Alpine hill, or rock garden
Alpine hill is one of the forms of the device of a rocky garden, and the most acceptable in the scales of a small space in the suburban area. Alpine hill should be formed on an existing or artificially created hill with a slope to the south-west or south-east.
The height of the slide depends on its area: the larger the area, the higher it should be. However, its maximum height should not exceed 2 m, otherwise the care of the hill will be very difficult for the
.On the plot you usually make a small hill with an area of 6-10 m2 and a height of 50-80 cm.
The ideal slope for the alpine slide is a slope with a slope of 10-15 °.But if there is not one, you can form an artificial hill or a hill by pouring various materials.
From the site allocated for the rock garden, shovel the top fertile soil layer to a depth of 20-25 cm. At the same time, remove all perennial weeds. The formed depression( bed) for 10-15 cm is filled with crushed stone, broken brick or slag, which will serve as the drainage base of the slide. Drainage is necessary, since all the rock garden plants do not tolerate stagnation of moisture. The drainage layer must be carefully tampered with. On wetland soils and areas with strongly compacted clayey subsoil that poorly passes water, the drainage layer should be increased to 30 cm, the depth of the bed should also be increased accordingly. On the drainage layer at the bottom of the hill lay rubble, broken brick, any accumulated building debris on the site, the land left from under the foundation, forming a hill of the planned height and shape. The top layer of the slide with a thickness of at least 20 cm should consist of fertile soil. If the removed soil is clayey, sand or sandy loam is added to it, if sandy is clay or loam, then mineral fertilizers are introduced, mixing them thoroughly with soil. Many do not recommend adding fertilizers to compact rock garden plants did not grow too much. Fertile soil layer is poured over the entire surface of the slide. Then you can proceed with the layout of the stones.
In places allocated for stones, small pieces of polyethylene film should be laid with holes for water drainage done in it. The purpose of the film is to prevent the growth of weeds and to reduce the degree of settling of the stones.
The stones for achieving the greatest decorative effect are best to pick one-color, ideally - the same structure: sandstone, dolomite, limestone, tuff, shell rock, granite, boulders. On high slides, occupying a large area, it is possible to use large stones, on small ones, small ones that do not violate the harmony of the dimensions. On an alpine slide of medium size, large stones( 25-diameter
60 cm) look good. Small and the same in size and shape is best not to use, as they give the impression of monotony. Lay out the stones you need parallel to the surface of the hill, seeking maximum naturalness of their placement. On the slope, the stones should be placed so that water does not stagnate - some rocks start to crack or peel off, and the plants suffer from waterlogging.
The stones must be fixed on the surface of the slide and not overhang. They stack them from the bottom.
Of the available stones, you need to choose a large beautiful stone, which will become the center of the composition of the bottom of the hill and lay it at the foot. The stone should be dug into the ground at a third of its height, pouring rubble under the base, and carefully tamp the earth around. The stone should not be swayed. Likewise, smaller stones should be laid on either side of the main, central stone at the bottom of the slide.
Smaller stones should be laid closer to the boundaries of the rock garden. Thus, the bottom row of stones will be formed. After that it is necessary to lay the second row, placing the stones in the most natural way, then all the subsequent rows, until all the stones are laid. It should be remembered that the stones should not be placed closely. The spaces between the stones are covered with soil. Their area should be sufficient for the life of plants, for example for primrose need not less than 10 cm2.After this, you can start planting plants. Stones on the Alpine hill must serve as a backdrop for ornamental plants and
to compose with them a picturesque composition. Decorative plants, different in shape and size, are placed between the stones at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. Particular attention should be paid to the soil mixture, which is poured into the hollows between the stones, as it is the immediate habitat of plants and largely determines the beauty of the alpine hill. Almost all the plants of the rock garden need well drained and simultaneously moisture-retaining soil. Usual garden soil does not possess such properties, so it is necessary to prepare a special landing mixture. The composition of the standard mixture, which is suitable for almost all rock garden plants, is as follows: turfy soil, peat or well-flaked sheet humus, fine gravel or broken stone in a ratio of 1: 1: 1.For plants with special requirements for soil, the composition of the mixture can be changed. For plants that do not like calcareous soil, the planting mixture should be prepared from turfy ground, peat and coarse sand or small pebbles( 1: 2: 1).Fertilizers are not included in the composition of the mixture, although a handful of bone meal can be added. The soil mixture is poured between the stones and slightly compacted towards the stone.
Light sandy loam or loam soil is suitable for planting mountain plants. The composition of the soil in different places of planting can be modified: for acidification it is recommended to add peat, for alkalizing it is lime. Do not add fresh manure to the soil, because alpine plants at the same time live, develop poorly and die.
The structure of the alpine hill
On the drainage layer made on the site allocated for the Alpine hill, lay rubble, small stones, broken brick, construction debris, interleaving it with layers of land. Such a mound serves as the base, the body of the hill, it can be
given the desired height and shape. The last level is a layer of soil applied over the entire surface of the slide, on top of which stones are laid, and in the intervals between them a soil mixture is planted and
plants are planted. Planting in the rock garden
1. The stones are placed freely and fairly evenly along the slope or surface of the hill.
2. Between the stones there should be sufficient space for the full growth and development of plants, a soil mixture is poured there.
3. In a small hole made in the space between the stones, put the plant, straighten its roots, sprinkled with earth and slightly rammed.
4. Planted plant is watered from above in the direction of the slope so that the water soaks up the soil well and gets to the roots of the
plant. For alpine slides, mostly low-growing and creeping perennial ornamental plants are chosen: snowdrop, sparse, lily of the valley, hyacinth mouse, bell, crocus, tulip, borachok, rosula, thyme creeping, cat's paw, astral alpine, creeping veronica, etc. Shadow-tolerant plants plant on the eastern and northern slopes of the hill, resistant to drought - in sunny places and on the peaks. According to the terms of flowering plants are selected so that to achieve a permanent, changing during the flowering season of plants, a composition of which everyone can form himself according to his taste and discretion. The main thing when designing a slide is observing the harmony of sizes, it is impossible to plant large plants around small stones. In general, the hill is a realm of low, elegant
Alpine hill form
The classic form of the Alpine hill is a rounded hill or a mound with a gentle slope. However, you can create a structure that is a cross between an alpine mound and a terraced rock wall. The level difference emphasizes the terrain and creates a three-dimensional landscape. The support for creating such a wavy slope is the retaining wall, and between the individual hills it is necessary to build paths for the passage of the
plants: they should not obscure each other and cover the stones. In addition, one should also take into account the possible shade of the slide in connection with its location.
On the shady side of the Alpine slide, the vertebra is well placed on the foreground, above it is the European chop and the liverwort. Well-behaved in the shadow of saxifrage shadow. The real decoration of such a hill will be a fern, but its leaves unfold only in May, so around you can plant such early plants as anemones, hohlatki. Of course, they will decorate the hill and flowers of bathing suits - European and Asian. Alpine hill, like any flower garden, requires constant care for both the design itself and the plants growing on it. Already in the very process of the construction of the slide laid further difficulties in its content. In the body of the hill, the rhizomes of perennial weeds, such as sow, grow, grow, grow, grow well. Rhizomes permeate all the soil, go under the stones, where they become inaccessible to the gardener. Perennial weeds are one of the main problems of such slides. In addition, the slopes of the hill quickly dry out, and plants planted here require constant watering.
After flowering perennials, the faded inflorescence is better to remove, otherwise the seeds will scatter and the neighbors will mix all the chickens. The view of the flower garden will be not the same. Autumn the whole hill should be properly weeded, and in winter it is thrown with snow. In spring, it is necessary to raise stones and pour the earth so that they do not sag too much and do not grab the living space of the plant. In winter, plants that are prone to freezing should be sheltered and warmed.
Flower decoration of the alpine slide
A set of plants for an alpine slide can be almost anything, of course, taking into account the specific nature of this flower bed shape. Here is just one variant of
for spring design:
1. Bells of Carpathian.
2. The tulip is excellent.
3. The saxifrage.4. Narcissus.
5. Small-leaved cotoneaster.
6. Narcissus.
7. Pine shale.
8. Japanese quince.
9. Cleansing.
10. Tulip Kaufman.
11. The tulip is late.
12. Poultryman.
13. Aubietta.14. White-flower
Care for the stony garden
All work in the stony garden can be done only by hand.
It is necessary to constantly fight with germinating weeds, otherwise they can drown the planting.
In the spring, a thorough loosening of the soil and mineral fertilizers should be carried out.
It is not recommended to use organic fertilizers in stony gardens, as they cause rapid growth of the vegetative mass of plants, the shape, structure and miniature of the plant change. The exception is compost.
After flowering plants should immediately cut off the peduncles with testes to prevent unwanted self-seeding, which will make chaos in the composition of landings.
Stony gardens should be regularly watered, as the soil volume is very small, and the temperature near the stones is elevated. Do not allow plants to dry out.
For the winter it is necessary to shelter and warm the most heat-loving plants in the stony garden.