How to properly make an alpine slide at the dacha and in the garden for flowers from stones, tires and scrap materials with a stream and a jug: selection of beautiful design options

Basic installation rules

The alpine slide first appeared in Japan. Since ancient times, the local population learned to wisely use every centimeter of free space. This became the idea of installing cascading decorations in courtyards. The organization of decor should be carried out according to several important rules:

the structure should be installed in a visible place, preferably in the center of the yard;
the shadow of trees should not fall on the location;
make sure there are no gusts of wind in the area.

To keep the decoration bright and natural, it is advisable to plant living plants on it.

Alpine slide made of different types of stones Source yandex.ru

Slide with neat fencing Source tumbral.com

Rocky-flower composition

Construction begins in the spring or summer, so that by autumn its formation is completed and the flowers have time to take root.

A pit is dug 20 cm deep.

If you want to decorate a rock slide with a small pond, now is the time to install it. The presence of an artificial lake will significantly enliven the overall appearance of the slide. Tips on setting up a mini-pond can be found in many articles.

The bed under the rock garden is filled with fine pebbles in a layer of 15-20 cm. Broken bricks and construction waste (of course, without harmful impurities) are suitable for this purpose.

A layer of fertile soil with the addition of fine gravel is poured on top. To compact the layers of soil and drainage, they are filled with water. This is done to ensure that the structure does not sag over time.

Next, the stones are installed. Please note that the principle of building an alpine slide is based on descending. The largest boulder is located at the top, the smallest ones are at the foot. The higher the composition, the more stones are used to create it.

Installing large boulders and layered terraces will require holding them together with cement or clay mixed with soil.

Repeat the mountain landscape by creating a copy of it on your site. Model tiny gorges, plateaus, cliffs, cliffs and terraces on the slide.

Do-it-yourself Alpine slides at the dacha: photos of compositions, original ideas

To create an alpine slide, a large amount of materials is required. What to choose depends strictly on what shape the decoration will have and what it will be complemented with. In the photo below you can see in detail the most sophisticated and “living” examples of home decor.

Broken flower pot for decoration Source houzz.de

The rocky structure of the boundaries, laid in a chaotic manner, repeats the features of rocks. Usually a small alpine slide is made of bright stones with sharp edges.

Wild stone slide Source kamen64.ru

The participation of cobblestones and large sea stones in the design of an alpine hill helps to create unusual flower beds for decorative plantings. Coniferous bush plants are very reminiscent of a park of miniature trees.

Alpine slide with succulents Source iylia.ru

An alpine hill with several areas for flower beds, built of flat decorative stone. In such mini-plots, it is customary to plant small flowering perennial plants in varying quantities. This element is usually raised to the height of the curb and complemented with decorative lanterns.

Greek vase is an important decorative element Source roomester.ru

See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in landscaping work on sites.

A multi-level rock garden near a fence on a hill is an ideal design option. For decoration, homemade flower beds made of wood or thoughtful decor from broken flower pots can be additionally used.

The emphasis of landscape design Source list.in.ua

Multi-level decoration with a waterfall should be placed in a wide courtyard. Such a slide requires a lot of space and an automatic water supply. It is important that the pond itself is equipped correctly.

Rock garden with a pond and waterfall Source anturag.com.ua

The alpine slide with a low bridge is made of large sea stone, and fine crushed stone is used as an embankment. Looks great from the outside due to the chaotic plantings.

Ground cover conifers are an excellent solution for planting near a hill Source rehouz.info

Blue spruce is the main decoration Source landio.ru

An evergreen hill made of large cobblestones. Flowerbeds in several levels and miniature coniferous plants perfectly highlight the murmuring waterfall and rocky steps that seem fragile and graceful.

Waterfall is a complex, but such a beautiful solution Source yandex.ru

Evergreen shrubs for decoration Source design-hapy.ru

Predominance of purple and yellow colors Source tarifi.info

how to make a rock garden

Any flowers, no matter what they are, even dry or artificial, always delight the eye and enliven the room with their beauty, brightness or, conversely, sophistication.

Each room has its own special composition that will fit perfectly into it. When a florist receives an order for flowers, he selects a bouquet, taking into account the style of the room given to him. Of course, fresh flowers are magnificent and almost any composition of fresh flowers will look good in every living or working space, but still, when composing a bouquet and ordering flowers, you should definitely take into account the style, character, general decoration of the room, its lighting and the main focus of the design , color scheme of wallpaper and furniture.

Let's consider how to arrange your garden according to the rules of Feng Shui, how to use energy correctly so that the garden is beautiful and fragrant.

There are two energies: chi energy and sha energy. A little about each energy.

Chi energy is the energy of life, which carries positive categories: happiness, luck, health. This energy is contained in all living things. Chi energy prefers harmony - this is a home, office, apartment or garden. Chi energy is movement, but the movement is slow and not hasty. Such movement can include a running stream, a babbling fountain, a slowly flowing river.

Sha energy is the complete opposite of chi energy - it is negative energy emitted by a dragon from space, which is ready to absorb all living things. Sha prefers right angles, paths without turns, and long corridors. Sha energy is increased by angles that are directed towards vital objects - living quarters, houses, gardens, playgrounds. To cope with harmful sha energy, beneficial qi is used.

There should be no straight paths or right angles in the garden. The paths must be laid out so that they have smooth bends and turns. It is advisable that the paths go around the entire garden. The space that will surround you should be in harmony with you, your thoughts and experiences. You can place flower beds, an alpine hill, a lawn at your discretion, just try to ensure that all your buildings are compatible with each other in shape and size.

An alpine slide must have an odd number of stones. When you plant plants in the garden, try to follow the rules of Feng Shui. Qi is born when plants look harmonious and prefers ground cover plants. Currently, you can choose a huge number of such plants, ranging from roses and young ones and sedums. The Alpine Hill is a wonderful place where plants can show their beauty; here you can plant primroses, rhizomes, all kinds of thyme, and saxifrage. Periwinkles are good in shady places. Small plants go well with conifers. Flowing water in the garden is a strong source of qi. A small fountain or artificial stream will do.

Beautiful smells strengthen qi. Therefore, plant lilies, lilacs, mint, roses, jasmine, honeysuckle, conifers in the garden and let these plants fill the air of your garden with a wonderful aroma. Plants that climb also contribute to the accumulation of qi. This option can be used when you need to cover a corner. You can plant wisteria and clematis around your house or barn. A garden, like a house, or an apartment, or an office, does not like clutter. Paths in the garden should be clean, lawns should be trimmed on time, do not allow weeds to dominate the flower beds, remove them.

Also remove buds that have faded. Try to ensure that lawns and flower beds do not have corners; give them a rounded shape. Follow the rules of chi and your garden will always delight you with beauty and fragrance.

Designer tips for creating a rock garden

The design of the decoration is considered complex, despite the fact that it can be constructed from available materials. Without knowledge of special technologies and advice from experts, it is unlikely that you will be able to become the owner of a chic decor in your yard. Therefore, it is very important to follow the recommendations provided.

It all starts with project preparation. It is necessary to correctly draw up a drawing, indicate on it all the dimensions, possible additions, and related objects. This will help you not miss anything during construction.
As for the choice of stones, it is advisable to give preference to options that are similar in structure and shade. A strong contrast in a rock garden will look very defiant.

A small pond in a rock garden with lighting Source landas.ru

Many small flowers are a wonderful background for a rock garden Source interior.jilishta.com

Fences made of wood and cobblestones of various shapes Source cvsasa.access.ly

Plaster figure in the center of the rock garden Source krov-torg.ru

Choosing a location for an alpine slide, layout diagrams

When choosing the area where the decor will be located, they rely not only on its visibility on the territory, but also on several other significant factors:

The size of the slope must have an angle of at least 10-15 degrees.
The slide should be harmonious in size: a small slide should not be made too high, and a wide one should have enough empty free space around it.
The area must have a well-separable top layer of soil. Ideally, it is loose and previously dug up.
It is allowed to independently create a slope by pouring sand or fine screenings.

Diagram of the structure of the reservoir Source idachi.ru
A uniform arrangement of plants in a rock garden will look banal, so it is better to plant the seeds in a chaotic manner. Of course, flower beds with soil must be prepared in advance for them.

Stage of placement of stones and vegetation Source lanshaft.com

Laying out the levels in an alpine slide is done with large cobblestones with a similar structure. Such a structure rises to several levels with a small height. The drainage layer should be the same for any terrace, but no more than 40-50 cm.

Correct installation of drainage depending on the ground level Source chrome-effect.ru

The height from the foot of the slide to its highest point can be 0.6-0.8 m. In some cases it is made higher, provided that the foot is wider. The top is always a solid point (rock, pebble).

Correct calculation of the size of steps Source optolov.ru

A rock garden with a waterfall and a small pond nearby is usually installed on the lawn, and non-flowering perennial plants are planted on top. To equip a reservoir, you need a pump and a small pit.

How to choose a suitable stone?

When choosing a stone for a rock garden, you need to pay attention to its size, shape and surface features. Considering that the rock garden imitates a mountain landscape, where the stones are polished by precipitation and winds and have an irregular but natural shape, it is undesirable to use a round stone of river origin or scrap stone with sharp edges for an alpine slide.

A good choice for a rock garden would be limestone or sandstone. Dolomite is suitable - sedimentary rock, slate with a layered structure, basalt, travertine, calcareous tuff, light gneiss. A forest boulder overgrown with moss and lichen will be a particularly valuable specimen for a rock garden.

To form an alpine slide, it is necessary to select stones of different sizes - from huge blocks to fine gravel

An excellent choice for an alpine slide would be sandstone - a layered stone of light beige tones.

Stone options for creating a rock garden:

White-green quartz is a fragmentary stone, smoothed in fragments, ranging in size from 20 to 60 centimeters, mined in the Orenburg region;
Milky quartz is a stone with an uneven rough surface from 30 to 70 cm, mined in the Urals;
Sirpantenite is a silver or green stone, 25-45 cm in size, mined in the Caucasus, 15 rubles/kg;
Elbrus – gray or beige stone, size 20-90 cm, 11 rubles/kg;
“Petrified wood” made of oblong quartzite, yellow-beige color with veins, size 20-50 cm, 16 rub./kg;
Jasper green and red, size 20-60 cm, 12 rub./kg;
Green coil - stone size 20-80 cm, 19 rubles/kg;
Quartz “Rainbow” – a yellow-brown stone, size 10-70 cm, 11 rub./kg;
Sandstone is a stone of arbitrary rounded shape, sandy or gray in color, with a size of 30-90 cm.

If you use limestone to create a rock garden, then the soil poured between the stones will have an alkaline reaction, unsuitable for some plants, so the soil will have to be acidified.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a rock garden from various materials with your own hands

When all the points have been thought through and the drawing of the future structure is ready, you can begin to solve the problem of how to make an alpine slide. We offer step-by-step instructions for making alpine slides from different materials.

Forming a slide with your own hands Source landscap.ru

From stones

First, we prepare all the materials and tools. They should always be at hand. Then you can begin arranging the alpine slide.

We clear the place where the rock garden will be and make its outline. You can draw with the edge of a knife or a rod.
Let's prepare a drainage system. To do this, we will dig a continuous trench up to 50 cm deep.
Then add chopped brick or gravel into it. Mix the excavated soil with peat, you can add humus. Pour evenly onto the drainage.
At this stage, we immediately form high points and create terraces at different levels.

Path made of sea stones Source pinterest.com

We must place large stones on top of a pre-laid base of small stones.
Now let's start creating the vegetation. You can first form an interesting composition without removing the plants from the cups. Once you’ve decided, it’s time to plant.
We plant vegetation with large stems first, then gradually move on to small ones.
We pour the finished composition with settled warm water.

High slide in the middle of the yard Source zen.yandex.ru

On a note! Plants on an alpine hill cannot be watered from a well installed on the high water. It has very salty water. It is destructive for living decor.

From scrap materials

Many people have various leaky vessels in their household that can be thrown away. Don't rush to do this. They will make a wonderful rock garden. We make a slide according to the instructions.

After preparing the place, select a suitable container. For example, a bathtub or a metal sink.
We make several holes in it with a diameter of approximately 5-7 mm. This will be drainage.
We install bricks in the chosen location or pour a concrete base. Place the prepared container on top of it.
We can decorate the outer part of the vessel with any available material. Seashells, broken glass, sea stones and much more will do.
We attach the decorations to the cement mortar. We apply it to the body, wait until it hardens a little, and then press the material.
Let's make a drainage layer of crushed stone 5-7 cm high, then add soil, peat and eggshells in a ratio of 2:1:1. Mix well and compact.
We plant the selected plants and water them from the water supply.

Designers recommend thinking through the options for ornamental plants in advance so that the rock garden can be a bright accent in the yard both in winter and summer.

From tires

If you have a friend who repairs cars, then he definitely has ownerless tires. These are the ones that can make a gorgeous slide. We recommend step-by-step instructions.

Old tires with a stone attached Source 1000000diy.ru

We choose a convenient location and think over the shape that the decorative structure will have. This option can be placed on the sidewalk or simply placed on the lawn.
Let's prepare the tires. Let's spray paint them from the outside. If necessary, we coat it with varnish or make an artistic drawing.
When the pieces are dry, place them on top of each other in a checkerboard pattern. They should look multi-layered. Usually displayed in three rows.
We cover the bottom of each tire with a thick film or fine mesh. If necessary, make holes for drainage.
Pour fine crushed stone onto the bottom and distribute it evenly over its entire area.
Now unload the flower soil (you can use regular soil if the plants are not picky about its composition).
We plant seedlings of decorative flowers and water them. Don’t forget to regularly loosen the soil to allow oxygen to reach the roots.

You can complement the rock garden with garden figurines or night lanterns.

Rock garden in miniature. Step by step guide

Selecting a base for a rock garden.

The material must be dense and frost-resistant. You can use metal utensils or stone bowls. The bottom must have drainage holes.

A miniature alpine slide can also be located in a small wooden flower bed Source luas.in

Filling with a drainage layer.

After choosing a container, drainage is placed at the bottom (you can use fragments of ceramics or gravel). The drainage layer ensures unimpeded exit of water from the container (water should not stagnate). But it is worth remembering that the fragments should not fit tightly to each other (there should be space between them).

Preparation and laying of the substrate.

The next step is to fill the container with substrate. It can be made from peat, sand and soil, mixing everything in equal parts. Then the layer should be watered generously. If this is not enough, you can add an additional layer of substrate, but it should not reach the very edges of the container.

Selection and installation of stones.

The choice of stones plays an important role. They should be small in size, smooth, without mechanical damage, and of the same style. The stones are laid as in a large rock garden (first large ones, then smaller ones). The space is filled with soil. At the top of the slide you can install one large decorative stone.

Planting plants and flowers.

Alpine slide with bridge

A rock garden with a bridge is a functional decoration in the yard. It is very convenient if the decor with a pond is placed on a large area, on which there is a temporary shelter, gazebo or other buildings on both sides. You can construct a slide as follows:

We prepare the place and make drainage.
Then we pour the required amount of soil, after which we create multi-level terraces from stones of the same structure.
We leave space for future flower beds.
Then, starting from the slope, we lay large pebbles.
We make a trench of the required length, up to 40 cm deep, and line it with sea stones.
To ensure they stick well, it is better to place them on cement mortar.
On both sides of the pond, we lay paving slabs perpendicularly.
After the path has frozen, we install a bridge over the pond so that it overlooks the path.

Placement of decorative elements Source zen.yandex.com

Marking

The next step is to transfer the diagram to the selected area: this can be done using pegs and rope. A pit is dug according to the markings: if the soil is sandy, then 30 cm deep, if the soil is oily, then deeper. The bottom is compacted, a metal mesh and geotextile fabric are laid on it.

Note!

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Proper care of an alpine slide

The active growth of perennial crops and the beauty of the decor depend on the tactics of caring for the rock garden.

After winter, the cover is removed from the hill and cleaned of debris and fallen leaves.
Peat and fertilizers are added to the soil and left open for 14 days.
When the weather has settled, you can start planting new seeds or tidying up the old vegetation (trimming, removing dried branches).

Large rock garden made of several types of stone Source smart-tec.hamburg

The first week after opening the rock garden or planting new plants, daily watering is required. The stream should be spraying, with low pressure.
If plants are demanding on the soil, then they need special feeding even in summer.

Multi-level alpine slide Source bg.aviarydecor.com

Unusually installed stone Source kayaflower.co

A small pond in the center of the rock garden Source flauminc.com

Destroyed stones must be removed and whole material put in their place. This will prevent the pieces from falling into the soil and damaging the root system of the plants.
Don't forget to weed as needed. All weeds must be removed by the roots. They interfere with the active growth of decorative flowers.
When the soil subsides, it is necessary to fill it up so that the roots of the plants are not exposed.
Protect your decor from rodents. Animals can be driven away with essential oils without harming the rock garden.

Using improvised means in design Source m.yandex.ru

Tall rock garden with a waterfall Source kamen64.ru

Rock garden with elements of Chinese culture Source pinterest.com

Selection of stones

Ideally, the soil will be heterogeneous. The condition of the soil is of great importance. The effect of maximum naturalness is important. The slide must be both wet and dry. This requires constant monitoring of her condition, but it is worth it.

Mix heavy soil and sand with limestone or chalk. Remember that in nature things are rarely symmetrical, so place the stones so that they look natural. They should not be placed in a line or in the same direction!

Create a non-symmetrical, asymmetrical picture so that everything looks natural and atmospheric.

Large boulders, sandstones, shale and pebbles are ideal

Large boulders, sandstones, shale and pebbles are ideal. Choose only one type of rock. Even in shape, round or broken, some uniformity should be maintained. This way the rocks and cliffs will look harmonious. Large stones should be buried. You need to do this by about 1/3. Regardless of whether it is diabase, gneiss, limestone, granite or schist - anyone who wants to build an alpine hill can use almost any stone.

At the foot of large boulders it is necessary to place medium-sized stones, but this is not a dogma - sometimes it is enough to sprinkle the soil around with fine or medium-sized crushed stone.

When choosing the type of rock for your slide, it is also important to consider the weather conditions in the respective regions. Typically, granite, quartzite and basalt are used due to typical weather and temperature fluctuations in the mid-climate. If someone follows these criteria when creating a rock garden, he will be able to admire the fruits of his labor for a long time.

Compact mini rock garden