We build a rock garden with our own hands

Recently, the classic landscape design standards have undergone changes. Now, in addition to plaster sculptures and picturesque flower beds, the owner of the site can please himself and his guests with an alpine slide - a rock garden.

It serves as the main element of landscape decoration in areas with luxurious mansions, in city parks, on the main streets.
The atmosphere of luxury created by the rock garden causes the erroneous assumption that such landscape decorations are very expensive. However, if you properly understand the construction technique, then the owners of modest country houses, cottages and summer cottages will be able to break the rock garden with their own hands. Properly selected plants and stones will create an atmosphere of luxury and well-being on the site for everyone.

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Rock garden classification

If you show patience and diligence, then creating a rock garden with your own hands will not be difficult. Below are considered in detail the methods of independent planning and creation of an alpine slide.

Particular attention should be paid to the main element of this decoration, which is a series of stones of different sizes and shapes. It is conditionally called "gray silence". A group of gray stones needs to be harmoniously diluted with vegetation, which should combine coniferous, saxifrage and cover rocks. They are the most characteristic of the alpine terrain.

It is extremely important to observe naturalness when creating a rock garden with your own hands. To do this, stones and plants should be placed in a strict form, but at the same time rather chaotically. Everything should look like in a natural, natural environment.

Alpine slides are usually divided into several types. This is due to the selected material and the shape of its location. Depending on this, these elements of landscape design are divided into:

• on rock gardens with a stream;
• mountain slopes;
• small swamp;
• Alpine meadow;
• forest ravine;
• Japanese garden.

For a complete understanding, it is necessary to consider each of the above types.

Rock garden with a stream

This species is ideal for people who are lucky enough to have a natural stream or a small pond on their own territory.

To create an attractive rock garden with your own hands, you need the following:

• at the bottom of a reservoir or stream, place rounded stones;
  a small area adjacent to the reservoir should be randomly decorated with stones and fern-like plants (one of the most moisture-loving and visually attractive);

• the arrangement of stones and vegetation should look natural;
• with a competent approach and with a desire, an existing stream can be transformed by making it a waterfall or a rapids cascade;

• in the coastal zone of a stream or waterfall, an ostrich will look perfect - a breed of fern that is widespread in the wild. This species differs from its counterparts in wide, feathery leaves and reaches a height of 1 meter. This plant will create an atmosphere of wild nature on an alpine hill.

mountain slope

This type of rock garden can please with its appearance the owners of plots on the territory of which there are natural relief varieties, for example, small mounds. Visually, they should resemble natural mountain screes with an arbitrary arrangement of stones of different sizes and shapes.

A bouquet of vegetation when decorating an alpine slide should not include large plants. A good choice would be dwarf pines or junipers. If desired, they can be diluted with ferns, which against their background will look quite impressive, creating an image of the wilderness.

small swamp

Almost all people who are interested in ennobling the site despair when they find a swampy island in their land, especially if attempts to drain it were in vain. However, this disadvantage can be turned into a significant advantage. To do this, you need to turn the swamp into a rock garden.

In the center of this unfavorable area, it is necessary to dig a small pit and cover it with pebbles, stones and sand. Through natural processes, this pit will quickly fill with water and turn into an attractive pond. Its appearance is well complemented by plants characteristic of the swampy area. Bathing suits are one of them. The root system of these flowers is located under water, and the leaves and large-sized flowers float on the water. Recently, a hybrid variety of bathing suit has been gaining popularity, which is characterized by bright yellow or orange flowers.

With due attention, this problematic part of the site can be ennobled beyond recognition by creating an amazing rock garden on it.

Alpine meadow

Creating this type of rock garden with your own hands will not require significant efforts from the owner of the site. Such an alpine hill is a small area of ​​green meadow with various flowers, which smoothly turns into a rocky mountain slope. In this area, it is necessary to plant silky types of grasses that are typical for mountainous areas. On a green background, the colors of violets, forget-me-nots, primroses, red or yellow mytnik, pink saxifrage, golden buttercups and others will look perfect.

forest ravine

Do-it-yourself creation of this type of rock garden implies the presence on the site of the corresponding landscape in the form of a small ravine. It should serve as a support for stones, between which plants should be located that do not require an abundance of sunlight. Between large stones at the bottom of the hollow, you can make an artificial spring that complements the appearance of the rock garden. For a forest ravine, various varieties of Japanese maple will be ideal plants, the nobility of which will be successfully complemented by needles, juniper or ferns.

Japanese garden

This type of alpine slide will be an ideal place for lovers of the calm creation of natural beauty and philosophical reflection. Creating such a rock garden with your own hands does not provide for a large number of materials. He has minimalism. The main thing is to convey the flavor of the countries of the rising sun.

To do this, it is necessary to place several coniferous plants on the selected site. The space between them must be filled with a small amount of relatively small stones. Their arrangement should be well planned, but despite this - look natural. Boxwood can be planted next to the stones. Moss-covered stones will create an indescribable illusion that they have been lying on these places since time immemorial.

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How to start building a rock garden with your own hands

“Before starting work, it is recommended to create a sketch of the future rock garden, which should take into account all the favorable moments of the landscape”

If you have a strong desire to create an alpine slide on your own site, you should use the step-by-step plan for its creation, which is presented below. Thanks to this, it will be possible to avoid many mistakes and make an approximate estimate. Before starting work, it is recommended to create a sketch of the future rock garden, which should take into account all the favorable moments of the landscape. It is also important to determine the number of levels of the alpine slide. This will allow you to calculate the cost of its creation.

1. The right choice of terrain. When choosing a site for the future location of the rock garden, you should remember that it will become the main property of the site, so it should be located almost in the most prominent place. In most cases, people prefer to spend most of their free time next to the rock garden, so care should be taken in advance to place paths, tables, benches and a hearth nearby. All this must certainly complement each other, merging into a single ensemble.

2. Having chosen the most suitable place, you should make a markup in accordance with the drawn up sketch. For this, it is best to use lime or sand. This will make it possible to visualize the future rock garden and the territory adjacent to it.

3. Having finished with the markup, you need to accurately determine the location of the stones. If such a site consists of clay or black soil, then it must be drained before starting the construction of a rock garden with your own hands. Sandy soils do not need such preparatory procedures. For drainage, it is necessary to dig a hole, the depth of which should be about 30 centimeters. Its cavity needs to be filled with one of the building materials of large fractions and covered with dug earth on top. The level of loosening should not exceed the level of the rest of the area. For additional compaction, it is recommended to pour water over this area from above.

4. In the extreme parts of the site on which the rock garden will be located, it is necessary to place the largest stones. If possible, they can be slightly deepened into the ground. In this case, they will look as natural as possible. The inner part should be filled with soil accumulated during the drainage process. The following tiers of rock garden and vegetation will be located there. Plants need to be planted in a measured manner, as they will need space for the formation of the root system. The space between the largest stones is also filled with earth.

5. Having created the planned number of rock garden levels with your own hands, you need to start creating the top, which will complete the composition and also prevent soil erosion. As a top, one relatively large stone, as well as several smaller ones, laid out in the form of a pyramid, can be used.

It is important to understand that even if there is no vegetation in the rock garden, it should look beautiful and natural. Stones should be arranged harmoniously, but asymmetrically. Only in this case, the alpine slide will seem natural and organic.

Place to stay

The rock garden is the main attraction of the summer cottage, so the place where it will be located should have a good all-round view. As a rule, this is the central, southern or southwestern parts of the lawn. In this case, a self-built rock garden will receive a sufficient amount of sunlight and heat.

This site decoration should not be located next to any buildings. Large trees and shrubs are also inappropriate, although in the distant background they will contribute to a more spectacular perception of the appearance of the rock garden. When choosing a site, you should also take into account the unique relief features of the site that can complement it. These include:

• ravines;
• small hills;
• lowlands;
• natural reservoirs.

The presence of high vegetation in the background should not break the uniform color scheme, so the color of plants and trees in the background should be approximately the same. If desired, the flower garden can be crossed by a rocky path or a dry reservoir of white rocks, as well as nearby benches. This will be a very effective addition to a landscape masterpiece - a do-it-yourself rock garden.

An alpine slide with a pond looks very beautiful, especially if characteristic plants bloom in it. On a small island of land near the boundaries of the reservoir, you can place a large-sized coniferous plant. This will create an interesting image of the rock garden and visually expand its boundaries. A small waterfall falling into a pond will look truly bewitching.

Do-it-yourself rock garden drainage

The best solution would be to start work on the installation of an alpine slide in the autumn period of the year, since by spring warming the soil will settle and it will be possible to make final adjustments to the location of the stones before planting.

Work must be carried out only in dry weather. First of all, it is required to dig a relatively shallow hole (up to 80 cm), which should subsequently be filled with rubble or broken bricks. This is necessary for the future stability of the rock garden and the removal of unnecessary moisture. At a depth of 30 cm, the remaining space should be filled with sand, which must be properly compacted. For this, watering is mainly used.

Soil preparation

The soil for planting vegetation must be thoroughly cleaned of possible weeds and their root systems. It must be diluted with peat, humus and coarse sand. Each of the components should be added in equal amounts and then thoroughly mixed. In the future, the resulting soil must be poured onto a site previously prepared by drainage. This will be the basis for creating a rock garden with your own hands. Its height should be at least 80 - 100 centimeters. The resulting slide should lie for at least two weeks. This is necessary for its shrinkage. Next, you can proceed to the installation of stones.

Proper placement of stones

At the base of the alpine slide, the largest boulders should be located. On the second level there are smaller stones. Each of them should be as stable as possible. To do this, they need to be carefully sprinkled with soil, sand and gravel.At this stage of creating a rock garden with your own hands, you should remember about the areas where the plants will be located, so you need to leave an appropriate place for them. In the arrangement of stones, the most important thing is organicity, therefore it is recommended to install them asymmetrically and as varied as possible, so that the impression of the natural origin of an alpine slide is created. However, with all this, excessive randomness should be avoided, since this will violate the aesthetic integrity of the landscape work.

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The choice of plants for the alpine slide

When planting plants, it should be borne in mind that some of them can grow very strongly. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the intervals between them. Ultimately, the plants shouldn't completely cover the rocks, so there shouldn't be too many of them. You should start with the largest flowers and be guided by the following rule: the smaller the final size of the plant, the more representatives of this species should be. In addition, smaller flowers should be placed in the foreground so that larger ones do not cover them. To properly plant flowers on rock gardens, you need:

• make a small depression in the ground and fill it with a small amount of water;
• the flower must be placed in a recess with a lump of soil, lightly pressing it down with your fingers;
• it is necessary to level the soil, adding a little to the missing one and again pour it with a small amount of water;
• if desired, you can decorate the flower with a layer of gravel. This will become quite an effective element of decor.

When planting flowers, the main thing is to check the absence of air pockets. Otherwise, the root system will hang down, spoiling the appearance of a self-built rock garden.

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Choosing the right type of stones

"The rock garden is an imitation of a mountain landscape dominated by stones of irregular, but at the same time beautiful and natural shape"

The right choice of stone is the key to success in creating a spectacular, aesthetic and organic alpine slide. It should be remembered that the rock garden is an imitation of a mountain landscape, which is dominated by stones of irregular, but at the same time beautiful and natural shape. They are constantly polished by gusts of mountain wind and precipitation, so sharp or too rounded stones of river origin are not quite suitable for an alpine slide.
One of the best solutions for creating a rock garden with your own hands will be the choice of limestone or sandstone.

Dolomite will also look very good - a bright representative of sedimentary rock, layered shale, as well as basalt and light gneiss. An invaluable example for a rock garden will be a natural forest boulder, on the surface of which moss and lichen grow.

When using limestone rocks in creating an alpine slide in your area, you must be prepared for an alkaline reaction when they come into contact with the ground. This will create an unfavorable environment for the full development of some vegetation. To avoid this, the rock garden soil should be slightly acidified.

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Helpful Hints

The above instructions for building a rock garden with your own hands will help anyone who wants to create a true work of art of landscape design on their own territory, which will delight their views all year round. However, in addition to the tips and recommendations listed above, there are a number of useful tricks that will make it possible to simplify the process of creating an alpine slide as much as possible, as well as make it as attractive and organic as possible:

one.Rock garden stones must be of the same type so that its landscape looks as natural as possible;

2. The size of the stones should depend on the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site allocated for the rock garden. The larger the area, the larger boulders can be used to create a flower garden;

3. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of plant species. The best will be those that are continuously covered with a variety of flowering spots. In addition, it is worth paying close attention to the timing of their flowering;

4. It is better to give preference to evergreen varieties of undersized flowers. In this case, it will not be necessary to remove fallen leaves, which often fall between boulders;

5. Several undersized coniferous plants located between the stones look very nice. Also, the rock garden can be diversified with creeping plant species with small flowers. In addition, it is worth considering cover plants to achieve a more decorative slide;

6. When building a rock garden with your own hands, it is permissible to use stones of non-natural origin, such as concrete or brick. Saxifrage may well grow from the cracks between them, and moss can grow on their surface. In addition, if desired, you can use ceramic tiles, artificial stone made of colored resin, as well as decorative glass stones of small size, which fit quite well into the design of reservoirs;

7. Regarding the choice of plants, the owner of the site is also given complete freedom. When making a rock garden with your own hands, it is allowed to use colors that have nothing to do with the alpine climate. Among the most common species are lilies, roses, calendula, viola, strawberries. Such an approach can give a genuine personality to the style of the future slide. The main thing with this improvisation is to follow the basic rules of gardening a rock garden with your own hands, namely, vegetation should not obscure more than half of the surface of the stones;

8. You can use houseplants for landscaping a landscape slide. This will enable the owner to periodically replace them with others, as a result of which the rock garden will be regularly transformed. In this case, flowers should be buried directly in pots;

9. When making a rock garden with your own hands, you can afford complete freedom for creative thinking. If desired, you can supplement the slide with decorative elements that are not typical for wildlife. We are talking about a variety of figurines and fragments of colored ceramics.

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How to properly care for rock garden

In terms of care, the alpine slide is quite whimsical. You will have to watch her constantly. In the spring, it is required to clean it of old leaves and spoiled vegetation. In addition, you will have to monitor the stable position of the stones and, if necessary, add soil. In the summer, it is necessary to transplant some flowers, regularly water and fertilize them, and trim them.
In autumn, you can start new plantings. The main thing is to prepare the rock garden for the winter, namely to cover it with spruce branches. It should certainly be fixed with heavy objects or with the help of a wall.

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Conclusion

When creating a rock garden with your own hands, it is extremely important to pre-plan the sequence of work. It is not necessary to adhere to classical concepts when creating an author's masterpiece. This is a personal choice of everyone, a matter of taste. To date, you can find a huge variety of alpine slides, in which there are almost never repetitions. The main thing is simplicity, organicity and originality, expressing the personal style of the owner.

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Photo gallery - do-it-yourself rock garden

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