Rock garden and rockery difference. Alpine hill with their own hands. How to care for rockeries

Rockery or rock garden will help to give a noble look to the site. But what is it?

Rockery is a modern decoration of the site, which came to us from the West. It is a landscape composition that imitates a rocky area, such a stone flower bed.

A rock garden or alpine slide is a place on a site where alpine (mountain) plants are grown, surrounded by large stones that imitate mountain peaks.

These two areas in landscape design are very similar, but each is interesting in its own way, so let's figure out what exactly will look more interesting on your site and how to create such beauty with your own hands.

What is rockery: design of rockeries, basic styles and types

To replace the usual flower beds, a modern rockery has come, which looks much more interesting and harmonious. It can be placed anywhere, on a slope with a difference in elevation or on flat terrain. Such a landscape design element can imitate a rock or an area of ​​natural virgin wilderness.

There are several styles of rockeries, the most popular are (the design of these rockeries is shown in the photo):

• Japanese style. It consists in the location of granite stones on a flat area. Here you can find neatly arranged plants in pots. Decorative pieces of furniture and Japanese figurines are not alien to this style.

• English style. A distinctive feature of this style is the landscape, coniferous vegetation and cereals are used here.

• Italian style. There is a special aesthetic here, preference is given to large rounded stones, spectacular figures of sculptures, a lot of various greenery is planted. The presence of forged items is allowed.

• European style. The emphasis is on plants that replace each other and bloom all season. The composition is diluted with various stone sculptures of European design, as well as plaster flowerpots and lanterns.

• German style. The most conservative and thoughtful. Here, ordinary stones are replaced with stone structures that can perform not only a decorative function, but also a practical one. This rockery is distinguished by the severity of the stones laid out “under the ruler” and the plants planted in a row.

• Alpine style. This style earned its name due to the location of the rockery on a hill, imitating a mountain descent. The vegetation planted is that which grows in the alpine regions, mainly conifers and bulbous flowers.

Differences between rockeries and rock gardens

Alpine style rockeries and alpine slides are similar to each other in terms of arrangement, choice of stones and planting with vegetation. But still, there are differences.

Characteristic features of rock garden:

1. A rock garden can look like a rock, as if rocks rise above the surface of the earth.
2. Its design may resemble an alpine meadow with a limited number of stones and boulders.
3. The design of the alpine hill reproduces the mountain landscape to the maximum.

Rockery features:

1. It contains a variety of colors, unusual shapes, interesting textures.
2. It means many huge boulders and blocks from the same rock.

These two styles of landscape design are united by the fact that the composition of stone and plants should look organic and fit as naturally as possible into the overall style of the site.

Where is the best place to place an alpine slide and rockeries?

The place for placing a stone composition, both for rockeries and for alpine slides, is chosen in the same way, but in order to achieve a decent result, you need to consider some rules:

1. A stone bed should fit perfectly into the landscape of your site.
2. Take care of the background against which the rockery or rock garden will be located. If you have buildings or an inefficient fence on your site, then you can plant weaving plants that will close the unpresentable view of the buildings and serve as a great frame for the stone composition.
3. Take into account when arranging such moments as natural phenomena. Since strong streams of water flowing down from the roofs can inadvertently damage the flower bed.

Consider all the nuances when planning, you should not break such a flower bed directly near the garden or outbuildings.

The advantage of such a composition over a conventional flower bed is that for its breakdown it does not matter at all what kind of soil is on the site, what kind of lighting and what kind of relief.

The place where it is planned to break a stone flower bed should be without large trees and large shrubs, since such overall vegetation is not used in this type of landscape design. Any uneven surface available on the site will do, if there is none, it does not matter, you can create it yourself.

Such beauty should be placed in the most prominent place. The ideal place where you usually relax or the area adjacent to the house, which will be visible from all sides.

Drainage and soil preparation

First of all, we mark out the place, on the site where we will place the rockery or alpine slide. This can be done with rope and pegs. It is necessary to remove the fertile layer of the earth.

Now you need to think about drainage, which will be filled into the base by about 5 centimeters. Gravel, pebbles or crushed stone can be used as drainage, broken brick is also suitable.
This is necessary so that excess moisture does not accumulate in the design of the future rockery, and large stones do not sag over time.

To achieve a natural type of vegetation that will grow in such a flower bed, a special land mixture should be prepared.

• The first half of the mixture is land from the garden.
• The second half consists of sand, peat and gravel in equal proportions.
• We mix all this and get the necessary substrate.

The choice of plants and flowers for rockeries and alpine slides

In order for the finished composition to harmoniously fit into the landscape design style of your site and please with its appearance, you should opt for plants designed in the general style.
The beauty is that you can choose the plants you like, but there are a few rules to follow.

1. Vegetation and stones in rockeries should cover the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe flower bed in a ratio of 50 to 50, and in rock gardens 75% of the area is stones and 25% plants. As for the plants themselves, the optimal ratio is 35 to 65, coniferous and deciduous to ground cover. In rock gardens, rich mountain flora should prevail.
2. It is not recommended to plant large, very lush, brightly flowering varieties of plants. Because they will divert attention from the stones and turn the stone flower bed into an ordinary front garden. Perennial ornamental conifers, ferns and bulbs are perfect - tulips, crocuses, snowdrops and others.
3. It is necessary to seat plants, based on the individual characteristics of the plant. We take into account the light, shadow and composition of the soil.

Stones for rockeries and alpine hills: which ones to choose?

Stones are the main component of both an alpine slide and a rockery, so they must meet the following criteria:

• durability - to be used for as long as possible;
• naturalness - to have a natural look;
• decorativeness - decorate and transform the territory;
• natural - not to be artificial.

It is necessary to select soft stones of natural shades, this willthe composition is naturalistic and will emphasize the beauty of plants.

It is better to choose stones of large sizes, with coarse fragments, of the same breed for rockeries and different types for rock gardens.
The most popular are:

• granite;
• sandstone;
• slate;
• limestone.

Let's take a closer look at them.

• Granite stone is one of the most durable, hard, slowly aging, resistant to weathering, highly decorative.

• Sandstone - does not weather, because of this, the stone has sharp edges for a long time. It happens: with a red tint, sandy, creamy-grayish.

• Slate stone - This is a natural rock stone, has a layered structure. Has a large selection of colors. It happens: black, green, brown, gray, red, purple, burgundy, red, yellow, golden.

• Limestone - the main advantages of such stones include the ability to weather. Thanks to this, the corners are smoothed and the surface of the stone is overgrown with moss and lichen, which gives it a natural look and increases its decorative value. It happens: white, gray, cream, golden and blue. Often blocks of limestone imitate rocks well.

Rockery and rock garden device: step by step instructions

Since the organization of the rockery and rock garden does not differ from each other, the instructions for breaking them down will be the same.

Step 1 - Planning

You should make a plan or diagram of a future stone flower bed, taking into account all your requirements and the possibility of recreating them on your site.
When creating such a plan, consider whether all the necessary materials are available. Decide what type of structure will be. Which plants and where will grow, depending on whether the sunny side or not.

Step 2 - Work on the site

• Initially, they clean up the site.
• Next, the outline of the future composition is broken, this can be done with a rope.
• The fertile soil layer is removed by about 10-20 cm.
• After the hole is dug, all roots should be removed from the soil to prevent clogging of the fertile layer with weeds.
• Cover the recess with geotextile. This material is excellent at preventing weed growth.
• The next step is drainage. Small gravel or material that is available is poured.
• All this is sprinkled with sand, and carefully compacted.

In the end, a fairly rigid base is obtained, which can pass the necessary moisture, while preventing the stones from sagging.

Step 3 - Arranging the Stones

Only after preparing the soil, you can start placing stones. They need to be selected in different sizes, so the flower bed will look more interesting.
Under the stones you need to make small indentations. This will contribute to their stability, fill the flower bed with sand around the perimeter.

If the stones are very large, then you should deepen them by a third, and even better by half. They should be laid on the drainage or buried even deeper, the stones should not swing, and even more so turn out.

It should be taken into account that the stones must be oriented in one direction, thus, the impression of rocks naturally looking out of the ground will be created.

We should not forget about the place between the stones for the ornamental plants themselves.

Step 4 - Planting

Plants should be chosen such that a successful combination of size, color and shape can be obtained. Imagine how they will look in a couple of years.

Plants should be planted in tiers:

• the tallest plants are suitable for the first tier;
• for the second - average;
• respectively, for the third - the lowest or creeping.

At first, you can put the plants in pots, so to speak, take a closer look, you might not like it, and you will change something.

The location is very important, since alpine plants love a lot of light, this should be taken into account when breaking an alpine slide.

If you place rockeries next to a lush flower bed, then the composition will be completely lost.

The size of the structure also matters. A huge rockery on a small plot area will look ridiculous, and a small alpine slide can get lost and lose its charm in the corner of a large plot.

Wrong selection of plants

Many people do not pay attention to the choice of plants, and therefore the stone flower bed is empty due to the wrong selection of plants in terms of growth rate, flowering, size and location.

plant load

Too many plants in a stone bed cover the beauty of the stone and it seems that this is not a rockery or rock garden, but an ordinary flower bed.

Wrong selection of stones

Alpine slide, and rockeries, as planned, should imitate a certain natural area. Therefore, when choosing stones, it should be taken into account which stones should be placed on a stone flower bed.

In rock gardens, stones should be sharp, not smooth, similar to the fragments of mountains, and round stones are quite suitable for rockeries. Since there are no brightly colored stones in nature, natural colors of the stone should be preferred.

Incorrect stone placement

Some, creating a hill or rockeries, settle stones with geometric clarity - in a circle or with a square at the base, and a regular pyramid rises to the top. This is wrong, because in nature this does not happen.

Save per device

When, when constructing a rockery or rock garden, in an attempt to save money, they use “improvised” material that is lying around on the site, in the dacha, in the yard, it turns out that the stones do not match the style of the flower bed, and the arrangement of the composition is thoughtless. On such slides, plants very often rot because there is no drainage system, and also fail and die for the same reason.

Caring for rockeries and alpine slides

Maintenance of such a flower bed is minimal. If this is a hill, then it needs to be watered in the spring, when the plants begin to actively develop. You may need to moisturize in the summer as well. To do this, use a watering can or a hose with a sprayer.

Periodically, it is necessary to remove dried flowers and broken branches from ornamental plants. When weeds appear, you need to weed.

Top dressing should be applied infrequently, and fertilizers should be weak. For the winter, it is better to hide the plants, if they are not frost-resistant enough, in bags put on top. Sometimes you need to add soil.

Security issue

When creating an alpine slide or rockery, one should not forget about safety, especially for families with children. When creating a structure from stones and plants, consider the following rules:

1. Do not use sharp stones.
2. Fix the lumps well so that they cannot wriggle out.
3. If there is a hole with water, do not leave children alone.
4. Enclose the stone flower bed with a small hill.

The device of a rockery or rock garden is not very difficult, the main thing is patience and a desire to get a good result. Such a flower bed is able to create coziness in the yard. Thanks to this design, the site will sparkle with new colors, and you will enjoy its beauty for more than one year.

Creating a stone flower bed on your site with your own hands makes it possible to feel like a landscape designer. There is always room for creativity here. You can make changes to your composition, add stones, plant new plants. This place will become a favorite vacation spot for the whole family.

Definitions rockery varied and somewhat vague. However, they all agree that rockery, in fact, is a kind of composition of stones and plants that imitates the natural landscape and is located on a flat surface.

For European rockery when choosing plants, preference is given to well-known inhabitants of the flora of the middle zone, with possible "interspersed" more southern or northern neighbors.

- unlike the alpine slide, rockery is not inherent in tiered arrangement of its elements, although the use of stone "peaks" is allowed;
- rockeries are characterized by the placement of stones and plants within a relatively flat composition, which, unlike an alpine hill, does not require intense lighting;
- along with large stones and cobblestones, gravel is necessarily used in rockeries, both in the form of covering the paths and decorative filling between the elements of the flower garden;
- as plants for rockeries, it is customary to choose the most unpretentious ones that do not require complex care and special growing conditions;
- for the arrangement of the alpine slide, plants from mountainous regions are used, which is not mandatory for rockeries.

Recently, another type of rockeries is gaining popularity, "mobile" . Such compositions are either placed in a hollowed out tree trunk, or plants in pots or containers are used in their breakdown. It is clear that, if desired, such a rockery can be moved to any place on the site.

A good solution is also the breakdown of rockeries on a "useless" slope

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It is better to sketch out a plan for the future rockery on a piece of paper. In this case, the basis of the composition is stones, the plants will only be an effective addition, therefore they are planted only after the stone “plot” of the rockery is fully built. For coniferous rockeries, undersized spruce, thuja, larch, juniper are suitable. In deciduous rockeries, dwarf shrubs with decorative foliage, beautiful flowers or fruits are widely used. Roses, azaleas, petunias and other plants with long colorful flowering can become bright accents in rockeries.

For rockeries, it is preferable to choose stones of beige and yellow-brown colors, which go well with the greenery of plants.

The concepts of rock gardens and rockeries in landscape design are similar and refer to rocky gardens. The differences between them are as follows. If the basis of the rock garden is a rocky hill covered with rocky vegetation, then in rockeries the main element is the composition of stones on a flat surface. Therefore, the rock garden needs to be done in a well-lit place, and rockeries can be done in the shade.

A rock garden is best placed against a calm, neutral background, away from garden beds, greenhouses, flower beds, and playgrounds. Large stones for rockeries need to be selected of the same breed. The combination of different types, for example, granite and limestone, will not always be successful. But the gravel sprinkling of rockeries, on the contrary, can be variegated and heterogeneous.

How to distinguish rockeries from rock gardens?

The plant component for rockeries is usually spruce and pine of compact varieties, rhododendrons, planted with curtains of erica and heather. If, at the same time, plants prefer acidic soils, then they try not to use rocks containing lime (tuff, dolomite, limestone and shell rock). In extreme cases, you can occasionally acidify the soil.

Rockeries in landscape design can be combined with an artificial pond or stream, including a dry one, as in a Japanese garden. Large boulders and plants are preferred there, which will create a harmonious transition to the surface of the water: miscanthus, Siberian iris, hostas with gray and green foliage. Large mossy rocky boulders, thickets of ferns, a carpet of lilies of the valley or loosestrife, smoothly bending around the stones, will look good in the wild part of the garden among the sparse forests. If the rockery is arranged under the trees, then you should not use a small fraction of stones for filling it. In autumn, you will have to buy a garden vacuum cleaner to clean fallen needles and leaves.

Landscape design - rockery and rock garden, require certain knowledge for the arrangement. To create rockeries begin with digging the soil and removing weeds. If necessary, drainage or a layer of sand is made under a layer of fertile soil so that plants that cannot tolerate dampness grow better.

Groups of stones selected for rockeries are laid asymmetrically. The largest of them cannot be delivered to the place without heavy equipment. Therefore, it is better to do this before laying the lawn, planting plants and installing retaining walls and paths in the garden. Under the largest boulders, a foundation is usually made of concrete, crushed stone or smaller stones, otherwise the blocks will gradually sink into the ground. Under the gravel sprinkling, so that small pebbles do not mix with the ground, geotextiles are laid.

Today, not many owners of country plots and gardens are satisfied with ordinary flower beds and garden beds as their design. To give the garden a natural look, closer to nature, you can use such elements of landscape design as rockeries and rock gardens. For the uninitiated in the intricacies of design, there is not much difference between these types of landscapes.

Indeed, in both there are stones and plants. If you contact the specialists of the Azbuka Landscape company, they will help you understand the difference between them. Not only that, they will offer you the service of creating a project that will include these types of popular landscapes.

Creation of rock gardens and rockeries on the site

What is the difference between rockery and rock garden?

Rockery is an oriental type of rocky landscape. To create it, stones of the same breed are selected, but different in shape and size. The territory of a rockery can be different in its natural landscape: flat, hilly, with ponds, natural waterfalls.

A rock garden is an alpine hill, a hill lined with stones, between which undersized plant rocks grow. There may be several such slides in the territory. They imitate mountains with vegetation.

These two directions in landscape design are similar to each other. In both cases, certain conditions must be met during creation:

• Compositions should be in harmony with the general style of the territory;
• To create compositions, you need a suitable background. You should not place rockeries or rock gardens against the background of buildings, fences and other elements that are incompatible with them.

Features of rockeries, design, styles

Rockeries are as close as possible to the natural landscape. The styles in which they are performed only correct the existing natural elements, or complement them. Rockeries can be arranged on flat terrain, but it looks more impressive on a slope. Such a landscape element can be designed in the form of a rock, with natural plant species.

There are several styles in which you can perform rockeries:

• Japanese, it can also be created on a flat surface. Its essence lies in the diverse arrangement of granite stones, surrounded by plants. By the way, plants can simply be arranged in pots;
• European style has several directions. English rockeries use conifers and grasses. In Italian - there are sculptures and a lot of greenery. In German rockeries, all elements have a clear, geometric arrangement. Common to the European style is the presence of flowering plants that replace each other throughout the season.

Rock garden features

It is believed that a rock garden is a rocky hill with plants, which can also be. In essence, this is so. But for a rock garden it is not necessary to have an elevated surface. It can also be located on flat terrain, only with the condition of good drainage from stones to drain water. Another condition for creating an alpine hill is a thorough cleaning of the soil for plants from weeds, especially cereals, with a strong root system.

The platform for the rock garden should be on the sunny side. It is also important to carefully consider the choice of plants for the alpine slide. The main requirement is that the plants should be small. Dwarf conifers, shrubs and creeping ground cover species are acceptable here.

Seeming at first glance, the ease in creating rocky gardens - rockeries and rock gardens, in fact, requires certain knowledge and experience. If you need help in creating such a project on a garden plot, then contact the specialists of the Azbuka Landscape company. They will be happy to help you realize your project and share tips for caring for it.

The hill was named after borrowed from the Alps. It was they who became the prototype of plants grown in artificial conditions. For self-construction, the creation of an earthen embankment equipped with good drainage is required. The upper, visible to the eye, part of the structure is laid with stones of various shapes and colors, between which pre-planted flowers sprout. Special care is not required, sometimes it is necessary to provide watering.

To make a rock garden as soon as possible and enjoy the beautiful view, you need to choose the right place to create it.

The design of rock gardens varies slightly and depends on the chosen style, of which several are known:

1. European style involves planting plants that grow and bloom slowly, but life cycles occur at different times of the year, so they can bloom alternately almost all year round, delighting the owners. The general view of the rock garden is always attractive, there are young buds, flowers.
2. English style has its own characteristics. Stones for the site are selected non-standard, often they have a pointed shape or unusual branches. Among them are coniferous plantations that grow for a long time and never get too high, which makes it easier to care for them.
3. Japanese style includes exquisite details, but their list is small. The stones are not stacked end-to-end, they resemble small ovals in shape. Plants are selected multi-colored, but inferior in number to other styles. Undersized, but bright and long-flowering options are appreciated.
4. Czech style resembles a constructor, the modules of which are interspersed with various colors. Slabs are selected by size, using the same, and sometimes playing with their shape, contrasting colors. The elements are stacked like a mosaic, mounted on the edges. The field for laying the main pattern is defined by holes in which seeds or plant seedlings can be planted.

The elements are stacked like a mosaic, mounted on the edges. The field for laying the main pattern is defined by holes in which seeds or plant seedlings can be planted.

When choosing a place to create a rock garden, it should be taken into account that it should be a picturesque island, so you should refrain from designing it on the location of a bad landscape. You should not place it near large bushes, trees, buildings, if they do not look harmonious. You need to choose a well-lit area, preferably throughout the year. You can orient yourself to the south, providing for any possible inconvenience.

It will not be possible to sow tall plants in front of the future flowering hill, and it should also be taken into account that the possibility of using the territory for storing something will not appear for a long time.

To harmonize the rock garden with other elements of the landscape or buildings, you can frame it with any building materials of the desired color. It is worth remembering that the addition of additional elements expands the entire structure.

A lawn is created next to the stone masonry, dim plants, mostly green in color, are planted on it.

Compared to other plants rock garden must rise, so you should additionally bring the earth, pour and compact the mound.

Rockeries: simpler designs

To create a rockery you can use certain plants that have long been tested by compatriots, which will help get rid of the risk of taking plantings unsuitable for the climate, caring for plants for which you need to develop individual methods of watering and feeding.

1. The planting area is relatively even, so it is necessary to select plants that are in harmony with each other in color and shape. Extraordinary species will stand out brightly, but ridiculously against the general background.
2. Flowers should bloom and stay green all year round. This property will help make rockeries attractive all the time, and in winter it will not spoil it with bare stems that have grown mixed with stones.
3. It is necessary to decide before creating a rockery which plants will be planted: fast-growing or slow-growing. Mixing these two varieties will make the overall look untidy, all the stems will be different in size, which would normally look in a rock garden. As a result, stronger plants will drown out the rest, so when connecting several types of dissimilar plantings, they should be placed at a distance from each other.
4. When selecting plants, they try to adhere to a certain color range or brightness of shades. When forming rockeries, the choice of color is especially important, so you should think in advance about the general appearance of future plantings and their combination with each other.

Unlike climbers, where refinement and light shades are valued, when creating rockeries in a dark place, you can make the site beautiful without a lot of sunlight. Rock ferns and ephemeroids will look great in the middle of small stones, casting a whole range of transitional, contrasting shades.

What is the main difference

Speaking of rockeries and rock gardens, they often mean the same type of flower garden. This is a mistake, as differences can be seen in any garden plot. Rockery is usually located horizontally, however, for its correct formation, several tubercles are often used. Randomly occurring hills will help make the terrain as unusual as possible, help you independently build additional jumps in the growth of green spaces and their location. It is easier to install stones on a smooth base, but laying out a memorable composition is almost impossible, so the work is complicated.

In the first photo there is a rock garden, and in the second a rockery.

Rockery has an advantage over rock garden, since for its construction there is no need to buy plantings that are especially resistant to negative factors, it is enough to purchase weakly growing plants. Alpine varieties will not be useful, as the terrain will be lighter, calmer. Usually necessary or very beautiful plants for rock gardens are unsuitable for growing in mid-latitudes, so many owners prefer to build rockeries rather than rock gardens.

When choosing a stone for rockeries you should focus on monochromatic colors, slight wear, general dullness after installation. The rock garden involves the creation of an eye-catching pattern that attracts attention even without grown plants. Stones and tiles of any kind can be used, since the hilly structure allows you to look at objects gradually, in contrast to the moderately flat surface for rockeries, where the overall picture is visible at first sight and any bust in color can be regarded as bad taste.

Determining the materiality of the differences between rockeries and rock gardens should be remembered that you need to stick to your own taste. If there is an opportunity to demonstrate design skills by creating unusual stone areas with the addition of flowers, it is worth a try.

With a competent approach and a clear understanding of the differences between the two types of structures, your own flower garden can turn out to be brilliant.