Do-it-yourself Alpine hill (76 photos): step by step we create a complex element of landscape design. How to make an alpine slide in the country. Schemes and instructions

Alpine slide is one of the favorite elements of landscape design, both for owners of garden plots and for professional designers. But, at the same time, it is also one of the most difficult. To independently make a rocky hill in your garden, you must adhere to a sequence of fairly clear rules.

The algorithm for creating an alpine slide:

1. Choosing a place under the sun.

2. Decide on the size and shape.

3. Selection and purchase of a stone.

4. Drawing the contour of the rock garden on the ground.

5. Removal of the top fertile layer of the earth.

6. Preparation of the soil mixture.

7. Device drainage system.

8. Vertical planning of rock garden.

9. Water support on the hill.

10. Selection and planting of plants.

Choosing a place in the sun

A fragment of a mountain landscape is best placed on an elevated, well-lit area. In this case, the owners of a hilly area or slope are more fortunate. The most attractive rock garden will look against the backdrop of a lawn away from tall trees that can project their shadow onto it.

Since our rock garden is a slide, it will have slopes oriented towards different sides Sveta. The rock garden project should be designed in such a way that the observer mostly surveys its southern and southeastern sides. These slopes are made more gentle than the north and northeast.

Decide on the size and shape of the slide

No matter how you imagine an alpine hill in your imagination, it should harmoniously fit into the overall style of the garden and not look like a pile of stones, because of which the house modestly looks out.

There are clear rules for determining the size of a rock garden for a specific area of ​​​​the site. On a plot of 6 - 8 acres, an 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 slide is 1.5 x 2.5 m. numbers. Max Height alpine slide with an area of ​​​​more than 40 m 2 can be up to 1.5 m.

Choosing and buying a stone

The size and number of stones are chosen according to the size of the rock garden. For a rock garden with a size of 1.5 x 2.5 m and a height of 0.5 m, about 1 ton of stone will be required.

For creating stone compositions they use stones of the same breed, mostly local, which is the easiest to get and which will be most harmoniously combined with the terrain.

Stones and plants should emphasize the beauty of each other, therefore, in order for the final composition to correspond exactly to your ideas of beauty, choose the stones yourself and be present when they are loaded and unloaded.

Do not take stones that are chipped with unnaturally sharp edges or, conversely, perfectly smooth river ones. The best option would be a moss-covered stone that you accidentally found in the forest - and you don’t need to pay, and nature itself has already worked on the design.

Drawing the contour of the rock garden on the ground

On the site, which is intended for the construction of a rock garden, we draw the contours of the future structure. This stage at first glance seems simple, but its implementation is the basis of the entire process of building a slide. Having drawn the outline of the structure (using a rope, for example), view the future composition from all viewpoints, you may need to adjust the boundaries and location on the ground.

Removal of the top fertile layer of the earth

It is important to carefully remove the top fertile layer of the earth, which, after sieving, is added to the composition of the substrate to fill the space between the stones on the hill. The top layer of soil is removed to a depth of 20 - 30 cm over the entire area of ​​​​the future rock garden. It is advisable to carry out such work when the earth is dry enough to be sieved. If the site is heavily overgrown with cereal weeds, herbicides must be applied, otherwise the seeds remaining in the soil will sprout on a hill with dense turf.

Soil preparation

The substrate for filling the space between the stones on the alpine hill should be sufficiently nutritious and moderately moist. Prepare it yourself from 1/3 soddy land, 1/3 peat or compost, 1/3 coarse sand, you can also add perlite. If the land on the site is fertile enough, then the top layer, which was removed to prepare the pit for drainage, is used to prepare the soil mixture. Many gardeners recommend adding fertilizer to the composition of the substrate to increase soil fertility. But this is by no means applicable to alpine slides. Plants on such soil are strongly elongated, green mass predominates in their appearance, and flowering becomes less abundant, in addition, aggressive ground covers grow rapidly, covering the stone, as a result of which the whole meaning of the rocky garden is lost.

The soil mixture is poured onto the hill at the same time as the stones are laid, tamping it a little. At the final stage of work, the resulting slide must be well watered, and then the resulting recesses should be corrected.

Drainage system device

Creating a drainage system for an alpine slide is not always required. Drainage is necessary in areas with loamy or clay soil, as well as in flat areas with a high groundwater table.

For drainage, crushed stone or other small stones are used, which are poured in a layer of 0.1 - 0.3 m. The drainage layer is poured unevenly - where the elevation of the hill is planned, the layer will be thicker.

Sand is poured over the rocky layer with a layer of 0.1 m. At the same time, in places of future hills, it is thicker.

The next stage in the arrangement of the slide will be abundant watering, after which the drainage will thicken a little, and all the shortcomings of the work done will appear. But at this stage, everything is fixable.

Vertical planning of rock garden

The most crucial stage in the construction of the slide is the installation and grouping of stones. With the help of stones create three-dimensional compositions. Moreover, each individual group should differ from the neighboring one in size, ratio of sections and color. When imitating a mountain landscape, avoid regular geometric shapes.

For vertical planning of the rock garden, the largest stone is laid first. Its location should be shifted from the center to the east side. Then smaller stones are laid, adhering to the rule - the closer to the border of the hill, the smaller the stone should be. Some groups of stones are laid tightly to each other, we leave gaps between others, avoiding symmetry as much as possible. When laying the stone, it is necessary to leave soil pockets for planting plants.

The stones should not swing, therefore, small depressions are prepared under their base for at least 1/3 of the height of the stone itself. If necessary, add soil or small stones.

If you are the owner of an absolute flat area, then you will need imported land at the rate of 0.5 - 0.7 t / m 2.

Water accompaniment on the hill

The combination of water, stone and plants in an alpine slide is the most successful option for your project. You can decorate a rocky hill with a murmuring stream, which will flow from stone to stone to a reservoir located on the south side at its foot.

Selecting and planting plants

Planting begins after several heavy waterings, when the earth settles and the resulting recesses are filled up.

The most photophilous plants are planted on the south or southeast side of the hill. Large plants are planted near large stones, small plants - near small ones, avoiding close placement of plants on a hill. Ground cover plants that grow rapidly are planted in 3 - 5 pieces / m 2. Cushion perennials are placed at 8 - 12 pieces / m 2. Dwarf trees and shrubs are planted separately or in small groups, so as to emphasize the asymmetry of the hill. In no case should trees be planted in the center of a stone placer or on its top.

After planting, the soil is mulched by screening out the stone that was used in the construction of the rock garden.

10 mistakes when building an alpine slide:

1. The device of a rock garden on a site with a close occurrence of groundwater without drainage.

2. Placing a rock garden against the backdrop of outbuildings.

3. Unstable placement of stones.

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

5. Use of fragments of concrete slabs.

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

7. Compliance with symmetry when laying stones and planting plants.

8. Ignoring the watering of the slide after the drainage device and at the final stage.

9. Planting ground covers that grow rapidly next to small rosettes or very rare plants.

10. Planting annual plants.

Natalia Vysotskaya, landscape designer, Ph.D. -X. Sciences.

And to make your idea of ​​an ideal alpine slide more holistic, we suggest you admire the photo gallery of the most interesting (in our opinion) rock gardens and rocky gardens.

We also remind you that in our store you can purchase from private collections. On sale there are always seeds of gentians, carnations, saxifrage, primroses, penstemons, bluebells and other mountain (and not only!) species of plants. The range is constantly updated.

A corner of wildlife on the site - 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 arrangement of landscape design, both among amateur gardeners and professional designers. A piece of untouched nature on your site can be created in the form of a fragment of a mountain landscape.

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

To do do it yourself Location on alpine hill 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, which will be well enough illuminated from all sides. In this case, the owners of hilly plots or those whose plots are on the slopes win.

Very attractive rock garden looks against the background of a green lawn, and if in the background, a little further away, tall trees grow that cast their shadow on the rock garden, then the composition will turn out to be very advantageous.

Alpine slide should have slopes that are oriented to different parts of the world.

Designing rock garden it must be taken into account that its southern and southeastern slopes should be more visible, therefore these slopes are made more gentle than the northern and northeastern ones.

Step 2. The choice of stones for the alpine slide (rock garden)

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

2) When creating rocky compositions, one must remember that the stone must be natural, natural forms and surfaces.

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

Alpine slide stones

4) Use stones of the same breed, 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 be most harmoniously and naturally combined with the local landscape.

5) Stones and plants in the rock garden should harmoniously emphasize natural beauty each other. Therefore, in order to get the final composition that will match your ideas, choose the stones yourself and be present during their transportation.

6) Do not use chipped stones with unnaturally sharp edges or, conversely, ideally shaped stones - smooth river ones.

7) The best option for a rock garden would be a moss-covered stone that can be found in the forest. Such a stone will cost less than all options, and the natural design of the stone, created by nature itself, is better than you can imagine!

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

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

There is clear calculations, with which it is possible to determine rock garden size for specific area plot:

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

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

If you are a happy owner of a larger territory, recalculate based on 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 an alpine slide (rock garden)

Before you start laying out the stones on the site, which is intended for the construction of a rock garden, you need to outline the contours of the future structure.

This is a very important step that should not be neglected!

At first glance, it seems that this is very simple, but its implementation is the basis of the entire process of arranging a slide.

Marking rock garden on the site

For a good example, draw a project for a future slide on paper, in the form of a drawing or diagram. Calculate the size and location of the alpine slide on the site, visually arrange the stones, marking them on the diagram.

Estimate which plants will take place in your slide, distribute the arrangement of stones accordingly.

After drawing the outlines on paper, transfer it to the land by laying out the outline of the structure with a rope, bright tape or a garden hose.

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

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

An important milestone rock garden devices is also the removal of sod land. To do this, carefully remove the top fertile soil layer, which will need to be sifted, and after sifting, add to the substrate to fill the space between the stones on the hill.

The top layer of soil 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 earth is dry enough to be sieved.

If the site is heavily overgrown with cereal weeds, it is recommended to apply herbicides, otherwise the seeds remaining in the soil will germinate on a hill with dense turf.

Step 6. Installation of a drainage system for an alpine slide (rock garden)

Drainage system for alpine slide necessary, but its creation is not always required. Drainage is indispensable in areas with loamy or clay soil, as well as in flat areas with a high groundwater table.

drainage layer for rock garden

Used as drainage broken brick, crushed stone or other small stones, which are poured with a layer of 10-30 cm. The drainage layer is poured unevenly - where the elevation of the hill is planned, the layer will be thicker.

Sand is poured onto the drainage rocky layer with a layer of 10 cm. At the same time, it is thicker in places of future hills.

After laying drainage from crushed stone and sand, abundant watering is required. The need for watering lies in the fact that after it the drainage will thicken a little, and all the shortcomings in the work done will manifest themselves. But at this stage, everything can still be corrected. Pour crushed stone and sand into the formed dips, spill it, once again evaluate the quality of the work done.

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

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

You can cook it yourself. Soil composition:

• 1/3 sod land,
• 1/3 peat or compost
• 1/3 coarse sand
• you can also add perlite.

If the land on your site is good - fertile enough, then the top layer that was removed to prepare the pit for drainage can be used for cooking soil mixtures for alpine hills.

One of the biggest mistakes preparing land for an alpine slide is that many hobbyists recommend adding fertilizers to the composition of the plant substrate to increase soil fertility. This is by no means acceptable for alpine slides!

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

In addition, aggressively growing ground covers will quickly fill the area and cover the stone, as a result of which the whole meaning of the rocky hill is lost.

Pour the soil onto the hill at the same time as laying the stones, tamping it a little. Upon completion of the work, pour the resulting alpine slide well with water, and then correct the resulting recesses.

Step 8. Vertical planning of the rock garden. Creation of an alpine slide

Now the most important step in the construction of the rock garden has come. It consists in setting and grouping stones.

With the help of stones create three-dimensional compositions. Moreover, each individual group should differ from the neighboring one in size, ratio of sections and color.

Alpine slide scheme

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

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

When creating an imitation of a mountain landscape, it is necessary to avoid regular geometric shapes. This will give the composition a natural look, otherwise the natural look of the slide will lose its flavor.

Laying stones in an alpine hill

1) The first thing to start when laying stones for rock garden- this is to install the first stone, the so-called main stone from which the rest of the 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 lay the stones from medium to smaller, stick to the rule - the closer to the edge of the slide, the smaller the stones should be.

Place stones in groups. Lay some groups of stones tightly to each other, leave gaps between others. Remember to avoid symmetry as much as possible.

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

The stones must be stable - they must not swing, so prepare small recesses for their base at least 1/3 of the height of the stone itself.

Add soil or small stones if necessary.

If your site 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 stream on an alpine hill

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

A stream that will flow from stone to stone to artificial reservoir located on the south side at its foot.

artificial pond will feed the stream, which, flowing down the stones of the slide, falls back into the reservoir. The principle of circulation will ensure a continuous flow of water.

Scheme of an artificial reservoir

To create a pond:

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

2) Cover the bottom with a film 0.8-1.2 mm thick.

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 gravel up to 1 cm thick.

To create a stream:

Artificial stream on the site for rock garden

1) From an artificial reservoir, a gutter is laid 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 the “water supply” is sprinkled with sand, waterproofing is laid.

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

Waterfall on an alpine hill

4) The stream bed is arranged simultaneously when creating an alpine hill, tamping and compacting clay soil, making it semicircular 15 cm deep and 30 cm wide. You can lay out the bed of the stream small stones or pebbles.

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

Stream on the 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

It is advisable to start planting plants in a rock garden after several plentiful waterings. After the earth settles and the resulting recesses will be filled up.

• 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 pcs. / m 2.
• Cushion perennials place 8-12 pieces / m 2.
• Plant dwarf trees and shrubs separately or in small groups, so as to emphasize the asymmetry of the hill.
• In no case should trees be planted in the center or at the top of the rock garden!

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

10 mistakes when building an alpine slide:

1) The device of a rock garden on a site with a close occurrence of groundwater without drainage.

2) Placing a rock garden against the backdrop of outbuildings.

3) Unstable placement of stones.

4) Application in one composition of several different stony rocks.

5) Use of 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 the watering of the slide after the drainage device and at the final stage.

9) Planting ground covers that grow quickly next to small rosettes or very rare plants.

10) Planting annuals.

Excellent( 4 ) Badly( 0 )

The rock garden is a rather labor-intensive construction, implying 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 keep the composition for long 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.

Rock garden - an artificial rocky hill laid in tiers and planted with continuously flowering herbs and low bushes. The classic hill is decorated with plants from Central Europe(Alps, Carpathians), although there is a Japanese version that provides for a landing Far Eastern species, and even Mexican - 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. 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 in initial stage, will result in the composition having to be rebuilt. To avoid this, consider the following issues:

1. Stagnation of water. The combination of such factors as the low-lying area, the abundance of snow and melt water, heavy showers and clay soil, will quickly deprive the structure of decorativeness. Rock gardens are equipped with good drainage.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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. Consider accommodation nearby. comfortable bench under an awning or 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 peeking 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 rock gardens 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 that sell natural stone, or negotiate with the workers of the quarry, if there is one nearby.

Rock garden device

The device of a small rock garden and its construction

Before planting the plants, the rock garden should settle down, 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 under flower pots.
5. Composition of the earth mixture. The soil taken out of the pit is sorted out, removing weed rhizomes from it. Add equal parts river sand, expanded clay and humus. Granite slide allows the use of peat, but if limestone is used, acid additives are avoided.
6. 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

Not to miss any important point, creating an alpine slide 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 slowly floating in the stream yellow leaf 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.

AT summer period Japanese koi carps look spectacular in the pond, however, they will have 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. General rule is this: the clump 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.

1. Open areas, heated stones and free winds contribute to the drying of the soil, so alpine grasses need accurate, 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.
2. Feed the plants at least once a month complex fertilizer, bringing it under the root along moistened soil and preventing the liquid from flowing down the slopes.
3. 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 spaces 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.

The pond available at the rock garden is drained or several children's rubber balls, 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:

1. 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.
2. Avoid excessive garishness. 3-4 different-sized color spots look ideal on a dense green background of ground covers.
3. Do not buy flashy, gaudy jewelry made of ceramics and plastic.

We bring to your attention beautiful examples decorations 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.

Anyone who has ever seen an alpine meadow in bloom will have an indelible impression forever. I want to go there again and again. You can, of course, go on vacation to Kabarda or Karachay-Cherkessia (top of the figure), instead of splashing in the sea or the pool of a water park at a popular resort, experiencing sensations that would resonate most vividly with kilka in a jar. It is possible, ignoring the indignant cries of the wallet, to swing at Switzerland or Nepal, this is below in fig. But you always want flowering mountains, and an alpine slide or rock garden, although it will not completely replace them, will clearly remind you. It is only necessary to build and plant it correctly, which is what this article is about.

Note: the material presented concerns rock gardens in the country or in the garden. Home, desktop, balcony, window, seasonal rock gardens require each separate description.

The construction and landscaping of a rock garden is quite laborious, but it does not require complex skills and special tools, as well as expensive materials or, for example, volumetric concrete work that absorbs a lot of water. Building an alpine slide with your own hands makes perfect sense, because. custom exorbitant, compared with the complexity of the construction, roads. The same applies to plants; we will return to them later. It is quite possible to plant your own, unique and inimitable, rock garden with plants taken from nature, or purchased in ordinary, non-specialized nurseries at a price much lower. In this regard, some recommendations may seem unusual, but the material is focused on inexpensive or completely free samples of domestic flora, and we will leave the special varieties pampered by intensive selection to landscape design marketers.

General information

Alpine slides can be seen with a separate border (pos. 1 in the figure) and seemingly randomly sketched, pos. 2, from angular blocks or rounded boulders of dense stone or from porous flagstone, pos. 1-4, clearly terraced with a plateau at the top, pos. 4, or naturally chaotic. Is all this diversity being built at random? By no means and not at all. The device of the alpine slide is subject to simple, but well-defined rules.

time and place

They build a rock garden in early autumn, before the start of rains, so that by the spring it “settled down”: it gave sediment and the formation of the substrate was completed. In the spring, the hill is planted with greenery and already admired in the summer. This publication describes how to make an alpine slide with a stable biocenosis, able to live for many years with minimal care or even on its own.

To create a rock garden, an area of ​​​​about 2 square meters is enough. m. If there is 20-50 square meters. m free, very good: this is the optimal value in terms of labor costs for the maximum effect; You can’t see a big hill with one glance. A mini-alpine slide is enough for 0.25-0.7 square meters. m, but the range of plants will have to be limited, which, however, with skillful selection will not reduce its decorative effect. It is desirable to build a rock garden in the garden, providing some shading from the north and northeast; this will greatly expand the possible plant diversity on the hill. The soil in the area under the rock garden may be infertile or even waste; powerful humus will only be a hindrance.

Rock garden and water

Best of all, having conceived a rock garden, build at the same time and. The excavated earth will give an excellent backfill for the hill, and the water will bring coolness and moisture to the air, which will allow planting some native plants of the mountains. There is no need to talk about the aesthetic effect of a rock garden with a pond, see at least the figure:

With a lack of space, a mini-pond is included in the structure of the slide. Bowls for ponds are available in volumes of 30 liters or more, which can be a bit much for a small slide. In this case, unusable faience plumbing will fit to create a reservoir: a sink or even a toilet bowl. Do not hesitate: further it will be described how to process such a product to give it a completely natural look. In any case, more natural and durable than a store-bought plastic bowl.

The rock garden absolutely does not tolerate constant flow into itself: it will swim away, spread, and the plants in the acidic soil will wither. Therefore, the container for the alpine slide with a pond must be drainless and waterproof; in used faience bowls, this is ensured by sealing the drain / outlet with concrete with great content crushed stone or (worse) silicone. But in this case, the water in the pond will stagnate, which can be seen in pos. 1 fig., and the small area of ​​its mirror will not create the desired microclimate in the vicinity.

Exit - a reservoir on an alpine hill with a fountain, pos. 2. Constant spraying will refresh the air for near-aquatic plants, see below, and drops saturated with oxygen to the limit, falling back, will not allow water to stagnate. When using unusable household vessels with a capacity of 5-20 liters based on an inexpensive aquarium pump.

Rock garden with a waterfall is another matter. He's a beauty, no doubt about it. But even through a small low one, as in pos. 3, waterfall, water flows from 1 cu. m / h when lifting it by at least 0.5-1.5 m, which, taking into account losses in the hydraulic system, will require a pressure of 1.5-3 m. The pressure tank, which would allow the use of a batch pump, does not fit into the design of the rock garden , so the only possible option for feeding the waterfall is with a submersible pump continuous action in the lower accumulator, see fig.

As a result, we come to a disappointing conclusion for low-income owners: we need a special expensive pump for artificial waterfalls. The aquarium pump will not raise the water to the desired height, and the household submersible pump pumps too hard and high, but periodically. The water supply vibration pump can still be adapted to a waterfall by turning it on through a thyristor regulator, but then its service life will be reduced to 1-5 years.

Sad consequences of the 2nd order - waterfall pumps take from the network from about 350 W, or even all 1.5-2 kW, which the meter will "wind" all summer. And the waterfall evaporates several times more water than a fountain with the same flow rate, so you will have to pay a lot for water to top up the reservoir. The capacity of the reservoir itself should be from 3-hour water flow, and its depth - from 1.5 heights of the fall of the cascade, i.e. and a pond for a waterfall needs a large, deep, expensive and complex one.

How to build a rock garden?

Schemes of alpine slides of the most common types are shown in fig. Pos. A - rock garden in a pit with a retaining wall. The wall is actually a foundation of blocks, so a properly built slide of this type can hold on and live for many years, up to centuries, even abandoned. If the wall is brought flush with the ground surface, the upper structure of the alpine slide can be any of the following, but it takes a lot of work, and there are a lot of expenses: blocks of durable resistant stone (granite, basalt, diorite, gabbro, diabase) are taken on the wall from about 400x400x400 mm. It is desirable to fasten the underground belts of the wall masonry mortar, as when laying the foundation of blocks.

A step-by-step instruction for building a rock garden base with a retaining wall looks like this:

1. The depth of the wall is determined as the standard freezing depth in the given area minus 0.5 of the height of the hill. In the middle zone of the Russian Federation, this is about 1 m;
2. Select stones according to size and shape;
3. They lay out a wall on the ground on a dry wall along the contour of the hill, large blocks are allowed on the lower belt (belts);
4. In the process of dry laying, the stones are adjusted to each other and checked for stability: the wall must stand indestructibly when any 2 stones are removed from it, incl. related;
5. The resulting contour is transferred into place, for which it is convenient to use a long rail with stuffed crossbars;
6. They dig a pit along the contour of the hill to a depth of plus 0.3-0.5 m and with a margin along the contour of about 0.3 m. Humus and mainland soil (underlying, materka) are stored separately;
7. Lay out the wall in the pit, if necessary - already in the solution;
8. The bottom of the pit is covered with geotextiles and ordinary sand and gravel drainage is poured with a capacity of 0.3-0.5 m;
9. Drainage is poured in layers of 10-15 cm, carefully tamping with wetting, as when laying garden paths;
10. In layers-parallel, in layers of 20-25 cm, with wetting and tamping, backfilling of the external reserve and the pit is carried out. From the outside, they fall asleep with a taken-out mother, and inside with a binder - with it in half with rubble.

Note: if the underlying rock is sandy, gravelly or light sandy loam, then nothing can be done - you need to look for loam for a binder. Loose moving soils will not bind anything, they will only crawl through the stones themselves.

About stones

Stones for an alpine slide can be used in a variety of chemically neutral. Strong, dense and resistant rocks will give the slide durability, but the substrate for plants on their surface will have to be created using the accelerated method described below. Flagstone - sandstone, quartzite - is also suitable, in contrast to the lining of the pond, because. in rock gardens, it will not be constantly saturated with moisture, and its small frost is unlikely and will not damage the hill. Only rocks that are prone to karst and shift the pH of the soil should be avoided: limestone, dolomite. However, there are types of rock gardens that are fundamentally created from carbonate rocks, see below. The shell rock is definitely not suitable: rock gardens from it begin to collapse for 2-5 years.

Slide

Bulk rock garden of boulders can be built without a wall, right on the ground, pos. B in fig. higher with slide schemes, but its lifespan will be no more than 30-40 years; most likely 10-15 years. The principle of construction is the same: the higher the stones, the smaller, but you can lay them out immediately on the spot in layers. The stones of the next layer are driven and checked if they are loose, then the filler is poured (with wetting!), The next layer is laid out, etc. Humus is introduced into deep pockets when laying layers, and finally outer surface spring.

To properly build an alpine slide, you need to know the nature of the underlying soil. On light permeable rocks such as sandy loam, pos. B1, it is enough to remove the humus. On clays and heavy loams, you need to additionally dig a shallow, 30-60 cm, pit, and fill it with sand and gravel drainage, pos. B2. This is necessary so that surface runoff from the rock garden does not erode the territory adjacent to it.

Terraces and slopes

Terracing an alpine slide with the creation of artificial plateaus on it provides considerable advantages:

• It is possible to clearly divide the rock garden into zones suitable for different types of plants.
• The runoff from the hill is streamlined and the danger of its erosion by rains is practically reduced to nothing.
• Backfilling the plateau with crushed stone makes it difficult for weeds to root, and makes it easier for the gardener to fight them.
• It also makes it easier to care for the slide, because. after winter precipitation, you can walk on the plateau.

The easiest way to terrace a rock garden is on a slope, pos. B, but the hills, which are like mountains, are zoned according to the same scheme. The slopes of the terraces are laid out from quartzite or sandstone, its porosity will make the underground flow uniform. The ultimate goal of zoning is to get 3 zones of soil moisture, pos. D. Taking into account the orientation to the cardinal points, this will give 12 sectors with different conditions, and if there is shading from any side, the number of sectors still increases.

Path and lawn

Decorative and technological plates on pos. G and the bypass path around them are designed to approach the hill. The rock garden looks much more attractive on the lawn, but without solid paths of approach and departure, the grass will soon be trampled. The design of the surrounding hill zone must, of course, be linked to that of the rock garden. Artificial paving slabs, for example, do not fit in with a piece of mountains; if there is no suitable stone for the paths / approaches, then it is better to fill everything with rubble without a lawn.

What is not a hill

To put an end to slide schemes, let's turn to typical mistakes when creating them. The structure at pos. D is not a rock garden, but either a flower bed, or a dug-in rabatka. Plant irises, petunias, marigolds, pelargoniums there, it will be good. But plants for slides are bad, and they will not show all their special beauty. And what is in pos. E, a pile of earth with stones stuck in it is not suitable for ornamental gardening at all. If you don’t believe me, make at least a small one and see what will happen to it after the first rain.

About flagstone

Natural flagstone for rock garden is good not only because it gives ready substrate and uniform flow, but also by the fact that a very small alpine hill can be successfully terraced with it. It is only necessary to lay the slabs with a certain slope inward, see fig. on the right, so that the runoff during precipitation does not go along the slope, but goes deeper. Then the hill, even without a wall, will, although it settle a little, but at the same time harden.

What is a Czech rolling pin?

The rolling pin in this case is not a utensil for rolling out dough and finding out who is the boss (hostess) in the house, but a very specific type of rock garden that imitates the lime-dolomite cliffs of the Tatras broken by vertical cracks. Czechs from their rolling pins, i.e. small rocks, crazy, but in Central Europe, rolling pins are not very common, and in the continental climate all their shortcomings appear especially sharply:

1. It is difficult and expensive to build: you need carefully selected thin limestone, a deep pit and careful filling of the gaps between the slabs of only 2-5 cm with clay, pos. 1 in fig. below.
2. Carbonate rocks shift the pH of the soil to the alkaline side, which very few plants tolerate.
3. Almost no vegetation takes root in narrow vertical crevices, and vertical hollows remain on the finished hill, which, even with a little rain, can easily be turned into deep gullies, pos. 2.
4. Caring for the Czech rolling pin is difficult and it is short-lived, because. in the open air, karst-prone rocks become very brittle.

mini slides

A miniature rock garden, in principle, can be just a bunch of stones up to 1 sq. m, pos. 1 next. fig., but the choice of plants for him will be extremely limited, because. there is no need to talk about terracing and zoning for soil moisture. If at least 2-3 squares are available, then an alpine slide - mini can be built in bulk, i.e. without a wall, arranging inside the surface water distribution and storage drainage, pos. 2. It will, as it were, suck moisture out of the dry zone, keep it in itself and gradually give it to wet zones. On light soils under such a hill, you need to arrange a clay castle.

Planting on a mini-slide in open ground is still not possible for any suitable plants; native grassy and small shrubs are more suitable. Known scheme landscaping mini-rock garden with herbs is shown in fig. on right.

In places with fairly mild winters, in the black earth zone and to the south, rock garden plants can be kept in a pot (container) culture, pos. 3. This will allow you to regulate the water regime of each individually, but there remains the danger of freezing in winter even for plants that safely survive the same frosts in open ground.

From different debris

Face stones for rock gardens need to be taken to choose from, so they will cost much more than ordinary buta. Is it possible to replace them with something; preferably porous, but more resistant than quartzite or sandstone? It is possible, but "slides" of bottles, tires, etc. let's go as far as possible: people go to the mountains from civilization, and not for its waste, even if it is recycled and ennobled.

For a good alpine slide from improvised materials, stone construction debris is enough: broken bricks, paving slabs, concrete fragments. The trick to make them “more natural than natural” is in the fertilizer starter for the substrate producers. For a brick, kefir or rice water will go, but it is best to cook it from bird droppings.

First of all, the dried raw materials are fermented: plentifully, 3-4 times against the dry mass by volume, poured with water in a chemically neutral container and allowed to ferment. The “reactor” vessel is kept away from housing: the “dukhan” bursts vigorously from it. When the process is completed (the foam settles and the stench decreases), the liquid is poured from above into the sewer or directly into the cesspool, and the sediment is diluted with water by volume 10-20 times for soaking or 2-3 times for surface treatment.

Construction debris for the slide is soaked for 5-15 minutes before use (brick / concrete, respectively), and faience plumbing is processed on top, having previously prepared it. For preparation, firstly, they carefully beat off the excess: the eyelets for attaching the toilet seat, the sink shelf. Then the icing is also gently and carefully “patted” with the butt of a light hammer, and the entire surface is passed with a grinder with 120-140 sandpaper or a drill with a flexible grinding wheel.

Processing is done even with autumn warmth, 1-2 weeks before the rains. Before frost, the surface will become mossy, as on the left in the figure, but this is only the beginning of "naturalization". Moss and lichen secretions will loosen the top layer and create a substrate for which the roots of creeping and cover plants can “catch”, see below. After 1-3 years, the hill will look like the one on the right in Fig. and gain the strength of a monolith. Believe the person who has traveled many mountains - there are completely natural slopes, more like construction debris and less strong.

The main beauty is plants

Although a good rock garden should look naked in winter, the main thing on the hill is still plants. Designers with florists, we must give them their due, are trying with might and main for their sake, but the situation is similar to that with cars: there are more and more brands, and less and less samples that stand out in the general flow. The reason, one must think, is in the very organization of the post-industrial society: marketers find out what more can be sold, social engineers zombify the solvent mass properly, then the wave is driven by consumer taste until the brand runs out of steam, and then all over again in a circle.

As for rock gardens, with this approach, with a great variety of plant varieties bred specifically for them, they simply lose their individuality. If you want a rock garden “like everyone else”, with corresponding, but certainly cooler than your neighbor’s, costs, then please, in the video below, the recommendations of plant selection experts.

Video: choosing plants for a standard rock garden

And do not worry: the specialists are competent, the recommendations are justified, the plants are specially bred for growing conditions on a hill. When purchasing at least so much, the florist's departure for planting is free of charge, and there is a discount for taking care of the slide.

We will go the other way. We will select plants for the alpine slide from domestic flora, or rather, from places of growth with similar conditions: poor soil, warm earth, stone in the way of roots and shoots. The names below are also given in Latin: not all of the described can be found in the vicinity, but they are in ordinary nurseries and botanical gardens. The exact scientific name will eliminate confusion in communication with specialists.

Note: plants marked with "!" are under protection. Their unauthorized collection for any purpose is tantamount to poaching, but they are available in nurseries, and are much cheaper than the "special contingent" for rock gardens. Buyers are usually given instructions on how to plant, and general information about planting plants from nurseries is given in the following video:

Video: self-planting plants from the nursery

Conditions

In addition to accessibility, our requirements for aborigines for an alpine slide are, if possible, they should produce beautiful flowers or be colorful themselves, like in an alpine meadow. Which, by the way, many expensive imported varieties are deprived of, because. their breeding for mass sale is more profitable. In particular, florists for slides practically ignore ericoid plants, i.e. heather and heather-like, and some of them are simply amazing and purposely made for rock gardens.

Second important condition: so that our plants on a hill, with a minimum of moisture, on heavy, poor, detrital soil, either give dwarf forms themselves, or they can be obtained using the bonsai cultivation technique: bending down, twisting the garter and trimming the shoots. If a tree is taller than a hill, then what are the associations with the mountains, which have already been or have not yet been. And since we are building a rock garden for ourselves, then decorating it with plants is far from the hardest, but the most pleasant and creative part of the work. For the same reason, we will avoid flowers with tall peduncles.

Some of the following will come across to you in trade catalogs, but so what? It would be strange if the pros did not know their business. But we - we recall - are not bound by profitability, so our choice and classification are not typical. In particular, we subdivide cover (ground cover) plants into:

• Carpet - from the name it is clear, they tighten the soil with a continuous carpet.
• Creeping - a carpet with visible gaps, but more magnificent.
• Curly / climbing - fill cracks, dips, climb slopes.
• Ampelous - hang down like a veil from above.
• Curtains - form clones / bushes of an indefinite shape.
• Pillows - pillow-shaped curtains.

Note: some of the described species, depending on the growing conditions, can change their group affiliation.

Carpet

Types of stonecrop common on hills (Sedum aizoon - tenacious stonecrop, hernia grass, cat's paws, grass from 40 diseases, item 1 in the figure) are unpretentious, accessible, but the carpet is somewhat loose. The creeping carnation (Dianthus repens, pos. 2) is very effective in the rock garden, especially during flowering, but the carpet from it is formed by the merger of individual pillow individuals and therefore turns out to be uneven. But the Lapland diapensia (Diapensia lapponica !, pos. 3) grows on the northern slopes with moderate moisture with a continuous glossy carpet and blooms beautifully, like its fellow northerners, the recumbent luaseleria (Loiseleuria procumbens !, pos. 4) and the blue phyllodoce (Phyllodoce caerulea !, item 5) Successful cultivation of these tundra erikoids is possible, as a rule, not south of the Moscow region. To Voronezh and even Rostov-on-Don, an eight-petalled dryad (Dryas octopetala !, pos. 6) can grow on shaded hills, but its carpet is somewhat loose.

A rather loose, but beautiful carpet that fills the cracks and climbs the slopes is given by the medicinal fumes (Fumaria officinalis, pos. 7). it common plant middle latitudes and does not require special conditions for itself, like alpine poppy (Papaver alpinum, pos. 8) or Burser poppy (Papaver burseri), if they are taken from a nursery. Mountain poppy rugs give small, but fluffy and tender. They need adequate hydration.

A very good dense carpet is given by a princess or polyberry (Rubus arcticus, pos. 9). On the hill, its leaves become smaller, but, unlike the decorative strawberry dushenia, the princess blooms beautifully, and its berries are tasty and healthy.

On large hills, dense, rather high growth is produced by the magnificent Asian bathing suit (Trollius asiaticus, pos. 1 in the next figure) and other types of bathing suits. It can also cover the entire terrace with a fluffy carpet of a thin-leaved peony, or marin root, (Paeonia tenuifolia, pos. 2). If you manage to get planting material of the Siberian prince (Atragene sibirica, pos. 3), then you will also get a climbing plant with spectacular flowers, but the prince needs a lot of moisture and shading.

Curtains

Spring adonis (Adonis vernalis, pos. 1 in the figure) and legumes woolly hoarse (Oxytropis lanata pos. 2) and arctic hedysarum (Hedysarum arcticum, pos. 3) will grow in separate, not merging into a common cover, bushes on a hill. ), despite the name, grows well in Ryazan. Adonis, like all thin-leaved ones, needs enough moisture and a little shade, and legumes, like all legumes, are dry-tolerant and photophilous.

Pillows

With pillow plants in humid mid-latitudes, it must be said, there is a problem. It can be solved with the help of conifers, which will be discussed later, and from the deciduous natives, more or less decent pillows on the hills are formed by the Crimean cistus (Cistus tauricus, pos. 1 in the figure), but its culture north of the Chernozem region is rare and difficult: the plant is unpretentious to moisture and soil, but light and heat-loving; blooms with beautiful pink flowers.

More like a green hedgehog than a pillow, many-leafed gauze (Chenopodium foliosum, common zhminda, pos. 2) is similar. This weed in cultivation on a hill is very decorative, especially in autumn, when the bush is dotted with red berries.

Tapeworms

Among the plant tapeworms there are many spectacular species suitable for rock garden. For example, the common copse (liverwort) in the forests is noble (Hepatica nobilis, pos. 1 in the figure); she needs shade and moisture, as does the bicolor mountain violet (Viola biflora, pos. 2). She with fragrant violet is the ancestor of pansies. A two-color violet is best planted near a pond with a fountain.

Chess fritillary (Tritillaria miliagris, pos. 3), two-flowered tulip (Tulipa biflora, pos. 4) and Foster's tulip (Tulipa fosteriana, pos. 5) did not grow, therefore little is known in culture for a flower bed or for cutting, but for rock garden quite suitable; however, Foster's tulip is a southerner and north of Rostov-on-Don may not take root.

Will go up the hill as a tapeworm and some of the orchids. This huge family is tropical-exotic only in stores, but in general orchids grow from tundra to tundra. The aborigines of the middle latitudes helmet-bearing orchis (Orchis militaris, pos. 6) and purple orchis (Orchis purpurea, pos. 7) will agree to the conditions of the rock garden. The first is sleeker and smaller, the second is taller and stronger, so you can choose the view to the size of the slide.

Sockets

A separate variety of single plants is rosette. Of these, crassula succulents are the decoration of any alpine slide and are sold in many varieties and types. But for yourself it is better to take a rather unpretentious hare cabbage, or young roofing ( Sempervivum tectorum !, pos. 1) in the figure:

On the other hand, the tapeworm was very relative young: it shoots horizontal creeping shoots - stolons - on which daughter rosettes are formed. The dignity of the youth, in addition to accessibility, is that, having planted it, we will get a chance to see on the site the now rare most beautiful butterfly in Europe - the swallowtail, see fig. on right.

Not succulent, but graceful bluish rosettes are given by ordinary forest primrose, or powdery primrose (Primula farinosa, pos. 2); It also blooms beautifully in early spring. Mountain soldanella (Soldanella montana!, pos. 3) is even more original, but demanding: moisture, shade, coolness. Carved gray rosettes are formed by the Armenian leontice (Leontice armeniaca, pos. 4); well-groomed in a culture on a hill, it is not a throw, but attractive.

Spring-autumn

Some early or late flowering plants are also suitable for rock garden. On the northern slope near the reservoir, the Siberian or blue snowdrop (Scilla sibirica!, item 1 in the figure) will take root. . However, all colchicums are very poisonous: you need to work with them in rubber gloves, which are then immediately thrown away, do not let children and pets into them. Therefore, instead of colchicum, it is better to plant saffrons (crocuses) that are almost not inferior to them, among which there are also spring and autumn flowering; on pos. 3 - native of the temperate zone beautiful saffron (Crocus speciosus).

Near water

A number of plants on an alpine hill will gain full beauty only at a pond with a fountain or waterfall. For example, marsh marigold (Caltha palustris, pos. 1 in the figure), does not tolerate dryness at all. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) on rocky ground near the water grows into a compact attractive bush, pos. 2, and another beautiful butterfly willingly visits its flowers - the daytime peacock eye, pos. 3. Also in humid air perfectly develops and densely braids the slopes of the periwinkle large (Vinca major, pos. 4).

Separately, it should be said about saxifrage. In the rock garden, you can recommend any of the temperate latitudes, as long as there is a reservoir nearby. Habitually (in appearance) saxifrages are very diverse; e.g. on pos. 5-7 brook (Saxifraga rivularis), Siberian (Saxifraga sibirica) and hard-leaved (Saxifraga aizoides).

As a seasonal near-water in rock gardens, the usual zebra tradescantia (Tradescantia zebrina, pos. 8), or just zebrina, would be appropriate. True, on daylight its leaves will become bright green, but they will not lose grace. Zebrina, so to speak, is a semi-amphibious plant. Reaching for the water, its lashes continue to grow there, reviving the reservoir, which is important when its capacity is small. Zebrina will not survive the winter on the street, but it easily propagates vegetatively, and is extremely unpretentious in room culture, so in the spring the cuttings are simply rooted and planted. Zebrina grows quickly, and her lashes will begin to bathe even before summer.

bushes

The erikoids and cistus described above are, in essence, already bushes, because their branches are woody. But in the rock garden I want to see "real" bushes, only small ones. First of all, the holly mahonia (Mahonia aquifolium) will fit for this: in ordinary gardens it grows right up to St. Petersburg, and the monks managed to grow it on Solovki. Magonia holly in the rock garden itself grows dwarf and is very decorative, especially in autumn, pos. 1 in fig. on right. In winter, it retains green foliage.

South of about Tver, in the rock garden, you can also grow a mini-form of the Swedish cotoneaster (Cornus suecica, pos. 2). Its berries, unlike the southern varieties, are not tasty and are not suitable for jam, but the view is still at least where.

Trees

With trees for an alpine slide, you can already do without Latin: the everyday names of suitable ones are quite well-established. Suitable specimens for alpine slides natural origin you need to look in inconveniences: in the swamp, clay cliffs, in ravines, on rocky placers. It is necessary to take very tiny sprouts, no higher than the palm of your hand. However, their age in conditions on the verge of survival can be solid, therefore, when digging, be careful with the roots; it is better to dig deeper and take it with a clod of earth, especially since the trees for the alpine slide form mycorrhiza.

Birch is the easiest to miniaturize using the bonsai technique. In nature, under extreme conditions, she herself often forms bizarre dwarf forms, pos. 1 in fig. Willow, willow, willow on lean land with minimal watering also grow as dwarfs on their own, pos. 2, but “bonsation” is even easier than birch, which makes it possible to obtain bizarre shapes in 1-3 years, pos. 3.

Chozenia growing from China to Chukotka is little known in culture. It is unpretentious, itself miniaturizes with a lack of moisture in heavy soil. In summer, in temperate latitudes, its foliage is openwork yellowish-green; a dark trunk and branches shine through it, which gives a stunning visual effect, pos 4. In autumn, the chosenia turns red almost like a maple, pos. 5.

Unfortunately, no one has ever been able to propagate vegetatively in any way. Each tree has to be grown from a seed or sought out in nature, so Chozenia planting material is not cheap.

Pines in nature also often come across dwarf, pos. 6. Pine in the rock garden is a welcome settler, but it needs to be replanted doubly carefully. How exactly - see the video:

Video: how to transplant a pine tree correctly

Cultivated conifers

In fact, coniferous plants have long taken root on the hills and there are many of their varieties for sale for rock gardens. An overview of conifers for alpine slides, see below:

Video: conifers for alpine slides

And how to plant cultivated conifers - here:

Video: planting cultural coniferous plants

We will linger here on certain points that are essential from the point of view outlined above.

Juniper, pos. 7, well fills cracks/holes, but grows very slowly, selection and molding is difficult and therefore expensive. Tui are available different kind both habitually and in color, pos. 8-10. They can form pillows that are not inferior to kachim and teresken, pos. 14a, but rather thermophilic and therefore rare in amateur culture north of Moscow.

The best cultivated conifer for a homemade alpine slide is fir. It grows anywhere, from the Crimea to the Kola Peninsula. The variety of varieties of garden firs is difficult to describe, in pos. 11-14 are just a few examples. Moreover, garden firs, thanks to their unpretentiousness and rapid growth inexpensive: a chic specimen ready for planting can be found for 200-250 rubles. There are also many dwarf varieties, at 10-20 years of age not exceeding 30 cm, which is also suitable for a mini-rock garden.

The picturesque landscape of the Alps inspired gardeners to create alpine slides, which traditionally consist of a combination of stone with mountain plants.

Relatively recently, in landscape design, classic flower beds, ridges and plaster sculptures have been replaced by new types of site decoration - rock gardens. They are arranged on rich estates and on summer cottages, in urban gardens and squares, on lawns near offices and in restaurant areas. Properly and tastefully selected stones and plants will create a zone of luxury, aesthetics and peace even on the most modest piece of land near the country house.

An alpine hill densely planted with plants opens the eye with its bright, rich colors

Being a peculiar and very time-consuming decoration of the landscape, rock gardens seem difficult to perform and inaccessible decorative elements. However, if you understand the technology of creation, then an alpine slide in the country can be arranged without the involvement of expensive designers.

A piece of the Alps in your country house

When developing the design of alpine slides, you need to consider that this is an imitation of rocky natural areas. This means that the basis of the composition should be stones and creeping low plants, characteristic of high-mountain areas. And the definition of "hill" dictates general form rock garden - a hill with obligatory elements: a sole, slopes and top.

Rock garden - a "highlight" that can instantly transform the appearance of a garden landscape

There are several options for rock gardens, which repeat their appearance various sections mountainous area:

• rocky cliff - a heap of almost bare large boulders with a minimum of plants in niches and "pockets";

The combination of functionality and decorative function: stone steps and rocky rock garden

Larger plants are planted on the tops of the rolling pin, emphasizing the dynamics of the height difference.

• mountain slope - a complex high composition of stones different size and with a great variety of creeping and low-growing plants;

To decorate such a rock garden, dwarf plants are used, as well as large boulders that imitate rock fragments.

• a valley in the mountains - large stones, partially protruding from the ground, surrounded by profusely flowering ornamental plants;

The natural landscape made it possible to create a flowering stone hill with little effort.

• the gorge is the most difficult to perform, but also the most spectacular type of rock garden, which can be placed in a natural hollow, framing the slopes with stones and planting representatives of the rock flora.

Neatly stacked stones in the shape of a semicircle in a composition with flowering plants - a spectacular club in your yard

Rockery is considered a separate species - a garden of stones, which are the main " actors”, in contrast to the rock garden, where the stones serve as a backdrop for plants.

As a site for the creation of rockeries, any terrain is suitable, including absolutely flat ground.

How to make an alpine slide on a personal plot?

If you have firmly decided that an alpine slide created by your own hands will become the decoration of your garden, a step-by-step instruction will give you the opportunity to avoid gross mistakes and get the desired result. Before starting work, sketch out a rock garden sketch - this will help you decide how much space it will occupy, what configuration it will have and how many tiers you will do on it. You can even roughly estimate how much an alpine slide will cost you - a scaled diagram will help you calculate how many and what kind of stones you will need, how much drainage, sand and soil will need to be prepared. You need to make a scheme in relation to the terrain in order to use all the advantageous moments of the already existing landscape.

Creative decoration of rock gardens - a clay bowl with plants

1. When deciding on a place for a future rock garden, do not forget that you will need to look at it - choose the most favorable angles. In addition, think - you might want to spend your free time near him. Then you will need an adjoining flat area with paths, a place for a table and a hearth.

The path from the rock garden leads directly to the recreation area

A cozy corner to relax in the "rock garden"

• The planted plants for the alpine slide will need solar heat - it means that the slopes must be oriented to the south and east.
• Very interesting visual effects will be obtained when using the natural unevenness of the relief - decor elements inscribed in the natural landscape will be a great addition to it.

Spectacular alpine slide with a small pond

This is not an imitation of the landscape, but simply an artistic composition of asymmetrically arranged stone blocks with paths between them and plant compositions.

1. The next step is to transfer your circuit to the site. Make the marking with the help of a string or by filling the necessary lines with a contrasting material - sand, lime. This will allow you to look at the intended location of the rock garden from the side. Perhaps you decide to slightly change its configuration in accordance with the relief.

The rock garden serves as a bright decoration of the garden, standing out against the background of a green lawn.

1. Having approved the choice of a place, you need to prepare the site for laying stones. Soil, mostly consisting of clay or black earth, will have to be drained; sandy soils do not need such preparation. For drainage, the earth is taken out to a depth of at least 30 cm, the pit is filled with building materials of large fractions, rammed and covered with the removed soil flush with the surrounding earth. To compact the loosened soil, it is shed with water.

A miniature rock garden with dwarf plants placed along the perimeter of the terrace will add personality to your seating area.

1. The largest boulders are laid along the perimeter of the prepared site. If necessary, they can be buried in the soil - then they will have a more natural look. The internal space is filled with soil, which will become the basis for the next tier, as well as a habitat for plants.

A composition of stones, located from the main facade of the house, is a great addition to the image of your home.

• Having retreated the estimated distance from the first row, they put in the next chain of stones, maintaining the desired configuration of the rock garden.

Advice! When laying large stones, leave free space between them, which will be filled with soil - the planted plants will need a place to develop the root system.

1. After completing right amount tiers, make out the top. To do this, you can lay one large stone, or use several small ones, folded in a pyramid. This will prevent soil erosion, as well as complete the composition.

It is better to start work on laying the rock garden in the fall, then by spring the soil poured between the stones will sit down, and it will be possible to fill up all the voids that have formed. In addition, before planting the plants, you will have the opportunity to make final adjustments to the placement of the stones.

Vertical blooming alpine composition creates a romantic mood

Retaining wall in the form of a rock garden - a new salvation from "boring" walls

Advice!The main rule is that the rock garden should look decorative and beautiful even without flowers. Stones should create a stable and extremely natural composition in a harmonious and balanced way. The less symmetry it has, the more organic it will look.

Pride of the homeowner - do-it-yourself alpine slide

The implemented step-by-step instructions for the alpine slide will give you the opportunity to create a real masterpiece of landscape design on your site. And to make it perfect, we will reveal some secrets that will help you in your work:

A mini-rock garden in a flower bed is very relevant for small courtyards where there is no place for standard stone compositions.

To create a miniature rock garden, you only need dwarf plants, pebbles and a terracotta pot

• Stones for an alpine slide need to be selected of the same type, of the same breed. Then the rock garden will look extremely natural.

Rock garden with a pond, decorated with stones of approximately the same shape

A high hill, built of stones and green spaces, can serve as a site fencing

• The size of the stones should correspond to the area occupied by the rock garden - the larger it is, the larger the boulders can be used to fill it.
• When choosing flowers for an alpine slide, be guided by the timing of their flowering. Maximum decorativeness is achieved with a continuous series of various flowering spots on the surface of the rock garden you create.

Minimalistic version of rock gardens - simplicity that emphasizes the architecture in the background

• The species composition of plants must be selected from undersized and evergreen options. Then the rock garden will not hide behind lush greenery, and in the fall you will not have to choose fallen leaves among the stones.
• For a slide, you can take a couple of undersized coniferous plants. They fit perfectly between the stones without cluttering them up. Between them it is good to place creeping or integumentary species - green spots between the stones look very decorative. Flowering plants also pick up low growth and with small flowers.

The most popular plants for rock garden:

• dwarf spruce,
• thuja,
• juniper,

Juniper looks beautiful in composition with stones

• cypress,
• cotoneaster,

When arranging an alpine hill, you should certainly take into account the features of the landscape and, based on this, choose the appropriate improvement option

• dryad,
• iberis,
• young,
• rocky beetroot,

Mountain waterfalls are also characteristic of the Alpine landscapes.

• carnation short stem,
• saxifrage

Saxifrage will bring color accents to the alpine corner