Corner alpine slide in the garden. Alpine slide at the dacha (18 photos): the best landscape design ideas

Currently, there are many ways to decorate a summer cottage, making it unique. You can use curly trimmed bushes, rare plants, paths originally lined with stone, flower beds with various color combinations. All this has long been familiar to experienced summer residents. However, there is a common option landscape design dachas - alpine hill.

Peculiarities

Alpine slide or rock garden is a landscape composition that recreates the landscape of the mountains. In its center at a certain height there is a stone or several stones, and along the slopes there are platforms (terraces) with specially selected plants and flowers, mainly from alpine mountains. This kind of object can become a “star” like large garden, and small summer cottage. The basis of this element is the combination of stones with mountain plants.

Rock garden today is the main competitor of plaster sculptures and garden beds , discounts and mixborders, which won’t surprise anyone for a long time. Currently, rocky slides are extremely popular among owners summer cottages. This is explained both by their beauty and spectacular appearance, and by the opportunity to create your own corner, unique in design and atmosphere, which will delight the eye all year round.

The main difficulty when creating a mountain landscape on a summer cottage is the need to artificially reproduce natural spontaneity. After all, where conditions for the growth of plants are formed at the site of fractures in rocks, there is no symmetry, and in order to repeat this in your garden, you need remarkable imagination and skill, as well as the artistic taste of the author of the composition.

At the same time, the rock garden should not stand out too much from the general landscape, but on the contrary, it should fit harmoniously into it.

Sometimes an alpine slide is mistakenly called a rock garden, but it's not the same thing. A rockery is a structure made of stone, crushed stone and other materials (from the English word rock - stone). There are two main differences between a rock garden and a rock garden. Firstly, a rock garden is an imitation of a mountain landscape, while a rock garden can be located both on a flat surface and on an inclined surface - on any surface that a landscape design master will come up with and create. Secondly, any plants can grow in a rock garden, not just alpine ones (and in a Japanese rock garden there should be only stones), which is convenient in climatic conditions other than mountain ones.

Where to place it?

When choosing the best place to place an alpine slide, you need to take into account a number of conditions.

• Natural relief. If there are slopes or small ravines on the site, you can use them to arrange a rock garden, avoiding unnecessary waste of time and effort.
• The rock garden should be visible from any corner of the dacha, which means it needs to be located in an open place not blocked by trees. The absence of trees will help avoid the need to clear the hill from fallen leaves in the fall.
• Lots of sun, as alpine plants love light. It is desirable that the sun illuminates the object in the first half of the day. The more shadow falls on the hill, the longer it will take to dry out after the rain. Although this problem can be solved - you need to plant fern species nearby.
• Limited amount of water and rocky soil. Excess moisture is harmful to alpine plants.

Landscape designers It is recommended to place rock gardens on the eastern or western slopes, because mountain plants feel best there. You can place the hill on the northern slope, but then you need to use shade-loving and moisture-tolerant crops. It is also important to maintain a balance between colors and stones. You can place a rock garden near the house, but not too close to the wall because of the possibility of snow falling off the roof, or in the center of the site. It is not advisable to place a slide against the background of a fence. A different background is needed, for example, in the form of a hedge. It is also not worth creating a rock garden next to large trees, since the tree will overwhelm it with its size.

Of course, there is no need to place the slide next to greenhouses and beds. It will not look aesthetically pleasing and will not fit into the landscape. The rock garden is designed in that part of the site that is intended for relaxation, where the owners can enjoy its attractive view and recuperate next to it.

A neat lawn can complement the foreground of a rock garden. It will also serve as a frame if located around the slide. A beautiful continuation of the hill can be a flower garden with the same plants or a small rocky embankment. It is impressive when a pond is built at the foot of the hill into which a small cascade or stream flows from the slope.

True, to make it, you will need much more effort and money than for a regular slide, but the result will justify all the costs.

Preparation

Before you start doing anything on the site, you need to imagine the future rock garden, regardless of whether you are planning a high hill with a waterfall or a small rocky garden. To prevent typical mistakes You can use the diagrams for beginners. In order to make a slide project with your own hands, you need to make a drawing and draw up a rough plan.

It must take into account:

• position on the site, placement of other objects near the slide;
• shape;
• size;
• the presence of a reservoir, its type and boundaries;
• layout of stones, their size, shape, breed;
• planting.

As initial stage work, you need to prepare an area measuring 1.5x2.5 m. All weeds are removed from the selected area: for example, bindweed, sow thistle. The most suitable soil for arranging a slide is sandy soil. If the soil is clayey, drainage is not required, but if the soil is too wet, then no drainage groundwater not enough.

To do this, you need to dig a hole at least 30 cm deep (depending on the planned height of the future rock garden). The more reliable the drainage, the more durable the slide will be. The first 10 cm should be covered with crushed bricks or gravel. You can use expanded clay for this purpose. The next 5 cm is a layer coarse sand, which needs to be leveled. Each layer must be watered. Next, the soil that was previously dug up is poured in and compacted tightly along the entire perimeter of the future rock garden.

To avoid intensive growth of weeds, it is recommended to pass the soil through a screen mesh before filling. Laying of stones begins only after the soil has settled, that is, after 14-20 days. The rock garden has several terraces, usually their number varies from 3 to 5. Each tier is laid out around the perimeter with large stones, after which the gaps are filled with soil, which is compacted. Next they move on to designing the next terrace. If the ground sags, it is necessary to fill the resulting voids with a substrate. If the rock garden has paths, they are laid out at the same time.

It is best to equip the slide in the fall, as natural shrinkage will occur in winter. It is also good to treat the soil with weed killers - subsequently it will be much easier to care for the plants. There is an opinion that the best solution for designing a rocky garden is one that is carried out without any construction work.

Thus, it remains possible to painlessly make adjustments to the design if necessary.

Plants

To select the types of flora for arranging a rock garden, additional knowledge and skills will be required. Options for shrubs and flowers are selected depending on the type of hill. If it is rocky and located in a sunny place, then light-loving, drought-resistant crops are needed. In order to create a classic alpine slide, you need both low species and perennials - herbs and flowers. In addition, you need to know that not all types of plants “get along” with stones and are suitable for placement on a hill.

When choosing your combination of crops for planting on rock garden terraces, it is better to give preference to those that meet the following criteria:

• beautiful appearance;
• low varieties of shrubs and trees;
• low maintenance requirements;
• thermophilicity.

Carpet, small-bulbous, rosette, and tuberous groups of plants are best suited for these purposes. The basis for the design of the slide are small trees, mainly conifers, such as pine, thuja, cypress, juniper. If speak about flowering bushes, then lingonberries, blueberries, almonds, broom, and rhododendron are perfect for decorating a rock garden.

It is impossible to imagine a rock garden without flowers. Perennial plants with beautiful flowers will make any garden unique and stylish. Considering climatic features Russia should not limit itself only to alpine high-mountain plants. In some cases, the presence of crops living in the forest, steppe, or even on a rocky hill will be appropriate. sea ​​coast. There is even a Mexican version of a rock garden with cacti. Alpine edelweiss and awl-shaped phlox can decorate a rock garden, Carpathian bell and saxifrage and many other plant species.

Along the edges and in certain areas of the rock garden, low-growing and ground cover crops are planted: primroses, ferns, periwinkle, lavender, and bluebells.

As for deciduous plants, there are some difficulties with them. The main thing is to avoid planting deciduous species, because this can create unnecessary problems with flying around and subsequent harvesting of leaves. Moreover, fallen leaves not only spoil the aesthetic appearance of the slide, but can also harm other plants. Therefore, when choosing deciduous crops for decorating a rock garden, it is better to pay attention to evergreen representatives of this type, such as iberis, dryad or cotoneaster.

If you want the alpine slide to begin to please the eye in early spring and everything bloomed summer months until late autumn, you need to include bulbous species in its design: snowdrops, crocuses (regular and late), tulips, scillas, pushkinia, colchicum. An expressive background for plants with a short flowering period will be created by their long-flowering “brothers”: for example, Atlantic poppy or bluebell.

Choosing stones

There are many varieties of rock gardens, and they all have one thing in common: they are an artificially created mini-copy of a mountain landscape. The stone embankment imitates a plateau, merging into a sequence of terraces, and above them there are stones designed to represent mountain cliffs. It is best to equip a rock garden with natural stones related to rocks: basalt, sandstone, limestone, granite, and other durable and low-porosity rocks. It is not advisable to work with shell rock, tuff, or dolomite. Since these rocks are porous, they quickly absorb moisture, as a result of which they are susceptible to rapid destruction.

It is important to consider what the appearance of the rock garden will be. It is best to think about this point already at the stage of drawing up the project. In addition to the site, the rock garden should be in harmony in style with the house. If the house is made of wood, then the shape of the slide should be softer. A high-tech house will allow you to play with form - for example, use it in decoration geometric figures, such as cubes, prisms, spheres. An alpine slide will look most elegant if it has a bright dominant element. It could be a large original stone, an interesting tree, a stream or an unusual flower.

It should be clearly visible from any side, since it is thanks to it that the design looks complete and the landscape looks like a single whole.

It is also possible that the rock garden does not have the main accent that attracts attention. So, if you plan to plant bright flowers, then it is better to take stones in neutral tones so that they act as a background. If the plants are inexpressive, then it makes sense to choose interesting, bright stones. If you combine different types of stones, there is a high risk that the rock garden will look like a pile of randomly thrown stones, so it is better to take samples that are similar in color and shape.

Most often, the following rocks are used to build a slide:

• white-green quartz;
• white marble chips;
• milky quartz;
• quartzite petrified wood;
• both green and red jasper;
• rainbow quartz;
• sandstone.

If limestone is used for the foundation of a rock garden, an alkaline reaction in the soil between the stones is possible. This soil is not suitable for some types of plants and needs to be acidified. You can acidify the soil, for example, with sphagnum moss or leaf compost. In order to create a small rock garden measuring approximately 2.5 x 1.5 m, you need about 2 tons of large, heavy stones. Each stone individually must weigh at least 12 kg. This is necessary for the stability of the structure. Some slides can even use boulders weighing 100 kg.

The color of the stones and their shape are extremely important. Too round or, conversely, sharp-angled ones will not work. As for the stones different color, then they look proportional only in rock gardens of a certain type. In the classic method of decorating a rock garden, it is assumed that similar stones of different sizes are used. The largest of them are laid out along the perimeter of the slide, often at the bottom - they are suitable for framing. For better adhesion to the ground, they are dug into the soil approximately 60%.

The stones on the tiers of the slide must be positioned so that their visible edges look perfect. Stones with defects are laid in such a way as to hide the defects. There must be intervals between the boulders, which are subsequently filled with plants and flowers. The stones must be laid taking into account their size and weight, as naturally as possible, trying to recreate the natural randomness.

Laid out with stones required amount tiers of slides. In order to decorate the top, the most interesting stones in size and shape are selected. The terraced shape will allow you to direct the flow of water from the hill in the right direction and prevent erosion of the soil, as well as divide the hill into areas suitable for the growth of various types of plants.

If the rock garden project includes a stream or waterfall, then a hose or pipe should be secured and disguised at the top, and a pump should be installed at the foot or in the reservoir itself, which will regulate the pressure of the supplied water.

Planting schemes

When planting plants for a rock garden, it is important to carry out all work in a certain sequence and in strict accordance with the diagram. Then arranging a rocky garden with your own hands will not take much time and effort. There is an opinion that with a well-thought-out plan it is possible to make an alpine slide in just one day. First you need to select the green elements of the system. Alpine perennials are most often used as a base: for example, fescue, lavender, geranium and others, which gradually grow over time, forming a green cover.

It looks extremely picturesque.

To achieve a visual effect, it would be correct to plant plants with different flowering periods on the hill, arranging them in groups that have a shape close to round. Then the rock garden will delight its owners from early spring until late autumn. It is better to combine vegetation so that dim and low specimens of flora are grouped, and the most spectacular plants were located separately, attracting attention. On a hill with several terraces, plants are planted in tiers.

• The most drought-resistant plants are planted on the top tier of the rock garden. This is where the most sunlight gets, and moisture from the soil quickly evaporates. Ground cover flora representatives are most suitable for this purpose.

• The middle part of the slide is best decorated with plants that love both sun and moisture and can easily tolerate shade. On the rock garden terraces, the soil moisture is higher, so the choice of species suitable for decorating this part of the composition is much wider. Plants that easily tolerate shade and love soil saturated with moisture are planted at the foot.
• Dwarf trees (both coniferous and deciduous) and shrubs should be planted first, allocating the largest areas for them. It is not advisable to place them on the “bottom” of the rock garden. The best place to plant upright dwarf plants in the composition - near large stones installed at the edges of the hill at some distance from each other. After the shrubs, herbaceous species are planted, and ground cover plants complete the planting.

It is also important to take into account the duration of flowering of plants, climatic conditions in the region, and the compatibility of plants with each other. If you correctly arrange annual and perennial plants in the area of ​​the rock garden, then it will look attractive all the time, while the owner will be able to supplement the composition with new species every year.

There are seven types of rock gardens:

• rock - a surface with natural fractures;
• a mountain slope on which there are conifers and boulders of considerable size;
• Czech rolling pin, the main characteristic feature of which is layered stonework;

• a forest ravine in which a spring flows or artificial waterfall;
• slope with terraces;
• rocky wall - a low hill with randomly scattered stones;
• a gorge with groups of asymmetrically located stones;
• an alpine lawn planted with wild crops growing mainly in the mountains.

Decor

It may seem that the location of rock gardens is only permissible in well-lit areas, but this is not so. If you choose the right flowers and shrubs, then it is quite possible to arrange a hill in the shade. Then the composition will imitate not the highlands, but the mountain forest zone. Any terrain is suitable for a shady garden: flat, gorge, terraced, or tiered. Each of them can be beautifully played out, creating a cozy corner on the site. You can decorate such a rock garden with large stones and natural driftwood. You can make a path from crushed stone, gravel or mulched bark.

To design a shady rocky garden, a larger selection of plants is provided. You can use not only alpine mountain crops, but also those grown in traditional flower beds, such as lilac, hydrangea, elderberry, and viburnum. Phlox, peonies, mint, primrose, and daylily also tolerate partial shading. However, you still don’t need to go overboard with flowerbed perennials. Firstly, they are much looser and larger than their mountain “brothers”; secondly, they grow too actively, covering the stones and ground cover species plants. As a result, the composition ceases to look neat and loses its attractive appearance.

If a balance is maintained between mountain and flowerbed flora species, a shady garden can decorate the area while being easy to care for, since the plants that fill it are less whimsical and demanding than heat-loving crops growing in the sun.

Important emphasis

To ensure that the rock garden pleases its owners not only during the day, you can install lighting around it. Then, when evening comes, it will look even more impressive. It is best to use flashlights for these purposes. solar powered, since their installation does not require cable laying or electricity. The battery is charged throughout the day and illuminates the area at night. You can place light sources around the perimeter of the rock garden, or you can illuminate the terraces. In this case, only the imagination of the garden owner can serve as a limiter.

If a pond is adjacent to the slide, then one or more waterproof battery models can be installed in it, depending on the size and shape of the reservoir.

A good idea for the area adjacent to the slide would be a bench located in the shade. You can design it however you like: make it from a single piece of wood or buy a wicker garden one. It is also appropriate to decorate the bench decorative pillows, place an additional source of lighting so that you can sit with a book in the evening. You can go further by building a platform next to the rock garden, on which sun loungers and a table will be placed, and make a gazebo. If there is space, you can even arrange sofas and create a relaxation area. It all depends on the wishes of the owner and the size of the site. The main thing is that the rock garden and the area next to it are in harmony in size, color and style, complementing each other.

If the size of the site allows, then several flower beds can be laid out next to the rocky hill, and the same plants that decorate the hill will grow on them. This will add additional volume and scale to the composition. Such an ensemble will look especially good on a large, spacious area.

It is important to understand that each of the rock gardens made independently is unique. With a little effort, you can create a real “diamond” in your garden. In addition, decorating the slide can be done by the whole family. So, in addition to an impressive result, you will receive a lot of positive emotions from joint creative work.

Children of any age will be able to contribute to the arrangement of the rock garden, and parents will once again have the opportunity to spend time with their children.

Alpine slides in the form of a wall are quite popular both in Europe and among domestic gardeners. With a minimum occupied space, such rock gardens are exclusively decorative, and they also allow you to plant a significant amount of a wide variety of plants. Types of alpine slides 45 photos of beautiful design ideas will be discussed in this article.

Types of alpine slides - a stone wall is usually made of decorative artificial or natural stone. The most commonly used natural stones are limestone and sandstone. To create a stone wall, lime mortar is not used, and the gaps between the stones are filled with a soil mixture, which allows plants to be planted in the vertical spaces between the stones.

There are two types of wall-shaped rock gardens: retaining and double-sided walls.

• A retaining stone wall provides a boundary for a deck or raised bed.
• Double-sided - an independent object consisting of two walls, the space between which is filled with soil. Photo of alpine slides in the garden:

Even a non-specialist can lay a retaining stone wall; just remember that the stones are laid with an approximately 10-degree slope back (this will allow plants to be better anchored), but to build a double-sided wall, it is best to invite a professional.

If the stone wall is planned to be higher than 30-40 centimeters, then it is best to plan a foundation in advance, with a height of 10-15 to 20-30 cm. Such a foundation is made of cement, but it is necessary to provide small drainage holes in it. Types of alpine slides photo ideas:

Types of alpine slides - stone wall

Unlike most other types of rock gardens, where the construction and planting of plants are spaced out over time, the stone wall is erected in every sense at the same time. For each plant (the cuttings of which must be prepared for planting in the ground), during construction, small vertical crevices are provided between the stones, where the plant is immediately planted. It is recommended to plant cuttings with primary roots - they take root better. The upper part of the wall can be left in the form of a raised flower bed and also filled with plants, or it can be paved with stones, between which plants are also placed. The shapes of alpine slides are different:

After completing the construction of the wall, it is watered very carefully, but abundantly. The high humidity regime is maintained until the plants are completely rooted. In some cases, it is appropriate to use a spray bottle to create a local regime of high humidity for one or more plants.

The optimal plants for placing them in a rock garden-stone wall are rhizomes and bells (shade-tolerant), cloves and thyme (thyme), phlox and sunflowers (sun-loving). Types of alpine slides photo:

Types of alpine slides - container rock gardens

A variety of container rock gardens have been the most popular among gardeners in Europe throughout the twentieth century, starting in the 1930s. First of all, because such rock gardens are extremely practical. They can be installed not only in suburban areas, but also in the courtyard of a city house, and even on the balcony. In addition, well-drained containers allow even the most demanding plants to easily tolerate winter discomfort.

Anyone can make types of alpine slides with their own hands. For container rock gardens it is not necessary to use special containers. You can use used troughs or sinks. Preparing the container for use is quite simple: the outside of it is coated with a protective mixture (one part each of sand, peat and cement), diluted with water, and the inner surface of the bottom is filled with pebbles. If a used sink or bathtub is used as a container, then drainage hole filled with larger pebbles or ceramic shards, which would not interfere with drainage and at the same time prevent soil from being washed out of the container. Photo of alpine slides in the garden:

On top of the drainage layer of pebbles, broken bricks or crushed stone (a layer of 2-4 cm is enough) soil mixture for rock gardens. After two to three weeks, when the soil has compacted naturally, soil is added to the container, after which plants can be planted.

Options for alpine slides - container rock gardens, unlike other types of alpine slides, have only one limitation on planting - this is the refusal of active ground covers. The fact is that such plants quickly fill the container and, at best, hang beyond its boundaries, and at worst, they crowd out all other plants and degenerate within one or two seasons. Types of alpine slides photo ideas for your site:

Container rock gardens are forms of alpine slides that require constant watering, and it is advisable to use water that has settled and heated by the sun. You need to water the container rock garden thoroughly until water begins to come out through the drainage hole in the bottom. This applies to the entire period of plant growth. As the weather gets colder, watering must be reduced to prevent freezing of wet soil and death of the plant root system.

If perennial plants are planted in a container rock garden, with the onset of cold weather it is advisable to cover them (with non-woven covering material, spruce branches, straw, reeds) and leave them until spring. If there is not enough snow, it is recommended to cover the container rock garden with snow manually. With spring warming, it is better to open such a rock garden as soon as possible, so that before moving into the soil, the soil is properly “ventilated” and dry. See photos of alpine slides in the garden:

How to make an alpine slide at your dacha with your own hands

Alpine slide or rock garden - this is what is most attractive today in the private sector and summer cottages. The purpose of such rocky gardens is not just to display the flora of the highlands, but to create a composition that evokes the feeling of a natural landscape. Rock gardens were often part of palace complexes. At first, only outlandish highland plants were always used. And later - plants that resemble mountain ones, but do not grow there. Stylistically, such rock gardens can apparently be classified as fantasy gardens.

Rock gardens are popular due to their decorative properties. Now “rockeries” are an obligatory part of personal plots. After all, this is a small piece of wild nature located in your garden. For such a masterpiece you need to choose a place that can be viewed from all sides. A developed rock garden requires sunlight, so you need to allocate a part of the garden for it, located away from existing buildings and large trees with a developed crown.

Evergreens on an alpine hill

It’s good if the slide is located on south side, close to the recreation area. This arrangement will allow you to get optimal lighting and admire the beauty wild plants and rocky stones will be possible much more often. Also, when choosing a place for decorative flower bed, you need to pay attention to the quality of the soil. It is much easier to set up a rock garden on sandstones, but if the soil is clayey, then additional work will be required to create drainage.

A rock garden is a beautiful landscape composition of stones and flowers

After arranging the base, after a couple of months you can begin planting plants. For such structures, you can use any type of plant that does not require particularly careful care and can tolerate bright sun and heavy rainfall. It is better to select slow-growing specimens for arranging a rock garden in the country. Photos of finished compositions show how original and beautiful, for example, coniferous evergreens can look in such unusual flower beds.

Helpful advice! So that the rock garden pleases with beauty whole year, you need to know the flowering times of various plants. Bulbous plants bloom in the spring, in the fall, mostly perennial specimens, and in winter, conifers keep such a hill empty.

The design of rock gardens does not look bad:

• some varieties of fir trees;
• juniper;
• mountain pine.

Such plants can be given any intricate shape. They will perfectly complement the flower garden with their original appearance. Gardeners give such fauna representatives a conical shape or trim them into other interesting shapes when creating an alpine slide with their own hands.

Rock garden with bright flowers

From herbaceous plants Suitable for such slides:

• periwinkle;
• low growing carnation;
• thyme; nasturtiums;
• marigold;
• bell and many others.

A tastefully made slide will decorate any landscape, let's look at how best to make it.

Do-it-yourself rock garden in the country

Alpine slide on the site: creating a rock garden at the dacha

Choosing a place for a slide. One of the primary tasks when setting up a rock garden is right choice places. A rocky hill in the middle of the lawn will look deliberate. The most suitable place for a rock garden can be considered a natural slope, embankment, ravine or, at worst, the shore of a reservoir.

It is better to arrange a hill on the south side of the site

Ideally, the rockery will be illuminated by the sun until noon. In the sun, plants - and these are mainly mountain inhabitants - will be subject to severe overheating and suffer from drought. With rare exceptions, plants tolerate soil drying out just as poorly as stagnant moisture. In summer, the scorching midday sun, dry air and overheated soil are the most severe test for most of them.

The rock garden is located on the slope of the site

In an area with a high groundwater level, it is necessary to install a drainage system to remove excess moisture, but usually a 30-40 centimeter layer of drainage made of broken brick, crushed stone or expanded clay is sufficient. By the way, construction waste and garbage, including cans, can be embedded in the base of such a slide. In this case, you will kill two birds with one stone.

Rock garden in the country using small and large stones

The next step is choosing a stone. Of course, you can manually collect boulders from the surrounding fields, but you are unlikely to be able to select stones of the same type and color. As a result, your slide will present an eclectic collection of stones, but by no means an imitation of a mountain landscape. In addition, and with aesthetic point sight, a pile of heterogeneous stones, even grouped by color, is unlikely to decorate your site. The most important principle rock garden devices - uniformity of color, shape and texture of the stone. When choosing a particular rock, one must take into account its chemical properties. Thus, a limestone hill will be unsuitable for plants that prefer acidic soil.

The rock garden is a decoration suburban area

The shape of the stone dictates the way it is laid. Round boulders look better on the crests of alternating waves. Blocks of irregular shape look good if they fit tightly together with mating edges and form an asymmetrical group with ups and downs. If the slide takes up only a few square meters, then it is best made from flat stone slabs, which are laid in layers.

Soil for alpine hills

And the last important point when setting up a rock garden is the preparation of the soil mixture. In the process of evolution, plants have learned to make do with a minimum amount of nutrients. Therefore, the soil mixture for them should not be too nutritious. You can use regular garden soil, mixed with sand in equal proportions with a small addition of peat. For plants that love acidic soil, the amount of peat can be increased, and for the inhabitants of limestone rocks it is a good idea to add ash or lime. The creation of these slides is given a separate place in landscape design work.

Scheme of planting plants on a hill

Rules for creating an alpine slide at the dacha

Landscape masters have developed plans and diagrams according to which the rock garden is arranged. They take into account all the subtleties and nuances that help determine the location of the flowerbed and the order of planting.

Provided that the slide will be viewed from any side, a pyramidal shape with the highest point in the center is best suited. There is no point in maintaining symmetry when arranging a piece of wild nature. The composition will look more original if all the elements are arranged abstractly. If you plan to locate the rock garden on an existing slope, then parts of the structure can be located on the same level.

Rock garden on both sides of garden steps

The height of the slide should correspond to its area. For every meter of diameter of the future club, it is worthwhile to provide a rise of approximately 0.2 m; accordingly, a slide with a diameter of about 4 meters should be at least 80 cm in height. Step by step photos How to create rockeries with your own hands are presented below.

Time of year to arrange a rock garden

When creating an alpine slide at a dacha, the scope of work is such that it practically does not depend on the time of year. That's just in winter period it's not worth doing this because weather conditions. But the best option is still considered early autumn, when amateur gardeners have free time between harvesting and cleaning the site for the winter.

Rockery on a summer cottage

Note! The rock garden takes several months to naturally shrink. After which all errors that were previously invisible will be noticeable. Before planting, these shortcomings should be eliminated.

If the planting of flora representatives is planned for the fall, preparations begin in the spring. There are several basic rules for creating a rock garden with your own hands. The step-by-step instructions for creating a slide in the country, presented below, demonstrate all the intricacies of this process.

DIY Alpine slide at the dacha

Usually amateur gardeners ignore the stage preparatory work, arranging the slides with your own hands. Photos of such not very successful compositions are presented in large numbers on various websites. Rock gardens, which are an ordinary pile of stones with plants planted between them, quickly lose their appearance and shape. Therefore, before arranging such a masterpiece, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the stages of work.

When arranging such a slide, we used large stones

Drainage and soil for the slide. Since the earth settles under the pressure of the heavy stones used to create the rock garden, a drainage base should be provided for the entire structure. It is also necessary for expensive plants, as it allows you to create an optimal microclimate for their development. The following are often used as drainage:

• broken red or white brick;
• fine gravel;
• small stones;
• crushed stone;
• construction waste of non-wood origin.

To lay it, a pit is dug. The depth of the hole will be approximately 1 meter at total area alpine garden 8-9 m². This is approximately 3-4 bayonets of a regular shovel. The drainage is placed in a pit and well-spilled with water, after which it is covered with earth.

Choosing a location on the site and installing drainage for the future slide

Helpful advice! It is recommended that each laid layer of drainage and soil be thoroughly watered, as well as final watering after planting all the plants.

Example good soil as mentioned above, a mixture of ordinary soil, cleared of weeds and debris, with peat and ordinary river sand in equal quantities. In general, there are no special requirements for the composition of the base, because most often unpretentious plants are used for rock gardens.

Selection of stones and their location. There are many types of stones that will look great in your garden. This may include:

• granite;
• wild stone;
• limestone;
• sandstone and others.

Placing stones in a rock garden at a summer cottage

By following these simple rules, it’s easy to create an alpine slide in your dacha with your own hands. Based on the photo of the location of the stones, you can choose the optimal design for any site.

• the selected stones should not be the same size;
• it is preferable to select specimens that are uneven in shape and structure;
• the finished flowerbed should be asymmetrical as possible;
• the selected stones must be of the same type.

Arrangement of stones on the hill

Stone elements can be arranged in different ways, it all depends on the owner’s imagination. Professional designers They offer several schemes for laying boulders. The large stone blocks located throughout the entire area of ​​the rock garden, with smaller fragments scattered between them, look quite original.

Rockery at the dacha

Some will prefer to place the most beautiful and interesting-shaped boulder at the very top of the hill, while others, on the contrary, will place large specimens closer to the bottom. Any options have the right to be implemented.

When creating an alpine slide from massive stone, try asking family and friends for help. It is quite difficult for one person to master such a structure with his own hands. A photo of alpine gardens with stones demonstrates the scale of these compositions.

Disembarkation perennial plants

When installing large and medium stones, care should be taken to ensure their stability. In places invisible to the eye, they can be fixed with cement mortar to give the entire structure greater strength. Lightly buried boulders look good. This move allows you to simulate the rupture of the soil by rocks and strengthen the entire rock garden.

Disembarkation coniferous plants

Helpful advice! An alpine meadow looks good in a garden plot. This is a bright green meadow strewn with meadow flowers. For its construction, stones are usually not used, and the effect of a slide is created by arranging the plants in height.

Adding small stones, final formation of the rock garden

Caring for a rock garden at the dacha

Work on caring for the rock garden should be carried out after planting. It may seem that the plants of stone gardens are unpretentious, but this is far from the case. It is recommended to monitor the plants every day, add soil as it settles, and loosen the top layer. It is necessary to water the plants abundantly, especially in the first days after planting. Over time, weeds may appear in the rock garden.

Rock garden on a summer cottage

Alpine hills must be weeded and prevented from blooming. During the summer, it is necessary to monitor the condition of each plant, since during this period many diseases spread and pests begin to appear. Viral diseases very dangerous for plants. IN Lately viruses have spread to almost all plants. Signs of the disease are clearly visible on the leaves: they become deformed and become curled.

Do-it-yourself rock garden at your summer cottage

On flowers, signs of the disease are also noticeable - the flowers acquire a greenish tint or become barren. The main carriers of the disease are aphids and moths. Plant protection against viruses means the destruction of disease carriers, as well as compliance with general hygiene rules. Reliable way pest control – timely measures to protect plants. If the pest has already settled on the plant, the diseased organ should be removed; sometimes it is necessary to remove the entire plant.

Watering the finished rock garden

Special care in rockeries in summer they require high mountain plants. They must be constantly irrigated, thereby ensuring a high level of humidity. Species that died during the season are replaced by replanting plants from a reserve site organized in the spring. Bulbs are planted in the fall; It is necessary to have time to carry out planting work before October, in which case the bulbs will take root well in the soil.

Types of alpine slides: ideas for landscape design of a dacha

"Rocks" and "cliff" very effective as a stand-alone slide. The rocks serve as an imitation of natural rock outcrops. This type of rockeries is constructed only in the presence of a steep slope and very large stone blocks. Granite boulders are absolutely not suitable. The laying principle is dry masonry. The construction of such rocks requires high artistic taste, professional skill, and is extremely labor-intensive. The range of plants planted on the alpine hill includes mountain pines, junipers, rock and alpine species: campanula, sedum, crassula, wormwood, dwarf ferns, etc.

"Mountain Slope"– a complex landscape garden, conditionally simulating the highlands. It is a mountain scree, fixed by groups of dwarf pines. The best location is on a large sloping slope. To create such a slide, stone blocks are placed that imitate mountain debris. It is possible to plant creeping conifers, low-growing rhododendrons, heathers, and erik. No vertical accents are allowed - columnar and pyramidal conifers. Next to the groups of trees there are “alpine lawns” - clumps of low-growing ground cover plants.

"Mountain Valley"– landscape rocky garden, creating the image of a high mountain valley. Is an artistic composition. Both stone blocks and boulders of the same type are used. The boulders are recessed by 2/3. A system of paths close to natural (“step by step” - possible variant). It is possible to use composite trees and shrubs of different heights. Spring ephymiroids are added, and groups of heathers, eric, and grasses are used as binding elements. The general background is stones overgrown with moss, crushed stone, bark. Groundcovers look great against their background.

"Alpine lawn". We imitate high mountain plant communities. Stylish but difficult type landscape gardens. Usually included as an element in the composition of “stone slides”, “mountain slope” or “mountain valley”. Such a slide should create the impression of an alpine meadow and provide maximum comfortable conditions plant life. Their range includes only wild species high alpine belt. These are low-growing grasses, gentians, edelweiss, saxifrage and other rare plants. Caring for such an area is difficult, because... mountain species in cultivation grow more actively and need to be controlled, maintaining a given ratio between them.

"Forest ravine, hollow." Type landscape garden, possible only in the presence of a natural depression of the soil. The slopes are secured with dug stones. The most acceptable plants are bushes and horizontally growing conifers and shade-tolerant types of perennials: ferns, volzhanka. Plants should not be densely planted. A possible “highlight” is a “spring waterfall” flowing at the bottom of the “ravine”.

"Gorge". Usually one of the elements of a complex landscape garden, a “gorge” is created between the slopes of hills. The walls of such a slide are laid out with dry masonry. It is desirable that the walls be of different heights, and this helps better penetration light, allowing the use of a wider range of plants. These are usually dwarf rock species.

"Rocky Ridge"- an old, now unused type of collectible alpine slide. Its purpose is to create the best conditions for the life of alpine plants. From an aesthetic point of view, it is of no value.

"Water cascade", "mountain stream"– an element of a landscape garden or an independent artistic composition. A cascade of reservoirs with a stream and a waterfall looks logical only against the backdrop of a large composition or when using the features of the terrain. The structure should not be bulky or look artificial. Stones should be of natural shapes. It is best to plant plants along the banks coastal zones: Siberian and Japanese irises, cereals, primroses, buzulniki, bergenia, ferns. An excellent effect is achieved when creating a “dry cascade”. In this case, the role of water is played by coarse gravel or paving with granite pellets.

"Swamp"- a natural landscape rocky garden created on a waterlogged area. A hilly garden surrounding a half-overgrown pond or “swampy” window looks interesting. In a swampy area, it is enough to dig out the soil to a shallow depth. For dry ones, it is necessary to install an artificial reservoir. The “swamp” is planted with marsh plants. Round boulders are dug into the shore. The stones should be ¾ buried. Woody driftwood looks appropriate. The “swamp” is planted with marsh plants, and only moisture-loving plants are used for planting along the edge.

"Mixborder» - a border, shirt or ridge located along the path against the background of the lawn or on top retaining wall. This decorative flower garden densely planted with garden plants. In a mixborder located along the paths, stones are dug steadily into the ground along the entire length of the flower bed or in small groups. The most impressive look is the “mixborder”, in which groups of stones alternate with low (20-40 cm) terraces. On terrace areas and at the edge of the “mixborder” - with low-growing groups or single specimens. At the edge of the terrace, descending ground cover plants are spectacular.

"Japanese kindergarten"– an exquisite aristocratic rocky garden. This type does not model a traditional canonized garden, but simply aesthetically echoes it. It is most appropriate to place such a composition in a small isolated area in order to avoid dissonance with other parts landscape composition plot.

The main rule is moderation and conciseness. In such a garden there is no place for a single superfluous or random detail, not a single superfluous plant. Everything in it is thought out to the smallest detail, well-groomed and tidy.

The stones in such a hill are old, mossy or covered with lichens. They are placed in groups of 3-5, creating the impression of a collapsed rock. Free spaces are of great importance - they create perspective. They can be surfaces covered with moss, covered with pebbles or water surface. The range of plants is very important. Plants that grow easily are suitable. This is a common mountain pine, dwarf varieties spruce and rhododendrons, mahonia, boxwood. Deciduous trees include willows, small-leaved maples, barberries, and almonds. Plants are given a spherical, tiered-horizontal or weeping shape. Columnar or pyramidal forms are not allowed, as well as free-growing ones.

Herbaceous: ferns, narrow-leaved irises and background decorative foliage plants. The “Japanese Garden” does not overwhelm with colors and splendor of forms, but invites contemplation and reflection.

"Miniature alpine slide"- a type of modular flower garden that appeared in Europe, created in abandoned stone troughs for livestock. Currently, industrial production of their imitation from artificial stone and ceramics has been launched. The compositions completely replicate the appearance of a real rock garden. The following plants are used - super-dwarf plant varieties and slow-growing ground cover species: saxifrage, sedum, semnervivum.

An “indoor rock garden” is also possible. Assortment indoor plants: non-wintering succulents, crassula, gasteria, haworthia, sedum, echeveria, cacti. Placed on the windowsill.

Video: do-it-yourself alpine slide

Are you upset that, having a dacha plot located on a hilly area or slope, it is not possible to create beautiful landscape its territory. Designers can cope with this problem. They argue that in this case an alternative solution would be alpine slide, which can be done not only with the help of professionals, but also independently.

What is an alpine slide?

The Alpine slide looks like a small area that is similar in appearance to the design of the Alps.

To develop such a site on the ground on your own, you will need:

• land plot located on a hilly area or slope;
• presence of drainage (crushed stone and sand, broken brick and gravel);
• stones of various sizes and unusual shapes;
• vegetation to shape the design.

As you can see, in order to beautifully decorate your summer cottage, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. It is important to understand what you want your territory to look like, think creatively and show imagination.

The location of the landscape on the ground will be of particular importance. Its decorative purpose and duration of existence depend on this. The slide should be installed in the place that is most illuminated by the sun.

Please note that such an area will require care: watering, fertilizing plants, etc. Consequently, the dacha will need to be visited more often so that the alpine slide does not lose its attractiveness, looks aesthetically pleasing and does not stop functioning.

For owners of a summer cottage with absolutely flat terrain, it is possible to create a horizontal alpine slide.

The choice of stones and vegetation to create such an area is the basic basis of the design, which requires a serious approach.

Initially, decide what size you want to build an alpine slide. For a large area, it would be appropriate to use boulders; for a smaller area, small stones with flagstone are suitable.

It is necessary to lay stones in tiers of 3, but no more than 5. Experiment and use your imagination: create various compositions and patterns from stones.

It is worth noting that the plants will not bloom in early spring and winter, so the stones should look attractive without them during these periods.

You should not leave large gaps between the stones so that the area does not look scanty, but it is necessary to provide space for placing flowers and decorative bushes.

Absolute symmetry in the arrangement of stones is not appropriate, because the area should look more natural in appearance.

When choosing plants for a site in the form of an alpine hill, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

• plantings must grow year-round and comply with climatic conditions terrain so that caring for them would not be problematic;
• it is important to create harmony in the composition of plants and maintain their balance in relation to the type of stones;
• it is advisable to choose low-growing types of vegetation;
• the location of the slide on the south side of the site implies the choice of flowers and bushes that are drought-resistant; for the slide on the east or north side of the site, plants that love moisture and shade are placed.

Arborvitae and spruce trees are most suitable for landscaping; they will add attractiveness to the area throughout the whole year.

Watch the video: What plants are suitable for an alpine slide

Opt for flowers of unusual shape and color, as well as wild vegetation that grows nearby in the forest and will suit the climatic conditions of the area.

Saffron and violet, poppy and forget-me-not, saxifrage, edelweiss and primrose - suitable varieties colors. Juniper, barberry, sedum and, oddly enough, cactus will also look great as a complement.

• spring - bulbous plants;
• summer - most of the available flowers;
• autumn period - colchicums;
• winter - varieties of coniferous trees.

Do not forget to weed the soil to remove weeds so that they do not clog the area and interfere with plant growth.

Plantings should be placed correctly: dwarf coniferous trees should be placed in the background, low-growing original flowers should be planted in the foreground.

To understand how to set up an alpine slide yourself, we recommend watching a video tutorial. After reading it, follow the step-by-step instructions that we present below.

Stage 1 - preparing the site for the site

First, decide on the location of the alpine slide in the most suitable area near a sufficiently illuminated recreation area. Then we begin to form the base. First, you need to dig a small pit around the entire perimeter of the future site, 40-45 cm deep. Next, you need to compact the soil and fill the drainage to 30 cm. Gravel, sand, construction waste, crushed stone are suitable for this, or you can mix these components together.

Then the drainage is covered on top with a 15 cm mixture of earth, sand, soil, peat and crushed stone. The proportion of the mixture is: 3 composite soil parts, 1 peat and 1 sand with crushed stone.

The soil for the alpine slide can be a composition that is sold in appropriate stores.

Stage 2 – installation of stones on the site

We have already considered aspects of the selection and placement of stones earlier in the section “Selection of stones for an alpine slide”. Let's move on to their installation diagram.

The most optimal stone option for such an area is limestone, as well as granite and sandstone.

The stones must be installed in the following sequence:

1. At the base of the slide we place the largest boulders, which should be fixed with concrete or slabs. Then pour soil on top, compacting it well. Please note that the stones need to be deepened into the ground by 1/3 of their size.
2. We go up one level and place smaller stones in the same way.
3. Next, you need to plant the vegetation between the stones and cover it with a covering layer.
4. At the end of the process, we irrigate the alpine hill.

Stage 3 – landscaping the site with plantings

Initially, we moisten the soil in which the plants will be placed. Between the stones there was already a place for their planting. The main composition should consist of dwarf coniferous plantings and shrubs.

The next process is planting decorative low-growing flowers, which are placed in small holes and covered with soil and gravel so that moisture cannot quickly evaporate and weeds do not make their way to the top. We recommend planting the plants so that there are no empty spaces on the surface of the hill.

Plantings should not obscure the stones because all design elements are significant.

After planting the vegetation, the alpine hill must be watered.

DIY Alpine slide, step by step

We wish you good luck in arranging yours!

Every modern, well-appointed dacha must be decorated with either a garden or various kinds of flower beds. At the same time, the size of the dacha plot does not have to be huge at all in order to realize even the most daring ideas. Nothing interferes with small area create something beautiful, unusual and elegant. For example, a miniature alpine slide, which can be easily created with your own hands using available materials, even by novice gardeners.

Such a compact rock garden has several advantages over a regular flower garden. Firstly, it looks much more original. Secondly, it takes up little space, and thirdly, it does not require complex care. For those who want to master the arrangement of alpine slides, creating a miniature version will be an excellent practice.

Anyone can build an alpine slide with their own hands, even on a small plot

What is the difference between a rock garden and a rock garden?

Rock garden and rock garden are two different ways of designing a flower bed, which have much in common. Due to the large number of identical characteristics, sometimes even gardeners with extensive experience are confused about these concepts. Both of them are a flower garden, for the arrangement of which flowers and stones are used. What is the main difference between them?

A rock garden is a garden made of stones in its pure form. When creating it, only one type of stone is used. They are laid in two ways: chaotically, without observing any order, or in parallel rows. This helps create the visual effect of wildlife. The secondary elements of the composition are plants and flowers, which in this case serve only as a natural floral background.

It is the role of plants in a flower garden that is the main distinguishing feature between an alpine hill and a rock garden. In this type of stone garden, such as a rock garden or mini-rock garden, the main emphasis is on the plants. Its composition consists of various types of colorful, unusual flowers and their combinations, turning the flower garden into a small Magic world, from which it is impossible to take your eyes off.

A rock garden differs from an alpine slide in its emphasis on the natural beauty of the stones; flowers in this case serve only as an addition

An ideal place to create a small rock garden

When planning to create a small alpine slide with your own hands, it is important to choose the right place. For example, a one-sided mini-slide is best placed next to the wall of a house or near a fence, as an addition to a general flower garden or as a separate element of the garden. A round flower bed will look great in the center of the lawn. Thus, all its sides will be available for review. The ideal place for a mini rock garden in a flowerpot is a porch or terrace.

An interesting idea: the roof of the cellar is gradually turning into an alpine slide

Also, when choosing a place for a rock garden, it is important to consider not only how it will look, but also pay attention to other points related to its placement:

1. Illumination. The place should be sunny so that the plants receive the necessary amount of light. A shaded location will cause the flowers to fade and become elongated.
2. No trees or drainpipes nearby. When the flower bed is located under a tree, its leaves will fall off and spoil the appearance of the entire composition. Rainwater from the drainage system can cause erosion of the ground.
3. In the flower garden you should place “neighbors” who get along with each other and have similar care and growing conditions.

An open, well-lit clearing will be an excellent place to build a rock garden

Options for small alpine slides

When starting to work on a miniature rock garden with your own hands, you need to think about the choice of style in which it will be decorated; it completely depends on the desires and imagination of its creator. Photos of the most spectacular and colorful mini-rock gardens can help you decide on a specific option, for example:

1. The generally accepted alpine slide in miniature. It is a stepped structure that is installed directly on the ground. It can become a wonderful decoration for the entire flower garden as a whole.
2. Mini rock garden combined with a pond. The amazing effect is achieved thanks to the presence of even a small bowl at the base of the stones, which will imitate a pond. This element of the composition will make it even more charming and attractive. An addition in the form of a mini-waterfall or fountain will make this place the most attractive in the entire dacha area.
3. Small alpine slide in a flowerpot. An excellent solution in case of lack of free land plot. You can always find many photos of such mini-rock gardens and not only in flowerpots, but also in other various containers.

A rock garden can be completely different - from a mini composition in a pot to a large slide with waterfalls and a fountain

Materials for designing a slide

To create a small, simple alpine slide, even novice gardeners do not need a lot of skills or much effort. The main thing is to get in a creative mood. The process itself will not take much time, since a mini rock garden is a completely small and not labor-intensive project.

Organic stone placement creates the impression of a natural landscape

Once you decide to set up a small rock garden with your own hands, you will need very little material, which is definitely available at any dacha:

• several large stones;
• gravel;
• ceramic shards.

Sometimes even old sinks or leaky basins can act as scrap materials. They can also be transformed into a genuine floral masterpiece.

To make the composition more interesting and original even with a minimum of vegetation, preference should be given to stones with unusual shape and colors. It is advisable to surround cobblestones of a common gray color with gravel of other shades or bushes with bright flowering.

Choosing plants for a small alpine hill

What plants will make up the composition of the mini-alpine slide is determined by the area that the latter will occupy. In the case of small areas, miniature plant species are also required. The most suitable are dwarf-sized conifers, as well as rocky species that grow slowly. Among them you can choose:

• boxwood;
• juniper;
• herbaceous erica;
• saxifrage;
• Phlox awl-shaped.

If we want to dilute the composition with bright colors, we should plant low growing plants, which have small flowering, for example:

• creeping thyme;
• aubrietta;
• lobularia.

In the case when the mini-garden made of stones will not remain for the winter, then it is permissible to include cacti and succulents, for example, crassula or agave, in its composition. With the arrival of autumn, a miniature rock garden in a flowerpot can be simply removed from the street into the room.

Plants for the slide should be unpretentious to environmental conditions

The sequence of creating a mini rock garden for beginner gardeners

In various sources you can find a lot of diagrams and step-by-step instructions with photos for creating mini rock gardens. The simplest sequence of actions, which is easy to implement even for a beginner in gardening, is as follows:

• marking the area for a mini-alpine slide;
• placing stones and fixing them in the ground;
• planting plants between stones.

Site preparation

When starting to arrange a flower garden, you should remove all weeds and roots from the area intended for it. This will save time and effort in the future.

Since the mini-rock garden occupies a small area, a pit about 50 cm deep will suffice. A similar hole should be dug in the place where most of the stones are planned to be placed and filled with drainage. The latter may be suitable for ordinary construction waste, which is not toxic. After compaction, it is covered with earth. It is important to carry out intermediate watering of the soil with water, which is added in layers. This measure promotes better compaction and will prevent subsidence of your creation in the future. To mark the tiers of the rock garden, twine and stakes are used.

When placing stones, you can focus on your own taste and the general appearance of the resulting rock garden

Quite often, one of the most impressive stones is placed in the middle of the flower bed. It is installed on a special substrate, which is buried in the ground until its base is level with the ground. A plaster bowl or a substrate made of cement mortar can serve as a support. First you need to install the support in the right place, drowning it in the ground, and then lay a stone on it. You can make the placement of the stone reliable by using cement mortar or gypsum.

Next, using a similar principle, you should start arranging and securing smaller stones. When creating an alpine mini-slide, the most commonly used materials are shell rock, dolomite and tuff. Samples with natural colors and structure look especially elegant, although modern landscape design methods allow the coloring of stones, the appearance of which does not fit well with the overall composition. Usually, when designing miniature rock gardens, they try to use small samples of stones of the same color scheme, but it is quite possible to use bright colors that create a contrast to the main background. This will add gloss and elegance to the flower garden.

When installing stones, you must adhere to the descending rule, that is, arrange them in height that decreases downwards. The lower stones should act as a reliable and stable support for the upper ones. There is also an option for layering stones, which also looks very impressive.

Stones that have an even and flat shape should be laid out in layers, round stones should be placed one at a time or several together. The main thing is that the number of stones in the group is odd, and it is necessary to focus on one of them.

Disembarkation

Before planting plants on a hill, flowers can be placed directly in pots and look at the general appearance of the composition; planting can be done after all the amendments have been made

In the process of placing and installing stones, it is important to leave space between them, which will later be occupied by the plants chosen for the mini-rock garden. These spaces between the stones must be filled with fertile soil. You can plant plants and flowers not only between, but also around the stones. The largest plants should be placed first. Concerning dwarf trees, which have quite a powerful root system, then they need to be planted when the first stones are still being laid. At the end, the middle and small plants. At the end of all the work, the flower garden should be watered. After this, all that remains is to apply the final design touches. To do this you will need sand, small pebbles and any elements of garden decor.