How to make an alpine slide

They say that people are divided into those who love the seaand those who love the mountains. If you are the second type, then this article is for you. Find out how to transfer a piece of your favorite landscape to an ordinary plot. The main thing to remember is that this is a piece of the Alpine ecosystem on your plot. And even if the plants are not truly alpine, you can arrange everything so that the hill will be no worse than Mont Blanc.Creating a Foundation First of all, you shoulddecide on the size of the hill. They can be very different, everything depends on and on the desired share of the rock garden. The natural slope of the site can be played up especially effectively. It is recommended to make an artificial slope to the southwest or southeast. When arranging a site, there is often excess soil, which is very convenient to adapt for the base of the hill. The top layer of soil 20-25 centimeters deep is removed and the depression is filled with broken brick. Such drainage is absolutely necessary, since all "alpine" plants do not tolerate damp soil.Placing the stones The next step is laying them outstones. Here everything is limited only by your imagination, but there are some recommendations that can significantly simplify the process. So, it is better to put polyethylene film with holes for water drainage under the stones - this will prevent the growth of weeds. It is better to orient oblong stones in one direction. It is recommended to place the largest and most beautiful stone at the base, and smaller stones on the periphery. Small gaps of soil should be left between the stones, where plants will develop. Choosing Plants An alpine garden is by no meansan ephemeral formation, which means that plants should be selected to ensure continuous flowering of the slide. Conifers will look excellent: juniper, thuja, black pine, Canadian spruce, mountain pine, fir and other dwarf or creeping forms. They repeat the natural plant community of the mountains and will serve as a background for other plants. In some compositions, however, they can act as an independent bright accent. Conifers can be selected based on the color of the crown - there are blue, dark green, yellowish options. The top of the rock garden is planted with light-loving plants andlow-growing plants, ideally ground covers. This choice is justified by the fact that they strengthen the soil at the top and do not shade the other plants. Various sedums are perfect for such purposes, for example, white sedum or oreganum. Iberis, phlox or saxifrage will help to dilute the top composition, but it is better to shade the latter with something from direct rays. The main thing here is to remember the specific conditions at the top of the rock garden: we are talking about intense lighting, high stone temperature and poor soil. In summer, the top of the slide should be watered every day, since in such conditions the water evaporates very quickly. The middle tier of the slide is best plantedlight-loving but semi-shade-tolerant plants. Do not forget that an alpine slide is not a flower garden, so you need to select not only decorative flowering plants, but also decorative foliage plants. Flowers such as Carpathian bellflower, crocus, chickweed, subulate phlox, nummular helianthus, various kolniki, and sedum are suitable for the middle tier. The lower tier and the northern side of the hill are worth it.plant shade-loving plants. A fern can be an exotic addition. Saxifraga umbrosa will also feel great. The harmony of an alpine slide is built on a combination of stone and plants, so no matter what plants you choose, do not completely plant the stones. Otherwise, the rock garden will be indistinguishable from a simple slope. Slide maintenance An alpine slide requires careful maintenance. Firstly, all manipulations should be carried out manually, because it is quite problematic to operate standard "means of mass destruction" in the tight spaces between stones. Perennial weeds, such as couch grass, can cause a lot of problems, so you need to make an effort to immediately destroy them and prevent the development of rhizomes immediately after they appear.In addition, the soil, due to its small volume,dries out quickly, so in hot weather the hill requires abundant and frequent watering. The plants are covered, and the hill is covered with snow. In this way, the delicate plants will retain their vitality, and next spring the blossoming mountain flowers will color your little Alps.