How to make an alpine slide with your own hands, an overview of flowers and plants
Owners of summer cottages and private houses strive to make their territory not only neat, but also original, beautiful and stylish. An alpine slide, built with your own hands, copes with this task in the best possible way. It looks exotic, neat. And for originality, you can experiment with the choice of plants and flowers, create your own compositions. There can be many options for creating such an element, as well as its location, but there are rules that must be followed when building an alpine slide.
What is
An alpine slide is a miniature copy of a mountain landscape, decorated with ornamental plants and flowers. Sometimes its device provides for the presence of small reservoirs, and sometimes even waterfalls. It all depends on the imagination of the owner, his capabilities and the size of the allocated area.Gardeners maintain that there cannot be two identical slides in nature, each of them is the fruit of human creation and is unique in its own way.
Alpine slides are subdivided into the following types:
- artificially bent rocks;
- laid out on areas with a natural slope;
- laid out in flat areas with the use of a large number of flowering plants;
- equipped on flat areas with large stones and flowering plants;
- built on a site with a rugged landscape;
- stone garden.
How to compose
At first glance, making an alpine slide and drawing up its plan is not difficult. However, this issue should be approached seriously, taking into account many nuances, carefully choosing plants and location. Otherwise, the desired decorative qualities cannot be achieved.
Developing a plan
The layout scheme of an alpine slide is the first thing that owners think about, who want to acquire such a decorative element in their personal plot. Rocks and tumbled stones are suitable for decor only when the structure is located near water bodies. In other cases, it is better to select rough and broken stones for decoration.
Depending on the idea, the slide can be single-level or multi-level. At the same time, the supporting structures must be clearly calculated so that they can withstand not only the mass of soil and plants, but also various weather disasters. The optimal construction height is 0.5-1 m. It is recommended that the number of levels be odd. For the summer cottage, as a rule, they consist of 3-5.
How to choose a place in the country
The effectiveness of the decorative structure on the site depends on the correct choice of location.Ideally, it should appeal not only to members of the household, but also to guests, neighbors and passers-by.
parry area
The parry zone is called the entry zone in a different way. It is she who is first seen not only by the owners, but also by the guests.However, no more than 6% of the area of the entire site is allocated to this territory, therefore it is impractical to build something bulky here. The main thing in this area is a convenient path and access for a car. You can decorate the place with a compact, but at the same time exquisite alpine slide that effectively fits into the landscape design.
Entrance area
The entrance area to the site is located from the central gate to the house, along all the paths. Decorating it with an alpine slide is boring, because gardeners resort to successful combinations and complement the composition with other plants. It makes no sense to build a huge alpine slide in the entrance area. It will not only be ugly, but also irrational in terms of space allocation.
A compact slide would be appropriate, perhaps even with a small fountain.
Rest area
The recreation area has the lowest functional load on the site. On this territory they equip a gazebo, a place for a barbecue, a barbecue, a terrace. Its area is 10-15% of the total area, so there is a place where the owner's fantasies can wander. It is in this place that you can build a chic alpine slide of impressive size, equipping it with a fountain or supplementing it with a small reservoir. If there is a gazebo or a terrace, then the entire territory, including the surrounding beauty and decorations, should be clearly visible from them.
Garden
It is the garden zone that occupies about 75% of the territory of a private house or a summer cottage. The garden itself is very beautiful, especially if it is well maintained and landscaped. Additional decorations are sometimes even inappropriate. But a beautiful alpine slide with exquisite plants will become a real garden treasure. Small bodies of water will also be appropriate here, organically combined with the situation and landscape.
backyard
Typically, the back yard is used for building outbuildings and has the least decorative function. Alpine slides in this part of the site will not be quite suitable, since the outbuildings are better hidden with decorative climbing plants, as well as trellis fences. However, if there is a great desire, then you can build in this corner. Only most of the time it will be out of sight, and you will have to admire it extremely rarely.
To the retaining walls of the fence
Building an alpine slide at the retaining walls of the fence isn't the best idea, but even that happens. This type of decoration should be organically combined with the landscape and other decorations in order to create a pleasant impression. The slide should be compact and well maintained. Fountains or water features in this case will be completely irrelevant.
How to Remove Sod Properly
Before proceeding with the removal of the turf, it is necessary, in accordance with the prepared plan, to designate the boundaries of the future slide (drive in the pegs and pull the rope). After that, they begin to remove the top layer of soil to a depth of about 30 cm, setting it aside. Subsequently, it will be used to prepare a nutrient substrate.
When removing sod, it is imperative to remove the roots of the weeds.
Base preparation
After the pit is dug, they begin to fill it with a nutritious soil mixture, consisting of drainage and soil.
It is recommended to use as drainage:
- broken brick;
- gravel;
- Crushed stone;
- pebbles.
The thickness of the drainage layer should be about 10-15 cm, depending on the size of the stones. After that, you need to pour sand with a layer of 5-9 cm and tamp everything well, then pour water to compact the composition.
If moles or shrews are found near the site, a metal mesh is laid in advance at the bottom of the pit. This will help prevent the composition from collapsing.In the case of the arrangement of an alpine slide on a slope with a predominance of loose, dry soil, drainage cannot be laid.
How to build: step by step instructions
When constructing an alpine slide on the site, a certain sequence of actions is observed:
- After laying the drainage layer, the turf layer, humus, peat and set aside sand are mixed in equal parts. In this case, the turf is sieved or the rhizomes are carefully selected by hand.
- The largest and most beautiful blocks are laid along the perimeter of the future slide. They should be very stable, for this, if necessary, place small support stones. It is generally recommended to sink the lower row of rocks one-third into the ground in order not only to increase stability, but also to create a natural effect.
- Additional work is reduced to filling the center of the future alpine slide with a mixture of nutrient soil and simultaneously laying medium-sized stones, with the help of which the second level is formed.
It should be remembered that when building a decorative structure there must be enough space for planting plants and flowers. At the top of the slide, a large or two medium cobblestones are installed to complete the composition.
Plant plants and flowers
When the soil of the alpine hill rests, they begin to plant ornamental vegetation. It should be selected not only based on aesthetic preferences, but also taking into account climatic conditions. In some cases, plants are even planted in pots and placed directly in them on a slide.
Boxwood
Boxwood is a slow growing ornamental plant. It tolerates pruning well, the bush is easy to give the desired shape. Its compact size allows it to be grown even on small alpine slides. The plant does not have high frost resistance, in winter it needs special protection. It is best to plant boxwood in a shady spot.
Thuja
Today, many varieties and varieties of thuja are known, however, for the design of a rock garden, preference is given only to low-growing plants. Most of them have high indicators of frost resistance and are easy to care for. The Tui decorate the site with their greenery all year round.
Juniper
If you want to plant perennials on an alpine slide, you should not ignore juniper. In addition to its beautiful appearance, this plant will fill the air around it with a pleasant and unusual aroma. In this case, dwarf forms of an evergreen shrub should be chosen.
Erica grassy
A small evergreen shrub will delight owners of rockeries with a beautiful flowering, which occurs at the very end of autumn or at the beginning of winter. The plant is unpretentious, grows well.For Erica, you need to carefully select neighbors in order to create excellent compositions.
Saxifrage
Saxifrage refers to unpretentious plants, which even a beginner can take care of. Many varieties are known that differ in shape and color of flowers and leaves. Planting should be done in a lightly shaded area in order to achieve the best decorative qualities. Saxifrage does not tolerate a winter temperature drop below -12°C.
Subulate Phlox
An incredibly beautiful ground cover plant with small flowers of various colors, exuding a pleasant aroma. Flowering occurs in early June.
With proper care, the plant will bloom again in September.
creeping thyme
Be sure to plant creeping thyme on an alpine slide. It is not only an ornamental, but also a medicinal plant, characterized by simplicity and undemanding care. Several varieties of creeping thyme are now known, differing in the color of leaves and flowers, bred specifically for rockeries.
Aubrietta
An evergreen herbaceous creeping flower that looks like a beautiful carpet. The decorative qualities are preserved throughout the year. Several species are known with different shades of flowers. The plant is unpretentious, does not need special care.
Lobular
An ornamental plant that can be easily grown from seed, even by novice gardeners. Has a rich range of colors. It does not require special care. Only incorrect planting can lead to a decrease in decoration. It embellishes the alpine toboggan with its flowering throughout the season.
Completion of creation
When the creation of an alpine slide comes to an end, it is decorated with small stones, pebbles or rubble.You can use garden figurines, lanterns as decor.
How to Install a Miniature Pond: A Guide
Beautiful alpine slides are obtained if the composition is supplemented with a small pond. You can build it from an old tire from a tractor or a truck.
It should be dug into the ground, and the bottom should be covered with a layer of polyethylene, the edges of which are pulled out and fixed with stones. The edges of the tire are decorated with improvised means, using all the imagination.
If the dimensions of the rockery allow, then the basin is built in the same way from an old bath. It is not difficult to change the water in it: just remove the plug and the liquid will go into the drain.
How to properly organize drainage
In a small rockery, the drainage layer is about 10 cm thick and mainly uses fine crushed stone.
If the soil on the site is sandy and dry, drainage can be removed.
When arranging large rock gardens, the thickness of the drainage layer is at least 15 cm. Broken brick, small wild stone, gravel, large crushed stone are used as materials.
How to make a slide with a waterfall
Not every owner is able to arrange an alpine slide with a waterfall. This requires not only experience and certain skills, but also special equipment:
- water tank or old bath;
- a pump or pump for a pond;
- flexible pipes;
- pond filter.
In the lower part of the rockery, a pit of the required size is dug in which water will be collected. The bottom is covered with a film or an old bathtub is installed on it.The pipes and the pump are hidden in the structure of the slide itself so that you can access them at the right time without destroying the structure.
Varieties of rockery design
The design, shape and size of the rockery depends only on the imagination, capabilities of the owner and the allocated area.
With a stream
This version of the alpine slide will be ideal for areas with natural unevenness of the earth's surface. The bank of the stream is decorated with moisture-loving plants.
mountain slopes
You can create mountain slopes on your own site if you arrange the foot of the alpine slide with large rocks and use medium and small stones in the middle and on top. The slopes are decorated with flowers and conifers.
small swamp
An excellent option for land with a marshy island. If it was not possible to drain it, you can turn this drawback into a beautiful rock garden. It remains to choose the right plants, dig a compact pit and surround it with pebbles, sand and stones.
alpine meadow
To create such a rock garden is not difficult even for an inexperienced gardener. A green meadow with silky grass and bright flowers gently turns into a mountain slope with the same beautiful vegetation and stones.
forest ravine
To create such a rockery on a site, you need a suitable landscape. A small ravine will serve as a support for the stones, between which plants are planted that do not require sunlight. In addition to conifers, Japanese maple, fern or juniper are planted there.
Evergreen vegetation blends well with all other shrubs and flowers that can grow in these conditions.
Japanese garden
This type of rockery is recommended for lovers of natural beauty and philosophical reflections. In this case, you need a minimum of materials.The main thing is the choice of a good location and good vegetation. A few conifers are planted on the site, and the space between them is filled with small stones, between which boxwood is planted.
Tips and tricks for beginners
As a rule, novice summer residents who want to create a cozy corner for relaxation on the site resort to available tools and materials. It should be borne in mind that the alpine slide is built exclusively from natural building materials. An exception may be structures with waterfalls or bodies of water. Even so, everything should look natural.
The path leading to the rockery, lined with bricks, will look great. It would also be appropriate to place benches, a table or a summer gazebo nearby. Buildings should fit organically into the created ensemble. The Alpine slide is positioned so that it is always in view.
Rules of care
An alpine slide requires regular care and attention. In the spring, it is cleaned of fallen leaves and old dead vegetation. In addition, they monitor the stable position of the stones. If necessary, add soil, which can be collected from the garden.
In summer, plants need replanting, watering and fertilizing. Some of them need to be trimmed and decorative. Before the onset of cold weather, the rock garden is prepared for winter, covered with spruce branches.