Coniferous plants for rock garden list. Alpine hill: a step-by-step description of how to make a rock garden with your own hands
Conifers for rock garden are especially valuable for creating a composition.
They help to cover construction defects - after all, it is not always possible to successfully dock terraces, pick up and naturally lay stones. In addition, columnar varieties visually increase the height of rockeries and stones near which they are planted, while rounded varieties emphasize the volume of the garden. Finally, the conifers on the hill serve as an excellent backdrop for any composition. You can use the same types of conifers for any type of garden, you just need to choose more or less dwarf varieties. Even for miniature rockeries, you can find many forms that do not rise above 30 cm.
For coniferous plants on the lpiyskaya hill, several general rules concerning care and growing conditions:
- They develop best on moderately rich slightly acidic loams. They prefer loose soils, take root on heavy and clay soils for a long time.
- Most are photophilous, but tolerate shading.
- Ephedra are drought-resistant, but during the period of active growth, take care to provide them with sufficient moisture.
- Transplant in early spring before the start of growth. Keep in mind that varietal forms take root much easier than species. Transplant adult specimens only after preliminary pruning of the root ball.
- It is not necessary to feed. Fresh organics are not allowed.
- Propagate by layering (creeping forms) and cuttings. Optimal time for these procedures - early spring, before bud break. Most species can be propagated by seeds. The range of conifers depends on the size of the garden, but even when creating large compositions, it is better to take slow-growing varieties with a dense crown.
Below are photos and names of coniferous plants for the alpine hill, tested over the years, the most stable in the Russian climate.
First of all, coniferous plants such as, and are suitable for rockeries.
Spruce - Picea in the photo 
Needles of all shades of green, gray
Spruces are unpretentious and frost-resistant. Any dwarf varieties are suitable for rockeries. Cultural forms have various types of crowns, needles of all shades of green, gray and even golden yellow.
Norway spruce 
European spruce
Serbian spruce varieties (R. omorica) are also good. 
Spruce Serbian
Gray spruce in the photo 
Canadian spruce in the photo
Columnar varieties of spruce with gray, or Canadian (P. glauca) are beautiful, but burn on spring sun: Be sure to shade them.
See photos of such conifers on an alpine hill:
It has many dwarf varieties with dark green, bluish-blue or golden needles, divided into three groups:
These photos show rockeries with conifers:
For rocky gardens, choose not large natural forms, but dwarf slow-growing varieties with dense crowns.
The most frost-resistant varieties of juniper:
For example, J. horizontalis ‘Plue Pygmy’, J. virginiana ‘Grey Owl’, J. sabina ‘Blaue Donau’, J. communis ‘Berkshire’.
Admire how beautiful alpine slide with conifers in these photos:
Fir - Abies
Most species are unpretentious and frost-resistant, but if last year's growth is poorly matured, in spring it can burn in the sun. Suitable for rockeries dwarf varieties with a dense crown have balsam fir, or black (A. balsamea), and Korean fir (A. kogeapa).
Pay attention to the photo - for rockeries from conifers, varieties with a spherical, wide pyramidal and flattened crown are especially valuable:
Pine - Pinus
For rockeries, dwarf varieties descended from northern or highland species are suitable.
The view provides ample opportunities for experimentation: there are varieties with a narrow pyramidal, spherical, flattened or exotically curved crown, with green, blue and even golden needles.
Dwarf varieties with a dense crown are suitable for rockeries.
However, even this hardy plant for good development, you will have to provide sufficient moisture and fertile garden soil - on poor dry soils, the branches of the arborvitae will be sparse, with faded needles.
The most beautiful alpine slides with conifers are presented in these photos:
Rules for the care of shrubs in rockeries
Deciduous woody plants are used in rockeries much less often than conifers, since only a few of the most unpretentious and compact species are suitable for rocky gardens in the temperate zone: evergreen magonia and boxwood, dwarf varieties of barberries, almonds, cinquefoil, daphne, spirea, stefanander, cotoneaster.
Common to them are following rules care:
- Transplant in early spring, before bud break, or in late summer - early autumn, after the annual growth is woody. Before transplanting in adult plants for two years, cut the roots several times according to the diameter of the crown to form a compact earthen lump.
- Reproduction by seeds is individual for each species, but in most cold stratification causes seed germination.
- Vegetative reproduction is varied. The most simple reproduction is horizontal layering. For better rooting, make an incision or constriction of the bark at the place of the dig.
- Most shrubs are easily propagated by cuttings. The best cuttings are the increments of the current year.
- Sanitary pruning and crown formation should be carried out in early spring, before the juices begin to move, and in autumn, after growth has ended. Prune flowering shrubs immediately after flowering.
The most suitable shrubs for rockeries are barberry, boxwood and spirea.
Thunberg barberry - Berberis thunbergii
Graceful shrub, completely strewn in early summer yellow flowers, which turn into red berries by autumn. Height is not more than 150 cm, there are dwarf varieties that do not rise above 30 cm. Extremely unpretentious: sun-loving, but tolerates shade, drought-resistant, but tolerates waterlogging. It is frost-resistant, but in snowless cold winters the crown freezes.
It lends itself perfectly to a haircut, although it is not necessary - the plant looks compact on its own. Particularly valuable are dwarf varieties with golden, variegated or purple leaves.
Evergreen boxwood - Buxus sempervirens
Dwarf evergreen tree, one of the few frost-resistant evergreen deciduous plants. Dwarf varieties wintering under the snow are best suited for rockeries. The main condition for normal growth is dry, well-drained soils. The nutritional value of the soil and its density are not too important, but fertile loam is preferable.
It is shade-loving, but shoots ripen better in the sun and winter more successfully.
One of the most beautiful species of the genus. Dwarf varieties are especially good, forming almost spherical bushes covered with small green, golden or purple leaves. "Dwarfs" bloom almost all summer. Winter-hardy, but in very cold winters they freeze slightly.
To prolong flowering and crown formation after the first flowering, spend light pruning. 'Golden Princess' is slightly larger than 'Little Princess' so it can be trimmed more.
Lately in landscape design the so-called alpine hills or rock gardens are very popular - a rocky design site, as close as possible in appearance to a mountain one and planted with mountain slow-growing (no more than 2 cm per year) representatives of vegetation.
There are several types of rock gardens, defining its shape (horizontal, located on a slope or resembling a small mountain or hill), style and choice of vegetation:
- IN Japanese style the main attention is paid to the beauty of the stones (usually rounded), while the vegetation itself fades into the background and occupies the minimum possible space.
- TO English style include alpine slides, consisting of sharp stones and slowly growing plants, mainly wormwood, coniferous and cereal species.
- To compositions European style include the types of landscapes closest to us, where primacy is given to flowering slow-growing plants. They are selected in such a way as to ensure flowering in rock gardens throughout the garden season, constantly replacing each other and maintaining its unique appearance.
- Recently, it has become very popular Czech rolling pins, which are also called "layered" or "slotted" rock gardens. Their appearance is closest to natural and is perfectly used in the design of large gardens and estates. This type of design is unmistakable, as it uses flat stones of varying sizes and thicknesses with virtually parallel surfaces, which are set at different angles to the ground and to each other, and in between they grow various alpine plants.
Plants belonging to the alpine flora are quite rare on garden plots and therefore are of particular interest to connoisseurs of garden art. Such species are practically not used for border or lawn plantings, because they require a special position and rarely take root in the wrong place.
It is very important to create exactly the right composition that will allow alpine plants to feel comfortable and delight the eye for many years.
Alpine slides are placed, usually focusing on the south side and on most sunny areas taking into account the long-term prospect of no shadow in the future. Types of masonry can be quite varied and depend on the type chosen, but the most commonly used vertical installation flat stones maximally rotated by the larger surface to the south.
With this arrangement, the stones accumulate heat, and the plants have minimal competition for the development of the root system and receive sunlight. The disadvantage of this type of flower garden is the high consumption of stones and the need to use stone mulch to retain moisture and better develop the underground parts of plants, as well as to prevent the germination of weeds.
The range of colors for stone slides is very wide and allows you to combine alpine and subalpine species with their counterparts from forests and steppes, for example, bulbous, low coniferous and fern. In this case, special attention must be paid harmonious ratio their size and speed of growth, placing accordingly.
For example, such mountain species as antennaria, obrieta, awl-shaped phlox, grains are preferably cultivated on top tiers, having the name "plateau", and it is good to plant the slopes with a variety of sedums, stonecrops and ground cover species of flora (survival, sapling, carnation, ground cover phlox), which helps to preserve the shape of the hill from erosion.
The foot of the hill you can beautifully decorate with ephemeroid bulbs - muscari, quinodox, crocuses, tulips. Low shrub and wood species (Japanese quince, creeping cotoneaster, junipers and dwarf varieties of pines) are perfect as background species.
For northeastern parts of the rock garden usually shade-tolerant and shade-loving types are used, such as shade saxifrage, ferns, anemones and corydalis.
For top part sun-loving drought-tolerant plants are best suited. Bathing suit flowers can become a real decoration of the slide.
The rock garden will always look great if you correctly coordinate the timing of the flowering of the plants planted in it, allowing you to admire the change of colors and shades throughout the warm season, starting in spring, when the Carpathian bluebell, excellent tulip, saxifrage, narcissus, blueberry, Japanese quince, stonecrop bloom , snowdrop, and until late autumn (gentian, cinquefoil, small-petal and yarrow).
The basic law of creating a slide in this case is the inadmissibility of landing large plants next to small ones, in order to avoid drowning and shading some species by others and hiding the beauty of stones under their lush foliage.
In a general sense, a rock garden is a collection of undersized and graceful species growing in a flower garden among a well-visible stone composition, and this must be taken into account when planning it.
In order to choose the right culture for your rock garden, there are several rules which will help in choosing the most successful solutions.
Design harmoniously
For the harmonious design of the slide are best suited:
- various types of l tuber and tuber crops(galanthus, crocuses, scillas, irises);
- rosette crops(rejuvenated, cuffs, orostachis);
- bud cover flowers(cloves, thyme, sedums, daisies, bluebells, periwinkle, St. John's wort);
- low and creeping coniferous plants(junipers, boxwood, mountain pine).
Consider the external features of plants
When choosing the type of rock garden and flower crops it needs to be taken into account color scheme, flowering time and texture of plants and combine them with selected stones, their shape, location and shades.
Pay attention to climate change
It is necessary to take into account the climatic features of the region and the soil, and select plants in accordance with these conditions, however, visually reminiscent of a mountain landscape.
Consider the size of plants and rock garden
The size of the plants should be proportional to the created rock garden. That is, it is necessary to choose low, compact plant species. For example, for a small stone slide, herbaceous flowers and low shrubs such as heather, gentians, cereals. tall thuja, dwarf pines and juniper look great when creating large alpine compositions, which most often have a tiered structure.
The structure of the rock garden
Usually alpine slides are conventionally divided into 3 main zones: top, middle and bottom. Each of them has its own design features and different conditions for the growth of flowers:
- Microclimate the top of the stone hill characterized by an abundance of sun, the highest temperature and low moisture content, so for this part it is better to select light-loving, drought-resistant species that do not require special care. Ideal in this case can be a snow-white carpet of iberis, or a colorful masterpiece of perennial cushion carnations that will fill your garden with a gentle pleasant smell throughout the summer. They will also give an irresistible look to the top of the hill, rocky beetroot, young, thyme and edelweiss, which can go without watering for a long time and love the abundance of the sun.
- The middle part of the hill receives less heat and light, but at the same time it is more moistened and it is best to use ramonda, phlox, lobelia erinus, crocuses and daffodils for its design.
- The lower tier of the rock garden usually highly humid and least sunlit. Light coolness and partial shade reign here, therefore, to decorate the foot of a stone hill, it is best to choose shade-tolerant plants that love abundant watering, such as ferns, bathing suits, shady saxifrages, corydalis. Often, for greater resemblance to the Alpine mountains, the lower part of the hill is planted with coniferous plants.
What plants to choose?
Coniferous cultures for a stone slide
Evergreen conifers always give the rock garden some naturalness, imitating the forests at the foot of the Alpine mountains, surrounding it with lush greenery and emphasizing the beauty flowering species. Alpine hill with coniferous plants looks harmonious and beautiful. At the same time, trees and shrubs retain the attractiveness and style of the slide even in cold season, making it a green island against the backdrop of a deserted garden. Thus, the design lower part of rock garden low-growing coniferous crops are always very advantageous.
In rock gardens, almost never use deciduous plants , because the foliage falling in autumn pollutes the hill, and it is almost impossible to clean it from the space between the stones. Moreover, this situation contributes to the processes of decay and the development of various diseases in a humid microclimate at the bottom of the hill, which will lead to the death of other "inhabitants" of the rock garden. Based on this, coniferous crops are always in priority, receiving, moreover, favorable conditions growth.
Today there is a huge variety of different coniferous plants, for any size and illumination of a rock garden from dwarf sun-loving pines, spruces, larches and junipers to shade-loving fir, cypress and thuja. And for very shaded places, you can choose hemlock and yew.
Another important feature of evergreen conifers is the variety of various forms of the crown, its color and appearance. They can be in the form of narrow pyramids or balls, they can creep along the ground, have an arrow-shaped shape or look like candles, and color shades from dark green to blue and yellow provide the landscape designer with a huge field for creative imagination.
In rock gardens use undersized and dwarf species of conifers, often with curved trunks, close to the species growing in the natural Alps:
- Juniper medium- the owner of a dense light green sprawling (up to 0.8 m) crown, slightly "gilded" at the ends. Depending on the season, juniper changes color from lemon in spring to lime in summer. loves sunny areas. Perfectly refreshes dark layered stones.
- Thuja western- a winter-hardy shade-tolerant plant with an irregular narrow crown, which can acquire a spiral shape, be in the form of a pyramid or column. Often has multiple tops. It loves loamy soil and grows about 5 cm a year.
- Pseudotsuga Menzies- on appearance very reminiscent of prickly spruce. However, due to the wax coating, it has a bluish tint and softer needles are somewhat randomly arranged, which gives the plant a unique “shaggy” look. Grows well in both sunny and shady areas. He loves loamy soils and grows by 4-6 cm per year. It requires regular prevention from fungal diseases.
- Also good for rock garden decoration spruce varieties(Serbian, Oriental, prickly, common), mountain pine, dwarf pine, Korean fir, larches, microbiota, hemlock, tuevik and many others.
Creeping and ground cover species
Creeping and ground cover plants are excellent decorators for alpine slides, perfectly decorating the gaps between the stones, giving the slide an unimaginably picturesque look. Another plus in favor of these low, but surprisingly beautiful plants is the protection of the composition from drying out and weeds.
These cultures include:
- Zvezdovka- decorative beautiful plant with bright jagged leaves and umbrella-shaped small flowers forming a yellow-green carpet. Each flower is framed by an asterisk of five green leaves, which gives the plant a surprisingly attractive appearance.
- Dryad- the most beautiful alpine woody plant. It has small (2-3 cm) dark green leathery leaves on top and covered with light gray villi on the bottom leaves on low petioles, which makes it especially decorative look. The stems of the dryad are creeping, and this allows her to penetrate into the most inaccessible places and decorate them with her presence.
- diascia- magnificent creeping plant, which is very popular among gardeners due to its green foliage, which creates a dense juicy carpet decorated with an abundance of arcuately drooping bright orange open small flowers collected in inflorescences.
The variety of creeping and ground cover plants for rock gardens is so great that it would take several volumes just to list them. Among them are such plants as brunner, rezuha (arabis), succession, daisy, tenacious, cat's foot (antennaria), anafalis, cuff, etionema (winged stalk), arundinaria (bamboo), acena, bergenia, periwinkle, euonymus, budra (glechoma ), buharnik (cholkus), viola, pansies, gentian, gentian, ramonda, saxifrage, yaskolka, soapwort, subulate phlox, iberis and many others.
Perennial plants for rock gardens
In rock gardens, perennial plants are most often grown, which makes it easier to care for them and makes it possible to enjoy the beautiful alpine landscape almost all year round, and flowering from early spring to late autumn.
The choice of perennials is very large. You can note such masterpieces of nature as:
- ramonda- incredibly similar to violet. Delicate and delicately smelling, it will perfectly enliven any rock garden. It is very unpretentious, loves slightly shaded areas, therefore it is preferable on the northwestern slopes, painting them from May to early July in a light lilac color.
- Alyssum (rocky alyssum)- during the flowering period, fills the air with a sweet honey smell and turns the place of its growth into a bright yellow carpet. It goes well with other colors and allows you to create picturesque paintings in rock gardens.
- Orieta- an evergreen perennial blooming with magnificent flowers of lilac, purple and pale pink. This is a rather capricious culture and requires special treatment and care for it. He likes a temperate hot climate and fertile land.
Among the perennials for the rock garden, you can also list spring adonis, aquilegia (catchment), armeria, alpine aster, prostrate veronica, thyme-leaved veronica, wolfberry, or daphne, carnations, Dalmatian and Dalmatian geraniums, creeping gypsophila, gentian, dwarf iris, saxifrage, bluebells, cat's paw, cotoneaster, cypress, crocuses, euphorbia, forget-me-not, different kinds ferns, wormwood, primrose, and many others.
Thus, properly selected flowers planted in rock gardens will bring a feeling of special comfort, peace and beauty to your garden.
A rock garden is one of the most spectacular ways to decorate a garden, but its construction requires careful planning and a thoughtful choice of stones and plants. The latter are especially important, as they enliven the composition and make it unique. Let's look at how to choose plants for an alpine slide.
A rock garden is an area filled with stones at one or more levels, with plants growing in between. Such a slide can be both impressive (1.5-2 m high) and miniature (only 40-50 cm).
To arrange such a flower garden with your own hands, first of all you need to choose the right place. It should be well lit and beautiful. It is more expedient to place a round hill in the center of the garden, a one-sided one can be adjacent to a fence or a house. The rock garden next to the pond looks good. If it is not there, you can dig a small reservoir next to the slide itself and even supplement the composition with a waterfall or fountain.
Step-by-step instructions for creating a rock garden:
- Remove weeds from the selected area. If on site ground water lie close to the surface, it is necessary to lay a drainage layer of 30-40 cm.
- Install the first circle of massive stones with a ring. They must be unprocessed, of the same type, but of different sizes. Suitable granite, sandstone, limestone, slate.
- Inside the circle you need to make an earthen mound. To increase the height, you can use clay shards and a safe construction garbage, such as boards, broken bricks.
- Lay the top stones. Drive them in deeper so that they cannot roll or fall.
- Fill the spaces between the stones with a mixture of garden soil, sand and peat.
Video "Alpine hill with your own hands"
This video demonstrates in detail the process of building a rock garden, and also describes the rules for choosing and planting plants.
Plants for planting
Previously, it was alpine plants that were used in such compositions, but now the list of acceptable options has grown significantly. Consider the most popular of them.
Ephedra
Coniferous plants give the hill a special atmosphere.
Mountain pine is an evergreen perennial plant with a dense, fluffy crown. The needles are located on small shoots. For small slide use dwarf globular varieties 50-70 cm high, such as Winter gold and Mors. For a large rock garden fit varieties up to 1.5 m tall, for example Mughus and Gnom.
The evergreen juniper shrub is a light-loving, drought and adverse conditions resistant plant. Due to its unpretentiousness, it is suitable for beginner gardeners. Purifies the air, sometimes used in cooking. Leaves are needle-shaped, scaly. The crown, depending on the species, can be sprawling, creeping, columnar, cone-shaped. Suitable for small hills varieties Green Carpet and Andorra Variegata are 70 cm high. On average, tall varieties will harmoniously look like rock gardens: Blue Star, Gold Coast, Gold Star.
Thuja, depending on the species, can be a tree or a shrub. The needles of the plant are scaly, light in young plants, dark green in adults. The plant is photophilous, but in the hot midday hours it needs shade. Thuja care necessarily includes pruning. For small slides, spherical varieties Danica, Little Dorrit, Hoseri are suitable. For large slides, the Elwangerlana Aurea variety is often used.
The crown of spruce is cone-shaped. The color of the needles depends on the species, so it can be dark, light, bluish. For growing in the country, it is better to choose frost-resistant and unpretentious varieties: ordinary, Serbian, Canadian and prickly. For small slides, Little Gem, Echiniformis varieties are used, for large ones - Conica, Nidiformis, Will's Zwerg.
ground covers
Ground cover plants do not just decorate the hill - they protect the soil from drying out, prevent weeds from developing and help to fix the composition. In addition, many of them are flowering.
Most species can be planted on slides of any size.
Saxifrage - r asthenia, which May be single or perennial. Blooms from May to August. Bush s form a dense carpet.Flowers can be blue, white, red, pink, yellow. Hardy and unpretentious plant, well propagated by rosettes.
M young - with ucculent, better known bycalled stone rose.Dense leaves form a rosette, which And Depending on the species, it can be green, pink, burgundy or crimson. Rosettes reproduce vegetatively, fill up fairly quicklythe space allotted to them.
Aubrieta - m perennial a plant that creates a dense, profusely flowering carpet up to 30 cm high. Flowering begins in May and lasts 5- 7 weeks.
Both flowers and leaves look decorative.arabis, which blooms in May-June. In the sun more buds appear, and in the shade grow faster there are withdrawals. flower growth need to be controlled.
blooming
Bright flowers contrast beautifully with both the roughness of the stones and the monochromatic background of the greenery of coniferous plants. Usually they serve as the main decoration of the slide.
The following options are suitable for all types of rock gardens.
Carnation grass reaches a height of 10-15 cm. It blooms from late June or early July to mid-autumn. The leaves are small, elongated. Flowers up to 1.5 cm, can be white and red.
periwinkle flowers small, blue, and the leaves are thick, bright– green. Flowering continues t all summer until late autumn. The plant is unpretentiousto illumination, well transfers the sun and a shadow.
Marigolds - I'm bright about mid-years and ki, which are bloom from early June until frost. Exists big number varieties of different shades.
Roses in rock garden with look unusual, but very elegant. Usually require solo landing. A good background for them are coniferous plants and decorative elements. in nye cereals. For slides, creeping and miniature varieties are often used, including floribunda.
In addition to the listed plants, you can plant herbs on the hill, including those that usually grow in the garden: rosemary, thyme, etc.
You can also grow moss on the rocks. To do this, it must be crushed and mixed with kefir, then the resulting composition should be applied with a brush to the stones.
Basic rules of care
For the first time after planting, plants need frequent watering. If the soil sags, add it.
Adult coniferous plants are usually watered 3-4 times per season, flowers - once every 7-10 days. For watering it is better to use special devices with moisture diffusers- a jet of water can wash away the soil. top dressing mainly in the spring, during the period of active growth.
Trim ground cover plants as needed to keep them from crowding out neighbors.
As you can see, you can build a stylish rock garden even in a small yard. You can either recreate the given examples of seating patterns, or change something in the composition or arrangement of plants.
In the classic Alpine landscapes in close proximity are the most different plants all sorts of weird shapes. For an artificial rock garden on a personal plot, various types of dwarf conifers are most often chosen: miniature spruces, firs, dwarf pines, as well as junipers and thujas. It is not recommended to plant coniferous plants at a short distance from each other. Each plant should demonstrate the uniqueness of its shape as clearly as possible so that the alpine slide looks spectacular from any side.
Coniferous plants for rock gardens, as a rule, are used undersized.
Planting plants in the rock garden
There are two options for arranging plants in groups.
The first option is the layout according to the color and contrast of the shapes. The second is transitional forms, smoothly complementing and passing into each other and creating a certain dynamics of size. The preparation and selection of the substrate for planting coniferous plants in the rock garden should be carried out according to their biological characteristics. The time of planting different plants in the rock garden may also vary. Not all dwarf conifers normally tolerate excessive soil moisture and an abundance of sunlight. Most of them should be covered in a special way for the winter. This fact must be taken into account when planning an alpine slide. Currently on the market you can find a huge list of dwarf conifers that will perfectly decorate your rock garden.
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Coniferous for rock garden
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Spruces in the design of rock garden
Spruce is ideal for rock garden. For the middle zone of our country, you need to choose certain varieties, unpretentious, frost-resistant and hardy.
Spruce is a tree familiar to each of us from early childhood. Its crown shape is cone-shaped. Despite this, it is spruce that is ideal for growing in rock gardens. It is unpretentious in care and presents a huge variety of shapes and color shades. Most suitable for an alpine slide created in middle lane our country, the following varieties: Norway spruce, Serbian spruce, Canadian spruce and prickly spruce. They are distinguished by high frost resistance and endurance. It is preferable to give the choice to open, unshaded places (however, some shading is still acceptable). These varieties tolerate drought and excessive soil moisture well. Canadian spruce has one feature: in the bright spring sun, it is prone to burning. Therefore, when landing on a hill, she needs to provide protection from the scorching sun. Serbian spruce is characterized by excellent frost resistance, thanks to which it winters well.
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Pine as the main detail of the landscape
Some varieties of pine are compact and miniature. They are suitable for landing in the rock garden.
Pine along with spruce is one of the most popular coniferous trees in Russia. The most famous species is the Scotch pine. This is the most stable and undemanding species in terms of care. In addition to Scotch pine, low pine, mountain pine, and elfin cedar are successfully used in the design of alpine hills. Mountain pine is a fairly large, tall plant for a slide, but its various varieties are surprisingly compact. Although elfin cedar does not have cultivars, it is great for rock garden decoration. The plant is usually planted in a permanent place in March. Planting depth - 0.7-0.8 m. Care should be taken to ensure that the root does not bend during planting. The soil mixture consists of sod land and river sand. If the soil is too acidic, then 250 g of lime is added to the hole. Most harmful factors for pine of any kind are excessive aridity and excess moisture. Otherwise, these trees will fit perfectly into the artificial alpine landscape.
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Cypress: a unique plant for Russia
Cypress trees often get frostbitten in winter and burn in summer.
Cypress trees are currently quite common on sale, but they are rarely preferred for preference. The reason for this is quite simple. The bulk of the stone pine forests are absolutely not adapted to growing in the middle latitudes of Russia, so their selection for rock garden is quite difficult. The most famous of these is Lawson's cypress. IN botanical gardens Europe has its cold-resistant representatives, but attempts to grow it in Russia end in failure. The needles regularly burn and freeze in winter. Fits well in our climatic conditions pea cypress, but even he needs special conditions of detention. It must be planted in shady areas of the hill and covered in the spring from the bright sun. A blunt cypress requires additional shelter also in winter period. All varieties of cypress do not tolerate low humidity soil and air, so they should be chosen for rock garden with great care.
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Larch: a plant with falling needles
The ideal coniferous plant for rock garden is larch. She is unpretentious in care, puts up with pollution.
Of all the conifers, larch is perhaps the ideal tree for decorating an alpine hill. She tolerates pollution well, although she prefers to grow nutrient soil, unpretentious in care, but does not tolerate drying out or excess moisture. Japanese larch, European larch and Latin American larch are good in landing on rock gardens. The main distinguishing feature of larches is that they shed their needles for the winter. This fact gives them a special elegance of form in the winter. Among the larch varieties, both types with winding branches and weeping ones are distinguished.
Quick navigation through the material
According to the canon, both alpine slides and flat rockeries should be decorated with plants of exclusively alpine origin. However, in central Russia, they are, firstly, not so easy to find, and secondly, to grow.
Therefore, today we will talk about which plants and flowers are as close as possible to the "Alpines" in terms of decorativeness and drought and frost resistance, as well as how to choose plants for an alpine hill and rockery so that the composition is harmonious and remains beautiful all season.
10 principles for choosing plants for a rock garden
Principle 1. You need to decide on the types of plants at the design stage of a rocky garden
It is best to work out the composition options on checkered paper / graph paper at a scale of, say, 1:50 or 1:25. Or at least draw an approximate scheme for planting plants and stones, taking into account the size of their growth (see the example below).
1 - Mountain pine, 2 - Creeping thyme, 3 - Canadian phlox, 4 - Evers stonecrop, 5 - Gray fescue, 6 - Rocky alissum, 7 - Angustifolia lavender, 8 - Stonecrop prominent, 9 - Fragrant rue, 10 - Steller's wormwood. Note: the scheme of the alpine slide is shown without taking into account the flowering time of plants
Principle 2. The composition of an alpine slide or rockery is made up of at least 5 groups of plants
Group 1. Conifers
Mandatory elements of any alpine slide or rockery, because due to them the composition remains beautiful all year round, they give the rocky garden texture and mountain flavor. The main condition is that only miniature conifers with slow pace growth.
Popular plants: Dwarf spruce, mountain pine, creeping species of juniper, arborvitae, cypress.
Alpine hill with conifers near the firewood shed 
Tip: Conifers on an alpine hill and in rockeries look good right next to the stones.
They also need to be short.
Popular plants: Cotoneaster horizontal, iberis, dryad, cinquefoil, barberry, ceratostigma, spirea.
Tip: Deciduous shrubs in an alpine hill / rockery are not very desirable, as they are required to clear the garden of fallen leaves.
Group 3. Herbaceous perennials
Perennials greatly simplify the care of a rocky garden, and therefore you cannot do without them, although most of the representatives fade by mid-summer.
Popular plants: Carnations, Carpathian bellflower, rocky beetroot, saxifrage, gravel, armeria, multicolor spurge, small-leaved hostas, bergenia, irises.
Group 4. Ground cover plants
Ground cover flowers are the backbone of the rock garden flora as they remain ornamental from early spring to late fall, are very unpretentious, grow rapidly and suppress the spread of weeds.
Popular plants: stonecrops, phloxes, jaskolka, alyssum, soapwort, cistus and many others.
Phlox subulate 
Group 5. Bulbous
Thanks to them, the alpine slide / rockery blooms from early spring.
Popular plants: Snowdrops, blueberries, chionodoxes, late tulip, pushkinia, birdman, autumn crocuses and colchicums.
Tip: Since after flowering, most bulbs completely disappear, they are not given a special place, but planted along with ground cover.
Principle 3. The composition of an alpine slide or rockery is made up in such a way that any flowering plants are constantly present in it
In a rocky garden, withering foliage is especially noticeable and it is not always possible to hide it behind the "neighbors". Therefore, to create an alpine slide or rockery, it is advisable to choose those plants that will bloom all summer or will retain the beauty of the leaves after flowering.
In this sense, it is very good to include annuals in the composition, which, although contrary to the rules, compensates for the lack of flowers after the bulbs and perennials have faded. The main thing is to choose creeping undersized varieties from small flowers. For example, it can be: alissum, tricolor violet, lobelia or erigeron Karvinsky.
Free alpine slide with petunias in the first row However, if your dacha has a lot of mixborders and flower beds, then a modest coniferous alpine hill or rockery from the middle of summer can, on the contrary, successfully set off a riot of colors and look fresh.
Principle 4. The basis of the flora of an alpine slide or rockery is ground cover plants
In order for an alpine hill or rockery to be picturesque and colorful, their flora should consist of 60-70% of ground cover plants. The rest can be allocated to other plants.
Principle 5. The flora of the alpine hill / rockery should not be too diverse
From a large number of assorted flowers and leaves, the composition can become too colorful and artificial, the stones will be lost against such a background, and in fact they should be the main focus of any alpine slide or rockery. Moreover, if we consider that most of the rocky garden is occupied by ground covers (ideally, about 1 square meter of area should be allocated for 1 species), then there will be very little space left for the rest of the plants. So, for example, for an alpine slide with an area of 10 sq. 6-8 meters of plant species will be enough.
Plants in a rocky garden should not interfere with each other and obscure their surroundings. Principle 6. All plants, including conifers, should be undersized
For flowers and shrubs, the optimal height is up to 60 cm (during flowering). It is better to use conifers only those that grow up to 1.5 meters and grow very slowly (say, 3 cm per year).
The height of all plants should be commensurate with the stones. Creeping plant species should be selected for small and low stones, and tall and lush conifers, shrubs and perennials can be planted next to large boulders and boulders.
By the way, with the help of plants, you can visually increase the height of an alpine hill or rockery on a slope by planting conifers on top or, conversely, balance the elevation by planting tall plants at its foot.
Principle 7. Plants in rock gardens / rockeries should be unpretentious
To take care of the rock garden to a minimum, avoid actively growing ground cover and deciduous shrubs, and also plant more perennials and conifers.
Separately, we will talk about ground cover. Some of their species grow so quickly and actively that in one or two seasons they can hide most of the garden under their carpet, including large stones. Correcting the situation will not be easy. Therefore, when planting such plants, for example, sapling, phlox or stonecrop, firstly, be prepared to periodically cut off the excess, and secondly, take preventive measures - protect the plant with border tape or plant it in a wide container to prevent the spread of unwanted rhizomes. And, of course, do not use fertilizers.
Principle 8. Consider the impact of stones on the soil
Plants that prefer slightly alkaline soil should not be planted near granite and basalt. And next to limestone, on the contrary, you can not plant plants that need acidic soil.
Principle 9. An important factor in plant selection is the duration of illumination of a rocky garden during the day
Here are the lists of plants for a semi-shady and sunny rocky garden.
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Badan and styloid phlox in a shady rockery Principle 10. The flora of a rocky garden should match the style of the site
If the house and plot are decorated in traditional style, then plants for rockeries and rock gardens should be selected diverse, with a large number of flowers and in a multi-color range.
But for modern dachas and country houses, monochrome or contrasting compositions with a large number of mosses, conifers, evergreen shrubs and perennials, bulbous and even succulents are best suited.
10 average rating: 4,20 out of 5)
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