Buy or find: selection of stones for an alpine slide

What is an alpine slide

A rock garden is a mountain made of rocky stones, decorated with flowering, herbaceous or coniferous plants. It is made artificially, but should have the most natural appearance.

Rock gardens are divided into the following varieties:

• rocky wall;
• forest gully;
• slope terrace;
• mountain valley;
• talus;
• rock.

For the base of the structure, large stones are used, while small ones are stirred closer to the top. It is recommended to take flat, as well as square or rectangular specimens, oval ones are rarely used. Preference is given to angular shapes that resemble rocks.

Video "DIY Alpine slide"

From this video you will learn how to build a beautiful alpine slide with your own hands.

Varieties of stones

To make an exquisite element of landscape design with your own hands, you need to choose stone material of the same format and structure. It is permissible to use both cobblestones and flagstones. Sandstone, shale, tuff and limestone absorb water well, so the rock garden will be durable and always blooming.

Granite

It is a heavy and rather hard stone. It comes in white, blue, pink, green and black. When processing such material, you will need to use special tools. Granite resists wind and moisture well. In this case, the soil system will be at risk of flooding and high humidity. When using granite as a material, it is recommended to plant moisture-loving crops and arrange a drainage system.

Sandstone

Sandstone is affordable and cheap. Due to its neutral pH level, the stone is successfully combined with other varieties and most plants - rejuvenation, saxifrage, cloves, sedum. It has a porous and layered structure, while being resistant to the influence of natural factors. It can be red, pinkish, creamy gray, beige or brown in color.

Slate

This sedimentary material, based on quartz and clay, forms thin, smooth, flattened slabs. Its formation occurs due to the deposition of groundwater, layering on top of each other. Slate is found in river basins, more often gray, less often green, black and brown. This stone combines well with other breeds; it looks as natural as possible in the rock garden.

Shell rock

Shell rock is used for aquariums and is sold at pet stores. This material consists of shells, has a soft structure, which allows you to create mini-pockets for planting plants (preferably succulents), making indentations in several places.

Pebbles

Bright and multi-colored pebbles are successfully combined with large boulders of dark colors, as well as gravel of saturated shades. Playing on the contrast of color and size will create an interesting composition. Pebbles also serve as additional lighting for the rock garden after sunset.

Brick

For the decoration of the rock garden, clinker bricks of an oval or irregular shape are sometimes used, it is better not to use rectangular bricks. The brick should be laid out in layers, you can use material of various shades - the color varies from beige, terracotta to brown. The finished structure will be quite durable, and you can use the bricks left over after building the house to create it.

Travertine and tuff

These materials are lightweight, soft and spongy. They are formed from calcium carbonate precipitated during spring floods. The cellular structure absorbs moisture well, so it is better to place the rock garden in a sunlit area. Travertine and tuff are pleasant to deal with due to their relatively low weight. Non-flowering plants with an unremarkable appearance are used as decoration for the composition.

Where to get

You can collect material of any kind on your own in rivers and on beaches. The stones located there are not too large, but natural and free, as well as little susceptible to damage or erosion. You can replenish stocks of materials in old mines and quarries. First, you should make sure that there are no traces of chemicals that could be used in the development. Such places are not always available near the summer cottage, and there may not be suitable specimens.

We advise you to visit farms and private farmsteads. Often, the right types of material can be found in houses preparing for demolition. New owners can redo the layout of the site and give the boulders cheap or free.

If you do not want to look for the material yourself, you can buy it in stores. Here you will be offered interesting solutions. For example, specimens with pre-drilled holes in the planting material. You can buy cobblestones, as well as tuff, sandstone or shell rock from organizations specializing in landscape design. If you need small specimens, look for them at regular pet stores.

General rules for setting stones

The creation of a rock garden involves several stages: selection of a site, arrangement of drainage, selection and laying of material, selection of soil and planting of plants.

One slope of the structure should be gentle. Before starting installation, you need to make a recess up to 30 cm in size, where to place expanded clay and coarse sand. It is better to start with large pebbles, arrange them randomly without gaps, sprinkling each "floor" with a layer of earth, thus creating the illusion of a mountain landscape. A rock garden of 4-5 such "floors" is preferable.

After installation and backfilling of the soil, crops are planted, chosen to your taste. If you wish, you can actually build a rock garden from wheel tires at your summer cottage, using them instead of stone. Tires can form the backbone of a pond and waterfall design that can also beautify any landscape.