Decorative slide with your own hands. Important subtleties of designing alpine slides. What is an alpine hill

In landscape design, many interesting ideas and concepts. Many of them can be easily implemented on your site. One of beautiful ideas is an alpine hill. The graceful building is a composition that reproduces a mountain landscape, stones are scattered on its slope different sizes and sit down various plants, shrubs, flowers, and one or more stones flaunt at the top, like a cherry on a cake. Below you can find information on how to build a beautiful alpine slide on the site of a private house or cottage.

Optimal time to createdesign

You can create an alpine slide with your own hands in a country house or plot at any time of the year, with the exception of winter. But landscape designers still recommend doing this fall, when there is still no rain and cold weather. Autumn construction has undeniable advantages: firstly, during the autumn and winter the earth will settle and the voids that have arisen can be corrected by a new mound of earth, and secondly, you can re-evaluate the composition and add new stones, remove or move old ones, and start spring planting of plants and flowers.

Location selection

Of course, you can put the structure with your own hands in any place convenient for you, but remember that the final result largely depends on the chosen place.

There are general rules for choosing a place for an alpine slide, which will achieve maximum beauty and convenience:

A place with natural unevenness is ideal. This choice will help save energy and resources.
It is best to choose a place that is clearly visible, for example, the center of the site. This will allow you to admire the rock garden in different areas garden from different angles.
The slope should be placed on the south and east side so that the plants can receive the necessary sunlight and grow normally.
The place must be protected from strong winds.
You should not make a design against the background of buildings, fences, fences. The hill looks most advantageous and interesting against the background of vegetation and trees.
Various buildings, a swimming pool, a playground should not be nearby.
Also, do not place the composition next to trees, bright and lush flower beds, otherwise they will overshadow the rock garden and make it nondescript.
It is necessary to provide a place to which you can make comfortable paths.

Advice! If you do not have the opportunity to place a slope on the south or east side, then plant shade and moisture-loving plants that will be comfortable on the north side.

What stones to use

Stones are the basis of the alpine slide. At first glance, it seems that everything is simple, but there are some features in terms of choosing the right material.

The following stones are ideal for construction:

tufa (travertine);

granite;

sandstone;

limestone;

gneiss;

basalt.

But no matter which of the stones listed above you decide to use, you need to remember the following recommendations:

For the design, you need to choose stones of different sizes to imitate natural naturalness.
Also desirable are materials that are heterogeneous in structure and shape.
Install the stones securely so that they do not accidentally roll off.
Stones can be quite heavy in weight, so when creating a structure, you need to call relatives or friends for help.
Some landscape designers advise using material of the same breed, as similar as possible to each other in color, thanks to this, natural naturalness can be achieved. But this is not at all necessary, you can focus on your taste.

Many people often have a question about where to get the stones to decorate the composition. You can buy stones in specialized construction stores, markets, garden centers.

What plants and flowers are suitable for an alpine slide

When choosing plants for decorating a composition with your own hands, you should be guided by these rules:

first of all, you should choose perennials;
they should be short, compact;
unpretentious and not capricious;
moderately growing;
if you are interested in the beauty of the structure in the winter, conifers should be planted;
plant plants that bloom in different dates, it will let the rock garden look beautiful continuously;
choose cultures that will coexist peacefully with each other.

Video: plants that are best used for an alpine slide.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a rock garden

Exist different schemes do-it-yourself rock garden devices. It is difficult to say which of them is better, because they are all interesting and attractive in their own way. Consider one of the instructions for creating an alpine slide using the most classic and popular scheme as an example.

Before you study the step-by-step instructions in detail, pay attention to the steps for creating an alpine slide with your own hands:

Planning (drawing a sketch, drawing up a diagram).
Selection of stone materials and flowers, plants.
Site selection.
Marking the future building.
Creation of drainage.
Stone laying.
Planting out plants.

Step-by-step instructions for creating an alpine slide will help any summer resident and gardener make a wonderful composition on their site. And now we can move on to a more detailed description.

Markup of the future design

Ideally, you need to make a sketch of the future composition. It will help you understand how well the place is chosen, and how organically the slide will fit on the site. Using a sketch diagram, you need to decide how much space the structure will take, what height it will have, and also roughly calculate how much material is needed - stones, substrate, sand.

When you decide on the shapes and boundaries of the composition, you can markup. To do this, it is best to use a thick rope or make markings using lines from some material (for example, sand, crushed chalk).

Site preparation

If the soil at your chosen place is sandy, then the drainage base can be omitted, but in other cases, drainage is indispensable.

Creating a drainage base includes the following steps:

It is necessary to make a recess in the chosen place of at least thirty centimeters (optimally 50 cm) and fill the pit with drainage material ( optimum thickness drainage - 10 centimeters, and if the soil is very dense, then the layer can be made thicker). Perfect for gravel broken brick, stones of moderate parameters, gravel.
On top of this layer, it is recommended to pour sand with a thickness of about 5 centimeters.
After that, the material needs to be slightly compacted and covered with excavated soil to the level of the rest of the earth. But before laying the soil, it is imperative to clear it of weeds.
Then it is necessary to water this place abundantly so that the earth subsides.

The drainage layer will protect the site from moisture stagnation, provide normal air permeability in the soil. Thanks to this, plants will be able to develop and grow normally, delighting with their beauty.

Installation of stones

Now you can proceed to the installation of stones. The ideal shape for an alpine slide is pyramidal. Stones are laid in tiers (as a rule, from three to six tiers). That is, you need to lay stones in tiers like a pyramid to simulate a slope.

The following sequence of work should be followed when arranging stones:

1) First, the largest stones are laid. It will be better if you bury them a little in the ground (for maximum reliability and naturalness).

2) Then the space between the installed boulders is filled with soil. As a soil, you can use a mixture of garden soil, peat, sand (mix in the same ratio).

Important! Stones should not be laid too tightly, otherwise there will be no room for plants and the normal development of their root system. Between the stones there should be free space filled with earth.

3) After that, you need to fold the second row of stones, which is smaller in size than the first row, and also fill the empty space with soil. Please note that in order to make a rock garden slope, it is necessary that each subsequent row becomes smaller than the previous one.

4) After you have installed required amount rows (and the required number is determined by your desires), you should complete the top of the composition - you can install one large or several not very large stones on top.

Consider classic schemes creating an alpine slide and the location of stones:

Note! It is recommended to pour water over the structure after laying each level. This must also be done after planting vegetation.

Video: instructions on how to make an alpine slide with your own hands.

planting

There are several excellent options for planting plants, for sure everyone can find perfect option for your cottage or garden. To make a real alpine slope with your own hands, you should choose the right plants.

Below you can explore some popular planting patterns on an alpine hill and choose best option for myself:

How to care for rock garden

The rock garden will delight you with its beauty and elegance only with proper and timely care. Otherwise, an exotic corner will turn into a bulky structure with overgrown weeds and withered plants. The following steps will help you avoid this:

Proper watering . After planting, generous watering should be done for the first 7-10 days. In the future, it is necessary to water in a timely manner as necessary, depending on the characteristics of the planted crops. This must be done carefully so that the water pressure does not expose the root system.
Weeding. The presence of weeds can disrupt the whole aesthetics of the composition, "steal" the necessary substances in the soil from the planted plants and suppress their growth. Therefore, you need to regularly eliminate weeds.
Mulching. As a mulching material, you can use tree bark, peat, sawdust. Mulch saves optimal humidity in the ground, helps to prevent the growth of weeds.
Stone Care. Over time, the destruction of stones is possible, because they crack, crumble. It is not recommended to allow the complete destruction of the material on the structure, because this can provoke damage to the roots, subsidence of the soil. Simply replace damaged stones with new, intact material.
Top dressing and fertilization. In order for plants to grow normally and delight in lush color, it is sometimes necessary to feed them. But do not abuse the top dressing.

Video: how to weed in rock gardens.

Tips to help you create the perfect rock garden

In addition to the basic instructions and features of the choice of stones and vegetation, there are other features of creating a rock garden. When designing a composition, pay attention to the following recommendations:

It is not enough just to arrange an alpine slide in a country house or a plot of a private house, it needs to be regularly looked after so that it does not lose its beautiful and neat appearance. Read below to learn how to properly care for a rock garden.
You should not strive for symmetrical, ideal forms, the stone structure will look more lively and interesting with natural irregularities and asymmetries.
Very good decision on the device of an alpine slide with their own hands - make a small area for recreation next to it. You can place a table, several chairs on it and enjoy your vacation with your family or friends while drinking delicious tea.
Don't overdo the stones. If there are too many of them, the whole emphasis will be on the stones, which will break the whole concept. Flowers and stones should look natural and harmonious together, so be careful.
If you want to make a large structure, then you can take large stones, but if you want to make a small and compact slide, then it is appropriate to use a small size material.
The alpine slide with an artificial waterfall, stream, lake looks great. If you have the opportunity, you can create an artificial reservoir.

The photographs show a wonderful example of an alpine slide with a pond:

Photo gallery for ideas and inspiration

Visual images can help us decide what we want to see in our summer cottage. Therefore, before making a composition with your own hands, it is recommended to study photographs of different rock gardens, they will help form the final idea and become a source of inspiration.

Relatively recently in landscape design replaced, rabatka and plaster sculptures came new types of site decoration - rock gardens . They are arranged in rich estates and summer cottages, in city 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 - step-by-step instruction will give you the opportunity to avoid blunders 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.

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.
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.
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.
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.

A relatively new trend in landscape design is the construction of alpine slides. They have replaced the classic flower beds and rabatka and serve as decoration for summer cottages and country houses.

Garden alpine slides are an island of artificially created wildlife of the Alpine mountains. To create them, they pile rocks of rock and plant lush vegetation among them.

From such a work of art and breathes the primordial purity of nature. Having such a garden decoration is a true aesthetic pleasure.

Some arrange a rock garden with the help of specialists. But an alpine slide with your own hands is quite realistic, and in a fairly short time. How to equip an alpine slide and what is needed for this - we will talk about all this in detail later.

Rock garden in the country - an opportunity to make the garden brighter and more original

Those who wish to diversify the landscape of their garden with unusual elements should definitely pay attention to rock gardens. With the help of a rock garden, you can make the garden original and bright. Each alpine slide project is unique in its own way. General rules their arrangements exist, but the implementation of ideas is a creative process.

Examples of alpine slides in the country are countless. One set of raw materials can result in an infinite number of variations. Everyone who creates a slide from a sketch can get it similar to the original in general terms, small parts will always be different.

Rock gardens have mandatory attributes.One of them is a large stone that will symbolize a mountain peak. The conditional slopes of such a mountain are planted with plants that would feel organically in a mountain climate.

It should be understood that stones simply folded in a hill and plants making their way between them will not be an alpine hill. This landscape composition requires strength, good imagination and some financial investments.

Where is it better to place an alpine hill, types of rock gardens

The choice of a place for an alpine slide is one of milestones in its creation. The main criteria for choosing the location of the alpine slide:

space- the structure is quite massive, respectively, it will need space;
illumination- an alpine slide needs a lot of sunlight;
review- this is still a flower garden and a decorative structure, it should be clearly visible.

When we make an alpine slide with our own hands, without the help of specialists, we need to calculate everything correctly. For the organic nature of this landscape decoration, space is needed. The larger the slide, the more organic it will look, the closest to the natural view.

Each area has its own characteristics. Therefore, you need to choose right kind rock garden, so that it is in harmony with all elements of the landscape. Gardens with different types of plants and with different climatic conditions are selected for different styles and areas. different variants. Taking into account all the above factors, one can choose the best option, which will harmonize and please the eye.

Slides in the country are of the following types:

The choice among the types of rock gardens is quite wide, which means that for each garden plot there is a suitable alternative.

Important! In small areas, alpine slides look somewhat awkward. They are large and small garden will look too bulky.

A good place for a rock garden is an open sunny meadow. Relief areas look as natural as possible, and different ponds and paths are a great addition.

When and how to start work on creating a rock garden

In the question of how to properly design an alpine slide, you must follow the rules so that the design looks harmonious, and the plants on it feel good. Works related to the creation of the rock garden are carried out in different seasons.

The formation of the base of the hill, falling asleep of the earth, laying drainage is carried out in the fall. Stones are laid in the spring, flowers are also planted in the spring.

The place reserved for the rock garden must be cleared of plants, weed roots and unnecessary items. If necessary, an artificial mound of the hill is created. On the marked area, according to the plan of the rock garden, a layer of soil of 20-30 cm is removed. The base of the alpine hill is laid in its place. Alpine slide scheme:

First layer- drainage. Has a thickness of 10-15 cm;
Second layer- coarse sand 5 cm thick, well compacted;
third layer- fertile. It is necessary to fill the remaining space with fertile soil, for example, one part of soddy land, peat, humus and sand.

The construction of the slide must begin with the laying of drainage - a kind of foundation. It can be neglected only if water does not stagnate on the site.

The drainage technology is very simple. Before backfilling, you need to make sure that there are no weeds left in the soil, otherwise they will penetrate through the stones and destroy the alpine hill. Geotextile laying under drainage is practiced.

Alpine slide: how to choose and prepare stones

For rock gardens choose different types stones. Important criteria are the natural texture and the right combination of stones. It is important to choose the right combination of stones of various sizes and shapes in order to create a harmonious look of the slide.

Often, serpentine, quartz, sandstone, gabbro, granite, marble and other types of stone are used for rock gardens. The composition usually requires 5-6 large stones. You will also need small stones - gravel, crushed stone.

Laying stone on an alpine hill

The next stage in the plan for the construction of the slide is laying stones and adding soil.

The stone composition begins to be laid out from the base to the top. First of all, they determine where the large stones will lie, then the place of the smaller stones. Rocks of stones are buried in the soil no less than a third of the height.

When the stones are laid out, it is necessary to fill the spaces between them with earth. This will give the slide a more natural look. After that, the rock garden is well watered so that the soil and stones take their natural places.

It is not recommended to immediately plant plants on a hill; the rock garden should stand for two to three weeks. But ideally, the slide is made in the fall, and the plants are planted in the spring.

Important! Stones in rock gardens should be placed so that rain and meltwater do not wash the soil between them. If the earth is washed out, you need to constantly add backfill, and the plants will suffer due to bare roots.

How to choose and plant plants in a country rock garden

For alpine slides, unpretentious flowers are best suited. flower slides for giving it is better to decorate with unpretentious plants that do not need careful care.

In the Alps, the atmosphere is harsh, the plants there are fighting for a place under the sun. They must be able to withstand heavy rains and strong winds. For ease of annual renewal of the rock garden, you can choose annual plants. It is also better to calculate when the plants bloom so that they alternately replace each other throughout the season.

For alpine slides, such plants are suitable:

is the symbol of the Alps. The plant is resistant to cold, it grows and, like a carpet, covers the slopes of an alpine hill;
– unpretentious plant with creeping stems. Used as a rock garden edging;
- a popular plant for alpine slides. Has fleshy beautiful leaves and light purple flowers;
- grows with a carpet that is strewn small flowers. Green shoots and leaves wrap stones. The plant prefers dark areas;
Lumbago- a flower of the ranunculus family, very good for growing on alpine slides. It is also called sleep-grass. It blooms in early spring.

Shrubs and flowers will look good:

Plant combinations look good. Thus it is possible to create unique designs. It is also important to create the impression of multi-tiered.

Alpine slide has landing patterns. There should be enough space between the stone placers for the growth and development of plants. Small holes are made at an angle, in which seedlings are placed and their roots are sprinkled with earth. The earth around the stem is tamped and watered.

Did you know? When watering plants on an alpine hill, water should be poured from top to bottom. Draining, the water will soak the soil well.

On hills, rosette flowers should not be planted with ground covers, as the latter will quickly grow and crowd out rather delicate flowers. So that the rhizomes of plants do not grow on the hill, they are planted inside the limiter, which can be a jar or a bucket without a bottom.

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 flowerbeds, ridges and plaster sculptures have been replaced by new types of site decoration - rock gardens. They are arranged in rich estates and summer cottages, in city 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 "slide" dictates the general shape of the rock garden - a hill with the obligatory elements: 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 in different parts of the highlands:

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 of different sizes and with a wide variety of creeping and undersized plants;

To design such a rock garden use dwarf plants, as well as large boulders imitating 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 "characters", in contrast to a rock garden, where 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

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.

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 terrain.

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

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 building materials large fractions, tamp and cover with the removed soil flush with the surrounding ground. 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.

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.

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.

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 instruction of the alpine slide will give you the opportunity to create on your site real masterpiece landscape design. 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 short stature 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

The saxifrages will contribute color accents to the alpine

A spectacular element in the landscape is an alpine slide created by oneself. A rock garden is a small area in the garden, designed in the form of a natural corner.

Many homeowners are interested in how to make an alpine slide with their own hands?

In order to create this corner of wildlife on your site, you need to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of landscape design.

Usually this masterpiece is located in the most prominent place. In addition, the rock garden needs a sunny place, so this corner is usually located in an open area.

Since the alpine slide has a calming effect on a person, it is best to place it near the place of rest.

The quality of the ground cover should not be discounted, since the most favorable soil for rock garden is sandstone, but if the earth has a clay base, then it will be necessary to make drainage.

When is the best time to create a rock garden

An alpine hill can be created at any time of the year, with the exception of winter, since it is impossible to plant plants or prepare the soil in winter cold. However, experts consider autumn to be the most optimal for creating a rock garden.

Since the natural shrinkage of an alpine slide can take several months, then, according to landscape designers, it is necessary to prepare for the autumn landing from the spring.

Creation of an alpine slide

Landscape designers, answering the question of how to make an alpine slide, offer universal schemes and projects for arranging this natural corner, taking into account all the subtleties and scope of work.

However, knowing the basic rules for creating a rock garden, you can organize it yourself.

The first thing to pay attention to is the location. So, the rock garden should be clearly visible. The most optimal option is to create an alpine slide in the form of a pyramid, in which the maximum height is concentrated in the center.

In addition, all elements of the rock garden should be located freely, symmetry is inappropriate here. In the event that it is possible to organize a rock garden on a natural slope, then its elements are best marked at the same level.

In terms of parameters, the height of an alpine slide should be proportional to its size, that is, 1 meter of area corresponds to a height of 0.2 m, so a flower bed measuring 4 m² in height will be 80 cm, as in the photo of an alpine slide.

Preparatory work

Even the simplest alpine slide requires careful preparation. So, when creating a rock garden, it is required to make drainage, the fact is that the use of stones causes the soil to subside, which means that it is impossible to do without drainage.

Drainage material can be fine gravel, pieces of red or white brick, small pebbles or rubble.

Before laying the drainage, it is necessary to dig a hole 1 m deep into a flower bed with an area of 8-9 m². Then drainage is laid out and the soil is filled with water. Next, a layer of earth is poured.

As a soil for a rock garden, it is best to use the composition of the soil from the usual earthen soil, peat and river sand. All components of the soil should be in equal proportions.

Note!

stones

The basic element of any rock garden are stones. Usually these are large stones of the original form.

Most often, pieces of granite, sandstone, limestone are used to create an alpine slide; wild stone and tuff can also be used.

When making rock garden stones, you must follow the following rules:

It is best if the size of all stones is the same;
Stones must be of the same variety;
Stones should be uneven in structure and shape;
You need to arrange the stones so that they are asymmetrical.

You can arrange the stones according to your own taste, however experienced designers can offer you several suitable projects. IN Lately a scheme is in fashion when massive stones are scattered on the site, and small pebbles between them.

An alpine slide looks interesting when the most spectacular stone is set in the center, especially if the rock garden is located on a slope.

Note!

When laying stones, especially massive ones, you need to make sure that they are stable, for this you can even fix some of them with cement or dig them a little.

A properly organized alpine slide in the country can become a favorite vacation spot for the whole family.

Green spaces

2 months after preparatory work you can start planting green spaces. The most convenient for rock garden design are plants such as undersized spruce, thuja, mountain pine and juniper.

A small alpine slide is an excellent landscape solution for a small area. When creating such a rock garden, it is best to use undersized, herbaceous plants, such as wild carnation, low velvet, nasturtiums, pansies and bells.

If desired, the alpine slide can be combined with a small reservoir in the form of a small pond, however, in this case, the process of creating a rock garden will be even more laborious, but it will be a real work of landscape art.