DIY Alpine slide step by step. How to make an alpine slide with your own hands: examples with photos

If there is a ledge or unevenness in your dacha, plot or garden, make an alpine slide.

Firstly, such a flowerbed is very beautiful; within a year its rocky cliffs will be covered with a continuous carpet of lovely pads of flowers, herbs and mosses.

Secondly, the construction of a rock garden itself is a fascinating activity. Here you need to think through everything: where to plant coniferous shrubs, what stones and perennials to choose, so that the colored carpet in the middle of the rock scree plays with colors all year round.

And thirdly, if the soil at your dacha is poor, sandy or rocky, and is completely unsuitable for organizing other types of flower beds, then alpine hill plants in such conditions, on the contrary, will develop normally and bloom well.

Not everyone correctly understands what an alpine slide is. The structures made of plants and stones on the site are far from alpine slides.

Rock garden (alpine slide)- these are landscape compositions that imitate a mountain landscape with terrace-type areas with stones, squat shrubs and long-flowering perennials.

Let's look at some of the subtleties of designing an alpine slide flower bed

If possible, the rock garden in the garden should be:

• isolated from outbuildings, playground, etc.;

• proportional to the entire area of ​​the site;

• removed from flower beds with bright lush blooms;

• located in the most illuminated place of the site, close to the water supply source (if this is not possible, then additional watering points will need to be equipped);

• as realistic as possible to the mountain landscape;

• located near a house or recreation area.

Many people have thought about how to make an alpine slide with their own hands. And only a few, especially stubborn and patient, decorated their summer cottage with terraced hills. Where did they start? Of course, from the choice of location.

In order for a rocky flower bed to fit organically into the garden environment, it is not necessary to look for a large space - alpine plants so compact that it costs nothing to fit dozens of them into a modest area of ​​the slide.

The height of the rock garden should not conflict with the existing landscape. If possible, you need to make sure that the shapes, textures and colors of the slide harmoniously blend into the landscape design concept.

Very expressively alpine decorative flower garden in the garden it looks against the backdrop of dense, tall bushes or small but lush trees.

Do-it-yourself Alpine slide - step-by-step instructions

What materials and tools do you need to buy for an alpine slide?

• stones of the same type, river sand, crushed stone, gravel, turf, humus, peat, limestone, earth and planting material;

• tape measure, cord, pegs, bayonet shovel, metal crowbar, garden shovel with a long handle, wheelbarrow, scissors, ladle (for scooping out soil from the wide sumps of the hill), garden watering can.

Is everything at hand? Then let's get to work!

• Any alpine slide project begins with laying out the site and drawing the outline of the future flower garden (this is where you will need a tape measure, pegs and cord). The area for the flower garden is cleared, the soil layer is removed to a depth of 30-40 cm, weeds are carefully weeded and weeds are removed.

• When the clearing is completely finished, it is necessary to make a gravel cushion on the deepened area - fill in a layer of gravel, slag and construction waste (broken brick, limestone or granite crushed stone), 10 cm thick. This kind of drainage will protect the roots of plants from waterlogging, preventing stagnation groundwater, and will ensure normal aeration.

• The permeable layer needs to be made thicker where the soil is very dense, structureless, silty and poorly permeable to water. Wetland is the first enemy of alpine plants - ascetics are accustomed to growing on slopes in light, rocky, sandy, acidic soils.

• On top of the drainage layer (base of the rock garden) it is necessary to make sand cushion- add a layer river sand(5 cm thick), compact well and water.

• Next, mix in equal proportions turf soil (it can be prepared in advance or bought at any nursery), perlite, sand, pine bark, wood chips, small crushed stone, crushed peat, humus and sphagnum.

• There is no need to add too much fertilizer to this layer. Over-enrichment of the soil can lead to trees and flowers on the hill growing too large or, conversely, dying altogether. It is recommended to feed only some tuberous and bulbous plants, and then as rarely and as carefully as possible.

• The prepared soil mixture is poured over the entire surface of the hill, at the same time modeling the relief of the rock garden according to the model of the natural landscape. The earth mound does not need to be made uniform and neat. Both on a large and a small alpine hill in the garden, it is necessary to manually form “cliffs” and “valleys”, “peaks” and “plateaus”, paths and transitions.

• After the remaining filling of the area with a ball of earth, you can begin laying stones by “laying” “pillows” of river sand under them.

What shape should the stones be in a rock garden and how to arrange them correctly?

Let's look at what stones are needed for a small and large alpine slide, their names and installation methods.

To organize such an exotic flower garden, you need to choose only those rocks that will not transfer heavy metals and salts to the soil and will not oxidize the soil.

Irregularly shaped rocks hewn by years, water and wind will look much better in the garden landscape than freshly mined ones. Stone screes should be similar in structure, or better yet completely identical, but different in size.

An excellent choice for a rock garden has always been and will be: natural granite, organic limestone or decorative sandstone. Forest boulder, dolomite, travertine, gneiss or basalt are suitable. Another option: serpentinite, elbrus, jasper, serpentine, quartz, etc.

There is no need to collect stones from fields and meadows. You can buy good specimens in the quarry. The weight of one stone can reach approximately 15-100 kg. That is, for a stone flowerbed measuring 1.5 x 3 m, the developer will need about 1-1.5 tons of stones.

Let's move on. Laying should begin from the bottom (from the foot) up - gradually moving from larger stones to smaller ones. The core of the alpine hill is formed first. For this purpose, choose the largest and most beautiful boulder and install it in a small recess. To prevent the stone from shaking, it can be reinforced with crushed stone.

Advice. There is no need to lay them in compliance with equal distances and geometric harmony - in the natural environment, on mountain slopes, stones and boulders are located in a chaotic disorder.

When laying, you need to gradually deepen not only the core of the composition, but also all the other stones. The resulting sinuses are lightly covered with earthen mixture for a rock garden and watered with a sprayed stream of water - plants will be planted in them a little later.

At the top, a conical boulder looks beautiful, symbolizing the top of the mountain, surrounded by flat stones.

In the process of placing stones, landscape designers advise moving away from the composition and different angles evaluate the result. An alpine slide decorated with your own hands is considered ready if it looks holistic and harmonious even without conifers, shrubs and flowers.

But that's not all. Huge weight boulders and stones have to lie down for two or three weeks, “get settled”, so to speak. And only when the earth settles and you can start building a flower garden on an alpine hill.

Plants for an alpine hill are the key to an effective design

Tempered tough climatic conditions highlands: cold, low atmospheric pressure, strong winds and temperature fluctuations, flowers for alpine slides demonstrate amazing endurance in the difficult climate of Russia.

In order for the rock garden created at the dacha to truly resemble an oasis of a mountain landscape, shrubs and plants must be selected according to the following criteria:

1. unpretentiousness to climate and soil;
2. short stature;
3. moderate growth;
4. non-aggressive method of reproduction;
5. multi-year development cycle.

Low-growing and ground cover plants for alpine hills

• Atsena Buhanana;
• Youthful;
• Borodnik is hairy;
• Mountain grate;
• Tenacious;
• The bone is hair-like;
• Fern;
• Short-leaved sedum;
• Decorative cabbage;
• Crassula;
• Sagebrush;
• Heuchera;
• Spurge;
• Stahis.

Advice. Ground cover plants with a powerful root system are placed on the slopes of an alpine hill to prevent its erosion.

Flowering plants for alpine hills

• Barberry;
• Colchicum;
• Veronica;
• Carnation;
• Gentian;
• Gypsophila, wulfenia;
• Delphinium;
• Dryad;
• Lancet gorse;
• Poskharsky's bell;
• Primula Allioni;
• Saxifrage;
• Bloodroot;
• Burachok;
• Buttercup;
• Edelweiss;
• Let's swing the creeping one;
• Evening primrose Missourian;
• The Pyrenean catchment;
• Thyme;
• Campanula garganica;
• Phlox is low growing;
• Soapwort basilicofolia;
• Jaskolka;
• Draba evergreen;
• Mertensia maritima;
• Fuopsis longostolic;
• Pterygoid rotundifolia;
• Decorative strawberries;
• Rhodiola rosea;
• Chiastophyllum oppositeifolia;
• Himalayan geranium;
• Mountain cornflower;
• Hellebore;
• Liverwort;
• Anemone;
• Cat's paw;
• Rezuha;
• Violets and daisies.

Advice. Each of the flowering individuals in the rock garden composition plays its own role, so the flowers should not obscure or interfere with each other. It is important here to achieve a smooth change in shades of the slide. This can be easily achieved by combining alpine plants according to flowering dates.

Long-flowering plants for alpine hills

Onion and bulbous

• Decorative Karatavsky;
• Cornflower and island onions;
• Tubergen and Besianum onions;
• Scylla;
• Vesennik;
• Sternbergia;
• Cyclamen;
• Snowdrop;
• Ranunculus;
• Pushkinia;
• Clivia;
• Rhodohypoxis;
• Brandushka;
• Hyacites;
• Lilies of the valley;
• Babiana;
• Corydalis;
• Merendera;
• Sisyrynchium;
• Tecophylae;
• Poultry farmers;
• Mauricia;
• Muscari;
• Garden buttercup;
• Dwarf varieties of irises, daffodils, dahlias and tulips.

Advice. The rocky structures of the rock garden will look as decorative as possible if you know the exact timing of flowering of the bulbous plants. And also, when planting onions in a rock garden with good drainage (stones and gravel prevent the bulbs from rotting), leave enough space between them for growth. Mulch temporarily empty areas with tree bark or pebbles.

Low-growing grasses for alpine hills

• Quaking grass;
• Lagurus;
• Highlander;
• Cuff;
• Alyssum;
• Oregano;
• Acute-flowered reed grass;
• Feather grass;
• Pennisetum orientalis;
• Gray and red fescue;
• Liriope;
• Sheep evergreen;
• Barley is maned;
• Esholtz;
• Heathers;
• Erica.

Advice. Herbaceous plants remain attractive until late autumn, while others have already withered or have not yet blossomed. Acting as a background ornamental grasses serve as a rich decoration in the creation of an alpine slide.

Compact shrubs for alpine hills

• Mountain pine;
• Wolfberry boletus;
• Blue spruce;
• Barberry;
• Cotoneaster horizontal;
• Juniper;
• Larch;
• Thuja occidentalis;
• Miniature Pine;
• Korean fir;
• Euonymus;
• Spirea;
• Dryad;
• Rhododendron;
• Daphne.

Advice. Plant dwarf trees and bushes first, allocating the most spacious areas of the hill for them. Do not plant them on the bottom or top of the ground. The optimal place for upright dwarf forms in a rock garden is near large stones along the edges of the hill, at a great distance from each other. When planted correctly, deciduous and coniferous shrubs will not require any special care from you. But for the winter, you will have to cover some of them by tying the plant with burlap or a special cover.

Very often moss is included in the design of alpine slides. Transplantation of moss plates from the forest onto rock garden stones is carried out in the following way. First, the moss cushion is cleared of its native soil, and then thoroughly mixed in a blender with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and 200 g of kefir. With the resulting homogeneous mass, you need to lubricate the areas of stones (using a brush) on which you want to see a green carpet of moss in the future. The plant will take root faster if it is regularly moistened within three weeks after planting.

A neatly trimmed green lawn can be a successful frame for an alpine hill.

Advice. No need to try to place it in a rock garden more species. You will achieve a complete composition only when, having learned about the types of plants from A to Z, you are able to provide, even for a small number of flowers, a decent existence.

Alpine slide - planting diagram

There should be enough space between the stone scattering for the normal development and growth of green spaces. Seedlings are planted in a small hole dug at an angle, as shown in the figure, their roots are straightened, lightly sprinkled with earth and compacted. After planting, the hill needs to be watered. It is better to do this from top to bottom - the water flowing down will well saturate the soil and go straight to the roots.

When planting rosette flowers on a hill: orostachis, gentian, lewisia, etc., do not plant them next to ground cover. The latter grow quickly and can crowd out tender plants.

Plant bulbs will not spread if you plant them inside a limiter - a jar or an old bucket without a bottom.

Schemes of alpine slides (with plant names)

Scheme No. 1

Scheme No. 4

Types of alpine slides

The paradoxical unity of fragile vegetation and stone blocks gives summer residents true pleasure, encourages reflection and calms them down.

And after reading the article, all you have to do is choose: admire the whimsical harmony of the alpine slides in the photo or recreate one of the views on your site. Moreover, there are 7 of them in rocky flower beds:

• “rock” with natural surface breaks;

• a rather complex “mountain slope” with coniferous trees and huge boulders;

• landscape “mountain valley” with asymmetrically placed groups of stones;

• “terraced slope” with retaining walls of various heights, lengths and shapes;

• decorative “forest ravine” with a spring or artificially created waterfall;

• “rocky wall” - a low mound with randomly scattered stones;

• the extravagant “Czech rolling pin”, the defining technical feature of which is the layered stonework;

• the most stylish of the stone compositions is the “alpine lawn” with wild plants, growing exclusively in mountainous areas.

Conclusion

Don’t listen to those who claim that a rock garden at your dacha can be planned and created in one day. Of course not. Well, perhaps the simplest version of a mini alpine slide, and even then not in the garden, but in a city apartment.

Want to do it right? Then lay the drainage, fill the soil and form the base of the slide in the fall, and lay the stones and flowers and plant them only in the spring.

Alpine slide - photos of beautiful rock garden design options

Alpine slide in the garden or on personal plot allows you to realize the dream of a harmonious oasis, in which living and inanimate nature perfectly combine with each other. The decorative effect of the rock garden consists of a whole compositional ensemble of inaccessible and cold stones and lush flowering green spaces with their own special energy. Artificially created mountain slopes, decorated with calm greenery, allow you to feel like a conqueror of mountain peaks and enjoy their unique beauty.

There are many types of alpine slides and you can choose what suits your resources and preferences best. But creating a “zest” in your garden in the form of a rock garden is not just about laying out flat stones throughout the territory, it is necessary to spend a lot of time, patience and effort to achieve a finished image and obtain a high-quality result. There are several basic rules that are recommended to be taken into account when arranging an alpine slide on your own.

Choosing a location for an alpine slide

The first thing you need to start with is to choose a place on the site on which the object will be built. The “face” of the alpine hill should look in the direction of the southeast or southwest, and the “mountain slope” (if one is planned) should look in the south direction. The site should be sunny and open. The object on it cannot look lonely and isolated. On the contrary, it must be harmoniously combined with all neighboring and nearby objects and cultures. Ideal place The location of the rock garden is considered to be a recreation area or an area near a residential building. This decorative structure will attract attention and cause admiration.

Quantity of materials

After choosing a location and assessing the available space for the work, you can start planning the project. It is necessary to reflect sketches and sketches of the future design, the sequence of work and, of course, the preliminary amount of materials used.

To bring the project to life, many different natural stones. Their number depends on the scale and type of alpine slide. For example, for a high multi-level slide you will need stone blocks big size with a natural irregular shape (without additional processing), which will be used to imitate a gorge, cliff, mountain slope or plateau. Processed stones in the form of a rectangle are necessary for the construction of a retaining wall. You also cannot do without stone chips, gravel, crushed stone, sand and cement.

During construction stone garden with a flower garden (rockery), it is assumed that such a landscape is built on long years and does not require frequent changes, so it will require less stone materials. But when creating a relief from artificial unevenness, significantly more stones will be used.

To create a natural and harmonious object, landscape designers advise choosing only stones from a given area and always of the same type for construction. The minimum weight of one large stone should not be less than thirty kilograms, and total weight The number of giant stones on the site begins at four hundred kilograms. The total average weight of small “stone” material (crushed stone or gravel) for one rock garden is 300-500 kg.

It is necessary to first consider ways of transporting stones and other heavy objects by area. Any suitable means of transportation will help save time, energy and health. Work on the construction site can only begin when everything is already at hand necessary tools and materials.

All work consists of three main stages, but before moving on to them, you must first mark out the territory according to the prepared plan, evaluate the preliminary result and, if necessary, adjust it by making small changes. Using rope or twine, wooden pegs and bright ribbons, you need to outline the contours of the alpine slide and mark its largest elements. After this, you can proceed to the first stage.

1. The land plot must be cleared, a drainage layer must be laid (if a rock garden is planned), the planned artificial unevenness and stone hills must be created, a channel for the future stream (or other type of reservoir) must be laid, and the supporting walls of the rock garden must be erected.
2. The work consists of arranging large stones in the form of a planned composition or ensemble and preparing the soil layer for planting vegetation.
3. The stage that requires taste, creative thinking and imagination is decoration. It consists of planting plants, arranging additional accessories and placing small stone material (gravel and stones).

Construction of a drainage layer

High-quality drainage helps prevent stagnation of water and rotting of the root system of plants, controls soil erosion and shrinkage, and maintains moderate soil warmth in the off-season. The most suitable material for drainage is pebbles (large) or broken red brick.

The top layer of soil with a thickness of ten to twenty centimeters (depending on the type of rock garden) must be carefully removed and laid out around the perimeter of the pit. Then level the resulting surface and thoroughly clean it of all vegetation and its roots. If the future rock garden assumes a flat topography, then the thickness of the drainage layer is 10 cm, with further construction of uneven areas in the area - 20 cm of drainage.

After laying a ten-centimeter drainage layer, it is covered with fertile soil and the surface is carefully leveled. A thick (20 cm) drainage layer serves as the main platform for the construction of various hills and uneven areas and is therefore not covered with soil.

A multi-level rock garden is the most complex look and requires great patience and responsibility during construction. From quality work When creating this design, its reliability and durability depend.

The first row of stones, which act as a supporting wall, is laid out around the perimeter, placing them as closely as possible to each other and deepening them into the ground by about ten centimeters. For reliability and strength of stone connections, it is recommended to use cement mortar or tile adhesive.

For the full development of future plantings, it is very important to prepare the soil, which will be located at the bottom of the rock garden and help maintain moderate moisture, as well as prevent erosion. It is recommended to mix the removed soil layer spread along the edges of the pit with peat or humus, as well as with small pebbles or coarse sand (in equal proportions). The resulting mixture must be placed on the drainage, compacted thoroughly and poured with plenty of water for rapid shrinkage.

After the first level has dried, they move on to the construction of the second. A layer of crushed stone or gravel is applied to the surface of the earth and a second terrace of stones is laid out, fastening them with a reliable solution. It must be taken into account that between the stones it is necessary to leave space for the future bed of the reservoir. The terrace on the second level is covered with soil, watered abundantly and left to shrink.

With each new level, the area of ​​the next terrace gradually decreases. At the end, a separate stone is placed, which will become the top of the rock garden. The height of the alpine slide depends on the land area used for the base. To build a meter structure it will take about 10 square meters land.

To complete the process of soil subsidence, as well as to completely dry the solutions, the object is left for approximately 10-15 days. Only after this can you move on to decorating, planting plants and arranging the reservoir. It is recommended to plant plants starting from the top and gradually moving to the bottom of the hill.

Alpine slides with a height of about one hundred centimeters will require less effort and less materials. Construction waste (for example, pieces of brick or stones) can be used as the core and reliable foundation of the structure. With their help, the contours of the slide are marked (directly on top of the main drainage layer), and then a soil mixture is poured on top, which will be resistant to erosion and shrinkage. Its composition: garden soil, expanded clay, pieces of red brick and small crushed stone. The average thickness of this layer is 50-60 cm. The next layer is again drainage, consisting of the smallest pebbles or crushed stone, on which large stones are placed or stone slabs are laid, burying them approximately forty percent into the soil. The surface of the rock garden is covered with fertile soil about 20 cm thick. The composition of this soil mixture should be light, loose and nutritious and correspond to the preferences of flower crops.

Approximately 20-25 days are allotted for the final shrinkage of the slide. After this, you can plant numerous plants, place different decorative details and stones small size. It is not recommended to use large stone boulders on such a mini-slide, unless they are placed at the base of the structure.

Landscaping of rock gardens

The main plants of alpine hills are herbaceous and semi-shrub species of small height. In the natural environment on mountain slopes you can find mostly low species and varieties. The vegetation of the created rock garden should look as natural and believable as possible. And to maintain its attractiveness throughout the year, it is recommended to choose winter-hardy (evergreen) and coniferous crops. The color of green foliage or pine needles goes well with stone compositions.

Plants for a rock garden should have the following basic characteristics: unpretentiousness, cold resistance and drought resistance. To maintain the decorativeness of the relief and create a harmonious composition experienced flower growers and landscape designers advise planting flower and foliage crops in a checkerboard pattern.

DIY Alpine slide (video)

Many people think that an alpine slide is a chaotic pile of stones of different sizes. But in fact, such a composition of carefully selected stones and plants imitates a natural mountain landscape. Professional landscape design masters recommend starting the arrangement of an alpine hill in September-October. In the fall, it is necessary to carefully consider the design of the structure and accurately mark the territory of the site.

Alpine slide diagram

The first stage of creating an alpine slide, without which it simply will not be possible to properly plan the work, is the development of a drawing. First you need to think about the configuration and number of tiers. The scheme is drawn up immediately in relation to the terrain and landscape of the existing site in order to make the most of all the advantageous moments. On a piece of paper you need to make a plan and indicate the location of stones and plants. It is better to draw the drawing to scale and color it with colored pencils in order to have a clearer idea of ​​its final appearance. Only after this can the diagram be transferred to the site. Marking is carried out using ordinary twine.

If it’s difficult to think through a plan yourself, you can look at photographs and diagrams of alpine slides on landscape design websites. Based on them, you can easily draw your own composition without much difficulty. Below is the original diagram:

Video

Site preparation. Selecting a location

Of course, I would like to decorate more than one corner of the garden with such a structure. But in order for the alpine slide to show itself in all its glory, it is better to choose a place for its arrangement that is spacious, clearly visible and illuminated by the sun's rays. The best option is a plot on the eastern side of the house, so that in the morning the sun illuminates the hill well, and in the evening the rock garden is in the shade. Don’t forget about setting up a relaxation area near the rock garden.

In order for the composition to be perceived naturally, you need to provide a favorable foreground and background. It is best to place a pile of stones in front of the hill, and plant behind it hedge or a group of coniferous shrubs.

The composition of the soil also plays an important role. On sandy soil, you can immediately set up a rock garden; if the soil is clayey, you need to prepare drainage. To do this, remove the top layer of soil (30-35 cm) and select the roots of perennial weeds.

Site drainage

All plants used to decorate alpine slides prefer well-drained soil. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare good drainage:

1. Form a bottom layer about 10 cm thick from slag, gravel or broken bricks. Water all this generously with water.
2. The material of the second layer is coarse sand. Sand should be scattered evenly over the bottom layer (5-10 cm thick) and watered. Sand makes it easier to bury stones in the ground and provides additional drainage.

Mountain plants do not like stagnant water, so this work cannot be done without.

Soil for plants

Next you need to prepare the ground. You need to mix soil, cleared of stones and weeds, sand and humus in a 1:1:1 ratio. This mixture is poured onto the previous layer and a mound of the required height is formed. The mixture should be light, airy and crumbly. Recommend instead ordinary soil take the soil that the mole brought to the surface. Similar mounds are found in abundance in parks and forest plantations.

After this, work on creating the slide must be suspended for 3-4 weeks so that the drainage layers of the base are compacted and shrink.

Laying stones. Laying principles

When the prepared layers have shrunk, they begin laying the stones. The stones must be of the same type so as not to disturb the naturalness of the composition. The larger the area of ​​the rock garden, the larger the stones should be. There are many schemes for laying stones, one of the simplest looks like this:

1. Large stones are laid along the edges of the site, burying them in the soil to ¾ of their size (less is possible). Then they will be more stable, and they will also imitate real rocks well.
2. Next comes a line of medium-sized stones.
3. Then small stones are placed on the top of the mound.
4. The final touch is to decorate the top with one massive stone or several smaller stones.

During the installation process, you should not worry about maintaining symmetry. Nothing is symmetrical in nature, so all the rules of geometry can be discarded. A rocky landscape created by human hands should imitate real mountains in miniature as much as possible. You need to achieve such a result that the laid stones look beautiful even without plants.

If the slide is large, then it is worth laying paths of stones along it. In this case, the stones need to be laid out with the flat side up to make it more convenient to walk. The stones are checked for strength and stability, fixing them with smaller ones if necessary.

Popular plants for alpine hills

Below is a list of plants that are most often used to decorate alpine slides:

1. Sedum – unpretentious plant, forming dense mats of creeping stems and flowers. The plant is not picky about soil.
2. Saxifraga - the name of the plant speaks for itself. At proper care easily grows, covering stones. Blooms in spring with pink or white flowers. Prefers well-drained soil and shady places.
3. Edelweiss is a perennial about 15 cm high that easily tolerates even the most severe frosts. No wonder it is a symbol of the Alps. Flowering period – June-July. Loves sunny places with rocky soil.
4. Lipstick is a plant that will decorate an alpine hill with its flowering in late autumn. Height is about 20 cm, grows to 18-19 cm in diameter. Loves moisture and partial shade.
5. Rejuvenated – beautiful plant with thick fleshy leaves and purple flowers. Prefers sunny areas with well-drained soil.

Plants for alpine hills: photos and names

Decorating an alpine slide

The Alpine slide is a decoration and decoration for any garden, and therefore does not require the use of additional decorative elements made of glass or plastic. The same applies to the use of various garden figurines. There is a strict taboo on artificiality. The naturalness of the natural landscape should not be disturbed artificial materials. The combination of strength and tenderness in the form of stones and flowers gives an unsurpassed effect and does not require any additions.

A spectacular element in the landscape is a self-created alpine slide. A rock garden is a small area in the garden, designed as a natural area.

Many owners of personal plots are interested in how to make an alpine slide with their own hands?

To create this corner wildlife On your site you need to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of landscape design.

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

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

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

When is the best time to create a rock garden?

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

Since the natural shrinkage of an alpine hill can take several months, according to landscape designers, it is necessary to prepare for autumn planting in 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 you should pay attention to is the location. So, the rock garden should be clearly visible. Most best option is the creation of an alpine slide in the shape of a pyramid, in which maximum height concentrated in the center.

In addition, all elements of the rock garden should be positioned freely; symmetry is inappropriate here. If it is possible to organize a rock garden on a natural slope, then it is best to mark its elements 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, thus, a flowerbed 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, you need to make drainage, the fact is that the use of stones causes the soil to sag, which means you can’t do without drainage.

The material for drainage can be fine gravel, pieces of red or white brick, small pebbles or crushed stone.

Before laying the drainage, it is necessary to dig a hole 1 m deep for a flower bed with an area of ​​8-9 m². Then the 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 a soil composition consisting of ordinary earthen soil, peat and river sand. All soil components must be in equal proportions.

Note!

Stones

The basic element of any rock garden are stones. Usually these are large stones of an original shape.

Most often, pieces of granite, sandstone, limestone are used to create an alpine slide; you can also use wild stone, as well as tuff.

When decorating a rock garden with stones, you must follow the following rules:

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

You can arrange the stones according to your own taste, but experienced designers can offer you several suitable designs. IN Lately A popular scheme is when massive stones are scattered around the site, with small pebbles between them.

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

Note!

When laying out stones, especially massive ones, you need to make sure that they stand steadily; for this, some of them can even be fixed with cement or dug in a little.

A properly organized alpine slide at the dacha 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 plants for decorating a rock garden are low-growing spruce, thuja, mountain pine and juniper.

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

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

Photo of an alpine slide with your own hands

Note!

Alpine slide is a smaller copy of a mountainous area. Usually, in the central part of such a flowerbed, 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 of the environment, they appear fertile layer, on which plants subsequently grow. To recreate such a mountain landscape in your garden or dacha, you need certain knowledge.

Suitable for such a large-scale structure as a rocky flower bed 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. Construction of an alpine slide

Making an alpine slide with your own hands

A hand-made alpine slide will decorate the entire local area. To decide on the design of your future rocky garden, you can study photographs of alpine slides. In order to create such a composition, you must adhere to certain rules and a certain order of work.

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

To begin with, determine the location. In order to do this, you need to pay attention to the lighting. An area that is illuminated for as long as possible is suitable for a rock garden. the sun. Also, the composition should be clearly visible from all sides.

1. Designation base contour(sole) slides and removal of the top 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 this, a layer of sand about five centimeters thick is laid. A fertile layer of soil 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 we begin placement of stones And erection of the core 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 at the dacha consists of an odd number of tiers. Between these tiers they lay wet soil, which must be compacted well.
   

   Tip: when laying stones, you should avoid symmetry. You can leave spaces between the stones for planting or group stones next to each other. It is also necessary to immediately decide on support stones on which you can stand when caring for vegetation. They should be compacted and secured.

4. Plant vegetation.

Plants for alpine hills - selection rules

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

DIY Alpine slide. Photo

Look good short conifers . You can also use small shrubs, which bloom in spring and bear fruit in autumn.

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

• dwarf spruce. This plant tolerates drought well;
• juniper. This unpretentious plant grows in shape like 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 top and a dark green base.

Deciduous plants for alpine hills

To garden an alpine hill with your own hands, you should not choose deciduous plant species. Since fallen leaves must be removed regularly so as not to harm other vegetation. The following plants are chosen for the slides:

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

Flowers for an alpine slide

To build a classic alpine slide with your own hands, use low, creeping, “carpet” plants. It is best to give preference to perennials. The following flowers can be used for landscaping:

• short-stemmed carnation. This low-growing, richly flowering plant with narrow gray-blue-green leaves is unpretentious. Suitable for landscaping open sunny areas;
• rock alyssum- a perennial whose leaves are gray-green. The peculiarity of this plant is that its leaves remain green even in winter. The multi-flowered panicle inflorescences contain small bright yellow leaves;
• looked younger- a perennial plant with a wide color palette of leaves. They can be green, silver, yellowish, pink, burgundy;
• saxifrage- traditional inhabitants of rock gardens. Flowering period is May-August. The five-petalled flowers are white, pink or yellow.

In order for the alpine hill at the dacha to delight you with its beauty every year, you should plant bulbous and corm flowers. Long-flowering crops are suitable to create a contrasting background. A well-groomed lawn will also be the ideal setting.

What to do if an alpine slide settles in the spring?

Sometimes an alpine slide made with a violation of construction technology can settle. There may be several reasons for this.

• Poorly chosen plot or lack drainage. It is better to arrange a rock garden on a natural hill or on an area with a slope. If the slide is placed on loamy or clay soils, then it is necessary to make a drainage layer. For these purposes, you can use gravel or stones.
  
• Incorrectly selected substrate, vegetation And cobblestones. For an alpine slide with your own hands, it is better to choose the following mixture of soil: compost, sand and peat in equal proportions.

How to avoid shrinkage of flower beds

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

Alpine slide made of conifers

To create rock gardens, not only traditional “Alpines” can be used, but also coniferous plants. Pines, thuja, shooting juniper, barberry, gray or Japanese spirea, and konica spruce are ideal for these purposes. IN classic version Only shrubs and trees should not be present. They should grow there in small numbers.

Stones for alpine slides

Natural flat cobblestones are suitable for such rocky gardens different sizes original form. You should also give preference to stones with a non-uniform surface, with all kinds of “inclusions”, recesses in which moss or small plant. Limestones, boulders, sandstones, granite, and slates look good.

Decorating an alpine slide with your own hands

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

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

Rock garden and rock garden: differences and similarities

Rock garden and rock garden - two different ways flowerbed arrangements. A rockery is a flower bed of stones, most of which is occupied by stones of the same type. Cobblestones are laid parallel to each other or in random order. Chaotically placed stones imitate the natural environment. The rock garden also contains vegetation, but in the form of a background that plays a secondary role. In the alpine hill, bright vegetation comes to the fore.

DIY Alpine slide. Video instructions

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