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Some summer residents instruct professionals to make the design of their site, others try to independently embody creative ideas. In any case, landscape design is not complete without the creation of picturesque areas, original combinations and unexpected solutions. The highlight of many projects is an alpine slide or rock garden.
Originally from the Mediterranean, combining all the features of wild nature, such an exotic guest instantly transforms the whole look of the site. It creates a real feeling of the presence of a piece of the Alpine mountains with rocks and lush vegetation among the compositions familiar to our eyes.
Do-it-yourself landscape design is extremely exciting, beautiful and extraordinary. After all, even the author will not be able to repeat exactly the same solution. A well-chosen combination of plants and shrubs, organically laid stones – this is a rock garden. But at the same time, it is very important to plan it so that it does not look like an ordinary pile of stones among the green mass, but harmoniously fits into the rest of the landscape. Like any design element, rock garden exists in various modifications.
Rock garden schemes differ in the principle of selection and placement of stones. We will try to focus on the most common.
Which rock garden to choose
As soon as a decision is made to create a rock garden on the site, the question immediately arises: “Which is better?”. The most familiar variety is the Alpine Hill. Some even believe that these concepts are absolutely identical. But, there are much more types of rock garden. And it is very difficult to determine which one is better. Anyone will add beauty to the site, but which one is right for you, let’s try to find out. Meet the smallest ideas:
Miniature or container rock garden
A very convenient view that can be arranged in any part of the site. To create it, any containers, except plastic ones, are suitable. A trough of various types, a stump or a log, a stone with holes, an earthen vessel, even a walnut shell – everything will serve well. Home designers can not limit themselves to get an original rock garden. After all, it turns out to be placed even where there is very little free space. Beautiful design and competent selection of plants – that’s all you need. For such a rock garden, small stones and miniature plants are selected. Recommendations:
- it is desirable to take pebbles neat, well combined with the container;
- plants – slow growing or dwarf;
- be sure to use the laws of composition.
This is some complexity, but you will definitely have to adhere to the technology of the device. Otherwise, you can get just a set of stones.
Mosaic
Another type of rock garden for a small area. The cost of its creation is minimal, and the garden acquires much more charm, beauty and comfort. The main materials for the design of such a rock garden will be small pebbles. They can be monochromatic or multi-colored. It all depends on the composition of stones and plants you have planned.
First, decide where the mosaic rock garden will be placed. You will need a small area where you need to dig a hole. Its shape should repeat the intended pattern, and the depth should be no more than 20 cm. The walls of the recess are reinforced with boards or asbestos cement. A layer of sand is first laid on the bottom, then crushed stone or gravel. The layers are rammed, filled with cement or other bonding mass. Now it takes a little tweaking. It is necessary to press the pebbles moistened with water into this layer before the mass begins to solidify. After drawing up the drawing, it is rolled with a heavy object.
Mini rock gardens help save space, and at the same time create original slides, waterfalls and streams in a reduced size.
A larger version of the rock garden is
Alpine rocky or retaining wall
Very beautiful vertical rock garden.
Most often, this type is used in the construction of raised flower beds and terraced slopes. The manufacturing technology is identical to the construction of a retaining wall made of natural stone. At the time of masonry, gaps, niches or recesses are left in it. Unpretentious alpine plants are planted in these holes, which grow well with a minimum of soil. You can take plants that amaze with their diversity, thyme, the moss family, rejuvenated, carnation-grass. If the size of the rock garden allows you to make larger niches, then the choice of options increases – creeping junipers, dwarf shrubs. This is very important because the vertical element requires “active” decoration. And you need to do this with the help of various plants, because the monotony in this case will not distinguish the rock garden from the background of the site. The advantages of this type of rock garden:
- No special plant care required. Rare fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is enough, while the solution is made of low concentration.
- Ability to create stone walls of different sizes. If the height does not exceed 50 cm, then a foundation of flat stone blocks is sufficient for strengthening. A higher wall will require a gravel or concrete pad. In this case, each tier is lined with nutrient soil and the next row of stones is laid out on it. With this method, concrete mortar is not used. The roots of plants have sufficient conditions for development and contribute to the strengthening of the alpine wall. To increase stability, you need to lay the stones inside the composition with a narrow part, while maintaining a slight slope to the base of the rock garden.
Alpine retaining step
The height of such a rock garden is small, the project is made of natural stone, it looks very much like an ordinary step. A feature of this species is the location of plants. They are planted horizontally in a recess on the structure. The bottom must be equipped with drainage, then the soil is covered, the stone composition is laid out and various plants are included in it. It turns out a design that resembles a flower bed-step, decorated with stones. It can be placed as a separate element, or it can be included in an ensemble with real steps. In this version, it will look like a continuation of the garden “ladder”.
Alpine garden
This name was given to a composition from a group of plants called “alpines”. It is very similar to a small garden, where the stones give less emphasis than the plants. There are few of them, but they are placed so that the rock garden does not turn into an ordinary flower bed.
Best of all, such a garden looks on a gentle plane or slope. There are a lot of design options for it – from a monosad to luxurious combinations. Such an alpine “flower-garden” takes up little space, but it can perfectly emphasize the style of your site.
rock garden
Another kind of alpine garden, only made with a predominance of stones. In such a rock garden, a minimum number of plants are placed or, in general, do without them. The main condition is that plants should not distract attention to themselves, so trees and large shrubs are not used. Stones are selected by combination, the shape does not play a role. Large boulders, small and medium pebbles may be present in the garden.
Rock garden-ravine
It will help out well if necessary, artificial lowering of the soil. Such a rock garden is placed in a recess, the edges of which are reinforced with dug stones. They are arranged in the form of a slide, beaten with varieties of moss, an artificial waterfall or a stream.
This option looks very decorative and original. A kind of ravine can be considered rock garden – gorge. It differs in that it is located between the hills. Allows you to beat the composition with light, if you create walls of different heights from stones.
Alpine slide
The most famous and popular option.
However, not everyone knows that a certain area and knowledge is needed to create it. In a small area, the slide will create a feeling of bulkiness. In addition, it refers to multilayer and volumetric structures. Making a rock garden in the form of a slide requires knowledge of the technology for arranging such design objects, the ability to combine types of stones and plants.
In addition to the above types, you can often see the following rock gardens on the site:
- mountain slope. The rock garden imitates a highland area. Large stones are at the top, small – at the bottom. Plants take alpine.
- Valley. Such a rock garden composition is placed horizontally, includes stones of any size in a free arrangement. Plants of various types.
- Lawn. Stylish, but difficult to create composition. May be an integral part of a valley, slope or hill. A feature of the alpine lawn is that it is equipped with exclusively wild species of plants growing in high mountain conditions. Among them are carpet saxifrage, edelweiss, dwarf hyacinth, creeping willow.
Let’s start building
Creating a rock garden with your own hands is an exciting and very creative action. The basis for the creation of rock gardens are schemes. They are carried out on a scale, carefully planning the location of stones and planting sites. When placing a rock garden in the depths of the site, at the same time take into account the location of the paths leading to it. The place is chosen with good lighting and background. The surrounding trees and shrubs will serve well for him.
If there is a place with natural relief on the site, this is a very good option. It is good to place a rock garden next to a pond or a skillfully designed path.
The rock garden device includes several stages. According to the drawn scheme, the rock garden is marked on the site. The optimal width of the rock garden is no more than 100 cm. If you make it much wider, then it will be problematic to take care of the plants in the central part. The site is being prepared a little larger than the planned rock garden. Main stages of construction:
- Soil preparation and rock garden drainage system to remove moisture. Choose a sunny day. The top layer of soil is removed and freed from weeds, roots, debris. A layer of small fragments of brick is laid at the bottom of the excavation, then sand and, finally, gravel. Now the cleaned soil is returned, having previously mixed it with peat, lime and sand.
- Stacking stones. From the total number, stones are selected that are needed in shape and size. Sandstone or limestone, dolomite, travertine, basalt, forest boulders with overgrown moss or lichen can provide an imitation of a mountain landscape. Rounded stones, broken with a sharp edge, it is better not to use. A few large stones will give more originality to the rock garden than a pile of small ones. Stones use the same type – this is very important! First, several stones are placed around the perimeter of the site. This will serve as protection against erosion of the soil.
- Design of the rock garden site. At this stage, a slope is created or the surface is leveled – the actions depend on the type of rock garden chosen. Stones are laid out naturally in the form of a terrace, cliff, plateau or gorge. The heaviest of them will require the efforts of several people. For a large stone, you need to prepare a hole to lay it. Then, under the base, add earth and rubble, carefully tamp. In the gaps between the stones, the soil is covered, but leave room for the planting mixture. For its preparation, they take crushed stone or broken stone, soddy soil, peat or high-quality humus. The ratio of parts is one to one. The needs of the plants must be taken into account, so it may be necessary to add sand to the mixture.
- planting. Be sure to consider the degree of growth of plants. Check the data for each plant before planting. It is necessary to find out the requirements for watering, nutrition, lighting, soil composition. An important aspect is the flowering period. You should not combine plants that will create decorativeness in only one period. Choose plant species with different flowering periods.
Some planting tips:
- tall plants are not placed on top of the rock garden;
- coniferous “dwarfs” are not combined into groups;
- ground cover plants are placed near stones to enable them to grow on them;
- in rock gardens, bulbous and ground cover crops are well combined.
Water the soil well before planting. First, plants are placed between the stones, then, planned for terraces and pockets. The remaining place is covered with small stones and watered again.
How to care
The rock garden needs not only to be decorated, but also to provide him with competent care. It includes:
- Watering. Be sure to consider the need for plants in the amount of moisture. It is best to draw up a watering schedule for each group of plants.
- Loosening and mulching. It is carried out on stone-free areas of the rock garden.
- Cleaning and shaping. This stage is especially relevant in the autumn period. Fallen leaves must be removed. Overgrown shrubs and trees – cut, if necessary, insulate. Spring activities include pest control, soil compaction. Sometimes you need to wash the stones, remove the earth from them.
In order for the rock garden to please the owner for a long time, you need to carefully select the plants. Some do well in the sun on top of a hill or cliff, others like a little shade between the rocks. Depending on the composition of the soil in your area, select the appropriate crops.
This will help make the rock garden bright and well-groomed. The reference books indicate the time of flowering, the height of the plants, the need for lighting. This will make it possible to select species for landing on the southern or northern side of the rock garden.
The most important condition – do not be afraid to experiment! Use plants familiar to you more, stones available near the site, read the advice of professionals and create your own unique rock garden from beautiful stones and plants.
