Alpine hill with their hands

Modern philosophy of garden device assumes its decoration, not only gardens, but also the different elements of the landscape, simulating various natural zones of the planet.For reproduction of the highlands are rock gardens.Their so-called not just similar to the mountains of the Alps, and for the reason that in the creation of these objects used predominantly trees and flowers, which are home to high alpine meadows.Rocky garden, arranged on the site in the plain areas, creates a romantic mood mountain scenery.But how alpine slide his hands on the plain can be created?The answer, read on.

device rock garden with his own hands

classic alpine slide is a conical structure made of boulders up to 1 meter.The slopes of the hills are usually graded and covered with flat stones.They may be of different rocks: granite, basalt, limestone or travertine.Often to the top of the hill constructing a decorative staircase.

All construction is flanked by smaller stones along the contour.Between the boulders created a special composition of mountain plants.

Selecting a location for the device alpine garden

to this problem must be approached with great responsibility.Mountain vegetation needs a lot of light, so the place must be open and sunny.It is best if there are natural roughness or slopes at the site.Small gullies can also be decorated and made into a beautiful rock garden.Often, after digging the pit it remains a mountain of soil, which can also be used for this purpose.You can not do alpine hill under the trees, as they not only close the sunlight, but will always break down the slopes under the influence of water falling from the foliage.

especially beautiful rock garden will look next to a small pond.If it is not on the site, then it is possible to make it artificially.Decorate hill and dry snags, house plants in the summer, especially cacti, are digged in the earth for the whole pot.

device drainage system

Most plants grown in the highlands have a weak root system.Therefore, they can not tolerate stagnant moisture in the soil.They need good drainage, which will effectively remove excess water from the root system.To drain the device performs the following:

• mark up the outline of a future slide and removed from the entire surface of the top layer of soil to a depth of 20 - 30 cm At the same time purify the area of ​​all the roots of weeds and debris..
• The resulting lay gravel pit the coarse fraction, a mixture of gravel or broken bricks.
• sprinkle on top of all this fine gravel and tamped.

This underlayment allows very effectively remove excess moisture from the rock garden.

Creating soil

drainage is poured on top fertile soil layer of about 20 cm. The soil at a natural slope improves the addition of various components.Soften hard sand or peat, sand and clay added little or compost.There is a universal recipe for rock garden soil mix: 2 parts humus, 1 part sand coarse fraction, 1 part of a mixture of mulch (shredded bark, compost, torfoperegnoy).Sometimes it is necessary to be guided by certain species of plants, but in any case, after laying down the soil must be slightly compacted.

Mountain plants are not very demanding on soil fertility, but in different ways relate to its acidity.For this reason it is necessary to know the preferences of each plant, which is scheduled to land on the alpine hill.The soil will need to be prepared for each group of plants separately.In order to make it more alkaline - lime is added and mixed to increase the acidity of the peat.Most of the plants from the highlands prefer soil with a pH = 6.

To better plants have taken root, it will take about 2 weeks before they make a landing in the soil fertilizer.It is best to fit a small dose of nitrogen, potash and phosphate compounds.Trace elements also did not interfere.The main thing is not to organize the excess nitrogen, as this may adversely affect the hardiness, and will contribute to an excessive increase in green mass.

Creating a composition of stones

When forming an alpine slide, you need to gather up a sufficient amount of stones.Suitable any rock.Sufficiently large boulders not more than 5 pieces, since the slopes at the location they do not obscure each other.Smaller stones to be sorted so as to obtain two sets.One set - a beautiful boulders that are essential for the decoration and the second set is a collection of rubble for technical purposes.

Laying begin with the largest boulders.The best stone is placed on top of, and around it create a composition of smaller, which should be in harmony with it.All stones are put layers and each layer pour the soil.At the same time the first row should be buried in the ground by about a third.The soil between the rows of stones is well tamped in order to avoid the appearance of mice that will surely make any void their burrows.Then the soil and allowed to settle dub about 2 or 3 weeks.

on the natural slope of the ravine, stones can be stacked stages.This creates a feeling of mountain terracing and well strengthens the slopes for planting the plants.Stones laid in this case radially at a hill, and in a horizontal row.It is necessary to create a permanent small bias towards the top.

What is better to choose stones for rock

Since the stones are the main component for any rock garden, then their choice should be taken with great care.It is best if all the stones are of the same type of rock and blend in color.Interesting and natural looking unprocessed natural boulders or clastic rocks.Well, if they're old.You can also use heterogeneous smooth stones, but to build them from the composition is somewhat more complicated.Very spectacular view are covered with moss and lichen boulders.Bury the stones in the ground should be more than half, and sharp edges to hide.They shall not hang up.With regard to species, the most suitable for the alpine slides seen: granite, travertine, sandstone, limestone and slate.

Granite - a very beautiful and rugged rock, slightly prone to weathering.At the same time it is quite expensive and is capable of oxidizing the soil around them.Limestone - gray, cream or white stone, which is very quickly erode.At the same time the edges are smoothed out, and appear on the surface of mosses and lichens.Sandstone has a cellular structure and come in different shades of gray to reddish.Prone to weathering, but less than the limestone.Tuff - very light volcanic rock.It provides excellent root system air plants, neutralizes too acidic environment in the soil.It is very well plants grow, what gives this stone advantage before the granite.

stones pebbles - rounded pebble rock.They are inconvenient to pick up for each other, as they are all different colors and shapes, but these stones in perfect harmony with lawns, stunted coniferous shrubs and trees.Sometimes if you can not get natural rock, used artificial stones that mold of concrete solution and fragments of bricks or blocks of light concrete.This, of course, output, but not the best.

landing of plants and care for them

Plants are planted in spring or autumn.To do this, they are very well laid out and watered at the places of landing.Then dig wide holes in which are placed the seedlings and their well-watered.Then sprinkle the ground roots and tamped.Top again make a good watering.To plants are well rooted in the first season before the winter, they need to be watered with great regularity.This is done at least once a week, and in very hot weather every 2 or 3 days.If the seedlings were planted in the fall, they need to check and fix the spring.

Caring for rock garden is not very difficult.Enough time to remove the weeds, to monitor the plants and protect them from pests and diseases.In winter you need to close the hill spruce branches or other means.Just before it should be clean, dry leaves - the source of all plant diseases.As a more practical use pine twigs branches than spruce, fir needles since very quickly showered.

What plants are planted in the rock garden

attractiveness of the alpine coaster is highly dependent on what kind of plants, and in what order to grow on it.The choice of plant species depends on the thickness of the soil cover.Mosses and lichens, yellow and white stonecrop enough only a few centimeters of soil and high perennials and conifers with low-growing trees must be at least 50 cm.

space between the stones, too, plays a great value.The larger the plant, the more it should be.Sometimes it makes sense to spread the stones niche similar to the nest, where to plant certain types of plants.Invasive species should seat so that they could not force out with all the other slides.If a small rock garden, it is best to plant it over and undersized unpretentious species: Ajuga reptans, saxifrage, cleft sprouts, cat's paw, stonecrop, a young, thyme.

more extensive area of ​​rock garden can be grown much larger plants such as honeysuckle, Saskatoon, euonymus, juniper.Do not interfere in such compositions grass and ferns.Do not forget about the time of flowering of each plant.Distribute they need so that hill all summer was blooming and green.Important height, shape and color of the growing cultures.They also need to combine harmoniously.If the plant blooms large flowers, it should be planted individually, must be smaller groups.

to slide bloomed all summer, you need to plant for spring: tulips, daffodils, Adonis, backache, edelweiss, primrose, Scylla, crocuses and snowdrops.In summer, its color will please: bells, alyssum, purslane, eschscholzia, campion, vervain, campion and Iberis.Plants can sit down during the summer.Note that the perennials are best planted in August and September.

economic component of the rock garden construction

Creating a small alpine garden without the use of expensive tree crops very cheaply, at independent manufacturing and assembly of its stones under natural conditions.If you want to create a truly realistic mountain landscape with beautiful natural stones and pine perennial plants, you will have to fork out serious.Stones will need at least 2 tons of the hill size 300H150 see. If you live in a mountainous area, the problems it will not be.

For residents of the lowland areas of purchase and delivery of such a large number of breed will cost quite expensive.conifers cost for rock today is quite a decent amount of spruce barbed - from 300 USD, Norway spruce - 50 USD, Scots pine - $ 200, juniper - $ 30You can, of course, find it all in the nearby woods, but a planting material is unlikely to have a nice decorative look.For pine, has only a few branches protruding in the same direction can not be a rock garden decoration.

creating a rock song, you must understand that this is not a one-time.Work on it should be carried out continuously and with great attention.It is not always the plants take root, which brings frustration, but in the end alpine garden, created by the hands, will bring joy.The main thing is to take care of her constantly: pour the soil, fertilize it, remove diseased plants and protect them from the cold winter.