Do-it-yourself natural beauty: photo of alpine slides in landscape design. Garden slides (42 photos): layout, size, shape and rock garden construction technologies. Selection of plants Photos of alpine slides leaning on a fence

Each modern well-groomed cottage is unthinkable without a garden and flower beds. To implement bold landscape design ideas, it is not necessary to have a vast estate. Beautifully and tastefully you can decorate even the most compact area. An excellent solution for small areas is a small alpine slide made by hand from available materials. A miniature rocky landscape looks more interesting than an ordinary flower garden, it does not take up much space and does not require complex care.

Where is the mini-rock garden appropriate?

A composition of flowers and stones will decorate any empty corner of the cottage. Near the wall of the house or the fence, a one-sided slide looks beautiful. In the middle of the lawn, it is better to make a circular flower bed, open to the eye from all sides. For the porch and terrace, the best option would be a mini-rock garden in a floor pot.

Harmonious combination of stones and plants

Before you make a small alpine slide, you must make sure to follow a few simple rules:

Plants must receive enough light. In the shade, most flowers fade and stretch. For this reason, choose a well-lit, sunny place.
You can not have a rock garden under trees or near drainpipes. Leaves fall from the trees and spoil the appearance of the structure. And during the rains, water from the branches or from the roof will wash away the ground.
All residents of the flower bed should be combined with each other. Obviously, you can not mix plants that require completely different growing conditions.

Alpine slide in country style

The most successful ideas and examples of their implementation

The design style and appearance of a small alpine slide depends only on the preferences of its owners. However, in order to finally decide in which direction to move, it is worth examining the photos of the most beautiful mini-rock gardens.

The traditional version of a small do-it-yourself alpine slide is a stepped structure located directly on the ground. Such a slide can be successfully entered into a common flower garden.

The rock garden looks beautiful in combination with water. Even a small bowl at the base of the stones, imitating a pond, will enliven the composition and give it charm. And if you install a fountain or make a mini-waterfall, then such a slide will undoubtedly become the main decoration of the cottage.

Mini rock garden with a fountain

If there is not a single piece of free land on your site, do not despair. Look at the photo of small alpine slides in flowerpots and other unusual containers, maybe you decide to do something similar.

DIY beauty from nothing

A mini-flower garden does not require serious efforts to create, because you do not need to carry out any large-scale landscape work. All you need is a positive attitude and some free time.

What to make an alpine slide

In any household there are materials from which you can make a small alpine slide in the country with your own hands. A few small stones, gravel, shards - that's all that is needed for work. Even if you only have a rusty basin or an old washbasin at your disposal, you can turn them into a real work of art.

It is better to choose stones of a non-standard shape or color, then the rock garden will look interesting even with a minimum of plants. Ordinary gray cobblestones should be beaten with gravel of a different shade or bright flowering bushes.

Small alpine slide in a wooden box

Mini plants for mini areas

The smaller the rock garden area, the smaller the plants should fill it. There are many species suitable for planting in a rocky garden. First of all, these are dwarf conifers and slow-growing rock specimens:

boxwood;
juniper;
erica herbaceous;
saxifrage;
Phlox subulate.

Succulents for a small alpine slide

So that the mini rock garden does not look boring, greens are diluted with flowers. For these purposes, undersized plants with small flowers are suitable:

creeping thyme;
aubrieta;
lobularia.

If the rocky garden is not supposed to be left to winter, then you can make a composition of cacti and succulents. A slide decorated in a flowerpot in the fall is enough to bring it into the room. Succulents for mini rock garden:

fat woman;
agave;
small varieties of catus.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a mini-rock garden from an old basin

Step-by-step photos and detailed instructions will help you create a small alpine slide from an old basin with your own hands.

For work you will need the following materials:

a metal basin that has served its purpose;
gravel or expanded clay for drainage;
soil for plants;
stones;
cement, small gravel and sand for container decoration.

An example of decorating a flowerpot

Work begins with the decor of the container for the slide. Knead the cement mortar of the consistency of thin sour cream, add small gravel to it, which will serve as a decor. The basin is turned upside down and covered with a uniform layer of cement mortar 1.5–2 cm thick. If the bottom is rusted and there are holes in it, they are not cemented, but, on the contrary, left to drain water. If there are no holes, make a couple of holes with a thick nail.

Leave the basin to dry for about a day. While the solution is still wet, you can do additional decor. For example, gently scratch patterns on the surface or lay out a mosaic of shards, broken glass, shells or tile remnants. If decoration is supposed, crushed stone is not added to the cement.

The dried container is set in place. 5–7 cm of expanded clay or gravel are poured to the bottom for drainage. A layer of soil is laid on top, the largest stones are installed, forming a rocky landscape. The entire workpiece is watered so that the earth settles and the earth is poured again.

Finished slide

Plant the largest bushes of plants. If it is supposed to plant a dwarf tree with rather powerful roots, then they do it at the stage of laying the first stones. Medium and small plants are planted last.

The almost finished rocky garden is again watered and proceed to the final finishing. Small pebbles, sand, garden decor are used - everything that fantasy tells. For inspiration, it would be useful to once again review the photos of small alpine slides created by creative natures with their own hands. You can make a garden stylized as a desert, a forested mountain slope or alpine rocky terraces.

That's all. Work completed. It remains only to admire the magnificent result. Such a slide will become a real highlight of the summer terrace of a country house or apartment balcony.

Alpine slide, rock garden ... This design has several names, but this does not change its essence. When it becomes necessary to tidy up an uneven and completely unattractive area, an alpine slide comes to the rescue.

There are at least two reasons to make such a structure yourself:

It's incredibly beautiful. Just imagine - in a year, rocky ledges and bumps will be covered with a lovely carpet of herbs and flowers.
It's fascinating. When you equip a flower garden on your own, the field for fantasy is almost limitless. Of course, you will need to think through every little thing, from the choice of stones to the landing site for coniferous shrubs. These troubles are pleasant and will give you only positive emotions.

By the way, there is a third reason that will make you think about building a flowering hill. This is the soil. When the land is poor and consists mainly of sand or stones, it is extremely problematic to organize any other type of flower garden, even from a visual video. Another thing is if the summer cottage is planted with flowers and shrubs in the same “alpine style”. Even in difficult conditions, the flowers will develop well and delight you with their aromas.

For the first time, stone gardens began to be built in Japan. The first "ancestors" of modern rock gardens appeared there 1000 years ago. Due to the shortage of land, the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun have learned to create beauty even in small areas.

If you follow the Japanese canons, then the real value of being should be sought in nature. When a solid, absolutely dead stone and a delicate, living flower are harmoniously combined on one piece of land, a real duet of enchanting beauty is created.

8 varieties of rocky flower beds

Before telling you about the main secrets of arrangement, we advise you to decide on the type of flower garden. In total, there are eight main varieties of alpine slides:

Rock. This is a traditional version, the surface of which has natural kinks.
Mountain slope. A difficult combination, involving the installation of large boulders, as well as a huge number of coniferous trees.
Mountain valley. Several groups of stones are placed in a chaotic manner.
Terraced slope. Retaining walls have different heights.
Forest ravine. On the territory of the hill there is always a spring or an artificial waterfall.
Rocky wall. A mound of small height is being constructed, the stones lie asymmetrically.
Czech rock. Its hallmark is the layered laying of stones.
Alpine lawn. Perhaps the most stylish arrangement option. It involves planting a variety of wild plants, most of which can only be found in the mountains.

Important subtleties of designing alpine slides

Do not forget that 10 stones and 5 plants between them is not yet an alpine slide. Another thing is when the composition remotely resembles a real mountain landscape, consists of squat shrubs, perennials and properly selected stones.

So, what nuances do you need to know about for those who are going to make an alpine slide with their own hands?

Isolation from the playground is required.
Proportionality relative to the area of the site.
Distance from flower beds, which bloom especially luxuriantly and brightly.
Location in the most illuminated places, next to a water source. If it is impossible to implement the second point, take care of creating additional watering points.
Maximum similarity with the mountain landscape.

Alpine slide does not need a lot of space. A modest area of a few square meters will be enough. The main thing is that it should correspond to the general concept of landscape design.

A step-by-step guide to arranging a rock garden

Any construction work begins with the preparation of tools and materials. In our case, this is a tape measure with a cord, several identical pegs, a shovel and a crowbar, a garden shovel (the one with a long handle), scissors, a regular one and a ladle for raking the earth, a watering can.

The materials will be as follows: sand, crushed stone and stones of the same breed, turf and gravel, peat. You will also need some humus for the plants to take well, earth, limestone.

Break up the area allocated for the alpine hill in the country house and apply contours around the entire perimeter. Roulette, cord, instructional video and pegs to help you. Clear the area under the flower garden, remove the top layer of soil with a diameter of 35-40 cm. Without exception, weeds are well weeded and removed.

When the site is completely ready, it is necessary to lay a pillow of gravel. To do this, gravel, slag and construction waste are mixed and poured. A layer of 10 cm will be enough. Such drainage is extremely important for plants. It protects the roots from waterlogging, prevents groundwater stagnation, and guarantees excellent aeration. In places where the soil is too dense and does not pass water well, this pillow can be made thicker. For an alpine slide, there is no worse enemy than swampy land.
How to make an alpine slide if the drainage layer is successfully laid. The granite pillow is supplemented with sand (thickness 5 cm), filled with water and compacted.
Soddy soil, which is sold in any nursery, is mixed with sand and perlite, wood chips and pine bark. In this mixture, you can add a little fine gravel, crushed peat and humus. The proportions are about the same, it is allowed to take a little less fertilizer.
The finished mixture of soil is scattered over the entire surface of the hill, the relief of the rock garden is formed. All "cliffs" and "tops" are modeled manually, regardless of whether we are talking about the construction of a slide in the garden, summer cottage, in any other area.
When the last layer of earth is covered, you can start laying stones. A “cushion” made of river sand is laid under each pebble. We will talk about the choice of stones in more detail.

Rock garden stones: which ones to choose?

To make your exotic flower garden beautiful and durable, select rocks in advance that do not “give” heavy metals to the earth, do not oxidize it. Freshly mined pebbles are much worse than those that have already been hewn by wind and water. Scree should have a similar structure, and if you find the same, it will be perfect. The video instruction reminds you that the size of the stones may vary.

The real "classic", thanks to which you can build an alpine slide yourself, is natural granite and decorative sandstone, sometimes organic limestone. Alternatively, you can try boulders and dolomites, basalt, jasper (rare), quartz and serpentine.

Never collect stones in meadows and fields - it is better to purchase them in a quarry. The weight of the stones can vary significantly, ranging from 10-15 to 100 kg. For example, if you want to build a stone bed with an area of 150 x 300 cm, you will need about a ton of stones.

We continue our work with the Alpine slide. Laying always starts from the foot. Then you follow up and gradually move from larger stones to smaller objects. The core of the slide is formed first. To do this, you need to choose the largest boulder and prepare a recess in the ground for it. To achieve stability, you can strengthen it with gravel.

Clear distances, geometric harmony - not your choice. How to do styling yourself? Avoid exact lines, because in nature, blocks of stone are scattered in a chaotic manner.

In the process of laying, gradually deepen the core of the composition, other stones. The sinuses are covered with earth for rock garden, watered with a stream of water. It is in them that you will plant plants. To emphasize the top of the mountain, we recommend placing a conical boulder at the top. As for the flower garden itself, it is better to start working with plants in 2-3 weeks. During this time, the stones and earth will settle properly.

Beautiful flowers for a slide - the key to a spectacular design

Since the climate in our country is rather unstable, the planted plants must be hardened and hardy. They should not be afraid of strong winds, fluctuations in temperature, or high atmospheric pressure. There are 5 main characteristics that plants should have:

Absolute unpretentiousness.
Small growth.
Low growth rate.
The breeding method is simple and affordable.
The cycle of development is necessarily multi-year.

Ground cover representatives of the flora, which have a powerful root system, are best planted on a slope. So the alpine slide will not erode too quickly.

Small bushes and dwarf trees are planted first. For them, it is recommended to allocate the most spacious areas. But placing them on the top of the slide or the sole is undesirable. The edges of the hill, next to large stones - this is the best place. If you make it a rule to plant coniferous shrubs and dwarf trees as described above, they will need minimal care. Unless in winter, during severe frosts, they will need to be covered with burlap or wrapped in a special cover.

How to make an alpine slide using moss? Surely, you have seen how the owners of household plots decorate their garden or cottage with a moss-covered slide. You can apply this simple element of landscape design.

Clean the moss pillow from the ground, mix it with a blender and sugar (2-3 tablespoons) and 200 g of kefir.

Get a homogeneous mass. Smear it on large and small stones with a brush. The plant will quickly take root - just remember to moisten it for three weeks.

Instead of a conclusion

Do not believe people who convince you that you can build a rock garden at your dacha in just one day. Naturally, such information has nothing to do with real facts. Unless it will be the most common version of a small alpine slide. And even then - made in a city apartment, and not in a large garden.

Do you want to do everything right so that you don’t have to redo it later? There is nothing easier. Follow the guidelines you may have read above. Lay good drainage and cover it with earth. Ideally, the whole range of work is best done in two stages. The base of the slide is formed in autumn, it is better to plant and lay flowers and stones in spring.

The rock garden is a rather labor-intensive construction, which involves excavation, therefore, competent planning and serious preparation. Get acquainted with the “pitfalls” of building an alpine slide with your own, which can spoil the impression of the result. Find out how to choose the right material and plants for a corner of wildlife in the garden, and what difficulties you should take care of in advance. Learn the rules of care that will help preserve the composition for many years.

What is rockery 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 a rockery. To avoid confusion in concepts, let's figure out how rockeries differ from alpine slides.

The best stone flower beds give the impression that the human hand has not touched them.

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

Alpine slide styles

A rockery is a garden made up of stones, and often on a flat terrain. Large and small stones, gravel pads, waves of sand - each detail has its own sacred purpose. Single plants are maximally underlined. In Japanese rockeries, there may be no plants at all; in the European and English versions, species are planted from the middle lane.

The rockery drawing is based on the contrasts of the texture and size of the stones, while on the alpine hill the main characters are plants. The second basic difference - rock garden involves working with a deliberately uneven terrain, rockery is possible and planar.

Japanese-style rockery - focus on inanimate nature

We make an alpine slide with our own hands

When developing a rock garden plan, it is necessary to remember the main features of such landscape design structures:

layering;
the presence of open stone surfaces;
the predominance of undersized plant forms;
combination of contrasting views.

Scheme of terraced composition

When determining the length and width of the composition, a ratio of 5: 1 is usually used, 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 on a scale, as detailed as possible, from all sides and in color, and also to consider seasonal changes in the habitus and color of the plants planned for planting.

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

A simple alpine slide for beginners - possible difficulties

Having a simple scheme, it is not difficult to make an alpine slide from improvised materials with your own hands. However, any mistake made at the initial stage will lead to the fact that the composition will have to be rebuilt. To avoid this, consider the following issues:

Stagnation of water. The combination of such factors as a low-lying area, an abundance of snow and melt water, heavy rains and clay soil, will quickly deprive the structure of decorativeness. Rock gardens are equipped with good drainage.
Soil settling. Before folding the hill, the soil is compacted under it, otherwise the stones will fall through, bend or even slide down the slope.
weeds. Alpine Hill will have to be protected from their penetration from two fronts: from under the soil and from the air. So that the rhizomes remaining at a depth do not let the sprouts up, the bottom of the pit is covered with geotextiles. If the seeds are carried by the wind, the weeds are pulled out by hand.
Burrowing animals. The sabotage of moles and shrews is prevented by a fine-mesh galvanized steel mesh, which is placed under the geotextile.

Graceful rock garden-flower bed

The effect of these negative factors is enhanced in the case of the arrangement of rockeries, the relief of which is more easily subjected to deformation. In particular, against weeds, experienced designers treat the soil with herbicides two to three weeks before planting.

Choosing a place for an alpine slide

To obtain the maximum aesthetic effect, the rock garden on the site is formed in such a place that it can be viewed from at least three sides. It is useful to consider placing a convenient bench nearby under an awning or a dense tree crown.

Often, construction is started in order to hide the lack of relief: a ravine, a hill, a slope, the top of a moraine boulder peeping out of the ground, which cannot be dug out because of its size. The existing elevation difference will allow you to 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 thickets of shrubs, the worst are metal fences.

The grasses of alpine meadows, accustomed to living without a forest canopy, are sun-loving and require full lighting. Rockeries can also be placed with light shading, but then the species composition of plants must be corrected.

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 the rock garden. Each breed has its own special qualities, on which its resistance to precipitation and winter freezing depends. The most popular 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, slightly weathered;
granite and basalt are massive, almost impossible to process with home tools, but they are resistant to any influences;
slate - forms thin even tiles, great for creating deliberately careless stairs.

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

In nature, there are fragments of stones with uneven edges and a smooth surface - rolled by the sea or river. Fragments look natural on rock gardens, 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 smooth.

Excessive variegation disfigures the alpine slides, so it is recommended to limit yourself to one or two types 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. If there is a truck or a car with a trailer, the cobblestones they like are collected on the banks of the nearest river or in a quarry. It is easier, but more expensive, to order them with delivery to the site from organizations selling natural stone, or to negotiate with quarry workers, if there is one nearby.

Rock garden device

The device of a small rock garden and its construction

Before planting plants, the rock garden must settle, so do-it-yourself work on its creation is carried out in early autumn. Let's consider them step by step using the example of building a mini-rock garden with a height of about 1 m.

Pit. The soil is taken out from the contour outlined with twine to a depth of 30-35 cm. A metal mesh from burrowing animals and geotextiles are laid at the bottom.
Drainage. It is made of expanded clay, broken tiles or bricks. 10 cm of coarse sand are poured onto 10 cm of drainage and spilled with water to prevent the formation of cavities.
Lower level device. To prevent large elements from sagging, several rubble stones are placed on the lower tier, and the volume between them is covered with rubble. In this form, the hill is allowed to stand for about a month: during this time, the foundation stones will become stable.
Formation. The composition of the stones is laid out in accordance with the sketch, leaving gaps for the earth and roots. Soft rocks, such as shell rock and tuff, allow you to drill recesses of the right size in them for flower pots.
Composition of the earth mixture. The soil taken out of the pit is sorted out, removing weed rhizomes from it. Add equal shares of river sand, expanded clay and humus. Granite slide allows the use of peat, but if limestone is used, acid additives are avoided.
Filling with soil mixture. This operation is performed on each tier, carefully closing 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 have to survive the first winter in his life.

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

Video instruction for beginners

In order not to miss a single important moment, creating an alpine hill with stones in the country with your own hands, you can use the video instruction.

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

get by with a minimum of material, money and hard work;
do not make mistakes when laying blocks and planting flowers;
properly care for the rock garden so that the decorative effect does not disappear over time.

Video: Instructions for building an alpine slide

Using the instructions, even a beginner will turn the shortcomings of his site into a rock garden or rockery worthy of admiring glances.

The arrangement of plants has its own order: grasses should not be blocked by shrubs

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

The highest aerobatics of skill in relation to stone structures that imitate natural ones is the combination of rock garden and water in landscape design. The rustle of jets or a yellow leaf slowly floating along the stream adds European romanticism or Eastern philosophy to the composition.

Maximum naturalness

What to consider for a composition with a pond

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

the bottom of the reservoir should not let water into the ground;
for a pump that raises water, you will need to lay an electrical wire;
when selecting plants, the difference in humidity along the banks and at the top is taken into account;
periodically the pond will have to be cleaned, and drained for the winter.

Bright fish in the mysterious water give the composition a special charm.

In the summer, Japanese koi carps look spectacular in the reservoir, but for them it will be necessary to create a wintering hole with a depth of at least 80 cm and aerate it after solidification on the ice surface.

Creating a reservoir bowl - how to avoid disappointment

They begin to make a reservoir simultaneously with a slide in order to immediately remove the soil from under both objects. At this stage, the depth of the pond is determined, which rarely exceeds 30 cm: a shallow pond is easier to clean, and the pebbles at its bottom become especially expressive. The bottom section intended for the installation of the pump should be deepened. At the same stage, an electric cable is connected to the pond to power the pump.

Waterfall scheme

It is advisable to place a pond from the northeast of the hill so that it is in its shade for several hours every day, otherwise the water will bloom too quickly. It is better to leave the walls with a slope, this will facilitate the placement of stones on them.

The bottom of the pond is covered with a layer of sand 10 cm thick and carefully compacted. Geotextiles are first laid on top of the sand, and on top of it - a waterproofing film made of butyl rubber, the service life of which is 20-30 years. For reliability, the edges of the film should protrude 30-40 cm beyond the pit. Subsequently, they are added dropwise to 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

A pump for a small waterfall is purchased with a power of 70 watts. It is installed in the basin of the reservoir on a special stand to minimize contact with bottom silt. The device itself, as well as the hoses that take in water and push it out, are masked with stones. Be sure to check the security of the connection to the electrical wire.

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

Pumping equipment is carefully camouflaged

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

The presence of water dust in the air will affect the selection of vegetation: ferns, mosses, bathing suits, and bergenia will take root near the mirror of the pond. Potted specimens also look good if they are planted in wide flowerpots, reminiscent of limestone in shade and texture.

Placement and combinations of plants

What plants are needed to decorate a garden composition

In order for the rock garden to always have a well-groomed appearance, plants are selected for it taking into account the time of their flowering. They should enter into the best time of life in turn and permanently create a joyful 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 neighboring species.

Sometimes it makes sense to plant plants in pots

The second factor influencing the choice of flora is the stage and direction of the slope. The northern part is populated with stonecrops, milkweed, violets, saxifrages. Iberis, thyme, alyssum, pike, cat's foot are ideal for the southern slope and peak. In the lower tier, it is allowed to land such favorites of landscape design as Tagetes, highlanders, and hosts.

Plant layout

To maintain the decorativeness of the rock garden all year round allows a bush of undersized juniper, whose elegant greenery will be emphasized by the snow that has fallen on the stones. When the flowers bloom again, this dark conifer will set off their beauty.

Plant selection

Alpine care

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

Preservation of attractiveness depends on the well-being of the plants settled in the rock garden.

Open areas, heated stones and free winds contribute to the drying of the soil, so alpine grasses need careful but systematic watering with a spray jet. The frequency of watering depends on the weather, but it should not be carried out more than once a day in order to avoid rotting of the roots.
At least once a month, the plants are fed with complex fertilizer, applying it under the root on moist soil and preventing the liquid from running down the slopes.
During the summer, dead shoots are cut out, monitored for the appearance of unwanted insects and their larvae, if necessary, add mulch, weed out weeds and remove wind-blown leaves. If the rockery contains crushed stone laid in waves or ridges, it will need to be corrected with a rake from time to time.

Wide expanses of open land mulch

Preparing for winter - how to protect the design corner

Before the onset of winter, care should be taken to ensure that the plants can 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 agrofiber - a material that does not allow damping. Ephedras wrap them completely and tie them over with twine.

To protect against wind and frost, the slide should be well covered with snow. The shields placed around will help to keep it: old doors, the remains of a profiled sheet and slate. In order not to spoil the aesthetics of a snowy alpine hill, you can weave special fences from wicker with your own hands.

The pond available at the rock garden is drained or several children's rubber balls are thrown into it, which will take on the pressure of the ice. The pump and hoses are taken out and stored in the house.

Spring work - cleaning up the consequences of winter weather

The most large-scale work on the care of the rock garden is planned for the spring, since at this time of the year it will be necessary to restore the masterpiece after snowfalls, blizzards and an abundance of melt water. Usually it is found that some of the plants have died, some stones have slipped, and the whole structure is covered with unattractive rotten foliage. Carefully removing the covering material, perform the following operations in the spring:

fan rakes remove dead plant residues;
“escaped” stones are returned to their place;
pour soil and mulch;
plants that have wintered in the heat are planted and new ones are added.

At the same time, they draw conclusions about what mistakes were made in preparing the rock garden for winter, so that the upcoming cold season would not become so destructive.

In order for a rock garden, rockery or other stone and flower arrangement to become a true decoration of a country estate, follow the three golden rules:

Divide the volume of the slide into zones to get a plateau, scree, rock, stairs. This will allow the eye to never get tired when contemplating an object.
Avoid excessive garishness. 3-4 different-sized color spots look ideal on a dense green background of ground covers.
Do not buy flashy, gaudy jewelry made of ceramics and plastic.

We bring to your attention beautiful examples of design on the garden plot of alpine slides and rockeries. Of course, each of them is tied to a specific area, so when transferring the idea to your hundred square meters, you will have to make adjustments to the sketch.

Doing the design of an alpine slide with your own hands is worth it, if only because it reflects the character and mood of the author as much as possible. Rock gardens are unique, each has its own zest, unique pattern, inimitable compositional notes. Building a slide with your own hands is an amazing compromise between the severity of the garden and the indomitable riot of pristine nature.

Each modern well-maintained dacha is sure to be decorated with either a garden or various kinds of flower beds. At the same time, the size of the country allotment does not have to be huge at all in order to realize even the most daring ideas. Nothing prevents you from creating something beautiful, unusual and elegant in a small area. For example, a miniature alpine slide, which is easy to make with your own hands using available materials, even by novice gardeners.

Such a compact rock garden has several advantages over a conventional flower garden. First, it looks much more original. Secondly, it takes up little space, and thirdly, it does not require complex care. For those who seek to master the arrangement of alpine slides, creating a miniature version will be a great practice.

Everyone can build an alpine slide with their own hands, even in a small area

What is the difference between rock garden and rockery?

Rock garden and rockery are two different ways of designing flower beds that have much in common. Due to the large number of identical characteristics, sometimes even gardeners with extensive experience get confused in these concepts. Both are a flower garden, for the arrangement of which flowers and stones are used. What is the main difference between them?

Rockery is called a rock garden in its purest form. When creating it, only one type of stone is used. They are laid in two ways: randomly, without observing any order, or in parallel rows. This helps create the visual effect of wildlife. A secondary element of the composition are plants and flowers, which in this case serve only as a natural floral background.

It is the role of plants in the flower garden that is the main distinguishing feature between the alpine hill and the rockery. In this type of stone garden, like a rock garden or a mini-rock garden, the main focus is on plants. Its composition consists of various types of colorful, unusual flowers and their combinations, turning the flower garden into a small magical world, from which it is impossible to take your eyes off.

A rockery differs from an alpine slide by focusing on the natural beauty of the stones, flowers in this case serve only as an addition.

An ideal place to create a small rock garden

Having planned to create a small alpine slide with your own hands, it is important to choose the right place. For example, a one-sided mini-slide is best placed next to the wall of the house or near the fence, as an addition to the general flower garden or as a separate element of the garden. A round flower garden will look great in the center of the lawn. Thus, all its sides will become available for review. The ideal place for a mini-rock garden in a flowerpot is a porch or terrace.

An interesting idea: the roof of the cellar gradually turns into an alpine hill

Also, when choosing a place for a rock garden, it is important to consider not only how it will look, but also pay attention to other points related to its placement:

Illumination. The place must be sunny so that the plants receive the necessary amount of light. A shady spot will cause the flowers to fade and stretch out.
Lack of nearby trees and drainpipes. When the flower garden is under a tree, the leaves from it will crumble and spoil the appearance of the entire composition. Rainwater from the drainage system can cause soil erosion.
In the flower garden should be placed "neighbors" who get along with each other and have similar conditions for care and cultivation.

An open, well-lit clearing will be a great place to build a rock garden.

Variants of execution of small alpine slides

Getting to work on a miniature rock garden with your own hands, you need to consider the choice of style in which it will be decorated, it completely depends on the desires and imagination of its creator. Photos of the most spectacular and colorful mini-rock gardens can help you choose a specific option, for example:

A common alpine slide in miniature. It is a stepped structure that is installed directly on the ground. It can become a wonderful decoration of the entire flower garden as a whole.
Mini rock garden, combined with a pond. An amazing effect is achieved due to the presence of even a small bowl at the base of the stones, which will imitate a pond. Such an element of the composition will make it even more charming and attractive. An addition in the form of a mini-waterfall or a fountain will make this place the most attractive in the entire summer cottage.
A small alpine slide in a flowerpot. The perfect solution if there is no free land. You can always find many photos of such mini-rock gardens, and not only in flowerpots, but also in various other containers.

A rock garden can be completely different - from a mini composition in a pot to a large slide with waterfalls and a fountain

Materials for the design of the slide

To create a small, the simplest alpine slide, even beginner gardeners do not need a lot of skills and a lot of effort. The main thing is to get creative. The process itself will not take much time, since the mini-rock garden is a completely small and labor-intensive project.

Organic stone laying creates the impression of a natural landscape

As soon as you decide to equip a small rock garden with your own hands, you will need quite a bit of material, which is definitely in any country house:

several large stones;
gravel;
ceramic shards.

Sometimes even old sinks or leaky basins can act as improvised materials. They, too, can really be transformed into a genuine floral masterpiece.

To make the composition more interesting and original even with a minimum of vegetation, stones with an unusual shape and color should be preferred. It is advisable to surround cobblestones of a common gray color with gravel of other shades or bushes with bright flowering.

Choosing plants for a small alpine slide

Which plants will make up the composition of the mini-alpine slide is determined by the area that the latter will occupy. In the case of small areas, miniature plant species are also required. The most suitable are dwarf-sized conifers, as well as rock species that grow slowly. Among them you can choose:

boxwood;
juniper;
erica grassy;
saxifrage;
Phlox subulate.

If we want to dilute the composition with bright colors, we should plant undersized plants that have small flowering, for example:

creeping thyme;
aubrieta;
lobular.

In the case when the mini-garden of stones will not remain for the winter, then it is permissible to include cacti and succulents in its composition, for example, a fat woman or an agave. With the advent of autumn, it is enough to remove a miniature rock garden in a flowerpot from the street into the room.

Plants for slides should be unpretentious to environmental conditions

The sequence of creating a mini-rock garden for beginner gardeners

In various sources, you can find a lot of diagrams and step-by-step instructions with photos for creating mini-rock gardens. The simplest sequence of actions, which is easy to translate into reality even for a beginner in gardening, is as follows:

site marking for a mini-alpine slide;
placing stones and fixing them in the ground;
planting plants between stones.

Site preparation

Starting the arrangement of the flower garden, all weeds and roots should be removed from the site intended for it. This will save time and effort in the future.

Since the mini-rock garden occupies a small area, a pit about 50 cm deep is enough. A similar hole should be dug in the place where most of the stones are planned to be placed and filled with drainage. As the latter, ordinary construction waste, which is not toxic, may be suitable. After compaction, it is covered with earth. It is important to produce intermediate watering of the earth, which is added in layers. Such a measure contributes to better compaction and will prevent your creation from sagging in the future. To mark the tiers of the rock garden, twine and stakes are used.

When placing stones, you can focus on your own taste and the general appearance of the resulting rock garden

Quite often, one of the most impressive stones is located in the middle of the flower garden. It is installed on a special substrate, which is buried in the ground so that its base is flush with the ground. A plaster bowl or a substrate made of cement mortar can serve as a support. First you need to install a support in the right place, drowning it in the ground, and then laying a stone on it. You can make the placement of the stone reliable by resorting to cement mortar or gypsum.

Further, according to a similar principle, one should deal with the arrangement and fixing of smaller stones. When creating an alpine mini-slide, the most commonly used are: shell rock, dolomite and tuff. Particularly elegant look samples that have a natural color and structure, although modern landscape design methods allow the coloring of stones, the appearance of which does not fit well with the overall composition. Usually, when designing miniature rock gardens, they try to use small samples of stones of the same color range, but it is quite possible to use bright colors that create a contrast to the main background. This will give gloss and elegance to the flower garden.

When installing stones, it is necessary to adhere to the descending rule, that is, place them in height decreasing downwards. The lower stones should act as a reliable and stable support for the upper ones. There is also the option of tiered placement of stones, which also looks very impressive.

Stones that have an even and flat shape should be laid out in layers, round stones should be placed one or more together in addition. The main thing is that the number of stones in the group is odd, and it is imperative to focus on one of them.

disembarkation

Before planting plants on a hill, flowers can be laid out directly in pots and see the general view of the composition, planting should be done after all the amendments

In the process of placing and installing stones, it is important to leave a place between them, which will later be occupied by the plants chosen for the mini-rock garden. These interstone gaps must be filled with fertile soil. You can plant plants and flowers not only between, but also around the stones. First of all, the largest plants should be placed. As for dwarf trees, which have a fairly powerful root system, they must be planted when the first stones are still being laid. At the end, medium and small plants are planted. At the end of all work, the flower garden should be watered. After that, it remains to apply the final design touches. To do this, you will need sand, small pebbles and any elements of garden decor.

How to install a miniature pond

A miniature pond in the composition of a small rock garden will give it a special appeal. To create it, you need a regular container designed for artificial reservoirs. You can buy such a device at any store specializing in goods for the garden.

However, you can build such a container yourself from improvised materials, for example, an old basin. First you need to knead a cement mortar with a consistency similar to thin sour cream, and add medium-sized crushed stone to it. The inverted basin should be covered with a uniformly obtained mixture with a layer with a thickness of 1-2.5 cm.

When creating a rock garden with a pond, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive structures; you can use unnecessary containers, such as a bath or basin

It will not be superfluous to create additional decor. It may be a pattern scratched on the outside, or a laid out mosaic. Ceramic shards, broken glass, shells and pieces of tiles are suitable for mosaics. Decorate should be done when the cement mortar is still wet. In this embodiment, it is not necessary to add crushed stone to the solution.

Now you should prepare a place for installing a dried container. To do this, a hole is dug, on the bottom of which expanded clay or gravel is poured as drainage, with a layer of 5-7 cm. The container itself is installed in the hole from above. Along the edge of the created pond, you can beautifully lay out small pebbles.

The right choice of plants. Playing an important role in the composition, not all flowers are suitable for this type of flower garden. For example, ordinary garden flowers, such as phloxes or daylilies, do not look good among a heap of stones. It should be noted that for garden types of flowers, vast open spaces are required, while the soil of a mini-rock garden is quite poor. As a result, plants simply cannot exist normally. Your choice of plants for a miniature alpine slide should be stopped on those species that are compact and winter hardy.
Final general view. When drawing up a plan for a future mini-flower garden, it is important to consider how it will look in the end. The higher the slide, the more stones should be in its composition. So, plants, especially on the upper tier, will be protected from freezing. Everything turned out right if your creation resembles a mountain landscape with rocky stones, fertile gentle slopes and shaded hollows.

Alpine hill. What a romantic title! It literally breathes freshness and even smells of emerald green grass, which covers the mountain slopes. The atmosphere of pristine nature can be successfully recreated in a summer cottage. And the rock garden will help in this - an original composition of stones and plants, which has recently been very actively used by landscape design masters.

Features of the Alpine slide

We can say that alpine slide projects are absolutely unique design solutions. There are general rules for their arrangement, but the embodiment of an idea is a completely creative activity. From the same set of source materials, you can create an infinite number of interesting variations.

A mandatory attribute of a rock garden is a large stone (one or more). This is the symbol of the mountain peak. And its conditional slopes are planted with undersized shrubs and plants that are most suitable for the mountain climate.

Do not be naive to believe that a handful of stones and vegetation breaking through between them can claim the proud title of an alpine slide. The arrangement of such a landscape composition will require a lot of effort, financial investments and a flight of fancy. To make it look natural and harmonious, space is needed. The larger the scale, the more organically, as if in a natural environment.

From the history of rock garden

Japan is considered to be the birthplace of stone gardens. Pra-rock gardens began to be built there a thousand years ago. On the islands of the Land of the Rising Sun, there has always been a shortage of free land - probably that is why they liked to create beauty in small areas there. According to the Japanese canons of beauty, the true value lies in natural phenomena. The combination of the hardness of stone and the tenderness of flowers creates an unusually enchanting duet of true beauty.

In European countries, alpine slides appeared only in the 16th century. Then, on such flower beds, outlandish plants were grown, transplanted from the natural mountain environment. Fashion for them came to Russia in the 18th century. Today, many gardeners are thinking about how to build an alpine slide with their own hands on their own site. After all, this is a very unusual decoration for any suburban area.

Rock garden and rockery: similarities and differences

There is often confusion between these two concepts. Let's see why. Rock garden and rockery are two different types of flower beds. More precisely, two methods (or principles) for arranging a flower bed. In both cases stones and plants are used.

However, rockeries can be called a stone garden in the classical sense. The predominant part of such a composition is occupied by stone. And only one breed is used.

The stones are laid out in parallel stripes or in random order. Such a chaotic technique allows you to create the illusion of a natural environment. Rockeries are also supplemented with vegetation, but here it acts as a background, plays a secondary role.

In rock gardens, flowers and grass are always in the foreground. They catch the eye with a variety of colors, surprise with a combination of opposites.

How to choose plants for rock garden

We have already said that it is better to plant unpretentious plants on an alpine hill. In this decorative corner of the garden, flowers that do not need careful care will look most harmonious.

Indeed, in the mountains there is a harsh atmosphere, and each individual stalk has to fight for its place under the sun. Under gusts of wind or blows of heavy rain, only strong plants survive, which are able to fight for their own existence. When planning to break a rock garden, think about what flowers and shrubs you would like to decorate the cottage.

If you want to update the appearance of the flower bed every year, plant annuals. And to get a stable result, give preference to perennial herbs of bright colors. Think also about the change in flowering seasons, because some plants please us earlier, others later.

Let's take a few concrete examples. These plants for the alpine slide are literally created by nature itself:

The symbol of the Alps, which fits perfectly into the Russian landscape. This perennial is frost-resistant, no cold to him at all. Edelweiss lines the slopes of the alpine hill with rugs, the diameter of which reaches 20 cm. It blooms in June-July.

There are several varieties of this humble plant. Absolutely unpretentious, securely fixed on any soil with its creeping stems. Under the influence of sunlight, the leaves of stonecrop become brighter, as if sunbathing. It can be used to decorate the edging of the rock garden, as it destroys weeds within the radius of its "rug".

The most popular inhabitant of the Alpine slides. Its fleshy leaves will make any flower bed stand out on its own, and its light purple flowers can compete in modest beauty with many of its congeners.

In the spring, these pretty rugs are literally strewn with small flowers. The plant prefers dark areas, even covering stones with its green nets.

An ideal perennial for an alpine slide of the buttercup family. People call it sleep-grass. Blooms one of the first, in early spring. Drained soil is favorable for backache, in such conditions it actively grows.

Shrubs and flowers are also suitable for rock garden:

juniper (various types),
dwarf barberry,
Japanese spirea,
aquilegia,
aster Alpine,
viola horned,
crocus,
Phlox subulate.

By combining different types of plants, you can create an alpine slide whose design will be absolutely unique. Here it is important to create the effect of the atmosphere of the mountains due to the multi-tiered. For example, such an arrangement of shrubs and flowers can claim the title of classic.

An ideal place for arranging a rock garden

Having decided to build a rock garden, try to critically examine your hacienda. Of course, a flower garden can decorate any corner of it. But in this case, it is necessary to choose a spacious area that is well lit by natural rays.

It is also important to think about how the future alpine flower bed will be viewed. After all, you will surely want to show such beauty, created by your own hands, to your guests.

When choosing a place, consider the nature of the soil. On sandy soil, the arrangement of an alpine slide will be less problematic, since it can be broken right on the ground. But for clay or oily soil, it will be necessary to carry out additional work - to prepare drainage.

An indication for the drainage of the site is not only the nature of the soil. Mountain plants do not like when water stagnates, and in order to avoid this, experienced designers recommend making a special base for the rock garden. It is necessary to remove the top soil cover, but you should not go deeper than 30 cm.

You can make not a solid pit, but several pits. Then fill them with crushed stone (as an option, construction debris, broken bricks, fine gravel will do just fine). Then the sand is poured, on top - the earth. Each layer of the base must be watered and allowed to dry.

Soil mix and stone laying

To form a rock garden mound directly, it is necessary to prepare a specific mixture. In equal proportions, clean soil, coarse sand and crushed humus are combined.

By the way, in order for the alpine slide in the garden to be truly as natural as possible, use the soil that the mole brings to the surface as soil. Such black mounds are often found in forest plantations, in abandoned areas. In the sectional diagram of the rock garden, you can see a mound of soil mixture.

It is marked in yellow. As a rule, the height of the slide is on average 1 meter. Guided by this picture, you can create a multi-tiered flower bed using several stones.

After the drainage is done and the mound is formed, you need to take a break from the construction work. Two or three weeks should pass so that all layers are slowly compacted and shrink. The stones are arranged in tiered order. They should create the illusion of rock coming to the surface.

To achieve this, you need to bury them in the ground by at least a third. So you get an amazing effect of the meeting of strength and tenderness, which is symbolized by the stone and flowers.

The size of the tiers decreases from the bottom up, according to the pyramid principle. At the lowest point of each individual tier, a massive stone should be laid so that the structure is strong and small stones do not roll down the slope. Making alpine slides with their own hands, amateur designers form an odd number of tiers. Schematically, the placement of stones looks like this:

The figure shows that the stones should not be laid symmetrically, because in the natural environment we do not observe such geometric accuracy. The space between them will be occupied by flowers, so try to leave enough space. An alpine picture will look organic if you use stones similar in texture and color.

Construction of rock garden peak

There are two options for decorating the top of an alpine hill. In the center of the composition, you can hoist the largest, most massive stone. Such a simple technique will protect the rock garden from erosion of the soil under the influence of precipitation. Or decorate the peak with a few small stones. They can be tightly invested nearby, and also to build a pyramid.

Decoration with vegetation

The labor-intensive process - the creation of an alpine slide - ends with magic. But how else can you call that amazing action when a mound of earth is “inhabited” by plant life! This procedure can be carried out both in spring and autumn, up to frost. First you need to add the soil mixture and carefully plant shrubs or flowers. Here you should be guided solely by the rules of your own taste, everyone sees the color scheme of the rock garden in their own way.

Finally, I would like to note that, like a flower bed, an alpine slide cannot be decorated with artificial accessories. For example, glass or plastic, as well as various garden figurines, will simply not be appropriate here. Remember that a flower garden in this style is designed to create a natural atmosphere of the mountains. Stones and plants are completely self-sufficient elements of decor in this case, and do not need a variety of tinsel at all.

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