How to make an alpine slide

12-04-2018

Useful

In the event that you decide to give your dacha landscape a particularly picturesque and original look, make an alpine slide on it, which can be a real surprise for your guests. In the article we will tell you how to make an alpine slide with your own hands in the country, and also give photos and video instructions.

Choosing the right place

Start building a rock garden should be with proper selection of places for it. It is recommended to proceed from the following considerations:

the location of the planned placement of this element of garden design should be located on the sunny side;
it should be removed from the buildings (i.e. located in a picturesque corner of the garden, for example);

An important condition for a good performance of the alpine slide is the quality of the soil at its location, precluding the proximity of groundwater.

Layout and preparation of drainage

After choosing a place for a hill, you can start marking the area, produced in accordance with the previously selected dimensions. At the end of the markup, it will be necessary to prepare the ground for the rock garden, which should be a reliable protection from heavy rains and seasonal floods.

To this end, around the perimeter of the markup, you need to dig a ditch with a depth of about forty centimeters. The bottom of such a pit is filled with a specially prepared drainage mixture, in which quality it is possible to use the remains of construction debris (crushed stone, pebbles, broken brick). Then all this is filled up with a layer of sand with a thickness of about 5-10 cm, and above it is covered with several layers of fertile soil containing mineral nutrient mixtures. The soil should be well loosened and weeds and roots should be removed from it.

The basis formed in such a way should be allowed to stand for several days, during which all its layers will settle and gain the strength necessary for the subsequent work.

Selection and laying of stones

At that time, while the basement of the slide shrinks, you can proceed to the selection of stones for it. The right combination of stones of various sizes and shapes will allow you to create a rather original and at the same time natural looking alpine slide. It does not require too many of them, as an excellent composition can sometimes be created from 5-6 large stones (plus a few small ones).

Before laying, lay out all the stone blanks and select the most beautiful and original in shape. Preference should be given to stones from valuable natural material (granite, limestone or boulder stones, for example). Different types of limestone are considered the most suitable option for a hill; sandstones and slates will look good on it. All operations are recommended based on the following considerations:

It is better to lay boulders with just a few tiers, and between the individual stones should be left small gaps, which later can be covered with earth and planted with dwarf trees, for example. The very bottom of these gaps can be laid out with a small “battle” that impedes the growth of weeds.
In the course of laying in the first place the largest stones are put up, which are buried in the ground by approximately two thirds. This will allow you to securely fix them in the ground, as well as create the illusion of naturalness of the resulting composition. It is recommended to lay the tracks around the hill from small flat stones or from chipping of a suitable shape.
It is also necessary to monitor the fact that there is enough free soil between the stones to plant plants in it.

A slide will look more natural if you make the composition asymmetric, i.e. with a slight deviation from the geometrically correct forms.

Planting flower beds

When building an alpine slide, due attention should be paid to the selection of suitable plants that can give it an attractive appearance. Very good in such a landscape will look stunted plants, covering the ground with a solid colorful carpet. In this case, be sure to take into account the sophistication of their foliage and the beauty of the inflorescences themselves.

Ordinary snowdrops or violets will look perfect on an alpine background, and only a few will give them saffron, phlox, narcissus, primrose or forget-me-not in this respect. It is also allowed to plant on a hill single plants like juniper, barberry or heather.

Care of the rock garden

Competent care of the hill implies its timely watering, as well as regular processing (loosening) of the soil. Particular attention should be paid to watering during the growth and flowering of planted plants. In the fall, the hill requires special care, which consists in cleaning dried leaves and plants, as well as pruning overgrown shrubs. Separate samples of plants should be insulated for the winter.

Spring care is associated with the tamping of the soil and the protection of flowers from harmful insects. At the same time, you can fertilize the soil with the help of special mineral mixtures.

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