hill of those species that are hostile to each other.

Choose for an alpine slide unpretentious and cold-resistant plants that are compatible with each other.

The top is usually planted with low-growing shrubs. It can be both deciduous and coniferous trees. To enjoy the beauty of your creation all year round, you need to plant both types of shrubs. From conifers perfectly suited juniper, mountain pine and thuja. As for hardwood, then you can plant a cotoneaster. However, the choice of trees is best left to the owner.

Flowers for the alpine hills are selected according to the same criteria. The most important thing is their compatibility and unpretentiousness.

Rock garden or rockeries

Rockery - rock garden, rock garden - garden plants.

1. Rockery - first of all, a rock garden. Here, vegetation may not be used at all or be present at a minimum. Rockery is usually not very high.
2. A rock garden can be up to three meters high, which is 3 times the size of the highest rock aquarium.

History of rock gardens and rockeries

Structures such as rock gardens and rockeries have existed in Eastern culture for three thousand years. They came to the West a couple of centuries ago from China and Japan. With their special charm, rock gardens instantly conquered the hearts of aristocrats and wealthy people.

Very soon there was a fashion to create such recreation areas. The philosophy of creating these structures is that they are unique. In the world there are many rock gardens. However, you can not find at least two similar.

Scheme

Use techniques that nature itself provides. There are a lot of such sketches, and some of them are very difficult for a beginner. However, there are quite real projects. For example, the Alpine Highlands is one of the classic versions of such structures. It repeats the features of a typical highland. It is made of boulders and stones. Plants such as edelweiss and gentian are planted on them. At the very top you can place small pines. True, the flowers will have to care. They grow too fast.

More complex species of rock gardens can resemble gorges, swamps and ravines. Such work will require several days of hard work.

More realistic for self-creation is a hill that imitates an alpine slope with an embankment. On such a slope pine trees will look great.

Imitation rock cliff is also suitable for self-construction. True, there may be difficulty with the stones. It will require very heavy boulders, so it will be necessary to attract workers. On the cliff, you can plant plants such as wormwood and ferns. At the top will look good juniper bushes and pines. Due to the presence of coniferous trees, the rock garden will decorate the garden all year round.

Finding an idea for a stone garden can be viewed from the pictures of nature. Rock garden is the kind of creativity that pacifies itself. In order to create a masterpiece, you only need to be able to watch. Standard schemes do not exist here. After all, even two slopes can not resemble each other.

Video: about the features of creating rock garden

Video: alpine slide construction procedure

A photo

If you do not want to engage in these works yourself, then order landscape design and landscape design of the suburban area. Also, landscaping includes planting trees, flower beds and landscaping the site.

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WITH alpine slide will help to create an original landscape design on a plot of a country house. Step-by-step photos, diagrams and drawings will help you to complete a quality project, even in a day. Similar structures are made with the use of wild stones and unusual flowering crops. Certain rules will help to carry out the installation work in a qualitative way, the observance of which will prevent the alteration and disassembly of the created composition.

At installation of a hill various stone blocks, sand weight, crushed stone and different options of perennial plants will be required

First of all, you need to choose a suitable place for future alpine slides in the country with their own hands, photos of which can be viewed on the site. The best solution may be to choose a site on the south-west or south side. A good option is considered to be a place on a slope where low-growing crops can be planted among the stones.

The basis for a small plot can become a slope along the border of the territory or even along the edge of the terrace. When choosing a space for a slide, it is worth considering the following factors:

• the slide should be viewed from all sides, therefore this place should be open;
• the structure should be placed in a sunny and bright area where there are no tall trees;
• the structure is placed in a place isolated from the wind.

Useful information!Getting to the construction of structures, it is worth considering the appropriate design style. Various landscape solutions involve the use of rocky gardens, ponds or bridges that should be combined with a slide.

What time of year is suitable for creating a flower garden?

The installation work on the slides is practically independent of the season. It is not recommended to start work in the winter. The best period is considered to be autumn, when there is time before cleaning the area for the winter. A stony structure after installation requires time for a certain shrinkage. After that, only you can start planting plants. If the plants will be planted in the fall, then the construction of the main structure can begin in the spring. It creates a high-quality alpine slide with their own hands using step-by-step photos and schemes.

Features and rules when doing rock garden

The rock garden is a stylish decor of the villa territory. For its design selected perennial plants that have different time intervals of flowering.

When creating an alpine structure, the following tips should be followed:

• the structure is constructed according to the project, which indicates the number of tiers and placement of stones;
• select a specific type of stones and their placement;
• flowers are selected based on the time of their flowering, microclimate and color palette.

Note!The Alpine hill is a small model of the present massif with wavy transitions from the rocky top to more flat sites. It is important to observe the style of the structure, the dimensions of its tiers, as well as the reconstruction of all conditions for mountain plants.

Related article:

Alpine hill do it yourself: step by step photos, schemes and features of the construction

Before starting work, landscaping is thought out. Alpine slides with their own hands, the photos of which can be seen in the photo gallery, require a special approach and a well-planned project. When choosing a suitable site for construction, the proximity of the passage of groundwater is important. With their close proximity, the strength and durability of the structure is endangered. Groundwater level is affected by special drainage.

Soil preparation and drainage

To make a beautiful alpine hill with your own hands, step-by-step photo instructions and diagrams will help to complete the installation.

First of all, the drainage system is running:

• for this purpose, digging of the excavation is made in sizes larger than the site;
• before this stage, the area is marked, which is performed using a coil of wire and special wedges;
• trench height should not be less than 0.9 meters;
• the created recess is filled with gravel;
• the resulting layer is filled with water;
• then sand and gravel is laid, which is compacted;
• the removed soil layer is cleaned and added over the construction.

You can start laying stone after shrinkage of the structure. It may take about four months.

Helpful advice!Rubble can be added to the garden soil, and sand should be mixed into the clay soil.

How to place the stones?

Alpine hill is made of stones with his own hands. Step-by-step photos, diagrams and drawings will help you choose the best design project. Before laying the stones, it is worth preparing a special mixture. It uses coarse sand, loam from the garden and compost. Split gravel is also used.

Such a composition can be distributed over the drainage. After that, the mixture is moistened and ground up. First, large stones are mounted, and then smaller ones. During the construction should use the following recommendations:

• layers of stones should be laid in parallel;
• the upper stones must be installed on the lower blocks, but not on the ground, as this will provoke a distortion of the statue;
• if it is planned to plant the plants with a strong root system, then they should be left between the blocks;
• voids should be filled with soil.

Stones should be laid so that the soil between them is not eroded during heavy rainfall. The construction of this facility uses sandstones, limestones and basalt with granite. Experts do not recommend the use of shell rock or tuff.

Useful information!To preserve moisture for plants, the surface of the rock garden can be powdered with gravel or stone chips.

Soil tamping - a mandatory step before laying stones

Video: building a rock garden do it yourself

Alpine slides in the country with their own hands: photos of the best tracks

Mountain buildings can be used in various variations. From the photo you can choose the most interesting options:

• the composition of the valley in the highlands displays a view of a high plateau, with large stones deepening into the soil by two thirds and complemented by bushes of different heights and winding paths;

• large boulders are required when creating a rocky cliff, in this case a dwarf fern, mountain pine and juniper are planted;

• in the presence of a slope, you can equip the mountain slope, which is made with the help of dwarf pines and heather;

• complexity is characterized by the composition in the form of a gorge, while applying a landscape of different heights and hillocks are lined with boulders;

• when building a ravine in the forest, a spring and perennials will suit;

• if the area is constantly wetted, you can apply the composition of the swamp, which is made using the reservoir;

• the original solution is considered to be a cascade stream, on the banks of which primroses, ferns and irises land.

Useful information!A classic solution is a centric structure, in which bright flowers of plants are combined with stony elements. The plot is taken as a plot with natural elevation.

An alpine slide with your own hands: a step-by-step photo, the schemes of which are presented in this review, can be constructed with the help of the following recommendations:

• the humped area is ideal for creating an unusual design;
• if cement is not used in construction, the structure can be further reconstructed;
• suitable height from 0.5 to 1.5 meters;
• limestone or sandstone is suitable for plants;
• it is worth considering additional lighting.

With the help of the pond you can decorate any rock garden. Compliance with all the rules will allow you to create a stylish and original structure that will last for many years.

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