An alpine slide in a garden or on a personal plot allows you to realize the dream of a harmonious oasis in which wildlife and inanimate nature are perfectly combined with each other. The decorativeness of the rock garden consists of a whole compositional ensemble of inaccessible and cold stones and lush blooming of green spaces with its own special energy. Artificially created mountain slopes, decorated with calm greenery, allow you to feel like a conqueror of mountain peaks and enjoy their unique beauty.
There are many types of alpine slides and you can choose what is more suitable in terms of resources and preferences. But to create a "zest" in your garden in the form of a rock garden is not only to lay out flat stones on the territory, you need to spend a lot of time, patience and effort to achieve a complete image and obtain a high-quality result. There are several basic rules that are recommended to be taken into account when arranging an alpine slide on your own.
Choosing a place for an alpine slide
The first thing to start with is to choose a place on the site where the object will be erected. The "face" of the alpine slide should look in the direction of the southeast or southwest, and the "mountain slope" (if such is planned) - in the south direction. The plot must be sunny and open. The object on it cannot look lonely and apart. On the contrary, it should be in harmony with all neighboring and nearby objects and cultures. The ideal location for a rock garden is considered to be a recreation area or an area near a residential building. This decorative structure will attract attention and admiration.
Number of materials
After choosing a location and assessing the available area for the work, you can start the project plan. It is necessary to reflect the sketches and sketches of the future structure, the sequence of work and, of course, the preliminary amount of materials used.
To bring the project to life, you will need many different natural stones. Their number depends on the scale and types of the alpine slide. For example, for a high multi-level slide, you will need large boulders with a natural irregular shape (without additional processing), which will be used to simulate a gorge, cliff, mountain slope or plateau. Treated stones in the shape of a rectangle are necessary for the construction of a retaining wall. Also, you can not do without stone chips, gravel, crushed stone, sand and cement.
When building a stone garden with a flower garden (rockery), it is assumed that such a landscape is built for many years and does not require frequent changes, so less stone materials will be needed for it. But creating a relief from artificial irregularities, stones will be used much more.
To create a natural and harmonious object, landscape designers are advised to choose for construction only stones of a given area and always of the same breed. The minimum weight of one large stone should not be less than thirty kilograms, and the total weight of giant stones on the site begins with a mark of four hundred kilograms. The total average weight of small "stone" material (crushed stone or gravel) for one rock garden is 300-500 kg.
It is necessary to preliminarily consider ways of transporting stones and other heavy objects around the site. Any suitable means of transportation will help save time, energy and health. Work on the construction site can only be started when all the necessary tools and materials are already at hand.
The main stages of work
All work consists of three main stages, but before proceeding to them, you must first mark the territory, according to the prepared plan, evaluate the preliminary result and, if necessary, correct it by making small changes. With the help of a rope or twine, wooden pegs and bright ribbons, you need to outline the contours of the alpine slide and designate its largest elements. After that, you can proceed to the first stage.
- The land plot must be cleared, a drainage layer must be laid (if a rockery is planned), planned artificial irregularities and stone hills must be created, a channel must be laid for a future stream (or other type of reservoir) and the support walls of a rock garden must be erected.
- The work consists in arranging large stones in the form of a planned composition or ensemble and in preparing the soil layer for planting vegetation.
- The stage that requires taste, creative thinking and imagination is decoration. It consists in planting plants, placing additional accessories and placing fine stone material (gravel and stones).
Drainage layer construction
High-quality drainage helps prevent stagnation of water and rotting of the root system of plants, controls soil erosion and shrinkage, and maintains a moderate warmth of the soil in the off-season. The most suitable material for drainage is pebble (large) or broken red brick.
The top layer of soil with a thickness of ten to twenty centimeters (depending on the type of rock garden) must be carefully removed and spread around the perimeter of the pit. Then smooth the resulting surface and thoroughly clean it of all vegetation and its roots. If the future rock garden assumes a flat relief, then the thickness of the drainage layer is 10 cm, with the further construction of irregularities in the territory - 20 cm of drainage.
After laying a ten-centimeter drainage layer, it is covered with fertile soil and the surface is carefully leveled. A thick (20 cm) drainage layer serves as the main platform for the construction of various heights and irregularities and therefore is not covered with soil.
Features of the device of a multi-level alpine slide
A multi-level rock garden is the most difficult type and requires a lot of patience and responsibility in the construction. Its reliability and durability depend on the quality work when creating this structure.
The first row of stones, which are the supporting wall, are laid out along the perimeter, placing them as tightly as possible to each other and deepening into the ground by about ten centimeters. For the reliability and strength of the connection of stones, it is recommended to use cement mortar or tile adhesive.
For the full development of future plantations, it is very important to prepare the soil, which will be located at the bottom of the rock garden and help maintain moderate moisture, as well as prevent erosion. It is recommended to mix the removed earth layer laid out along the edges of the pit with peat or humus, as well as with fine pebbles or coarse sand (in equal proportions).The resulting mixture must be laid on a drain, tamped well and poured with plenty of water for quick shrinkage.
After the first level dries up, they move on to the construction of the second. A layer of crushed stone or gravel is applied to the surface of the earth and a second terrace of stones is laid out, fastening them with a reliable solution. It must be borne in mind that a place must be left between the stones for the future bed of the reservoir. The terrace on the second level is covered with soil, watered abundantly and left to shrink.
With each new level, the area of the next terrace gradually decreases. In the final, a separate stone is exhibited, which will become the top of the rock garden. The height of the alpine slide depends on the land area used for the base. To build a meter-long structure, you will need about 10 square meters of land.
To complete the process of soil subsidence, as well as to fully dry the solutions, the object is left for about 10-15 days. Only after that you can proceed to decorating, planting plants and arranging the reservoir. Plants are recommended to be planted, starting from the top and gradually moving to the bottom of the hill.
The device of small rock gardens
Alpine slides with a height of about one hundred centimeters will require less effort and the amount of materials. Construction waste (for example, pieces of brick or stones) can be used as a core and a reliable foundation for a structure. With their help, the contours of the slide are indicated (right on top of the main drainage layer), and then a soil mixture is poured on top, which will be resistant to erosion and shrinkage. Its composition: garden soil, expanded clay, pieces of red brick and fine gravel. The average thickness of this layer is 50-60 cm. The next layer is again drainage, consisting of the smallest pebbles or crushed stone, on which large stones are placed or stone slabs are laid, burying them by about forty percent into the soil. The surface of the rock garden is covered with fertile soil about 20 cm thick. The composition of this soil mixture should be light, loose and nutritious and correspond to the preferences of flower crops.
The final shrinkage of the slides takes approximately 20-25 days. After that, you can plant numerous plants, arrange various decorative details and small stones. Large stone boulders on such a mini-slide are not advised to be used, unless they are located at the base of the structure.
Landscaping of rock gardens
The main plants of the alpine slides are herbaceous and semi-shrub species of low height. In the natural environment on the mountain slopes, you can find mainly low species and varieties. The vegetation of the created rock garden should look as natural and believable as possible. And to maintain its attractiveness throughout the year, it is recommended to choose winter-hardy (evergreen) and coniferous crops. The color of green foliage or needles goes well with stone compositions.
Plants for a rock garden should be distinguished by such basic characteristics - unpretentiousness, cold resistance and drought resistance. To maintain the decorativeness of the relief and create a harmonious composition, experienced flower growers and landscape designers advise planting flower and deciduous crops in a checkerboard pattern.
