How to make a rock garden with your own hands

Rock garden do it yourself

The rock garden, or rocky garden, is very popular today. They fit perfectly into any landscape and significantly enrich the compositional content of the garden. This article will discuss the basic principles of organizing a rock garden.

The main goal of organizing an alpine slide is to demonstrate high-altitude cultures, complemented by its ability to create an atmosphere of naturalness.

Traditionally, for the design of rock gardens, plants characteristic of the Alpine region were used, but gradually non-original crops began to be included in the alpine slides, only superficially resembling their high-mountainous counterparts. Thus, the alpine slides have acquired a touch of fabulousness and are used, among other things, for decoration in a fantasy style.

Rock garden: basic rules for the device

A correctly chosen place for an alpine slide is the key to its harmonious combination with the surrounding landscape. The slides look most organically on natural slopes, on the banks of ponds or streams, on the edge of ravines.

The lighting mode is also important: alpine plants can suffer from the bright midday sun, so it would be best to position the rock garden so that it is illuminated by the sun until 12 noon. Despite the dislike of highland crops for drought, stagnation of water in the soil is also contraindicated for them. Therefore, in the case of a high level of groundwater at the site, drainage will be required - for this, an interlayer of fragments of bricks, gravel and even construction waste is suitable.

Another very important point in organizing a garden is the choice of stones for the slide. It is necessary to adhere to the uniformity of the rock: regardless of the size, the stones must match each other in shape and color. Boulders of different composition and color will not be able to form a single composition and will create the feeling of a random pile-up. Do not forget about the chemical properties of the selected breed - they must meet the needs of the plants that will be planted on the hill. For example, crops that prefer an acidic environment will not take root on a limestone hill.

The shape of the stones directly affects the way they are placed on the slide. For example, flat stones are best stacked in layers - this idea is especially good for small rock gardens. Asymmetrical, angular stones are recommended to be placed so that they touch tightly and form an asymmetrical composition, consisting of elements of different heights.

Finally, attention should be paid to the land on which the alpine plants will grow - as a rule, these crops do not need nutrient soil. Ordinary garden soil, mixed with peat and sand, is quite suitable for creating a rock garden. If the composition contains plants that need acidic soil, the peat content should be increased. Crops growing on limestone cliffs may require additional application of lime or ash.

Alpine slide care

Despite the undemanding nature of alpine plants, the alpine slide needs constant care from the very moment of planting. At first, the earth will constantly settle and tamp - it is necessary to add an earth mixture and regularly loosen its surface. Also, at first, intensive watering will be required. Finally, the rock garden will constantly need protection from weeds that annoy the plants and spoil the appearance of the composition.

Another problem that rock garden owners face is plant diseases and pest infestations. In the summer, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plants that make up the alpine slide in order to prevent the spread of viral diseases. The presence of a virus can be determined by the state of leaves and flowers - they change color and shape. It is easier to prevent the disease with the help of preventive treatment of plantings than to treat already affected plants - most often it is necessary to remove diseased bushes. It will not be superfluous to have a spare area where reserve crops will be grown, they can replace those killed by diseases and pests.

Types of rock gardens

In areas with steep slopes and large blocks of stone, you can build a rather laborious variety of rock garden called "rocks" (another name - "cliff"). The purpose of this type of alpine slide is to simulate the natural outcropping of rock. Stones in such a rock garden are placed using the dry masonry method. Any stone will do, except granite. Traditionally, mountain pine, juniper bushes, fern, and alpine plant varieties are planted on the "rocks".

Alpine slides of the "mountain slope" type look organically on the sloping slopes. Their essence is an imitation of rock talus with undersized pines holding it back. For such a slide, large angular blocks are required, depicting fragments of rocks. When choosing plants for the "mountain slope", vertical accents should be avoided, giving preference to soil-growers and dwarf varieties of conifers.

To design a rock garden as a "mountain valley", you need to pick up boulders or blocks of the same type. They should rise above the ground by no more than a third. Due to the flatness of such a composition, it becomes possible to lay paths winding between the stones. From plants, shrubs and tree crops of various heights are suitable, as well as spring perennials, ornamental varieties of heather and cereals. Moss and other ground cover plants will help create the overall backdrop of the composition.

Another laborious, but very spectacular type of rock garden is called "alpine lawn". Most often, this imitation of an alpine meadow is an integral part of other slides, for example, the "mountain slope". Inhabitants of the high mountainous regions of the Alps - edelweiss, dwarf grasses, etc. are planted on the "alpine lawn". This type of rock garden requires constant care, since wild alpine plants grow rapidly in garden conditions.

In areas with natural depressions, you can arrange a rock garden of the "forest ravine" type. To do this, it is necessary to fix the slopes with stones; reservoirs will also be appropriate for this design. Of the plants, ferns, shrubs and low conifers are suitable for creating such an alpine slide.

In the middle of the two slopes, a rock garden, called a "gorge", is often placed. To decorate its walls, dry masonry and undersized rocky plants are used.

"Water cascades" ("streams") are often part of a large rocky garden. Their use must be justified by the features of the relief, otherwise the cascade will look unnatural. Bulky, angular stones should be avoided, and gravel is used to create a dry cascade. On the banks of "streams" it is better to plant moisture-loving plants of coastal zones - iris, berry, fern, cereals.

On excessively humid areas, it is allowed to place a "swamp" - a natural rocky garden in the form of a half-overgrown pond. In the absence of water, the bottom of the proposed reservoir is masked by marsh and moisture-loving crops. The banks of the "swamp" are formed by rounded stones and intricately curved snags dug in 3/4 into the ground.

"Mixborder" is a densely planted elongated flower garden located along paths or walls.In the Alpine "mixborder", in addition to plants, there are stones dug into the ground, sometimes alternating with terraces.

A kind of alpine slide called "Japanese garden" looks exotic - it does not copy the Japanese style, but only quotes it. However, in order to avoid dissonance, it is better to isolate this section of the garden into an isolated area. Moss plays a special role in such a rock garden - it thickly covers the stones, smoothing out their silhouettes and softening the transitions between them. As a rule, in the "Japanese garden" there are groups of stones (from 3 to 5), reservoirs, moss-covered surfaces. The traditional plants for this type of slide are pine, spruce, boxwood, willow, maple, almond. Acceptable crown shapes are round and weeping; obvious vertical accents are undesirable.

The modular flower garden “miniature alpine slide” was traditionally created in stone cattle feeders; at the moment, ceramics and artificial stone serve as the material for them. Such a peculiar container is filled with the smallest varieties of plants and ground covers. There are indoor varieties of alpine slides, placed on windowsills.

Rock garden photo