Alpine hills are increasingly appearing on personal plots, squares, recreation sites. The landscape composition of boulders, a waterfall, plants resembles a piece of a mountain landscape, which pleases with bright flowering from spring to autumn. The combination of rough rocks and delicate flowers, emerald grass creates a sense of serenity and particles of exotic wild nature. To build an alpine hill, you do not need the skills of a landscape designer, enough patience and physical strength to lay out rocky structures, plant flowers. You can see interesting solutions in the photographs, and then adapt them to the landscape, site design. Creating a rock garden with your own hands is an exciting process, as the slides are populated with vegetation, new ideas appear, the landscape composition is complemented by lamps, clay pots.
The Alpine hill is an earthen mound with stones of various shapes laid in tiers, between which shrubs and undersized flowers grow. An artificially created relief imitates elements inherent in a mountainous area - a plateau, slopes, cliffs. To reproduce a copy of the alpine landscape, a stone flower bed is planted with mountain plants. Such a botanical extreme is not adapted to local conditions, so it is often replaced by local tulips, crocuses, lingonberries, periwinkle. Rockery differs from rock garden in flat surface, a large number of stones. The rocky-gravel site is formed on a flat area, can be located on an area of several tens of meters. Externally, the rockery is close to the landscape of the middle strip, planted with steppe and forest vegetation.
Varieties
Rock gardens are distinguished by relief, before starting to create a picturesque area, you need to take into account the landscape features of the house area or park area.
View
Features
Recommendations
1
Mountain wall
Used in the construction of terraced slopes. Flowers and creeping junipers are planted in niches and recesses left in masonry and filled with soil.
After creating the wall, it is abundantly watered from the spray gun to root the plants
2
Rocky hill
Small stones are laid at the base of the embankment, a peak is created from large fragments, alpine plants are planted
A hill of boulders, layered stones combined with paved paths, lawns
3
Gorge in the mountains
In a small ditch or hollow, stones of different heights are laid out on the slopes, plants are planted between them
The landscape composition is suitable for areas with natural ravine terrain, two slopes. To strengthen the ravine, boulders burst into the ground
4
Mountain valley
The stones are buried in the ground for three quarters, paved paths, create a grass carpet, planted shrubs
The abundance of herbs and flowers can be supplemented with a fountain or a small pond
5
Rock cliff
They create fractures of the mountainous area with the help of stone debris, the cliff is planted with fat plants, creeping plants
Work starts from the base of the slope, boulders tightly fit
6
Mountain Creek
The bottom of the stream is littered with river stones, pellets are laid along the banks, and moisture-loving plants are planted.
Ferns with wide feather leaves planted near the stream create a wildlife effect.
7
Alpine garden
The garden is broken on an inclined or flat surface, use a minimum of stones
The emphasis is on shrubs, bright plants
8
Japanese motives
They create the appearance of a collapsed rock, the picturesque area is decorated with basalt, tuff, the area at the base is decorated with perlite, fine gravel
Emphasize the style of the plant gray, tan, muted red, asymmetrical dwarf shrubs
9
Mini rock garden
Felling in a large trunk, a ceramic container, a basin filled with earth, small stones, planted sedums, grains, armeria
Pre-do water drainage and drainage
Location selection
The rock garden on the site is the central element that should be clearly visible, in harmony with garden paths and other decorative details. It is unacceptable to be located near the picturesque area of greenhouses, beds, utility buildings. The most successful places for landscape composition are lawns, slopes, hollows, small hills that are not far from recreational areas, isolated from the wind.A terrain with a high level of groundwater negatively affects plants and the stability of the stone structure. To drain moisture create a drainage pond that will divert water, complement the stone flower garden. Alpine flora is photophilous, a mountainous fragment is preferably located on the eastern or southeastern side, where there are no shading trees. For a partially darkened area, you will have to select the appropriate vegetation. So that the rock garden does not lose its attractiveness, watering means should be located nearby.
Planning and preparatory work
The developed project will help to conduct accurate marking on the site, to plan work. On paper, you need to schematically identify the main elements with an indication of the sizes.
Preparation of the base for the alpine hill consists of several stages:
the scheme is transferred to the site, the contours are indicated, the turf is removed with a thickness of at least 40 cm:
to protect against excess moisture and gas exchange, a pillow of 10-20 cm of crushed stone, broken brick is formed;
the surface is covered with a layer of coarse sand 5-10 cm, watered;
a mixture of fertile soil, wood chips, humus, fine gravel is laid and compacted on the prepared drainage.
These stages cannot be ignored; drainage not only normalizes the moisture balance, but also works as a foundation. A stone flower garden will not sag over time.
In places where massive stone fragments will be placed, large fragments of brick are laid, densely compacted.
Selection of plants for planting
For an alpine hill, vegetation with a different flowering period and slow growth is selected. Not all alpine plants take root well, so landscape designers often use representatives of the forest and steppe flora. The basis of the composition is composed of undersized juniper, mountain pine, arborvitae, fern, blueberries, lingonberries. The flower bed is filled with lavender, fescue, marigolds, frankincense, dolphin, periwinkle.Around the rocky structures, a pillow from Morisia and Krupka looks beautiful. Sunflower and phlox are planted in the middle rows. Medicinal and spicy herbs get along with stones: lovage, basil, thyme, sage, oregano, mint. Between the stones you can arrange indoor crops in pots. For summer vacations, pelargonium, indoor roses, hydrangea, hippeastrum, aloe are transported to the country house. Moss give a natural look to mountainous fragments.
The classical rock garden is populated by plants characteristic of rocky slopes, alpine meadows, high mountains.
winter-hardy and unpretentious willow Boyda with fluffy leaves combined with creeping coniferous shrubs and flowering perennials, does not grow to the sides;
cotoneaster bushes with small white inflorescences, red fruits survive well on artificial mounds;
Erica blooms from early spring to October;
Canadian derain creates a white-green carpet on an alpine hill;
a miniature tree the joster looks beautiful against a background of stones;
creeping evergreen euonymos take root in shaded places.
Unpretentious flowers are chosen for the rock garden: coneflower, alpine cloves, rocky alissum, juvenile, hare tail. It’s difficult to care for capricious edelweiss, rocky bells.
Planting pattern
Visually, the rock garden is divided into tiers, each level is filled with vegetation similar in terms of care.
Tiered filling
Tiers
Recommendations
Plants
1
Upper
Planting photophilous, resistant to wind, lack of moisture grass and flowers
Iberis, juvenile, edelweiss, creeping thyme
2
Average
Penumbra cultivars selected
Woolly cleaner, phlox, sunflower, alpine aster
3
Lower
The foot is decorated with shade-loving and moisture-loving cultures
Rhododendrons, conifers, saxifrages
Rock gardens begin to be planted with shrubs, conifers and tall plants that look spectacular at the foot of large stones.Niches for heat-loving seedlings are insulated with small expanded clay.
Choice of stones, styling option
To make the right choice, you need to know the degree of fragility, porosity of each rock.
Sandstone - blocks with a coarse-grained structure are used not only for decoration of an alpine hill, but also for planting shrubs with small roots.
Granite is used in combination with conifers, heather bushes.
Tufa is suitable for alpine flora, beautifully overgrown with lichens.
Slate exfoliates into sheets, fits well into the mountain wall, ladder.
Dolomite lowers the acidity of the soil, easily processed.
The laying option depends on the type of alpine slide. To recreate the valley, blocks are laid randomly. For a stony wall, flat fragments of the same height are chosen, compensating for irregularities with small pebbles. When laying a hill on a slope, stones are placed in parallel with a slight slope back.
Step-by-step styling of a classic rock garden
The first tier is laid out from large blocks, the gaps are filled with small stones, the empty space is covered with pebbles. For natural shrinkage, a rocky structure is formed in the fall. In advance, they think about laying so that it is easy to move along the hill for watering, weeding. To create a natural effect, symmetry and uniformity are avoided. The first tier is laid out from large blocks, they are buried by a third of the volume. The gaps are filled with small stones, between them leave space for plants. The laid row is covered with soil, compacted, watered. The following tiers place smaller stone fragments. The top of the alpine hill is crowned with a large beautiful stone.
To preserve naturalness, the rocky structure is constructed from one breed.
Alpine hill irrigation system
If the substrate is properly prepared, mulching is performed, then the flower garden is watered only in the dry period. Mulch retains moisture, sprinkles once a year.Cold water is suitable for alpine flora, flowering garden and indoor plants like warm watering. Facilitate the care of rock garden drip irrigation. The irrigation system is quickly mounted with their own hands from ready-made kits. The kit consists of microhoses with droppers, through which water flows from the storage tank to the roots. They develop better, the appearance of conifers improves, the immunity of seedlings is strengthened. With drip irrigation, a crust does not form, there is no enhanced evaporation, which is harmful to flowering plants. The volume of water discharged can be adjusted by the control unit.
Decoration
Decor from natural materials, artificial ponds, lights, give the rock garden a unique place. The mountain landscape is complemented by dry streams. With proper arrangement, it seems that a water stream has recently flowed along a dry riverbed. The source of the brook should go out from under a large block, the mouth is hidden in green spaces, large leaves. The water surface is imitated by pebbles, fine gravel.
Alpine slide with a pond
A pit is torn out for a pond, the walls are insulated with butyl rubber film. A small pond can be made from a car tire or a special fiberglass liner, which is laid in a pit that repeats the sides of the sides. For a stream flowing along a stone channel, a pump is mounted in a pond, connected to a water supply hose. For the cascade, take flat stones, fasten with mounting foam, cover the seams with small fragments. Decorate the rock garden, create a cool little fountain. To facilitate the work, buy a pump with a built-in filter. The unit is installed in a container, filled with water, turned on according to the instructions. To create a fountain without a pump, the water pipe is led into a pond. Water can be taken to the garden for irrigation.
Backlight slides
The rock garden looks spectacular in the evening, illuminated by mini spotlights or led-lamps on pegs.Lamps with a wide angle of dispersion illuminate shrubs, directional lights illuminate flowers, foliage. The easiest option for backlighting is solar-powered lights. The lack of cable gives freedom of action, lighting devices can be installed on each tier, highlight a pond, terraces. Ground lamps can outline the contour of the picturesque area or highlight bushes. Underwater lighting with lamps of different colors visually increases the volume, colors the water. Solar-powered floating balloons freely move around the pond.
Replace the lights, highlight the contour of the alpine slide stones and pebbles, coated with luminescent paint.
Arrangement of a reading zone or tea party
Behind a fragment of mountain nature, there is a lawn for relaxation. For comfort, the two sides are framed by a green wall of deciduous shrubs, undersized varieties of cypress and thuja, which reach 80-90 cm. A rock area with smooth contours, strewn with gravel or paved with the same material as paths, is combined with rock garden. The seating area is equipped with rattan garden furniture. For a table, a slab (large-sized slab) of rock is laid on a base of blocks. Original tables and benches are made of gabions and boards. Such options create a sense of harmony and integrity. For reading at the pond, you can lay a pallet on the stones. He will warm, decorate the site with a stone street hearth.
Rules and Care Tips
To care for the alpine hill, you do not need special skills. Herbs, shrubs, flowers develop well on the mulched soil mixture, which was provided during the preparation of the stone flower garden. Plantations correctly planted in tiers do not need frequent watering. The "population" of the rock garden is abundantly watered only after planting. There are enough fertilizers for several years in the planting substrate of conifers from nurseries. On the Internet you need to see how to properly water, cut, feed, plant each plant.
Landscape care varies by season.
After spring melting, the shelter is removed from the hill, fertilizing is applied, gravel mulch is renewed, cracked stones are replaced and the loose stones are strengthened, and cracks are covered.
In summer, the remains of peduncles are removed, damaged leaves, shoots are cut, plants are transplanted in May or August. Instead of weeding, chemicals are treated with weeds. The diluted agent is injected into the weed growth point with a syringe or onto leaves.
In late autumn, leaves are removed so that the stony ecosystem does not freeze, they cover with fir spruce branches. On clay soil they make branches for melt water.
In winter, if there is little snow, snow cover on their own.
Conclusion
To build an alpine hill, it is necessary to lay a drainage base. It will prevent subsidence of the stone structure and stagnation of water. It is necessary to tune in to long-term work on preparing the site, planting seedlings, seedlings, creating conditions for the survival of a populated ecosystem. Even with the independent arrangement of the composition, a lot of money is spent on bonsai, stone blocks. To save money at the cottage, the territory of a country house, you can create an imitation of a mountain landscape from improvised materials. Stones are selected along the perimeter of the fields to be cultivated, seeds of fragrant herbs are collected in the forest in the meadows, blueberries and lingonberries are brought from the forest. In a new place, periwinkle, ferns, tansy, forget-me-nots, lungwort, crocuses, snowdrops quickly take root. Hard work and imagination will help to create a unique composition. The main thing is not to overdo it with the decor, the rock garden is not decorated with artificial materials.
Alpine hills are increasingly appearing on personal plots, squares, recreation sites. The landscape composition of boulders, a waterfall, plants resembles a piece of a mountain landscape, which pleases with bright flowering from spring to autumn. The combination of rough rocks and delicate flowers, emerald grass creates a sense of serenity and particles of exotic wild nature. To build an alpine hill, you do not need the skills of a landscape designer, enough patience and physical strength to lay out rocky structures, plant flowers. You can see interesting solutions in the photographs, and then adapt them to the landscape, site design. Creating a rock garden with your own hands is an exciting process, as the slides are populated with vegetation, new ideas appear, the landscape composition is complemented by lamps, clay pots.
Content
Features
The Alpine hill is an earthen mound with stones of various shapes laid in tiers, between which shrubs and undersized flowers grow. An artificially created relief imitates elements inherent in a mountainous area - a plateau, slopes, cliffs. To reproduce a copy of the alpine landscape, a stone flower bed is planted with mountain plants. Such a botanical extreme is not adapted to local conditions, so it is often replaced by local tulips, crocuses, lingonberries, periwinkle. Rockery differs from rock garden in flat surface, a large number of stones. The rocky-gravel site is formed on a flat area, can be located on an area of several tens of meters. Externally, the rockery is close to the landscape of the middle strip, planted with steppe and forest vegetation.
Varieties
Rock gardens are distinguished by relief, before starting to create a picturesque area, you need to take into account the landscape features of the house area or park area.
Location selection
The rock garden on the site is the central element that should be clearly visible, in harmony with garden paths and other decorative details. It is unacceptable to be located near the picturesque area of greenhouses, beds, utility buildings. The most successful places for landscape composition are lawns, slopes, hollows, small hills that are not far from recreational areas, isolated from the wind.A terrain with a high level of groundwater negatively affects plants and the stability of the stone structure. To drain moisture create a drainage pond that will divert water, complement the stone flower garden. Alpine flora is photophilous, a mountainous fragment is preferably located on the eastern or southeastern side, where there are no shading trees. For a partially darkened area, you will have to select the appropriate vegetation. So that the rock garden does not lose its attractiveness, watering means should be located nearby.
Planning and preparatory work
The developed project will help to conduct accurate marking on the site, to plan work. On paper, you need to schematically identify the main elements with an indication of the sizes.
Preparation of the base for the alpine hill consists of several stages:
These stages cannot be ignored; drainage not only normalizes the moisture balance, but also works as a foundation. A stone flower garden will not sag over time.
Selection of plants for planting
For an alpine hill, vegetation with a different flowering period and slow growth is selected. Not all alpine plants take root well, so landscape designers often use representatives of the forest and steppe flora. The basis of the composition is composed of undersized juniper, mountain pine, arborvitae, fern, blueberries, lingonberries. The flower bed is filled with lavender, fescue, marigolds, frankincense, dolphin, periwinkle.Around the rocky structures, a pillow from Morisia and Krupka looks beautiful. Sunflower and phlox are planted in the middle rows. Medicinal and spicy herbs get along with stones: lovage, basil, thyme, sage, oregano, mint. Between the stones you can arrange indoor crops in pots. For summer vacations, pelargonium, indoor roses, hydrangea, hippeastrum, aloe are transported to the country house. Moss give a natural look to mountainous fragments.
The classical rock garden is populated by plants characteristic of rocky slopes, alpine meadows, high mountains.
Unpretentious flowers are chosen for the rock garden: coneflower, alpine cloves, rocky alissum, juvenile, hare tail. It’s difficult to care for capricious edelweiss, rocky bells.
Planting pattern
Visually, the rock garden is divided into tiers, each level is filled with vegetation similar in terms of care.
Tiered filling
Choice of stones, styling option
To make the right choice, you need to know the degree of fragility, porosity of each rock.
The laying option depends on the type of alpine slide. To recreate the valley, blocks are laid randomly. For a stony wall, flat fragments of the same height are chosen, compensating for irregularities with small pebbles. When laying a hill on a slope, stones are placed in parallel with a slight slope back.
Step-by-step styling of a classic rock garden
The first tier is laid out from large blocks, the gaps are filled with small stones, the empty space is covered with pebbles. For natural shrinkage, a rocky structure is formed in the fall. In advance, they think about laying so that it is easy to move along the hill for watering, weeding. To create a natural effect, symmetry and uniformity are avoided. The first tier is laid out from large blocks, they are buried by a third of the volume. The gaps are filled with small stones, between them leave space for plants. The laid row is covered with soil, compacted, watered. The following tiers place smaller stone fragments. The top of the alpine hill is crowned with a large beautiful stone.
Alpine hill irrigation system
If the substrate is properly prepared, mulching is performed, then the flower garden is watered only in the dry period. Mulch retains moisture, sprinkles once a year.Cold water is suitable for alpine flora, flowering garden and indoor plants like warm watering. Facilitate the care of rock garden drip irrigation. The irrigation system is quickly mounted with their own hands from ready-made kits. The kit consists of microhoses with droppers, through which water flows from the storage tank to the roots. They develop better, the appearance of conifers improves, the immunity of seedlings is strengthened. With drip irrigation, a crust does not form, there is no enhanced evaporation, which is harmful to flowering plants. The volume of water discharged can be adjusted by the control unit.
Decoration
Decor from natural materials, artificial ponds, lights, give the rock garden a unique place. The mountain landscape is complemented by dry streams. With proper arrangement, it seems that a water stream has recently flowed along a dry riverbed. The source of the brook should go out from under a large block, the mouth is hidden in green spaces, large leaves. The water surface is imitated by pebbles, fine gravel.
Alpine slide with a pond
A pit is torn out for a pond, the walls are insulated with butyl rubber film. A small pond can be made from a car tire or a special fiberglass liner, which is laid in a pit that repeats the sides of the sides. For a stream flowing along a stone channel, a pump is mounted in a pond, connected to a water supply hose. For the cascade, take flat stones, fasten with mounting foam, cover the seams with small fragments. Decorate the rock garden, create a cool little fountain. To facilitate the work, buy a pump with a built-in filter. The unit is installed in a container, filled with water, turned on according to the instructions. To create a fountain without a pump, the water pipe is led into a pond. Water can be taken to the garden for irrigation.
Backlight slides
The rock garden looks spectacular in the evening, illuminated by mini spotlights or led-lamps on pegs.Lamps with a wide angle of dispersion illuminate shrubs, directional lights illuminate flowers, foliage. The easiest option for backlighting is solar-powered lights. The lack of cable gives freedom of action, lighting devices can be installed on each tier, highlight a pond, terraces. Ground lamps can outline the contour of the picturesque area or highlight bushes. Underwater lighting with lamps of different colors visually increases the volume, colors the water. Solar-powered floating balloons freely move around the pond.
Arrangement of a reading zone or tea party
Behind a fragment of mountain nature, there is a lawn for relaxation. For comfort, the two sides are framed by a green wall of deciduous shrubs, undersized varieties of cypress and thuja, which reach 80-90 cm. A rock area with smooth contours, strewn with gravel or paved with the same material as paths, is combined with rock garden. The seating area is equipped with rattan garden furniture. For a table, a slab (large-sized slab) of rock is laid on a base of blocks. Original tables and benches are made of gabions and boards. Such options create a sense of harmony and integrity. For reading at the pond, you can lay a pallet on the stones. He will warm, decorate the site with a stone street hearth.
Rules and Care Tips
To care for the alpine hill, you do not need special skills. Herbs, shrubs, flowers develop well on the mulched soil mixture, which was provided during the preparation of the stone flower garden. Plantations correctly planted in tiers do not need frequent watering. The "population" of the rock garden is abundantly watered only after planting. There are enough fertilizers for several years in the planting substrate of conifers from nurseries. On the Internet you need to see how to properly water, cut, feed, plant each plant.
Landscape care varies by season.
Conclusion
To build an alpine hill, it is necessary to lay a drainage base. It will prevent subsidence of the stone structure and stagnation of water. It is necessary to tune in to long-term work on preparing the site, planting seedlings, seedlings, creating conditions for the survival of a populated ecosystem. Even with the independent arrangement of the composition, a lot of money is spent on bonsai, stone blocks. To save money at the cottage, the territory of a country house, you can create an imitation of a mountain landscape from improvised materials. Stones are selected along the perimeter of the fields to be cultivated, seeds of fragrant herbs are collected in the forest in the meadows, blueberries and lingonberries are brought from the forest. In a new place, periwinkle, ferns, tansy, forget-me-nots, lungwort, crocuses, snowdrops quickly take root. Hard work and imagination will help to create a unique composition. The main thing is not to overdo it with the decor, the rock garden is not decorated with artificial materials.