Do-it-yourself Alpine slide from improvised. Master class on making an alpine slide. Step by step instructions with photos. How to make and arrange a beautiful flower alpine slide: diagram, description, photo

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Alpine slide- a spectacular element of landscape design, but somewhat laborious to create, implying many nuances and rules. Today we will look at a step-by-step guide to building an alpine slide with our own hands on level ground with photos and diagrams.

Rock garden with a stream of rounded stones.

Features and device

An alpine hill, or rock garden, is an element of landscape design in the form of a hill built of stones with alpine plants planted on it that grow in the Alps. In other words, this is an artificially created miniature of a mountainous area with its inherent relief elements. So, a rock garden can be created in the form of:

• gorges;
• plateau;
• valleys;
• cliff;
• slope, etc.

Rock gardens are also often referred to as rock gardens. The device of such an element implies several tiers or levels. If element large sizes, it is usually called a rock garden, and structures with more modest dimensions, decorated on small plot, called the alpine slide. Obviously, highland flowers and plants require special conditions, and since rock gardens have become widespread everywhere, the plants are not selected truly alpine, but based on the climate of the area. We will talk in more detail about the choice of flora for rock garden later.

In the photo below you can see a simple but very picturesque alpine hill with stones in the country, which is easy to repeat with your own hands:

Rocky garden on site.

It is believed that for the first time rock gardens began to be built more than a thousand years ago in Japan. In view of the acute shortage of free space, the Japanese have learned to build real masterpieces in a limited space. stone gardens were also popular in China and other South Asian countries. Around the 16th century, the fashion for the construction of rocky gardens came to Europe, and a couple of centuries later it became popular in Russia.

The main charm and charm of alpine slides lies in their maximum proximity to natural, natural outlines. Lack of symmetry, slight negligence, exclusively natural materials create an extraordinary atmosphere.

Alpine hill with massive stones.

Varieties

There are many varieties of rock gardens. Here are some of the most common types of slides:

1. Valley. From the name it can be assumed that such a slide should have similarities with a mountain plateau. For decoration, large-sized blocks are used, strongly deepened into the soil. The space between them is filled with flowers and herbs.
2. Cliff. This variety has the appearance of a steep slope. For its implementation, large stones of any shape are used, stacked on top of each other in a dry way. Imitation of a cliff will be harmoniously complemented by shrubs.
3. Meadow. Great emphasis in this kind of rock gardens is placed on vegetation - low-growing perfumed herbs and colorful flowers will look very fresh in the garden.
4. Ravine. This kind of rock garden looks very unusual, at least because it is necessary to make not a hill, but, on the contrary, a recess. Its slopes are decorated with stones, coniferous crops are planted. great idea will become a stream at the bottom of the ravine.
5. Cascade stream. A rocky hill with many thin streams flowing down in a cascade looks incredibly picturesque and peaceful. When constructing this variety, special attention should be paid to the choice of plants - it is better to plant moisture-loving crops.

Types of alpine slides.

Important! Rock gardens should be distinguished from rockeries - these are two different elements landscape design, although both use rocks and plants.

Usually rock gardens are much larger in contrast to, they also have a greater height (sometimes up to 2-3 m compared to the maximum height of rockeries of 1 m). Another distinguishing feature - vegetation - in rockeries can be used minimally or not at all, while in rock gardens this is an indispensable element.

Scheme

The device of the alpine slide is limited only by your imagination and the features of the site. Compositions can be completely different. To make it easier for you to choose, consider some examples of photos of alpine slides in the garden - as the most simple options, which you can repeat with your own hands, as well as complex compositions with a fountain, with a pond and with a bridge.

Rock garden with a bridge.

Rock gardens with ponds will bring freshness to the design of the garden. Such an element is best placed near the recreation area.

Large alpine hill with a stream.

Even small streams and ponds can transform the territory:

Rock garden with a waterfall and a pond.

In the photo below you see how you can arrange a rock garden near the house:

Rock garden near the house.

For the construction, you can use the following schemes:

Rock garden scheme.

Scheme No. 2:

Scheme of the Alpine slide.

Scheme No. 3:

Alpine slide option.

Scheme No. 4:

Hill with a pond.

Location selection

To equip a beautiful rocky garden on your site, you must first choose a suitable place.

Tip: if there are natural uneven terrain on the site, it is advisable to use them for arranging an alpine hill.

If the site does not differ in drops, it's okay - you can equip a rocky garden on flat ground, but in this case you will have to make a little more effort. It is important that during an artificial construction this element harmoniously and smoothly passes into the rest of the even landscape.

Rock garden on a natural slope along the steps.

In addition, there are other criteria for choosing a place:

1. Accessible review. The alpine slide is a very picturesque and colorful element of the garden, so it is important that it be visible and provide an opportunity to admire from many points of the site. Therefore, it is desirable to have slides near the house, gazebo or other place of rest.
2. Distance from tall trees, massive shrubs - in contrast with the trees, the hill may lose its scale.
3. Sunny area, sheltered from the wind. This will provide good conditions for most plants used in the construction of rocky gardens. Ideally, if the main side of the rock garden is oriented to the south, east or southeast.
4. Neighborhood with a reservoir. If the site has an artificial pond or waterfall, it is logical to place a rock garden nearby.

It is not recommended to build large-scale rocky gardens right in the center of a large empty space - this will give landscape element very unbelievable look. As for the size of the slide - there are no strict boundaries and norms, it is necessary to choose the dimensions based on the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site. After all, it is not the size of the rock garden itself that is important, but its harmonious combination with the design of the territory of a summer residence or a country house.

Plant selection

Another important point- the choice of vegetation for the slide.

IN classic version rock garden arrangements are selected unpretentious, perennial alpine plants, resistant to harsh climates, compact in size (ground cover or undersized).

However, with the growing popularity of rock gardens, the range of plants used in their design has also increased. When arranging the slide, the following groups of flowers are planted:

• for the basis of the composition, compact undersized conifers or deciduous shrubs are often chosen;
• ground cover crops are used to fill the rock garden space;
• perennial herbs;
• bulbous flowers - look very impressive during the flowering period. Enliven the view of the hill in the spring.

It is important to select plants based on the conditions on your slide - soil type, light to shade ratio, wind protection, etc. All plants should have more or less similar environmental requirements. Also be guided by the size of the slide - the larger its dimensions, the taller plants can be planted. For compact rock gardens, choose low crops.

We list which specific types are best used for slides:

1. Perennials: edelweiss, alissum, young, echinacea, seaside armeria, carnations.
2. Annuals and bulbs: crocuses, muscari, blueberries, snowdrops, haretail, dimorphoteca, marigolds, saxifrage.
3. Ephedra: thuja, juniper, black pine, miniature spruce.
4. Deciduous shrubs: barberry, spirea, cotoneaster, chaenomeles.

In the photo below you can see what plants are needed to equip the rock garden:

Plants for the Alpine slide.

Stones for the slide

When choosing and arranging stones for a slide, it is necessary to build on the basic principle - naturalness. Based on this, the use of several types of stones that do not occur together in nature will not be a very good solution.

For the arrangement of slides, the following types are most often used:

1. Granite. It has beautiful view, heavy, so working with it is difficult. Is different low level moisture absorption. Most often used together with conifers and heather.
2. Sandstone. It has a porous structure (that is, plants with a certain root system can grow right in it), and a large palette of shades is also found in nature, which allows you to design rocky hills in different ways.
3. Lime stones. They pass water well, gradually overgrow with moss, as a result of which they begin to become only more beautiful and picturesque over time.

For natural look slides, it is necessary to use cobblestones of various sizes irregular shape. Between large specimens lay smaller ones. For flatter areas, you can choose smooth stones (not perfectly rounded), and for steep slopes - bumpy ones.

In addition to the listed species, you can also use shell rock, slate. Gravel and crushed stone are used to create drainage, alpine slides with real or dry streams are usually laid out with pebbles.

In the photo below you can see an alpine slide, created with your own hands in the country from improvised materials:

Alpine slide from improvised materials.

Manufacturing

So, when we discussed the main aspects in the manufacture of rock garden, you can go directly to work. We will give a step-by-step guide and show in the photo and diagrams the process of building an alpine slide with our own hands on level ground.

Important! Just pouring a pile of stones, filling the gaps with soil and planting flowers does not mean equipping a rock garden. With this approach, the stones can quickly move, as a result of which the form will fall apart and the decorative effect will be lost.

If we talk about the time frame for creating a rocky garden, it will take from two weeks to a month. The exact timing depends on the rate of soil shrinkage.

Preparation and drainage

After you have chosen the size and shape for the slide, these parameters must be transferred to the site. Along the perimeter, it is worth protecting it with a rope and pegs, clearing debris and stones, and uprooting plants. Next, you need to make drainage:

1. Remove a layer of soil from the selected area. The depth depends on the area of ​​the rock garden - for wide elements it will be necessary to remove the soil to a depth of 70-80 cm and even up to 1 m. In this case, you will get good drainage with excellent moisture removal, which will also serve as the foundation for the composition and ensure its durability.
2. The bottom must be filled with drainage material: expanded clay, construction debris (broken bricks, parts of concrete, etc., wood cannot be used). The thickness of this layer is 35 cm.
3. The next layer is sand. Sand must be laid with a thickness of 35 cm, compacted and leveled, and then poured with water to shrink.

On this stage approximately 30-40 cm should remain to the soil level - we will fill them with soil.

The device of the Alpine slide.

Laying soil and stones

To prepare the soil for the rock garden, you can use one of the "recipes":

1. We mix coarse sand with peat and humus in a ratio of 1: 1: 1.
2. We mix peat and clay soil in a ratio of 1: 3. Gravel can be added to this mixture in an amount of 5:1.

Important! The soil for the rock garden must be thoroughly cleaned of weeds and rhizomes, otherwise it will be more difficult to take care of the slide.

The resulting mixture is poured over the sand along the perimeter of the future rock garden. The thickness of the soil layer can reach 1 m - this will be an excellent basis for stones. Next, you should wait about 1.5-2 weeks until the soil settles. Sometimes you have to wait up to 5 weeks.

Rock garden device step by step.

In addition to the diagram above, we attach step by step photo process:

Now let's get to milestone- laying stones. We tell you step by step how to make an alpine slide with your own hands near the house:

1. Start laying from the largest copies according to the chosen scheme. If they are unstable, use sand, soil, gravel to strengthen them. It is very important that they are securely fixed.
2. Next, install medium-sized specimens and only then - the smallest ones.
3. Do not place stones close to each other - there should be space between them for planting vegetation.

Avoid symmetrical placement - try to arrange the stones a little randomly so that the composition has a natural look.

plant colonization

This is the final stage of the design of the alpine slide. First, plant trees and shrubs, then fill the main volume with perennials.

Important! A little more moisture accumulates at the bottom of the hill, therefore it is better to plant moisture-loving species here.

The process of planting plants in an alpine hill.

How to care

The advantage of rock gardens is that, for all their decorativeness, they require incomparably less attention than flower beds and flower beds. But still some care is required:

• the soil in rock gardens dries out faster than in ordinary beds due to elevation, heated stones and wind, so plants should be regularly watered from a hose with a fine nozzle;
• regularly plants need to be fed under the root (about once a month);
• during the entire flowering period, regularly remove faded shoots, lay mulch if it is washed off by rain or watering, check plants for diseases and pests.

For the winter, the composition must be covered with agrofiber. In the spring, the film is removed, the dead plants are removed (if this happened), the stones that have moved out are corrected, and the foliage is raked. Next, you need to renew the layer of soil and mulch, add new plants.

Now you understand that it is not difficult to create an alpine slide with your own hands, even on level ground, if you follow step by step guide with photos and diagrams.

Video: how to quickly and easily make a rock garden.

Alpine Hill - a reduced copy of the highlands. Usually, in the central part of such a flower bed, a cobblestone or several cobblestones are installed, which are a symbol of a mountain peak. Terraces are created on the slopes, on which low-growing vegetation is planted.

In the natural environment, such areas are formed in the place where natural fractures of rocks appear. Under the influence environment a fertile layer appears on them, on which plants subsequently grow. To recreate such a mountain landscape in your backyard or dacha, you need certain knowledge.

For such a large-scale structure as a rocky flower bed is suitable spacious plot. When building an alpine slide with your own hands, you should strive to ensure that the composition of vegetation and cobblestones looks naturally.

Video. Alpine slide device

Creating an alpine slide with your own hands

Do-it-yourself Alpine slide will decorate the whole adjoining territory. To decide on the design of your future rocky garden, you can study photographs of alpine slides. In order to create such a composition, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules and a certain order of work.

Step-by-step instructions for creating an alpine slide with your own hands

First, determine the location. In order to do this, you need to pay attention to lighting. For a rock garden, a site is suitable that is illuminated as long as possible. sun. Also, the composition should be clearly visible from all sides.

1. Designation base contour(soles) slides and removal of the upper fertile layer to a depth of about 30 cm.
2. Device drainage system . The bottom layer can be made of gravel small size, pieces of brick or, in extreme cases, from construction waste. After that, a layer of sand about five centimeters thick is laid. A fertile layer of earth is laid on top of the sand. You can do without a drainage system if a slope with not too dense soil is chosen for arranging an alpine hill.
3. At this stage, start placement of stones And core erection slides. Of all the stones, the largest and most beautiful cobblestone is chosen. He will be the main one in the lower tier. The stone must be stable. To do this, you can add soil or gravel. The classic alpine slide in the country house consists of an odd number of tiers. Between these tiers, moist soil is laid, which must be well compacted.
   

   Tip: when laying stones, symmetry should be avoided. Between the stones, you can leave places for planting plants or group stones next to each other. It is also necessary to immediately determine the supporting stones on which it will be possible to stand when caring for vegetation. They should be sealed and fixed.

4. plant vegetation.

Alpine slide plants - selection rules

Building an alpine slide with your own hands requires knowledge and certain skills. This is especially true for the choice of vegetation. First of all, you need to decide on color palette rock garden. After that, you should draw a sketch of the future rocky garden. To trace color scheme it is necessary to decorate the sections of the slide with the appropriate colors. Only after that you can start choosing a plant for an alpine hill to the country.

Alpine hill with their own hands. Photo

look good low coniferous plants . You can also use small shrubs that bloom in spring and bear fruit in autumn.

Coniferous plants that are suitable for landscaping an alpine hill with their own hands

• dwarf spruce. This plant tolerates drought well;
• juniper. This unpretentious plant grows in its shape resembles a cone. Foliage - green;
• thuja grows in the form of a bush. In good light, it acquires a reddish-brown color;
• cypress- a plant with a golden apex and a dark green base.

Deciduous plants for an alpine slide

For landscaping an alpine slide with your own hands, you should not choose deciduous plant species. Since fallen leaves must be cleaned regularly so as not to harm other vegetation. For slides choose the following plants:

• cotoneaster horizontal. This shrub with a dense crown has dark green foliage in the warm season, and acquires a reddish tint by autumn. The plant blooms with small flowers;
• iberis. Semi-shrub that does not lose its attractiveness throughout the season. The flowers, collected in an umbrella-shaped brush, are painted in white, pink or purple. Later, in their place, fruits appear in the form of pods;
• dryad. A miniature shrub with large white flowers. The flowering period falls on July-August. Later, fruits appear in their place. unusual shape. They look like fluffy balls.

Flowers for the Alpine slide

For the construction of a classic alpine slide with their own hands, low, creeping, "carpet" plants are used. It is best to give preference to perennials. The following flowers can be used for landscaping:

• carnation short stem. This low-growing, rich-flowering plant with narrow gray-blue-green leaves is unpretentious. Suitable for landscaping open sunny areas;
• beetroot rocky- perennial, the leaves of which are painted in a gray-green color. A feature of this plant is that its leaves remain green even in winter. In multi-flowered inflorescences-panicles are small bright yellow leaves;
• young- perennial with a wide color palette of leaves. They can be green, silvery, yellowish, pink, burgundy;
• saxifrage- traditional inhabitants of rock gardens. Flowering period - May-August. Five-petal flowers are painted in white, pink or yellow.

In order for the alpine hill in the country to please with its beauty every year, bulbous and bulbous flowers should be planted. To create a contrasting background, long-flowering crops are suitable. Also perfect frame will be a well-kept lawn.

What to do if the alpine hill settles in the spring?

Sometimes an alpine slide, made in violation of the construction technology, can settle. There may be several reasons for this.

• Poorly matched plot or lack drainage. It is better to equip a rock garden on a natural hill or on a site with a slope. If the slide is located on loamy or clay soils, then it is imperative to make a drainage layer. For these purposes, gravel or stones can be used.
  
• Wrongly matched substrate, vegetation And cobblestones. For an alpine slide with your own hands, it is better to choose the following mixture of earth: compost, sand and peat in equal proportions.

How to avoid flower bed shrinkage

• take into account the slope of the site and the type of soil;
• make a drainage layer and let the earth sag in time;
• for planting, choose vegetation with powerful rhizomes;
• correctly select vegetation, cobblestones and soil substrate;
• remove fallen leaves in time, dig up wilted plants, weed weeds.

Alpine hill of conifers

To create rock gardens, not only traditional "Alpines", but also coniferous plants can be used. For these purposes, pines, thuja, shooting juniper, barberry, gray or Japanese spirea, conic spruce are ideal. In the classic version, only shrubs and trees should not be present. They should grow there in small numbers.

Stones for alpine slides

For such rocky gardens, natural flat cobblestones of various sizes are suitable. original form. You should also give preference to stones with a heterogeneous surface, with all kinds of "inclusions", recesses in which you can plant moss or a small plant. Limestones, boulders, sandstones, granite, slates look good.

Decorating an alpine slide with your own hands

Stones and vegetation are used to decorate the alpine slide. In order to properly position them, you need to follow some recommendations, namely:

• laying stones begins from the bottom row, moving up;
• for the top of the composition, you must choose the most beautiful cobblestone;
• for each large stone, it is necessary to make a “foundation” of one to three flat stones;
• stones should be laid in such a way that their tops are parallel to each other;
• several stones should be stacked so that they can be walked on;
• after laying each row, a layer of earth is laid, which is well compacted and spilled with water;
• at the top of the hill they set the most beautiful cobblestone.

Rock garden and rockery: differences and similarities

Rock garden and rockery - two various ways flower bed devices. Rockery is a flower bed of stones, most of which is occupied by stones of the same breed. Cobblestones are stacked parallel to each other or in random order. Randomly placed stones imitate the natural environment. Vegetation is also present in rockeries, but in the form of a background that plays a secondary role. In an alpine hill, bright vegetation comes to the fore.

Alpine hill with their own hands. Video instructions

Video. Do-it-yourself Alpine slide

Alpine hill with their own hands. Video

Alpine hill with a waterfall. Video instruction

Relatively recently in landscape design replaced, rabatka and plaster sculptures came 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 the territories of restaurants. Properly and tastefully selected stones and plants will allow you to create a zone of luxury, aesthetics and peace even on the most modest piece of land near.

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 the obligatory elements: sole, slopes and top.

There are several options for rock gardens, which repeat their appearance in different parts of the highlands:

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

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

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

• gorge- 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.

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

How to make an alpine slide in a small area?

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.

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. Also, think about it - you might want to spend your free time near it. Then you will need an adjoining flat area with paths, a place for a table and a hearth.

Advice! Planted plants for the alpine slide will need the warmth of the sun- means to orient the slopes to the south and east.

Very interesting visual effects will be obtained when using the natural unevenness of the relief - decorative elements inscribed in the natural landscape will be a great addition to it.

1. The next step is to transfer your circuit to the site. Make the marking with the help of twine or backfilling desired lines 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 terrain.

   

2. 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.
3. Having departed the estimated distance from the first row, they put in the next chain of stones, keeping desired configuration 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.

4. After completing the required number of 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.



Advice! 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.

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.

Here is a step-by-step instruction for creating this beautiful landscape composition. If you follow all the tips, your slide will look spectacular and natural, and the plants planted on it will delight you with abundant flowering.

So let's get started.

A very important point. Rock garden is preferable to place on natural terrain. But if there is none, it is created independently in suitable place personal plot. But more on that in the next sections.

The most important aspects to consider when choosing a location:

• the hill should be exposed to direct sunlight;
• it must be south last resort- southwest) of the site;
• the rock garden should be noticeable, not hidden from the eyes; after all, what is the point of making such beauty if it is inaccessible for contemplation.

And about how to arrange yourself automatic watering lawn, read.

Drainage

Drainage is a set of measures aimed at ensuring that the slide does not sag.

How to make drainage for an alpine slide:

• at the chosen place, we dig a pit (the depth of the pit for a rock garden with a diameter of 2 m will be 70-80 cm);
• we fill the bottom with sand or gravel (you can broken brick, construction garbage);
• we lay the ground;
• rammer.

The quality of the rammer will determine how long the hill will remain a hill, i.e. will not sag under the pressure of stones.

To create a drainage you will need this scheme

Selection and placement of stones

For an alpine slide, boulders of any shape and breed are suitable, it all depends on your preferences and the availability of materials in your area.

You can also lay them to your taste, guided by aesthetic considerations and common sense.

A few tips:

• if your rock garden is small, do not lay huge stones on it; firstly, it is ugly, and secondly, the slide will sag under their weight;
• put larger stones at the bottom, smaller stones at the top;
• choose one breed of stones, it will be more natural;
• do not stack the stones too close to each other, remember about the space for plants;
• lay stones in tiers, there should be at least three of them.

Experts say that a rock garden with properly laid stones looks great even with a small number of plants or without them at all. And they are absolutely right

Soil preparation

You can buy it or make it yourself. If you have clean clay soil at your disposal or know where to get it, then consider that most of work has already been done. You will also need peat and gravel. Mixing ratio: 3 parts soil to 1 part peat. Add a little gravel, by eye.

Fertile soil needs to fill the free space between the stones, intended for planting plants.

Two tips:

• make sure that there are no weeds in the soil, they can greatly spoil the look of the rock garden;
• if you are not sure what you can do good soil on your own, better buy it.

The next step is planting. It is important to choose those that fit all the criteria described below.

Plant varieties for different tiers of the slide

Plants to choose different sizes and shapes to give a greater resemblance to the wild. The choice of plants for rock garden is better to start with undersized and creeping perennials with decorative foliage. They themselves bloom beautifully, and the rock garden will be decorated.

In order for the plants to grow and please you, you need to carefully consider their seating.

Plants that do not tolerate shade well and do not require much moisture should be planted on the sunny side of the hill, and those that can grow even in shady conditions should be planted on the north side. Drought-tolerant plants are best planted in the lower tiers.

For a rock garden, rocks of plants, shrubs, dwarf trees are preferable, you can supplement the composition with moss. If you want to see other plants that are not related to mountain varieties, such a rock garden will be called rockeries.

Step by step instructions for planting plants

In order for the rock garden to please you healthy and flowering plants, and not sluggish and withered sticks, you should be responsible for the seating of the layers.

Each tier has features of planting, we will give detailed instructions for the landing of each of the tiers.

Plants for the top tier

Since this will be the highest section of the slide, it is no wonder that there will be the least amount of moisture and stronger winds than on the other tiers. This means that there is no place for “tender” and moisture-requiring plants.

The best option for landing in the upper tier is Edelweiss. You can buy seedlings, or you can grow your own. To do this, at the end of winter, you need to scatter Edelweiss seeds into a specially prepared box and, covered with glass, put it on the windowsill on the south side so that the seeds are warm and light.

Edelweiss will become ideal option for the upper tier of the rock garden

And at the end of spring, when the time comes for planting seedlings, you need to prepare the soil. Between the stones, earth mixed with sand and gravel should be poured to create natural natural conditions.

You should not feed the soil, everything should be natural, otherwise the plant will refuse to grow.

In the same year, flowering is not worth waiting for, but next year the plant will definitely please you with flowers. Every 2 years it will have to be replanted so that it continues to bloom.

Also, the upper tier can be decorated with Iberis, which will delight with its evergreen color. For a slide, it is better to use the kind that reaches up to ten centimeters in height. And at the end of spring, he will delight you with his flowers.

Perennial carnations will come to the place, those that grow in bushes will look more beautiful, and a large area will be planted and the flowers will delight with their abundance.

The active flowering period of this plant is in the spring, which means that you need to make sure that some other plant takes over the flowering baton so that the middle layer of the rock garden does not remain empty in the summer.

Aubrieta cultural - a good choice for the middle tier of the alpine slide

Cultural obrieta, having begun its flowering in May, will delight until July with its bright flowers.

The main thing is to water the plant regularly and abundantly, but at the same time not to allow an excess of moisture.

You can also plant Carpathian bell, which quickly takes root and begins to grow.

However, it is worth watching it carefully, because rapid growth can interfere with other plants of the middle tier. As soon as it starts to crowd out the neighbors, it should be reduced.

This picture can be supplemented with a cleaner, which will delight with its unusual and unusual silver-colored leaves. Chistets noticeably stands out among other plants, due to its rare color.

More more plants for the middle tier you will see in the photo:

For the lower tier

The bottom tier is different high humidity, which means that here is the place for moisture-loving representatives of the plant world.

An ideal place for styloid bryozoan, which will delight you with active flowering in the height of summer. Caring for her is not difficult and does not require much time. The main feature of this plant is the need for regular and abundant watering. If the plant is provided comfortable conditions, it will cover the lower tier of the rock garden with a green carpet.

This is how awl-shaped bryozoan looks in the lower tier of the hill

Suitable for the lower tier, feeling great in stones and poor soils. It is important to provide her with moderate watering. To obtain seedlings, you do not need to plant it in a box in advance, but only at the end of spring you need to sow seeds on a hill.

The original decoration of the lower tier, and of the hill as a whole, will be an Indian dusheney. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that its flowering is compared with strawberries.

Spikelet lyatris in the middle of summer will delight you with its hairy inflorescences. It is unpretentious in leaving, demands moderate watering, but at the same time it is drought-resistant.

See photos of these and other plants for the lower tier here:

Well, now you know the basics of how to make an alpine slide with your own hands. Now it's only up to your imagination and desire.

Alpine slide is a fashionable attribute of the arrangement of modern garden and park areas. Do-it-yourself rock garden device in the country: step-by-step photos, diagrams, selection of plants.

When choosing a place for an alpine slide, it is important to provide for the following conditions:

IN landscape design there are many styles of garden design, including elements of a desert landscape, rocky gardens, ponds and bridges, which must be in harmony with the erected hill.

Making a slide with your own hands is most preferable when decorating a garden. At self-fulfillment works, you can avoid the high costs of the services of a landscape architect. Having step-by-step photos and schemes for arranging a slide, doing the construction of a rock garden with your own hands will not be great work.

Alpine slide - preparation

First you need to determine the place on the site where the slide will be located. Should not grow nearby perennial shrubs and trees, which may over time shade the plants on the hill. A place open on all sides, accessible for viewing from all corners of the garden, must be dry. High level ground water adversely affect the durability and strength of the base of the slide. In this case, the groundwater level must be lowered using special drainage.

Do-it-yourself drainage under an alpine slide (step by step guide).

1. The drainage device begins with digging a pit, the dimensions of which are equal to or slightly larger than the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe hill. First, markup should be made with the installation of pegs and pulling the cord. The durability and strength of the slide structure depend on the degree of drainage reliability, so the depth of the pit should not be less than 0.8 m.