When creating an alpine slide using successful combinations of ornamental plants, flowers, coniferous and deciduous trees, stone, you can achieve incredible results and get that unique and bright corner of your garden, which will allow your site to be the most beautiful and unusual.
Peculiarities
The construction of an alpine slide on its own site is a difficult occupation, but very interesting, although it has its own characteristics. If you decide to create an alpine slide and break up an unusual flower garden, you should figure out which plants are most suitable for this..
If you have already decided on the place where your alpine slide will be located, prepare boulders of various shapes and sizes. The next step is to prepare the drainage. For it, you can use leaves, dry grass, chips. Drainage from above must be covered with soil. You can arrange the stones at your discretion.
Keep in mind that the height of the alpine slide will become lower, as the drainage and the earth will settle down a little over time.
What plants to plant?
In order for an alpine slide to become a source of pride, certain rules should be taken into account, because not any plant can be suitable for its creation. It is necessary to take into account at what time and at what time a particular plant blooms. Do not forget that some plants are incompatible with each other. It is worth picking up flowers with different flowering periods, in this case they will delight with a lush color throughout the summer and autumn..
Most often, when creating alpine slides, stunted plants are planted., such as nasturtium, daisy, primrose, salvia, cinquefoil and others. You can create a certain accent using low-growing conifers by adding a few large trees and shrubs..
Having planted conifers, you can admire the site throughout the year. Plant a pine tree, various types of juniper on it. Conifers are ideal for creating an interesting exterior, allowing your site to become the most beautiful and spectacular.
Of the junipers, attention should be paid to the Mint Julep variety, which has arcuate branches with hanging shoots. The plant has a very beautiful mint color, it is not for nothing that it is called Mint Cocktail. It retains an incredibly beautiful color even in winter, which will add attractiveness to your site. The juniper grows quite high, after a dozen years it reaches almost two meters in height and about three meters in width, so most often the plant is cut.
Medicinal plants such as chamomile, sage, or rosemary can be planted in the area. You can not only admire looking at them, but also use them for treatment and in cooking..
Before planting the plants, make sure that they are all planted taking into account the cardinal points and can always receive a sufficient amount of light and heat. Most of the plants grow well only on the south side. On the north side, less whimsical plants can be planted, such as bell, crocus, chrysanthemum.
When planting plants in a flower bed, do not ignore creeping, carpet plants. This mixture will create the perfect composition. Gardeners often decorate their site with ground cover plants. Such a blooming perennial rug will decorate an alpine slide, flower bed or rockery, especially since they do not require special care..
It is quite difficult to create an alpine slide without a certain experience. If possible, invite a landscape designer or use photographs to find the best option and start creating yourself. So that the plants look harmonious and do not interfere with each other, they are planted in tiers.
Trees and tall plants should be planted first. They are placed near large stones in the background. The entire hill can be dotted with low-growing perennials. So with the help of tiers, you can visually divide the planted plants..
As long as there is time for perennial and long-growing plants to grow, you can plant annuals, such as marigolds, purslane.
List of the most popular
Many plants are suitable for planting on alpine slides. Pay attention to the periwinkle with its delicate blue flowers, which helps create an excellent cover. Periwinkle blooms for a very long time – from late spring to mid-autumn.
Looks good on the Soldanella site. It blooms in white or blue, looks like a bell, its leaves look like a small heart. The plant is unpretentious in care, grows well on drained moist soils.
You can plant asparagus and sun light on the site. The hazel grouse looks very impressive on the flower bed. These flowers are classified as perennial, because of their color they got their unusual name. They come in different colors – from snow-white to orange, purple and variegated. These flowers have many varieties, can be of different sizes and grow from 40 cm to 1 meter. Grouse grows well in partial shade. After a few years, the flowers are transplanted to another place..
I would like to pay attention to the barberry. It will look very organic on your site, because it has a very diverse leaf color – from green to yellow, purple, variegated, spotted. The plant can be of different sizes. It grows very tall – up to three meters in height, it also happens to be a very small dwarf bush up to 30 cm high.This plant will certainly become an adornment of an alpine slide.
And what are lavender flowers with their breathtaking scent, which is impossible not to recognize! Flowers with purple, pink and pale blue tints will adorn the flower arrangement.
Considering that perennial plants need more time to grow than annual and bulbous plants, it is better to start planting flowers in flower beds from them. You can find and plant the most beautiful and rare plants and varieties that will delight the eye all summer, while perennial plants can bloom only next year..
Planting annual plants with bulbs, you can already see a magical transformation on the site from early spring, the whole garden will begin to shine with all kinds of bright colors.
To refresh the area, make it sparkle with bright colors, the following are suitable:
- immortelle flowers;
- snowdrop;
- crocus;
- tulips of different varieties;
- muscari.
By planting annual plants on an alpine slide, you can make it the most attractive. With their help, you can hide the still empty spaces. But here, too, you need to be careful and try to make an unusual garden with stones, and not just a flower bed, completely dotted with different flowers..
It is impossible not to mention the marigolds. Having planted a charming annual, you can observe its flowering from the very beginning of summer until frost. Everyone’s favorite flowers love warmth and light, but do not flood them with water too much, as they do not tolerate excess moisture. These long-blooming bright flowers are sown as seeds in spring to admire them during the warm season..
When creating a rock garden on a site, you should give preference to perennials.
They can decorate stones by beautifully bending around and bending over them. Most of the perennials bloom for up to 80 days, which greatly decorates the site. But even after flowering, such plants retain their attractiveness for a long time due to their decorative effect. Perennials can often bloom closer to autumn with proper care. Such flowers tolerate drought and frost well, and are well adapted to any kind of soil. Perennials are propagated by dividing bushes, cuttings, sown with seeds.
It is worth planting an elegant antiglue or zygadenus on the site, because the plant is really very graceful. It begins to bloom from the beginning of summer, has small yellow flowers in the inflorescence, the plant height is up to 70 cm.Anticlea will take root well near stones, on wet soils, does not require shelter from winter frosts.
And how compact Armeria will look in a flowerbed with pink flowers. It is better to plant the plant in open, sunny places with well-drained soils. Does not require shelter for the winter. Possible slight freezing in the most severe frosts.
As for geranium, it can grow not only on your windowsill. Balkan geraniums can be planted in a flower bed. This is a perennial that blooms in June, then again pleases us with a bright color in the fall. Geranium adapts well to different types of soil, it can grow both in the sun and in a shaded place on moist soils.
Irises will not be ignored either. These are perennial rhizome plants that can be found on all continents. More than 800 species are included in this genus. The shape and color of flowers is so varied that it is simply impossible to do without them in your flower bed. Irises begin to bloom in early spring, delighting with bright extraordinary colors, some varieties can bloom in autumn.
Rejuvenated belongs to the most unpretentious plants. Has fleshy leaves, collected in a kind of knot. Because of its appearance, rejuvenated looks like a stone rose. These spectacular stone roses come in a variety of colors and shapes. The rejuvenated will reliably strengthen your site, as it can take root in the most inaccessible places, in cracks.
Shrubs
When choosing shrubs for an alpine slide, it should be borne in mind that many of them shed their leaves in autumn, and it is not very convenient to remove them. Therefore, it is better to dwell on the coniferous group of shrubs, which are also very decorative..
One of the most popular can be called a horizontal cotoneaster – a very compact shrub with small dense leaves. In autumn, the green leaves change their color and turn crimson. And the fruits that ripen in the fall and last all winter will become a bright decoration of your site..
Pay attention to the evergreen barberry. The plant is not demanding on the soil, grows well in the sun and in dark areas. It tolerates cold well, only in the most severe frosts requires shelter. It begins to bloom in May and for a long time pleases with bright juicy greens.
Iberis evergreen is a low-growing plant about 50 cm high, with a pleasant aroma. The first buds begin to appear in May and within two months the shrub pleases with lush flowering. It is better to choose sandy, rocky soils. The plant should not be planted in the shade or in areas with a lot of water. In severe drought, watering is recommended.
Among such a variety of plants, you can get confused.. Choose what you like, but do not forget to take into account all the subtleties of their mutual influence, follow simple care rules and you will see the result you dreamed of.
How to combine?
Mainly in rock gardens and rockeries, it is customary to plant:
- undersized conifers;
- ground cover, creeping plants;
- annuals;
- perennials;
- bulbous.
Bulbous plants should not be allocated a lot of space, they are planted together with ground cover flowers.
With the help of these plants, you can weave a magnificent living carpet on the site. Use boulders and conifers, this is the basis for creating a rock garden.
The saxifrage is exactly the plant that will give your garden a unique look. Saxifrage bushes are very decorative, with many rosettes forming a dense carpet.
Plant Arabis and you will enjoy the incredible aroma of this honey plant. The snow-white flowers that bloom in May are extraordinarily beautiful. It grows very quickly, therefore, just like in saxifrage, excess layers are removed from it in a timely manner..
If you want to please yourself with double flowering, plant an obrietta. It is a perennial plant that will create a carpet appearance. From early spring, the plant begins to bloom and pleases the eye for a month and a half. Cut off the shoots after flowering and you will see new blooms in the fall..
When planting ground cover, you should not get carried away too much, as they grow very quickly and can interfere with the growth of other species.
When choosing plants for planting in rock gardens, you should take into account the climatic conditions and your own preferences. Choose low-growing and slow-growing crops.
Perennials will be the most suitable for planting on the site. Consider the periods and duration of their flowering. When planting perennials with different periods, you can admire the constant color and decorativeness of the slide until the end of autumn. In winter, your site will be decorated with conifers, and from early spring – with annuals. Adhering to certain rules, you can create a successful composition on the site. Get creative, and then the alpine slide will be your pride for many years.
Landing scheme
So that your site is not chaotic, you need to correctly develop a planting scheme. Plants should not interfere with each other, but should look harmonious and in place, so it is better to plant them in tiers. Certain types of plants are planted on each “floor”.
At the foot, as a rule, there are moisture-loving plants that prefer richly fertilized soil..
Give preference to grasses such as sod pike, rejuvenated and saxifrage. In the middle tier, not so whimsical plants are planted that tolerate shade well. Plant phlox, primrose, add ground cover. The summit is a place for perennials, annuals, bulbous plants, which begin to bloom very early. Plant on top of Iberis, creeping thyme, ulissum, edelweiss.
Pay attention to trees and tall grasses. They are planted first near large stones. There is a place for low-growing perennials everywhere. They can be dropped off all over the hill. Divide tiers visually with rocks or tall plants.
Care
The rock garden should be constantly and properly looked after. It is necessary to ensure that the plants do not dry out; constant watering is needed. The constant work with weeds will take a lot of your time. Weeds can appear regularly in your area. Constant weeding is very important as these harmful plants can be very dangerous. These include woodlice, bluegrass, common bluegrass and others..
When removing weeds, make sure that they are pulled out by the roots, without catching the plants growing nearby. It is necessary to fight weeds at the earliest stage of arranging a flower garden. When preparing the soil on the site, carefully select all kinds of roots, do not allow them to grow. Mulch the top of the soil with coniferous bark with the addition of gravel and get rid of annual weeds.
Mulching can help you get rid of more than just weeds. This will retain the necessary moisture and prevent the soil from crusting after rains. Mulch looks pretty decorative, it will help to give the area a natural look..
Proper watering is the key to good plant growth.. Water them carefully, the jet should not be strong, so it can wash off small plants. Water should penetrate into the soil, not flow like a river. Start watering from the bottom of the alpine slide, going up. As soon as the leaves stop shining, become less elastic, they lack moisture. Watering is carried out 1-2 times a week, depending on weather conditions and other factors.
Proper plant nutrition is necessary. It is enough to do this once a year, preferably in early spring. Approach plant fertilization individually.
Diseases and pests will also take up a lot of time. Remove debris regularly to avoid slugs. Look through your rock garden, get rid of pests, cut off the affected leaves. Aphids, slugs and snails can add to the hassle; you can fight them with special preparations Confidor, Aktara, Operkot. In case of defeat by gray rot, it is advisable to apply Fundazol, Horus, Teldor.
The creation and care of a rock garden requires a lot of time and constant work.. Since early spring, work begins to boil. You should remove last year’s leaves, remove the film from the plants, add earth or strengthen loose stones. It is constantly necessary to monitor the flower garden, fill up the earth, loosen the soil, thin out. Once the plants have bloomed, remove the seeds. So the bushes will become more attractive and will not sow everything around. Annuals and perennials that have lost their beauty and decorativeness are best replaced with new ones.
Bulbous plants are planted in autumn. They should be planted before mid-autumn so that they take root well. Bulbous plants that cannot winter are dug up and stored in basements. Conifers are tied and pulled together so that they do not break under the weight of snow or from the wind. Some of the plants are covered with a film to avoid freezing..
Before the onset of frost, all plants should be well watered. This will keep them hydrated before the long wait for next season..
Spectacular examples
As you can see, creating an alpine slide is a really difficult task. If you are not yet ready to make this dream come true, try making a mixborder in your country house with your own hands. You will definitely like its creation. It can be used as a curb when planting a hedge to hide unsightly areas in the area or to mark the boundaries between areas..
When choosing plants for a mixborder, use all types – plant low-growing, high-growing, ground cover. An excellent option would be to plant a spherical thuja with low-growing flowers. At the same time, monochromatic greenery of coniferous or domed deciduous trees will look great with low-growing bright flowers, for example, with multi-colored petunias or irises..
Alpine slides are well complemented by paths that are laid out with flat stones, a variety of garden sculptures, garden gnomes. If your plans include the creation of a decorative fountain, then you cannot do without the advice of a specialist. It is best to do this before you start planting the plants. But if your rock garden has been equipped for a long time, you can solve this problem as well. It is important to think over the water supply system, the location of the pump, it may be necessary to move several boulders for this. But in the end, you will reach your goal and get an amazingly beautiful reservoir on your site, which will delight you and your guests with its beauty and the pacifying murmur of water..
A flowerbed, blooming with many bright colors, looks no less colorful. Properly selected plants will allow you to carry out your plan and get an excellent result..
Start the process today, and very soon there will be a beautiful alpine slide on your site – your pride.
You will find tips for creating an alpine slide in the following video..
