Stages of creating an alpine slide. Small and simple alpine slides

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Currently, there are many ways to decorate a summer cottage, making it unique. You can use curly trimmed bushes, rare plants, paths originally lined with stone, flower beds with various combinations of flowers. All this has long been familiar for experienced summer residents. However, there is a popular option for dacha landscape design - an alpine slide.

Peculiarities

An alpine slide or rock garden is a landscape composition that recreates the landscape of the mountains. In its center, at a certain height, there is a stone or several stones, and along the slopes there are platforms (terraces) with specially selected plants and flowers, mainly from the Alpine mountains. This kind of object can become a “star” like large garden, and a small summer cottage. The basis of this element is the combination of stones with mountain plants.

Rock garden today is the main competitor of plaster sculptures and garden beds , discounts and mixborders, which won’t surprise anyone for a long time. Currently, rocky slides are extremely popular among owners summer cottages. This is explained both by their beauty and spectacular appearance, and by the opportunity to create your own corner, unique in design and atmosphere, which will delight the eye all year round.

The main difficulty when creating a mountain landscape on summer cottage lies in the need to artificially reproduce natural spontaneity. After all, where conditions for the growth of plants are formed at the site of fractures in rocks, there is no symmetry, and in order to repeat this in your garden, you need remarkable imagination and skill, as well as the artistic taste of the author of the composition.

At the same time, the rock garden should not stand out too much from the general landscape, but on the contrary, it should fit harmoniously into it.

Sometimes an alpine slide is mistakenly called a rock garden, but it's not the same thing. A rockery is a structure made of stone, crushed stone and other materials (from English word rock - stone). There are two main differences between a rock garden and a rock garden. Firstly, a rock garden is an imitation of a mountain landscape, while a rock garden can be located both on a flat surface and on an inclined surface - on any surface that a landscape design master will come up with and create. Secondly, any plants can grow in a rock garden, not just alpine ones (and in a Japanese rock garden there should be only stones), which is convenient in climatic conditions other than mountain ones.

Where to place it?

When choosing the best place to place an alpine slide, you need to take into account a number of conditions.

Natural relief. If there are slopes or small ravines on the site, you can use them to arrange a rock garden, avoiding unnecessary expenses time and effort.
The rock garden should be visible from any corner of the dacha, which means it needs to be located in an open place not blocked by trees. The absence of trees will help avoid the need to clear the hill from fallen leaves in the fall.
Lots of sun, as alpine plants love light. It is desirable that the sun illuminates the object in the first half of the day. The more shadow falls on the hill, the longer it will take to dry out after the rain. Although this problem can be solved - you need to plant fern species nearby.
Limited amount of water and rocky soil. Excess moisture is harmful to alpine plants.

Landscape designers recommend placing rock gardens on eastern or western slopes, because mountain plants feel best there. You can place the hill on the northern slope, but then you need to use shade-loving and moisture-tolerant crops. It is also important to maintain a balance between colors and stones. You can place a rock garden near the house, but not too close to the wall because of the possibility of snow falling off the roof, or in the center of the site. It is not advisable to place a slide against the background of a fence. A different background is needed, for example, in the form of a hedge. It is also not worth creating a rock garden next to large trees, since the tree will overwhelm it with its size.

Of course, there is no need to place the slide next to greenhouses and beds. It will not look aesthetically pleasing and will not fit into the landscape. The rock garden is designed in that part of the site that is intended for relaxation, where the owners can enjoy its attractive view and recuperate next to it.

A neat lawn can complement the foreground of a rock garden. It will also serve as a frame if located around the slide. A beautiful continuation of the hill can be a flower garden with the same plants or a small rocky embankment. It is impressive when a pond is built at the foot of the hill into which a small cascade or stream flows from the slope.

True, to make it, you will need much more effort and money than for a regular slide, but the result will justify all the costs.

Preparation

Before you start doing anything on the site, you need to imagine the future rock garden, regardless of whether you are planning a high hill with a waterfall or a small rocky garden. To prevent typical mistakes You can use the diagrams for beginners. In order to make a slide project with your own hands, you need to make a drawing and draw up a rough plan.

It must take into account:

position on the site, placement of other objects near the slide;
shape;
size;
the presence of a reservoir, its type and boundaries;
layout of stones, their size, shape, breed;
planting.

As initial stage work, you need to prepare an area measuring 1.5x2.5 m. All weeds are removed from the selected area: for example, bindweed, sow thistle. The most suitable soil for arranging a slide is sandy soil. If the soil is clayey, drainage is not required, but if the soil is excessively wet, then groundwater drainage is indispensable.

To do this, you need to dig a hole at least 30 cm deep (depending on the planned height of the future rock garden). The more reliable the drainage, the more durable the slide will be. The first 10 cm should be covered with crushed bricks or gravel. You can use expanded clay for this purpose. The next 5 cm is a layer of coarse sand that needs to be leveled. Each layer must be watered. Next, the soil that was previously dug up is poured in and compacted tightly along the entire perimeter of the future rock garden.

To avoid intensive growth of weeds, it is recommended to pass the soil through a screen mesh before filling. Laying of stones begins only after the soil has settled, that is, after 14-20 days. The rock garden has several terraces, usually their number varies from 3 to 5. Each tier is laid out around the perimeter with large stones, after which the gaps are filled with soil, which is compacted. Next they move on to designing the next terrace. If the ground sags, it is necessary to fill the resulting voids with a substrate. If the rock garden has paths, they are laid out at the same time.

It is best to equip the slide in the fall, as natural shrinkage will occur in winter. It is also good to treat the soil with weed killers - subsequently it will be much easier to care for the plants. There is an opinion that the best solution for designing a rocky garden is one that is carried out without any construction work.

Thus, it remains possible to painlessly make adjustments to the design if necessary.

Plants

To select the types of flora for arranging a rock garden, additional knowledge and skills will be required. Options for shrubs and flowers are selected depending on the type of hill. If it is rocky, located in sunny place, then we need light-loving, drought-resistant crops. In order to create a classic alpine slide, you need both low species and perennials - herbs and flowers. In addition, you need to know that not all types of plants “get along” with stones and are suitable for placement on a hill.

When choosing your combination of crops for planting on rock garden terraces, it is better to give preference to those that meet the following criteria:

beautiful appearance;
low varieties of shrubs and trees;
low maintenance requirements;
thermophilicity.

Carpet, small-bulbous, rosette, and tuberous groups of plants are best suited for these purposes. The basis for the design of the slide are small trees, mainly conifers, such as pine, thuja, cypress, juniper. If speak about flowering bushes, then lingonberries, blueberries, almonds, broom, and rhododendron are perfect for decorating a rock garden.

It is impossible to imagine a rock garden without flowers. Perennial plants with beautiful flowers will make any garden unique and stylish. Considering the climatic characteristics of Russia, you should not limit yourself only to alpine high-mountain plants. In some cases, the presence of crops that live in the forest, steppe or even on the sea coast will be appropriate on a rocky hill. There is even a Mexican version of a rock garden with cacti. Alpine edelweiss and awl-shaped phlox can decorate a rock garden, Carpathian bell and saxifrage and many other plant species.

Along the edges and in certain areas of the rock garden, low-growing and ground cover crops are planted: primroses, ferns, periwinkle, lavender, and bluebells.

Concerning deciduous plants, then there are some difficulties with them. The main thing is to avoid planting deciduous species, because this can create unnecessary problems with flying around and subsequent harvesting of leaves. Moreover, fallen leaves not only spoil the aesthetic appearance of the slide, but can also harm other plants. Therefore, when choosing deciduous crops to design a rock garden, it is better to pay attention to evergreen representatives of this type, such as iberis, dryad or cotoneaster.

If you want the alpine slide to begin to please the eye in early spring and bloomed all summer months until late autumn, you need to include bulbous species in its design: snowdrops, crocuses (regular and late), tulips, scillas, pushkinia, colchicum. An expressive background for plants with a short flowering period will be created by their long-flowering “brothers”: for example, Atlantic poppy or bluebell.

Choosing stones

There are many varieties of rock gardens, and they all have one thing in common: they are an artificially created mini-copy of a mountain landscape. The stone embankment imitates a plateau, merging into a sequence of terraces, and above them there are stones designed to represent mountain cliffs. It is best to arrange a rock garden natural stones related to rocks: basalt, sandstone, limestone, granite, and other durable and low-porosity rocks. It is not advisable to work with shell rock, tuff, or dolomite. Since these rocks are porous, they quickly absorb moisture, as a result of which they are susceptible to rapid destruction.

It is important to consider what the appearance of the rock garden will be. It is best to think about this point already at the stage of drawing up the project. In addition to the site, the rock garden should be in harmony in style with the house. If the house is made of wood, then the shape of the slide should be softer. A high-tech house will allow you to play with shape - for example, use geometric shapes such as cubes, prisms, and balls in the decor. An alpine slide will look most elegant if it has a bright dominant element. It could be a big original stone, interesting tree, stream or unusual flower.

It should be clearly visible from any side, since it is thanks to it that the design looks complete and the landscape looks like a single whole.

It is also possible that the rock garden does not have the main accent that attracts attention. So, if you plan to plant bright flowers, then it is better to take stones in neutral tones so that they act as a background. If the plants are inexpressive, then it makes sense to choose interesting, bright stones. If you combine different types of stones, there is a high risk that the rock garden will look like a pile of randomly thrown stones, so it is better to take samples that are similar in color and shape.

Most often, the following rocks are used to build a slide:

white-green quartz;
marble chips white;
milky quartz;
quartzite petrified wood;
both green and red jasper;
rainbow quartz;
sandstone.

If limestone is used for the foundation of a rock garden, an alkaline reaction in the soil between the stones is possible. This soil is not suitable for some types of plants and needs to be acidified. You can acidify the soil, for example, with sphagnum moss or leaf compost. In order to create a small rock garden measuring approximately 2.5 x 1.5 m, you need about 2 tons of large, heavy stones. Each stone individually must weigh at least 12 kg. This is necessary for the stability of the structure. Some slides can even use boulders weighing 100 kg.

The color of the stones and their shape are extremely important. Too round or, conversely, sharp-angled ones will not work. As for the stones different color, then they look proportional only in rock gardens of a certain type. In the classic method of decorating a rocky garden, it is assumed that similar stones are used different sizes. The largest of them are laid out along the perimeter of the slide, often at the bottom - they are suitable for framing. For better adhesion to the ground, they are dug into the soil approximately 60%.

The stones on the tiers of the slide must be positioned so that their visible edges look perfect. Stones with defects are laid in such a way as to hide the defects. There must be intervals between the boulders, which are subsequently filled with plants and flowers. The stones must be laid taking into account their size and weight, as naturally as possible, trying to recreate the natural randomness.

Laid out with stones required amount tiers of slides. In order to decorate the top, the most interesting stones in size and shape are selected. The terraced shape will allow you to direct the flow of water from the hill in the right direction and prevent erosion of the soil, as well as divide the hill into areas suitable for the growth of various types of plants.

If the rock garden project includes a stream or waterfall, then a hose or pipe should be secured and disguised at the top, and a pump should be installed at the foot or in the reservoir itself, which will regulate the pressure of the supplied water.

Planting schemes

When planting plants for a rock garden, it is important to carry out all work in a certain sequence and in strict accordance with the diagram. Then arranging a rocky garden with your own hands will not take much time and effort. There is an opinion that with a well-thought-out plan it is possible to make an alpine slide in just one day. First you need to select the green elements of the system. Alpine perennials are most often used as a base: for example, fescue, lavender, geranium and others, which gradually grow over time, forming a green cover.

It looks extremely picturesque.

To achieve a visual effect, it would be correct to plant plants with different flowering periods on the hill, arranging them in groups that have a shape close to round. Then the rock garden will delight the owners with early spring and until late autumn. It is better to combine vegetation so that dim and low specimens of flora are grouped, and the most spectacular plants are located separately, attracting attention. On a hill with several terraces, plants are planted in tiers.

On upper tier Rock gardens are planted with the most drought-resistant plants. That's where most of the stuff ends up sunlight, and moisture from the soil quickly evaporates. Ground cover flora representatives are most suitable for this purpose.

The middle part of the slide is best decorated with plants that love both sun and moisture and can easily tolerate shade. On the rock garden terraces, the soil moisture is higher, so the choice of species suitable for decorating this part of the composition is much wider. Plants that easily tolerate shade and love soil saturated with moisture are planted at the foot.
Dwarf trees (both coniferous and deciduous) and shrubs should be planted first, allocating the most large plots. It is not advisable to place them on the “bottom” of the rock garden. The best place to plant upright dwarf plants in a composition is near large stones installed at the edges of the hill at some distance from each other. After the shrubs, herbaceous species are planted, and ground cover plants complete the planting.

It is also important to take into account the duration of flowering of plants, climatic conditions in the region, and the compatibility of plants with each other. If you correctly arrange annual and perennials on the rock garden area, it will always look attractive, while the owner will be able to annually supplement the composition with new species.

There are seven types of rock gardens:

rock - a surface with natural fractures;
a mountain slope on which there are conifers and boulders of considerable size;
Czech rolling pin, the main characteristic feature of which is the layered masonry;

a forest ravine in which a spring flows or artificial waterfall;
slope with terraces;
rocky wall - a low hill with randomly scattered stones;
a gorge with groups of asymmetrically located stones;
an alpine lawn planted with wild crops growing mainly in the mountains.

Decor

It may seem that the location of rock gardens is only permissible in well-lit areas, but this is not so. If you choose the right flowers and shrubs, then it is quite possible to arrange a hill in the shade. Then the composition will imitate not the highlands, but the mountain forest zone. Any terrain is suitable for a shady garden: flat, gorge, terraced, or tiered. Each of them can be beautifully played out by creating cozy corner Location on. You can decorate such a rock garden with large stones and natural driftwood. You can make a path from crushed stone, gravel or mulched bark.

To design a shady rocky garden, a larger selection of plants is provided. You can use not only alpine mountain crops, but also those grown in traditional flower beds, such as lilac, hydrangea, elderberry, and viburnum. Phlox, peonies, mint, primrose, and daylily also tolerate partial shading. However, you still don’t need to go overboard with flowerbed perennials. Firstly, they are much looser and larger than their mountain “brothers”; secondly, they grow too actively, covering stones and ground cover plant species. As a result, the composition ceases to look neat and loses its attractive appearance.

If a balance is maintained between mountain and flowerbed flora species, a shady garden can decorate the area while being easy to care for, since the plants that fill it are less whimsical and demanding than heat-loving crops, growing in the sun.

Important emphasis

To ensure that the rock garden pleases its owners not only during the day, you can install lighting around it. Then, when evening comes, it will look even more impressive. It is best to use flashlights for these purposes. solar powered, since their installation does not require cable laying or electricity. The battery is charged throughout the day and illuminates the area at night. You can place light sources around the perimeter of the rock garden, or you can illuminate the terraces. In this case, only the imagination of the garden owner can serve as a limiter.

If a pond is adjacent to the slide, then one or more waterproof battery models can be installed in it, depending on the size and shape of the reservoir.

A good idea for the area adjacent to the slide would be a bench located in the shade. You can design it however you like: make it from a single piece of wood or buy a wicker garden one. It is also appropriate to decorate the bench decorative pillows, place an additional source of lighting so that you can sit with a book in the evening. You can go further by building a platform next to the rock garden, on which sun loungers and a table will be placed, and make a gazebo. If there is space, you can even arrange sofas and create a relaxation area. It all depends on the wishes of the owner and the size of the site. The main thing is that the rock garden and the area next to it are in harmony in size, color and style, complementing each other.

If the size of the site allows, then several flower beds can be laid out next to the rocky hill, and the same plants that decorate the hill will grow on them. This will add additional volume and scale to the composition. Such an ensemble will look especially good on a large, spacious area.

It is important to understand that each of the rock gardens made independently is unique. With a little effort, you can create a real “diamond” in your garden. In addition, decorating the slide can be done by the whole family. So, in addition to an impressive result, you will receive a lot of positive emotions from joint creative work.

Children of any age will be able to contribute to the arrangement of the rock garden, and parents will once again have the opportunity to spend time with their children.

Decor

For some owners, it is not enough to simply create a rock garden in their garden, but it is important to make it truly unique. There are many possibilities for decoration. The most effective solution is, of course, the arrangement of a water feature. It's more difficult to make, but the result will be worth the effort. There are the most different variants: you can place a pond at the foot of the hill, or you can organize a waterfall that will flow from the top in a stream or stream.

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A do-it-yourself alpine slide will help you create an original landscape design on the site of a suburban building. Step-by-step photos, diagrams and drawings will help you complete quality project even in a day. Such structures are made using wild stones and unusual flowering crops. Carry out qualitatively installation work will help certain rules, compliance with which will prevent alteration and disassembly of the created composition.

When installing a slide, you will need different stone blocks, sand mass, crushed stone and different types of perennial plants

First of all, you need to choose a suitable place for future alpine slides at your dacha with your own hands, photos of which can be viewed on the website. The best solution may be to choose a site on the southwest or south side. A good option is a place on a slope where low-growing crops can be planted among the stones.

The basis for a small area can be a slope along the border of the territory or even along the edge. When choosing a space for a slide, you should consider the following factors:

the slide must be visible from all sides, so this place must be open;
the structure should be placed in a sunny and bright area where there are no tall trees;
the structure is placed in a place isolated from the wind.

Helpful information! When starting to build a structure, it is worth considering suitable style design. Various landscape solutions involve the use of rocky gardens, ponds or bridges, which should be combined with a slide.

What time of year is suitable for creating a flower garden?

The work performed to install the slide practically does not depend on the time of year. It is not recommended to start work in winter time. The most best period It is considered autumn, when there is time before cleaning the area for the winter. A rocky structure after installation requires time for a certain shrinkage. After this, you can only start planting plants. If the plants are planted in the fall, then the construction of the main structure can begin in the spring. A high-quality alpine slide is created with your own hands using step-by-step photos and diagrams.

Features and rules when performing rock gardens

The rock garden is stylish decor dacha area. To decorate it, perennial plants are selected that have different flowering periods.

When creating an alpine structure, you should follow the following tips:

the structure is erected according to the project, which indicates the number of tiers and the placement of stones;
a certain type of stones and their placement are selected;
flowers are selected taking into account their blooming time, microclimate and color palette.

For your information! The Alpine hill is a small model of a real massif with undulating transitions from a rocky peak to flatter areas. It is important to respect the style of the structure, the size of its tiers, as well as the recreation of all conditions for mountain plants.

Related article:

Do-it-yourself Alpine slide: step-by-step photos, diagrams and construction features

Before starting work, landscape design is thought out. Do-it-yourself Alpine slides, photos of which can be seen in the photo gallery, require a special approach and a well-planned project. When choosing a suitable site for construction, the proximity of groundwater passage is important. If they are located close together, the strength and durability of the structure is threatened. The groundwater level is influenced by special drainage.

Soil and drainage preparation

To make a beautiful alpine slide with your own hands, step-by-step photo instructions and diagrams will help you complete the installation.

First of all, the drainage system is performed:

To do this, a pit is dug larger than the site;
Before this stage, the terrain is marked, which is done using a coil of wire and special wedges;
the height of the trench should not be less than 0.9 meters;
the created depression is filled with crushed stone;
the resulting layer is filled with water;
then a sand and gravel composition is laid, which is compacted;
the extracted layer of soil is cleaned and added on top of the constructed structure.

Stone laying can begin after the structure has settled. This may take about four months.

Helpful advice! You can add crushed stone to garden soil, and add sand to clay soil.

How to place the stones?

An alpine slide is made from stones with your own hands. Step-by-step photos, diagrams and drawings will help you choose best project registration Before laying the stones, it is worth preparing a special mixture. In this case, coarse sand, loam from the garden and compost are used. Crushed gravel is also used.

A similar composition can be distributed over the drainage. After this, the mixture is moistened and trampled. Large stones are installed first, and then smaller ones. When constructing, you should use the following recommendations:

layers of stones should be laid parallel;
the upper stones must be installed on the lower blocks, but not on the soil, as this will cause the sculpture to skew;
if you plan to plant plants with a powerful root system, then you should leave space between the blocks for them;
voids should be filled with soil.

The stones must be laid so that the soil between them does not erode during heavy rainfall. Sandstones, limestones and basalt with granite are used in the construction of this structure. Experts do not recommend using shell rock or tuff.

Helpful information! To retain moisture for plants, the surface of the rock garden can be sprinkled with gravel or stone chips.

Compacting the soil is a mandatory step before laying stones

Video: DIY rock garden construction

Do-it-yourself Alpine slides at the dacha: photos of the best compositions

Mountain structures can be used in various variations. Based on the photo, you can choose the most interesting options:

the composition of a valley in the highlands reflects the appearance of a high plateau, with large stones buried two-thirds into the soil and complemented by bushes different heights and winding paths;

large blocks are required when creating a rock cliff, in this case dwarf fern, mountain pine and juniper are planted;

if there is a slope, you can arrange a mountain slope, which is formed using dwarf pines and heather;

the composition in the form of a gorge is characterized by complexity, while a landscape of different heights is used and the hillocks are lined with boulders;

when constructing a ravine in a forest, fontanel and perennial plants are suitable;

if the area is constantly moist, then you can use a swamp composition, which is formed using a pond;

An original solution is considered to be a cascading stream, along the banks of which primroses, ferns and irises are planted.

Helpful information! The classic solution is a centric structure, in which bright flowers plants are combined with rocky elements. The basis is an area with natural elevation.

DIY Alpine slide: step by step photo, the diagrams of which are presented in this review, can be constructed using the following recommendations:

the humped area is ideal for creating an unusual design;
if cement is not used during construction, the structure can be reconstructed in the future;
suitable height from 0.5 to 1.5 meters;
limestone or sandstone is suitable for plants;
It’s worth considering additional lighting.

With the help of a pond you can decorate any rock garden. Compliance with all the rules will allow you to create a stylish and original structure that will last for many years.

Arranging a rock garden is an incredibly exciting activity that requires a creative approach. In the process, a great abundance of possibilities opens up before you, the main thing is to show imagination and imagination.

What is an alpine slide? In essence, it is an imitation of a mountain landscape with perfectly selected beautiful flowers and plants. Such a composition in the garden should harmoniously fit into the overall landscape, complementing it favorably.

Creating a rock garden is a step-by-step process that requires attention to nuances. First of all, you need to think about the size of the slide itself, optimal location transitions, paths, steps and the structure as a whole.

Choosing the location of the alpine slide

It is very important that the location of the rock garden is well lit. Alpine plants are light-loving: it is the amount of sunlight that affects their growth and development. If we talk about soil, rocky soils with a limited amount of water will be optimal. Excess moisture is extremely destructive for mountain flora, so it is important to prevent stagnation of water in the drainage.

In garden plots, quite a lot of shapeless varieties of stones often form, which owners sometimes use for a future rock garden. In this case there is a risk instead beautiful design get a meaningless and ridiculous mountain of stones. Experienced here landscape designers However, it is recommended to carefully select pebbles based on appearance, size and shape in order to obtain an exquisite mountain landscape.

How to choose the right stones for a rock garden

For your future rock garden, try to select stones of no more than two species of the same size and same structure as possible.

Also consider characteristics plants and flowers that you are planning for the slide. As a rule, they take root well on calcareous rocks with a porous structure, which facilitates the penetration of the roots inside. But such soil needs to be acidified periodically, since it has an alkaline reaction. It is advisable to decorate the spaces between plants and stones with marble chips or crushed stone. So, the rock garden will take on a beautiful finished look.

Tip: buy stones in special stores. This is the only way you will be confident in the quality of the material, because the stones must be environmentally friendly and have a heterogeneous structure.

Most suitable breeds– granite, travertine, limestone, slate and sandstone. Use stones of the same type weighing about 100 kg and showing signs of erosion. The optimal height of the rock garden is up to 1.5 meters.

Varieties of alpine slides

The most common and simplest type is a rocky cliff. Naturally, it is possible if there is a steep slope. In this case, work begins from the base, where large blocks of stone are laid, and then various plants are planted.

The next type is a mountain composition that transforms the design into a unique place of extraordinary beauty. To create such beauty, stone blocks are hidden two-thirds into the ground and chaotic paths are arranged, forming a stunning mountain landscape.

Color spectrum

The maximum effect in creating a rock garden can be achieved by a skillful game of color transitions.

Combinations of three shades are considered luxurious. For example, yellow harmonizes perfectly with pinkish, or lilac flowers. Thus, yellow is balanced by two similar shades.

You can visually bring any object closer by combining yellow and orange, and move it away using of blue color. Take a closer look at any landscape design. Surely you will notice that the blue and blue flowers are almost invisible, and plants with warm shades, on the contrary, visually bring objects closer.

Since ancient times, designers have been using the game of contrasts in order to, thanks to one element, emphasize the splendor and uniqueness of another. One large plant looks much brighter and more expressive if it is surrounded on all sides by low-growing species. But compositions with whole and dissected leaves look most advantageous against each other.

Dominant element

The rock garden will look much more elegant if it is dominated by a bright dominant element. These can be the most spectacular flowers or plants, an original stone or a stream. This accent must be visible from all sides, because it is what gives final completeness to the design, and the landscape is perceived as one whole.

How to choose plants for a mountain composition

When choosing plantings, it is necessary to take into account their sensitivity to light in the place where the rock garden is planned. Remember, not all plants are suitable for a hill and are combined with stones or other types of plantings.

So, for example, the location of the rock garden in the northern part suggests shade-tolerant types. They will also need enough moisture. These include primrose, bergenia, fern and hosta. Light-loving plants, for which soil drainage is less important, are much easier to select. These are tulip, young, thyme, iris, etc.

There are also many universal varieties that are perfect for both sun and shade - violet, bellflower, crocus, muscari, phlox.

IN winter period looks good Canadian spruce, mountain pine, juniper. The most impressive are variegated and evergreen plantings.

Alpine slide in the country

In general, there are no absolutely two identical rock gardens, since each owner of the site tries to bring something new and individual to the design. By the way, many people believe that The best decision for a mountain composition - an option without any construction work (cement, brickwork etc.). This approach provides the opportunity to rework the entire structure in the future and significantly facilitates the work process.

Do you decorate yours? personal plot? Tell us which version of the alpine slide design did you like the most?

Many summer residents, when arranging their plots, install in the garden decorative element like an alpine slide.

It is an excellent decoration for a garden or park. The slide gives the dacha plot coziness, beauty and a sense of nature.

Choosing a place for a slide

When choosing a location for an alpine slide, you need to consider the following factors:

The slide should be in the most visible place on the site so that guests and all family members can admire it.
It should be in the sun, in places not blocked by trees.
It is recommended to protect the alpine slide from contact with the wind.

When installing a slide, the landscape design of the site is also taken into account, on which a lot depends. When organizing an alpine slide yourself, it is best to refuse the services of an architect and do everything as you like and will be inexpensive financially.

You can make such a slide yourself by studying many forums and articles on the Internet.

Start of installation of the Alpine slide

First of all, we decide on the location; do not allow the presence of trees, bushes and other vegetation near it. You also need to wisely choose the location of the slide on your summer cottage.

It needs to be located where the soil moisture level is not very high, this may affect the quality of the slide. Humidity is controlled by using a drainage cover, which is poured under the hill and protects it from excess water.

Slide construction ideas

You need to schematically imagine the appearance of the alpine slide, the location of all the decorations. To build a slide you need:

stones of various types and shapes, for example pebbles;
sand, you can also use different ones (with or without pebbles);
different kinds ornamental plants and flowers, dwarf trees also look great;
to create a forest atmosphere there should be moss;

From available tools and things you can create a work of landscape art. The Alpine slide will delight you with its appearance every day.

We choose stones to decorate the alpine slide.

To build such a decorative slide, he uses stones of various types. Usually they are stones such as: basalt, granite, sandstone.

Often, landscape designers and architects use stones of one specific type, as they look harmonious and are more convenient to work with.

When building a slide, stones must be laid scattered to avoid the same type of arrangement of stones, thereby giving the structure a natural look.

Industrially mined stones are not suitable for these purposes. They try to lay stones that have cracks or chips, hiding the defects so that they do not spoil the overall picture of the slide.

Arranging an alpine hill with flowers and plants

In order for the slide to have a pleasant and attractive design appearance, many varieties of vegetation are used during its construction.

Their numbers and types can be different, which the owners of their summer cottage like. When choosing them, you should pay attention to weather conditions, the type of plants that grow in that area, and many other factors.

And also, before purchasing plants or flowers, you need to contact a person with knowledge in botany, and it is recommended to contact landscape designers, only they have experience in this field.

At independent choice plants, you risk simply destroying the plants. Also, when forming an alpine slide, you can use small ornamental trees. You need to use bright ones rich flowers, which look great on the site, delighting with their beautiful views.

Proper care of an alpine slide

During the first year of using the slide, you need to take care of the plants, water them, feed them with fertilizers, and add soil as necessary.

When operating the slide, it is not recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers for plants, as they accompany active plant growth. Plants and flowers need to be trimmed and dried leaves removed. When watering, you need to monitor the flow of water; it should not erode the soil.

Plants are also susceptible to pests, so they need to be treated. Stones that become loose over time need to be strengthened.

The use of alpine slides in the field of design

With the help of such slides, not only summer cottages and vegetable gardens are decorated, they are also used in the arrangement of parks and squares.

Alpine slides are also widely used in decorating aquariums and terrariums. The Alpine slide will not only transform the dacha plot, but will delight all guests with its beauty and create an atmosphere of nature and comfort.

Photo of an alpine hill at a summer cottage

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A beautiful, well-groomed area is business card any area. It’s good when, among all kinds of plantings in the garden, there is a central element that stands out from the general background.

This element can be a rock garden - a rocky elevation, decorated with flowers and plants and imitating a fragment of a mountain landscape.

Summer residents often confuse two similar concepts - rock garden and rock garden. In fact, they are not too mistaken, because rockery is the general name for rocky gardens, and alpine slide is one of its varieties. At the same time, many landscape designers are accustomed to defining a rock garden only as a flat composition.

A rock garden, unlike a rock garden, is an elevated composition, necessarily tiered, with slopes and a peak.

Alpine slide in the background log house

Compared to a rock garden, it is more difficult to make an alpine slide with your own hands, but it has a more pronounced relief, attracts more attention due to its height, and makes the landscape noticeably more picturesque not only in summer, but also in winter.

You can also use a rock garden to zone a summer cottage, for example, to visually separate work area from the front door. In addition, a rocky hill will beautifully cover embankments that are unsuitable for planting.

From this article you will learn how to make an alpine slide with your own hands and get landscape design ideas from 50 photos of rock gardens.

Planning the composition and design of an alpine slide

So, how to create a composition, how to select and arrange plants and stones? Complete answers to these questions will not fit into one article, but in short, here are a few main rules and principles that need to be followed:

According to the canons, an alpine hill should not consist of boulders and rolled stones (with the exception of rock gardens near reservoirs), but of rough and broken ones. For example, it could be: tuff, sandstone, limestone, granite or slate.
It is advisable to combine no more than 2 species in one composition, otherwise the rock garden will look unnatural.
As a rule, the height of an alpine slide is 3-5 tiers (it is better if the number of tiers is odd). It is better not to make country rock gardens too high - they optimal height– 50-80 cm.

When choosing the design of an alpine slide, be guided by a sense of proportion - the composition should look natural and fit organically into the landscape. Cliffs and rocks (see photo below) in summer cottages most often seem foreign. But simple imitations of a slope or mountain valley without a pronounced peak are appropriate everywhere.

On a small summer cottage, tall types of rock gardens as in this photo are not very appropriate

Now let's talk about choosing plants for an alpine hill. If you build a rock garden strictly according to the rules, then the flora for it must be selected strictly of alpine origin: miniature conifers, shrubs, ground cover, bulbous and herbaceous perennials.

However, real “Alpines” are not so easy to find and raise in middle lane, so you can choose any plants that are characterized by stockiness (height up to 60 cm), unpretentiousness and, of course, decorativeness. It is better to plant on the northern slope shade-tolerant plants: tenacious, periwinkle, fern, bergenia and others. On the southern slope, accordingly, light-loving plants grow better: lavender, barberry, adonis, iris, acena and others. Evergreen plants such as mountain pine, Canadian spruce, juniper and others will fit very harmoniously into the “mountain ensemble”.

It is advisable that the plants of your rock garden remain decorative throughout the season, otherwise withered leaves will spoil the entire composition, and it is unlikely to be possible to hide them behind their blooming “neighbors.” For this reason, it is good to use flyers in the design of an alpine slide. Although they are not entirely “canonical”, they will decorate a rocky garden for a long time.

Step-by-step instructions of 8 steps

Having roughly imagined what our rock garden will be like, we can begin to create an alpine slide with our own hands.

The technology for creating an alpine slide consists of the following stages:

We choose a place, decide on the dimensions;
We draw a diagram of the rock garden;
We mark the contour, remove the turf;
We make a drainage layer;
We prepare fertile soil and fill it;
We erect the core of the slide, add soil;
We plant plants;
Let's add the finishing touches.

Now let's talk about each stage in more detail.

Step 1. Draw a plan for an alpine slide

It is best to start creating even the simplest alpine slide with the development of a project. The simplest option is a schematic sketch, observing the approximate sizes of stones and plants relative to each other. For example, it could be something like this.

1 – Mountain pine, 2 – Creeping thyme, 3 – Canadian Phlox, 4 – Evers’ sedum, 5 – Gray fescue, 6 – Rocky alyssum, 7 – Angustifolia lavender, 8 – Sedum, 9 – Fragrant rue, 10 – Steller’s wormwood. Note: the alpine hill diagram is shown without taking into account the flowering time of plants

Ideally, a slide, especially a large and multi-tiered one, should be designed on a scale of, say, 1:50 or 1:25 (1 cm on paper corresponds to 50 or 25 “natural” centimeters) and with a grid with 2x2 cm cells (that is, with transferring the grid to nature, the cells will correspond to cells of 50x50 cm at a scale of 1:25).

Step 2. Choose a location

Here are some tips for choosing a location for an alpine slide:

It is desirable that the rock garden is located in a sunny place, and the slope is oriented to the east and south. Of course, you can choose a shaded place, but then the choice of flora will be limited - you will have to plant only shade-tolerant plants.
It would be good if the composition was placed so that it could be seen from different angles.
Installing an alpine slide near a house or other buildings is undesirable, since melting snow or drops can cause the flower garden to sag and be damaged.
A rock garden against the background of a fence is not the best idea, but if you can’t find another place, then shrubs planted along the fence or vines as in the photo below will help to improve the background of the hill.

An example of an alpine slide against the background of a fence. By the way, the rock garden here is designed to hide water communications

This small alpine hill would look much better if the fence was entwined with vines or planted with shrubs

You should not build an alpine hill under trees (deciduous and flower), otherwise every autumn you will have to clear the rocky garden of fallen leaves.
If the site has uneven terrain created by nature, then this best option for rock garden.

Suitable places:

The front area of the site;
Entrance area;
Recreation area (in the barbecue area, by the gazebo, pool, pond);
Backyard;
On any rocky retaining walls.

Step 3. Remove the turf

In accordance with the plan, we mark the outline of the future slide in the selected area: we drive in pegs and stretch a string through them.

Next, remove the turf to a depth of just over 30 cm and leave it aside for a while. Later, based on it, we will prepare a soil substrate. While studying land works, do not forget to remove weed rhizomes.

Step 4. Prepare the base

So, we have a “pit” for the rock garden. Now we need to fill it with a “sandwich” of drainage and soil. Broken bricks, pebbles, crushed stone or small gravel can be used as the first layer of drainage. We fill it with a thickness of 10-15 cm, depending on the size of the stones. Next, pour a layer of sand 5-10 cm thick, tamp it well and fill it with water to achieve maximum density.

To prevent the composition from being destroyed by attacks from moles and shrews (if they are found in the vicinity of your dacha), you need to lay a fine metal mesh at the bottom of the pit.
If you are setting up a rock garden on a slope with dry and loose sandy soil, then you don’t need to do drainage.

Step 5. Preparing the soil

When laying the drainage layer is completed, you can begin to prepare fertile soil. We will mix it from equal parts: previously dug turf, peat, humus and sand.

Before preparing the soil substrate, the turf soil must be thoroughly cleared of weeds and their rhizomes.

Step 6. Build the slide

The construction of an alpine slide begins with laying the most beautiful and largest boulders along the perimeter of the future rock garden.

The stones should lie as stable as possible. To do this, they must first be placed on the ground itself. big side, and secondly, if necessary, place smaller support stones under them or add gravel or soil. The bottom row of boulders needs to be completely dug a third or two thirds into the ground - this way you will achieve not only stability, but also the desired natural effect.

Having folded the first row of large stones, we pour the prepared soil into the center of the composition and at the same time lay out the medium stones, forming the second tier.

Finally, small stones are placed at the top of the hill and on the slopes where voids need to be filled. At the top of the slide you can place one large or two medium stones. When erecting an alpine slide, do not forget to check your diagram and leave enough space for planting. Upon completion of the construction of the alpine slide, it needs to be watered generously and left for a couple of weeks to shrink.

Try to lay stones so that the planting pockets are horizontal and not inclined, since plantings on a slope are not very convenient to water.
Before laying each new stone, the soil underneath is pre-compacted.
Remember that the rock garden should have as little geometry and symmetry as possible, because it is rare in nature.

Some experts recommend forming the core of the slide not from fertile soil, but from sand mixed with a small amount of crushed stone (the soil is poured only into the planting holes, and then the entire embankment is covered with it to hide the light sand). This way the elevation will be more reliable and durable. High slides require a core of three layers: gravel (or other rocky scattering), sand and soil (see diagram below).

Step 7. Planting plants

When you are satisfied with the composition of stones, proceed to the most enjoyable stage - planting flora. To do this, first arrange the pots of seedlings on the slopes according to your design, starting with the large ones and ending with the small ones. Planting should begin from the top, gradually going down. The depth of planting holes depends on the size of the root systems of specific species. Finally, the finished slide needs to be watered, washing away the soil from the stones.

Do not overdo it with fertilizers to avoid unwanted growth of plants in breadth and height.
The soil substrate (acidity and alkalinity) can be adjusted for each species.

Step 8: Adding the finishing touches

Hurray, the alpine slide is ready! Now you can add filling to the slide (pebbles, gravel or crushed stone) where necessary, or install decor (garden figures, lanterns, etc.)
Finally, we invite you to watch a visual master class on how to make a simple alpine slide with your own hands.

See also the gallery of ideas for rock gardens in the country.

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