Rock garden: species, device, plants

The beauty of the mountains fascinates us so much that we want to have a small part of it even in a small area near the house. Therefore, probably, rock gardens and rockeries are becoming more widespread. These are plantings in which stones are combined with plants, and they differ from one another in the ratio of these components. Rockeries are dominated by stones - their absolute majority. Plants in them are present only in very small quantities. In alpine slides - rock gardens - there can be a significant amount of plants. They mimic alpine meadows with characteristic vegetation. Moreover, making an alpine slide with your own hands is not so difficult: you need to know its characteristic features and construction rules, which are then applied in practice. All the intricacies of the structure of the rock garden will be discussed further.

What are

Since the alpine slides copy real mountains, they can differ greatly in the shape, quantity, size and type of stones, the way they are laid, and in relief too. For example, there are layered stone slides, which are also called "Czech rolling pins". They differ in the vertical arrangement of layered rocks.

The Czech rolling pin is a prime example of a layered alpine slide

Rocky slides are the most common type of rock garden in our area. It is a small earthen embankment with stones spread over it. Stones are layered or boulders, the space between them is filled with rubble, pellets, pebbles or smaller boulders. This will be a rocky slide.

Rocky slide - easy to do it yourself

But there are those in which the fertile layer occupies a significant area. In this case from greenery lawn single boulders stick out, flowers and small conifers stand out as bright spots. Such plantings imitate alpine lawns.

There are alpine slides with a large proportion of fertile soil

There are alpine ravines. If the site has a similar relief, you can equip it by making an artificial stream. To do this, lay out the bottom and edges with stones, make a small bottom pond, from which water is pumped to the top of your "cliff".

Diagram of the device of an alpine slide with a waterfall and a pond and a waterfall

Plant moisture-loving plants along the banks of the stream and pond, on the stones - suitable alpine grasses, flowers and perennials. Such a structure, of course, is more complicated in technical terms, it also requires more costs - a pond, a stream, a slide - all require investments. Such complex systems are already considered landscape slides, since they partially change the appearance of the entire site.

And another type of rock gardens - terraces. Dividing the site into terraces is necessary if it is located on a slope. Then a layered device is the best way out. Retaining walls are laid to level the soil. They are often made of reinforced concrete, and then decorated with boulders. Ground cover plants also thrive on these retaining walls.

Retaining walls can also be decorated with plants

The same principle - the organization of terraces - is used on flat areas, but with a different purpose: to make it more picturesque. In this case, the height difference is created artificially, and this is a large amount of land work.

Stones: what and where to get

The basis of a slide of any type is stones and you will need a lot of them - several tons, and of different sizes. Choose from those breeds that are more common in your area.Chipped blocks look best, but already stale, with dark edges. Smooth-sided pellets can also be used, but creating a natural composition from them is not easy. You will need about one fourth of the large size, about the same as the average - the rest is small stones.

Granite looks great. But it is hard and "cold" even the most tenacious saxifrage can rarely grow on it, and the soil next to it quickly acidifies. This, too, must be borne in mind and periodically adjust the acidity (or plant plants that love acidic soil).

Slab stones look good on low slides

It is best to use tuff. It drains water well, water flows well through it, which is even more important - plants grow well right on it. What is more important - it neutralizes acidity, which is pleasant to the "Alpines".

Lime slabs are also good, but they are exactly slabs, they are good for decorating alpine plains or very low and gentle hills.

How to make an alpine slide

First, select the area where the rock garden will be laid out. Depending on the conditions on it, they choose the type of slide and the plants that can be planted on it.

Experts recommend not to make a "grave" - ​​a mound in the middle of a flat area looks just like that. If there is even a small natural or artificial "base" it is better to start the slide from it. It can be a well, a large old tree, even a wall of some kind of structure, from which a rock garden descends with ledges. On a flat surface, rockery is more appropriate - a flat structure of stones and plants.

The slide looks most harmonious on an area with a slope

How to choose the type of rock garden

If the site is bogged and located in a lowland, you can equip a small pond or swamp, the edges of which are decorated with stones. But even on stones, in this case, moisture-loving plants are planted - they will successfully drain the adjacent area. If drought-resistant breeds are planted in such a place, they will wither until they die - they require different conditions.

The Alpine valley looks no worse than a slide, and on flat areas, it is definitely better than a "pimple out of the blue"

For a sunny or shady but dry area, any type of slide can be organized. It is difficult to create a large elevation difference on a flat area - it is more appropriate and easier to do something like a mountain valley, an alpine meadow or a low hill. If there is a difference in height, you can arrange it in the form of a rockery or increase the existing difference in heights by arranging a slide on one side, from which a rock garden will "run away" with terraces or a covered slope.

When to start

Unless you play around with the relief that is, you will have to shift and pour soil and stones, sometimes broken bricks and other similar construction waste are poured into the base of the hill. All this is poured over with soil and rammed, then earth is poured on top, which is interspersed with stones. And so from the foot, to the very top, stones and earth. It is clear that the entire structure will shrink. And a decent one - up to 1/4 of the height. For this reason, a do-it-yourself alpine slide is often created in two stages: the first - ground work - is carried out in the fall, the second - planting of plants - in the spring.

Stones, flowers, water - beauty ...

So that during wintering with plants or without rain and the melting of snow does not wash out the soil much, the most problematic areas are fixed with a net, burlap. You will see where the water comes off most after the first rain. You can speed up the process by watering your slide with water. In those places where the water comes off most of all, lay with a net, sprinkle with small stones. In the following winters, the roots of plants will gradually fasten the earth, but they will finally grow only after a few years, so stones will need to cover the soil in the following winters, only carefully.

Diy alpine slide: sequence of actions

Regardless of the type of landing chosen, the sequence of actions during the arrangement will be almost the same. It all starts with simple but voluminous earthworks, then exercises with weights follow, and only then - planting.

STEP 1. We mark out the contours. On the allocated place, outline the contours of the future slide. They don't have to be symmetrical - they should look natural. In any case, it is worth striving for. Therefore, it is better if the shape consists of different broken and rounded lines. First, you can develop it on a sheet of paper, then, using a colored rope or cord, transfer it to the ground (you can outline the contours with a path made of sand, for example, etc.).

Marking is the first thing when arranging a site

STEP 2.  We remove the fertile layer, organize drainage. On the delineated area, soil is removed, plant roots are removed. If the soil does not drain water very well, add rubble and ram it. This is a drain to drain water and maintain normal humidity. Plants growing on stones do not tolerate stagnant water and waterlogging. They are used to a minimum of moisture. And it is necessary to create similar conditions for them. Sand is poured on top of the crushed stone, with a layer of 10-15 cm, and upward is already a fertile layer or a special substrate for the selected plants.

If the soils drain water normally, it is not necessary to pour crushed stone, but you need to remove the plant soil: the plants will break through the stones and it is difficult to deal with them. Therefore, cleanse everything qualitatively.

We remove the sod and fertile layer to a depth of about 20 cm

Sandy soil may have another problem: it may be too loose (silty sands). Then the stones will "float away" all the time. You can solve the problem if you fill in the rubble and drive it well into the ground, if this is impossible - spread it in the pit geotextile (used in the construction of roads and in landscape design) and fix it along the edges of the pit. In this case, it is desirable to take a dense one so that it can withstand the mass of soil and stones. He will not let the stones change their location and will hold the entire structure. In especially severe cases, it may be necessary to pour a concrete base - a reinforced slab.

Step 3. Forming the relief.A layer of soil about 20 cm thick is poured onto the sand. The first, largest stones are placed. They must be partially "drowned". This will look more natural. For a traditional slide, stones are stacked rather than upright. When organizing a Czech rolling pin, on the contrary, all the plates are placed upright. But these are fundamentally different formations and we will talk about the manufacture of a rolling pin a little lower - there is a different principle of formation.

Correct and incorrect laying of stones in a hill

The heaviest stones are laid in the first row. The gaps between them are filled with soil, which can be interspersed with smaller "unformatted" stones, which will look bad when opened. Having laid the stones, they check their stability: you need to jump on them. If it stands, does not move, you can continue to work. The second tier is laid out - the boulders are slightly smaller. And in the same way, the distance between them is filled with smaller stones and soil.

Below are the largest and heaviest stones

According to the same principle, the third tier is formed - small stones are already laid here, which can be interspersed with very small ones.

Step 4. Planting plants... As already mentioned, this stage can begin six months after the formation of the relief. Since the conditions are different for everyone, then the plants are selected based on them. But if we talk about an alpine slide, then, in theory, only those plantations that grow in the Alps should live on it. Basically they are not very bright, and they feel bad in our latitudes. They are planted by true connoisseurs of mountains. And the overwhelming majority in their dachas and personal plots plant plants that they personally like best.Strictly speaking, this is already a flower garden or a composition with stones ... But, whatever the name of the building, it has a right to exist if it brings pleasure to the owner.

What can be planted on a low hill or in a rockaria

What is the difference between the device of the Czech rolling pin

As already mentioned, the Czech rolling pin is made up of vertically placed plates. Such slabs in our market can be bought from sandstone or limestone. Find more or less one color, but different shapes and thicknesses - from one centimeter to tens. And look for those in which at least one facet was dark - weathered. They are exposed outside. Some more will be needed with two "tanned" edges. When making up the slides, they are exposed outside - so it is more beautiful and “more natural.

The beginning of the formation of the Czech rolling pin

It all starts the same way: marking the site and excavation, filling the drainage layer. Here's where the differences begin. "Ridges" are formed from large slabs and they are placed on the edge with a slight slope - about 5 °.

We lay out smaller layers between the dominant ridges, fill the gaps between them with a substrate or soil. If you are going to plant alpine plants, they do not need too much of a nutrient medium. They may even die in it. They need to create conditions close to natural, therefore you will have to adapt to them and make up your soil mixture for each type. The basis can be considered as follows: mix in equal parts light meadow soil, river sand with coarse grains and stone chips. In order for the soil to better hold the water of brick chips: our summer temperatures are higher than in the Alps and dries faster and faster. Fill in the gaps between the slabs with this potting mix.

Filling the gaps with soil and smaller layers

Plants are planted in these "rocky outcrops". Then the remaining gaps are covered with about 2-3 cm with a layer of fine stone chips of the same color. This, firstly, will add naturalness, and secondly, it will prevent it from drying out. The problem with water outflow is solved automatically - it goes perfectly into vertical slots. And since the soil mixture is loose, no stagnation is formed.

Plants for an alpine slide: planting rules, names and photos

To obtain a decorative effect, not only and not so much flowering plants are more important, but those that have beautiful and lush foliage, which retains decorativeness throughout the entire period: from spring to late autumn.

The planting of shrubs and trees must be approached very carefully: they grow, nevertheless, decent in height, attempts to cut them only harm their appearance. Look for dwarf varieties if you wish, but check their height. You can recommend horizontal junipers - they grow to the sides, but hardly grow upwards. You can use mountain pine or nesting spruce. But this is with a sufficient relief height. Trees and shrubs are planted in any case in the "lowland", and so that it does not block the view.

An example of planting trees and bushes

Plants are planted in groups, but so that there is a solid free space between them, filled with stones or small chips. A solid carpet is not for a rock garden. Here each plant is a soloist and there should be a separate scene for each. Therefore, in the foreground are the smallest ones, behind them are of average height and the highest are in the background.

Ahead - the shortest

Some plants that are often planted in rockeries in the country or near the house with a photo are presented in the photo gallery. Please note that mainly one or two varieties are depicted, and there can be more than a dozen of them (this is usually the case).

Video tutorials on creating a rock garden