What conifers to plant on an alpine hill. Plants for an alpine slide

In alpine landscapes, plants of bizarre shapes and shapes are often found. A special place among them is occupied by coniferous plants. For an impromptu mountain landscape, any dwarf conifers are suitable - miniature pines, firs and spruces, as well as creeping, pillow-shaped arborvitae and junipers.

Emphasis on form

On an alpine hill, it is not necessary to plant coniferous plants too close to each other, otherwise the individuality of their forms is lost. There are two ways to arrange plants in groups:

1) by contrast of shape or color;

2) by transitional forms, which, as it were, continue each other, creating dynamics of growth or decrease in composition.

Agricultural technology for growing conifers on an alpine hill

Prepare substrate for planting coniferous plants on an alpine hill you need according to them biological features. In addition, the time of planting in open ground various coniferous species may also differ. Not all representatives of conifers prefer sunny places and put up with excessive soil moisture. Many of them prefer shelter for the winter, which, when planning Alpine slide is also important to consider.

JUNIPER

Juniper is planted on an alpine hill in early spring or September. Contrary to the recommendations of using container plants for planting in the ground at any time of the year, during the off-season, it is better to place juniper in a container on an alpine hill. So the root system will remain undamaged, and in the fall the plant can be transplanted to permanent place. The distance between junipers and neighboring plants, depending on the form of growth, is from 0.5 to 1 m. The depth of planting depends on the clod of earth and the root system; for junipers, they usually prepare a planting hole 0.7 m deep and pour the earth to the desired volume.

soil mixture for juniper - sod land, peat and river sand (2:1:1).

Fertilizer for juniper is applied in the spring - nitroammofoska - 30 - 40 g / m2.

Locations on the hill are open sunny places, green coniferous species are planted on any exposure of the hill, golden and variegated species prefer the western and southern ones, gray ones prefer the northern and eastern ones.

Juniper care includes 2 - 3 times watering per season, and spraying in evening time once a week, mulching the soil with peat.

Juniper in rock garden

FIR

Dwarf firs are planted in a permanent place in an alpine hill in April before the shoots begin to grow or in September after the formation of apical buds. The recommended distance to a neighboring plant is 0.5 m. The depth of the planting hole should be such that the root is straight in the hole, and root collar- at ground level.

falls asleep landing pit soil mixture - leafy earth, peat and sand (3: 1: 1).

If the plant is planted in the spring, then top dressing with complex fertilizer is necessary.

Locations on the hill - penumbra, northern or eastern exposure.

Fir care includes regular watering, providing air humidity, and mulching the soil with peat. In winter, it requires shelter not so much from frost damage as from burns from the winter sun.

Korean fir "Cis"

SPRUCE

Soil mixture for spruce - leafy soil, acid peat and river sand (3:2:1).

When planting, complex fertilizer is applied.

Locations on the hill - sun, partial shade, any exposure.

Spruce care includes watering once a week, 10-12 liters per plant, soil mulching with peat. In winter, it requires shelter from sunburn.

Gray spruce "Nana"

PINE

They are planted in a permanent place in March, the planting depth is 0.8 m. The root neck remains at ground level. In no case should the root be bent during planting.

Soil mixture for pine - sod land and river sand (2: 1). If necessary, add 250 g of lime to the pit.

Locations on the hill - the sun, any exposure.

Pine care includes watering 2 - 3 times per season in the amount of 15 liters per tree. You can slow down the growth of shoots and increase the density of the crown by pinching the buds.

Assortment of conifers for alpine hills

The height of coniferous plants for an alpine hill should not exceed 0.5 - 0.7 m for small stony areas (5 - 6 m2), 1.5 m for large ones (more than 40 m2). Therefore, when selecting coniferous assortment for alpine slides, the estimated height of an adult plant must be taken into account. Below is a list decorative forms that do not exceed 1.5 m.

Dwarf forms of thuja western

"Danica" - crown shape - spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.8 m; diameter - 0.8 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Little Dorrit" - crown shape - spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.8 m; diameter - 0.6 m; the color of the needles is dark green. Winter-hardy variety.

"Hoseri" - crown shape - spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.5 m; diameter - 0.6 m; the color of the needles is dark green. Winter-hardy variety.

Dwarf forms of mountain pine

"Mughus" - crown shape - shrubby, spreading, sometimes creeping; height of an adult plant - 1.5 m; diameter - 0.6 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Gnom" - crown shape - shrubby, dense, spherical; height of an adult plant - 1.5 m; diameter - 1.5 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Mors" - crown shape - shrubby, spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.5 m; diameter - 0.5 m; the color of the needles is greenish-blue.

"Winter gold" - crown shape - shrubby, spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.5 m; diameter - 1.0 m; color of needles - in summer - bright green, in winter - golden yellow. Winter-hardy variety.

Dwarf forms of Norway spruce

"Little Gem" - crown shape - spherical-flattened; height of an adult plant - 0.5 m; diameter - 0.5 - 0.7 m; color of needles - light green.

"Nidiformis" - crown shape - nest-like, with a deepened middle; height of an adult plant - 0.5 - 1.0 m; diameter - 0.8 - 2.0 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Will" s Zwerg "- crown shape - narrow-conical, dense; height of an adult plant - 1.0 - 1.2 m; diameter - 0.4 m; needle color - young - pale green, old - dark green.

"Echiniformis" - crown shape - cushion-shaped, compact; height - 0.2 - 0.6 m; diameter - 0.4 - 0.8 m; the color of the needles is green.

Creating an alpine slide is a fascinating process that requires not only imagination, but also attentiveness. Even one incorrectly selected plant can spoil the whole impression, breaking the harmony between the other inhabitants of the rocky garden. Therefore, you need to do right choice from an extensive list of plants suitable for composing an alpine slide.

To make the alpine slide look attractive throughout the season, you should select a place for planting plants, taking into account their flowering time and the principle of layering:

1. The top of the hill. It is more open to the sun's rays than the tiers below; therefore, it is rational to plant here plants that love sunlight and do not need in large numbers moisture.
2. middle tier - a place for plants that feel good in partial shade. Here, the average soil moisture, so the middle of the alpine hill can be called universal: milking most flowers here ideal conditions which gives you a wide range of choices.
3. The foot of the hill- logical ending landscape composition. The plants planted here should be combined with the rest of the rock garden and choose those that love moisture and tolerate shade. After all, most of the sun's rays will go to the neighbors from above.

To provide continuous flowering from early spring to late autumn, flowering plants should be selected according to the principle of rotation. Evergreen shrubs and dwarf trees will look great in winter, looking out from under the snow.

Creating an alpine slide is a fascinating process that requires not only imagination, but also attentiveness

Plant layouts in rock gardens

Before you start creating an alpine slide, you need to create a graphic scheme. It will reflect the general idea of ​​​​the composition, help to generate new ideas and even before planting the plants to find possible errors.

First of all, stones are designated. The largest should be at the base, and the rest should create a gentle slope so that there is room for soil and plant roots. You can experiment by coming up with terraces, sharp cliffs, a pond and other interesting solutions.

Here are a couple of examples of circuits:

1. spicy hill, on which fragrant flowers are located: oregano will occupy the top, heather, hyssop, monarda and medicinal sage will feel good on the middle tier, and basil, bright nasturtium and fragrant thyme will sit at the very base.
2. Coniferous hill: thuja, planted at the top, looks great in the environment creeping juniper middle tier (you can use different types) and weeping cypress. The rock garden is completed by dwarf spruces or pines, the soil under which is disguised by a saxifrage carpet.

Each site owner has the opportunity to create a unique design landscape slide. After drawing up the scheme, you can start laying stones and soil, and then planting plants.

Gallery: plants for the alpine slide (25 photos)

What plants are suitable for an alpine slide (video)

Names and descriptions of perennial flowers for alpine hills

Perennials form the basis of the alpine slide. Therefore, their choice must be approached responsibly: the appearance of the composition depends on which plants will be chosen. You can introduce new colors and accents annually by planting annual plants.

Armeria maritime

A compact plant whose bushes form fluffy green cushions narrow leaves. Above them rise numerous inflorescences (about 10), which are lilac balls. Outwardly, the armeria looks like a decorative bow. hardy plant, unresponsive to high humidity soil. Therefore, the armeria will feel good at the top of the hill or on the slope of the middle tier.

Dicentra exceptional

This plant is popularly called broken hearted" behind original form flowers. Usually dicentres are a large bush, but the Exceptional does not exceed 25 cm in height. It goes well with coniferous and creeping plants, so it will be an excellent highlight of the rock garden. The green-gray foliage of the dicentra is exceptionally similar to the leaves of a fern, and flowers in the form of disconnected halves of the heart can be white or pink.

Dicentra exceptional

gypsophila

The plant belongs to the clove family. It has an erect or creeping stem with a small number of small lanceolate leaves, crowned with panicle inflorescences with small white (rarely pink) flowers.

bulbous flowers

These are crocuses, daffodils, snowdrops and blueberries. They appear immediately after the descent of the tender cover, reviving the landscape in a spring way. For a change, you can plant varietal Greig tulips with flowers beautiful shape, reaching 30 cm in height, and Kaufman tulips.

gypsophila

rejuvenated

stone rose, as it is also called young, is distinguished by excellent endurance. At the same time, the plant is very beautiful: its fleshy angular leaves are collected in rosettes. They can be both quite miniature and up to 10 cm in diameter. The color of the leaves varies from gray-green to burgundy. A stone rose is suitable for decorating the slopes of an alpine hill. Looks spectacular young, growing in the cracks between the boulders.

Primrose

Primrose (popular name of primrose) is a perennial herbaceous plant. Its advantages: early flowering, variety of shapes and colors of flowers, pleasant smell. Primrose is undersized (height 10–30 cm), with single landing forms a small shrub with leathery leaves and bright inflorescences that attract bees. If you plant primroses close to each other, you get a motley carpet.

Edelweiss

In the people, the plant is also called the mountaineer. It loves the sun and grows wild on the well-lit sides of mountains. Therefore, it will adequately take a central place on the hill - its top. In summer, edelweiss will surprise you with beautiful star-shaped flowers.

How to make an alpine slide with your own hands (video)

Creeping and ground cover plants for an alpine slide

Ground cover plants are an integral component of the alpine landscape on the site. They decorate the soil and make the slopes of the hill truly alive.

For example, this:

1. Antennaria(). A low-growing plant whose peduncles do not rise above 15 cm. It has small leaves with a silvery tint and pubescence create a dense carpet on the ground up to 5 cm thick. Basket inflorescences white color, so the cat's paw cannot be called a bright plant that attracts glances. But it is very durable!
2. periwinkle. Forms an evergreen rug that blooms from May to September with delicate blue flowers scattered among leathery small leaves. Suitable for growing under the sun and on a shady slope: the plant is unpretentious to light.
3. Alpine dwarf low plant, forming a decorative turf, which does not exceed a height of 3 cm. In May and June, inflorescences up to 15 cm appear on it, which are brushes with numerous white flowers.
4. Saxifrage. One of the most popular ground cover plants. Their flowering time is in the middle of summer, and the color of different types differs: from snow-white to maroon. He loves light, so you need to plant on the western or southern slope of the alpine hill or closer to its top.
5. Aubrieta. Covers the ground with a lush carpet. It blooms profusely throughout the spring, and during this period it is covered with pink and purple flowers. It loves sun and loamy soils, although it grows well in any soil.
6. Awl-shaped phlox. A plant 15–17 cm tall, named for its narrow and pointed leaves at the ends. The shoots are densely covered with numerous inflorescences of pink, white or lilac color. Flowering begins in May-June, and it continues in early September.

On the same hill, several types of ground cover plants coexist if they are in harmony with each other. Given their flowering time, you can make sure that the soil is covered with a bright carpet from spring to autumn.

Ground cover plants are an integral component of the alpine landscape on the site

Shrubs for alpine slides

It is not recommended to use deciduous shrubs in landscaping alpine slides, because their leaves, stuck in the cracks between the stones, are difficult to remove, and the composition will look untidy. It is better to opt for small evergreen bushes.

For example, cotoneaster horizontal whose branches grow parallel to the ground. They are decorated with small leathery leaves, which acquire a crimson color with the onset of autumn. After flowering, small red berries appear, remaining on the branches all winter and giving the cotoneaster a special charm.

An interesting solution would be to use boxwood barberry. Its bush grows no higher than 50 cm, it represents a spreading crown of numerous branches. A very unpretentious plant that tolerates frost and drought well. Loves the light, but when grown in the shade retains its decorative properties.

In landscaping alpine slides, it is better to opt for small evergreen bushes

Dwarf plants for rock garden

An alpine hill is a miniature repetition of a mountain landscape, so for naturalness, you need to use small plants. large bushes will occupy half of the composition and divert attention from other inhabitants of the rocky garden.

Can be used dwarf varieties herbaceous plants(for example, annual marigolds or alpine aster). It is desirable that their height does not exceed 30 cm. And, of course, dwarf conifers are the regulars of rock gardens: spruce, pine, etc. Thanks to them, the hill really looks like a reduced copy of the alpine relief.

Ephedra for alpine hills

To create an alpine landscape, use undersized species and varieties of conifers:

1. dwarf firs, whose height does not exceed 60 cm. They lend themselves well to shaping and require almost no maintenance. The shape of the crown different varieties may be sprawling or pyramidal.
2. Juniper. Species look spectacular, the branches of which grow parallel to the ground. The needles of the plant often have yellow tint, and the branches are decorated with small cones. Juniper in the wild can be seen on the slopes of the mountains, therefore it is undemanding to the soil and grows well on stones.
3. thuja- a shrub or tree of a pyramidal shape, less often it is cut in the form of a ball.
4. Mountain pine "Pug" grows very slowly and by the age of 10 has a crown with a diameter of up to 50 cm, which allows planting a tree on an alpine hill. Green needles have a pleasant blue tint.
5. cypress: its decorative dwarf varieties will effectively decorate the rock garden slope. You can choose a bush with golden, silver or traditional dark green needles. And the Philifera cypress has hanging branches, which looks like a coniferous cascade.

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 coniferous plants 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

Column-shaped varieties of spruce gray, or Canadian (P. glauca) are beautiful, but they burn in the 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, and 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 the alpine hill with conifers is 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 thuja will be rare, 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. Beautiful flowering shrubs prune 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 hardy evergreens 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.

An alpine hill is called an artificial or natural mound of earth, a hill where evergreens grow, herbaceous plants and shrubs are decorated with stone elements.

This element of garden design got its name due to the fact that it is planted here. alpine plants, which in their natural state grow in mountainous and foothill areas.
Read a detailed illustrated article on how to make an alpine slide with your own hands.

To learn how to make a palm tree from plastic bottles, read.

Basic rules for plant selection

A flower garden with a rocky garden is increasingly common on modern garden plots. It is not difficult to create an alpine hill or rock garden, it is enough to know the main plants that can be planted on a hill, as well as the principles of their placement.

In addition, the rock garden is easy to care for. The stone composition looks beautiful and original if you add several types of alpine plants to it.

We offer you the basic rules for selecting plants to create a decorative rock garden:

1. When creating a composition, it is worth Special attention give undersized plants. It is important that in size they correspond to the size of the slide, look harmonious.

2. Choose plants that will tolerate the local climate well. If the slide will be created on sunny area, then light-loving plants should be planted, and vice versa.

3. The intensity of tillering and growth of green spaces should also be taken into account. If you plant plants that grow well, close to undersized ones, small plants who love the light, then you will deprive them of the opportunity to grow and please the eye. For example, beautiful and unpretentious soapwort, yaskolka, obrietta, rezuha will negatively affect plants in the neighborhood.

4. Plants on the hill should be combined with each other in appearance, growing conditions, rates of development and growth, according to the flowering period.

Types of plants to create an alpine slide

Alpine slide is created on long time. When choosing plants for an alpine slide, give preference to cinquefoil, spirea, conifers, which grow rather slowly, but create a dense layer.

Tall herbaceous and woody plants look best next to large stones, and experienced gardeners it is advised to avoid symmetry when planting such plants.

To avoid gaps between perennials, which at first will not be able to fill the entire space of the rock garden, such places should be planted with annual flowering plants: gazania, large-flowered purslane, marigolds, gypsophila, marine lobularia and others. These plants love the sun and are unpretentious to the constant receipt of moisture, so they will fit perfectly into general form slides.

A properly created alpine slide will turn any site into a small natural wonder.

Each gardener must answer for himself the question: in what colors does he want to see an alpine hill? It is also important to create a slide plan on paper - schematically draw the shape of the slide, mark the location of the stones in the figure, and also paint over the rock garden sections with different colors to see the whole picture.

Dwarf coniferous plants look beautiful on an alpine hill, which all year round will favorably highlight your slide. Popular dwarf spruces can have several shades and emphasize the element favorably. landscape design. The same group includes juniper - an unpretentious plant in care, cypress - a coniferous plant with a golden top, as well as thuja.

Preferring deciduous plants on an alpine hill, exclude species with falling leaves, which will only spoil the overall look. Among evergreen deciduous plants, iberis is often used for an alpine slide - a plant with white, purple or pink flowers in umbellate brushes.

The dryad looks beautiful due to white catchy flowers, as well as horizontal cotoneaster, which begins to blush in autumn and stands out favorably among other inhabitants of the alpine hill.

To make the alpine hill look harmonious and beautiful, it is worth planting shrubs and conifers one at a time, and filling the gaps between them with undersized plants.

Between the stones, along with coniferous plants, carpet plants should be planted, which in a few years will braid the hill with a beautiful canvas. These include rocky beetroot, which is distinguished by gray-green leaves that retain their color all year round. Burachok blooms with small bright yellow flowers in panicle inflorescences.

You can give preference to a short-stemmed carnation, which blooms richly with bright beautiful flowers. Saxifrageforming dense rosettes from their rosettes beautiful pillows, are a mandatory attribute of the alpine slide. Different kinds saxifrages can bloom both in the shade and in the sun.

If you want your rock garden to start pleasing to the eye already in early spring, and retain color until late autumn, you should plant tuber-bulbous and bulbous plants.

Early color will provide blueberries, snowdrops, chionodoxes. But until late autumn, their flowering will please the eye autumn crocuses, late tulips, avian, colchicum.

The Alpine hill will be perfectly complemented by a small "mountain" waterfall

The principle of tiered planting

To make the alpine slide a real decoration of your garden, you should follow the rules for planting plants, depending on the tiers. So, let's start with the top tier.

top of the hill

The top of your garden decoration is more open to the sun's rays, so it is advisable to place light-loving plants here. In addition, there is practically no moisture left at the top, so the top of the rock garden should be framed by plants that require the least moisture.

To ensure that the top of the alpine hill blooms all year round, choose ground cover plants that will bloom one after another. Browse through various plants for an alpine slide, photos and names of which will help you make your choice.

For example, in May-June, the top of the hill will be covered with fluffy iberis, and throughout the summer and autumn, the upper tier will delight you with flowering cushion-like bushes. perennial carnation that lives in mountainous areas.

If you want butterflies and bees to always hover over the top of the rock garden, you should plant plants with a pleasant honey aroma, for example, creeping thyme, which forms a carpet on the surface.

Alpine edelweiss is one of the main elements of the top of the hill. This plant loves the sun very much, and in natural environment lives on rocky slopes high mountains, however, for excellent plant growth, it will be necessary to prepare the soil mixture.

If you want to grow on top of an alpine hill unpretentious plants, then the best choice will be young.

We form the middle tier

In the middle of the hill should be plants that love the sun, but at the same time tolerate the shade well. In this place of the hill, the soil is more humid, so there will be a lot of variations for planting.

To ensure lush flowering in May, plant styloid phlox, blooming in blue, pink and white flowers. As a background plant for such bright colors three-vein anfalis, woolly chistets, Schmidt's wormwood can act.

If you prefer to decorate the middle tier of the slide not only with flowers, but also with green foliage, then Aubrieta will be a universal choice. This plant not only blooms beautifully from the end of May, but also has decorative foliage.

In our latitudes, geyhers, alpine aster, armeria bushes, bulbous plants, primroses are perfect for the middle tier.

To learn how to properly lay turf, click .

Create the foot of the hill

The lower tier of the slide serves as its foot, a logical conclusion. This is where the slide should connect with the rest of the garden.

The lower tier of the rock garden must be filled moisture-loving plants who feel at ease in the shade. Shrubs and tree-like plants are well suited for this, which will be an excellent accent.

To make the foot of the hill bright, you can plant lyatris with spike-shaped flowers, as well as saxifrage in the form of bushes. Having planted rhododendrons at the foot of the hill and dwarf conifers you will be satisfied with the result.

On the choice of plants for the alpine slide, see the video:

Examples of creating an alpine slide

Consider some examples of simple alpine slides.

A small alpine slide, consisting of fragrant plants, looks good.

Plant an oregano at the top to attract insects. Decorate the middle tier with the help of a beautifully growing hyssola, monard and sage. And decorate the lower tier of alipinaria with thyme, basil and nasturtium.

This combination of plants will create beauty in your area, and the combination of fragrant herbs will improve your mood.

Alpine slide scheme will help create beauty on your site

For lovers of a wide variety of plants suitable option alpine hill, on top of which coniferous plants are planted, for example, thuja. Near it, the coniferous ensemble can be supplemented with mountain pine and prickly spruce.

Alpine slides for many years have been an integral attribute of almost any suburban area. And even if you have a small area of ​​​​land, there will definitely be a corner for an alpine slide. It will be easiest to invite a professional landscape designer, but at the same time, creating a site design with your own hands is very exciting and interesting.

Since the alpine hill is a mountain landscape in miniature, then the plants should be selected appropriately, conifers will look especially good.

The first thing to do is to study the characteristics of conifers, their varieties, and select those that fit your criteria, that is, the height of the tree, the color of the needles, and the intensity of growth. Remember that in the background the slides will grow more tall perennials that require more moisture. So you need to think about watering them in advance.

by the most suitable plants for alpine slides are low and slowly growing trees: various conifers, spirea, cinquefoil, juniper, spruce, fir, pine, thuja. Herbaceous perennials are also good, which grow into a beautiful thick carpet. Among them can be both flowering and decorative species.

Since almost all the plants that are planted in an alpine hill are perennials, they all grow with different speed, but rather slowly. In this case, it is best to dilute the planting of perennials with annuals, so that the height and density of plants can equalize in the first year and a half.

But be careful with the choice of annuals - many of them produce a lot of self-seeding seeds, which in the future can create problems in the form of unnecessary weeds. Such plants are well suited: undersized marigolds, gazania, sea lobularia. Before planting, carefully study the care and needs of plants so that they coincide with the main perennials.

Marigolds are undersized

Also, in addition to perennial and annual plants, stones and boulders are used to create a slide. different sizes, which are laid out according to the intended composition. Therefore, all plants are planted at a small distance from each other - somewhere around 20-30cm. Those places where there are no stones are usually covered with fine gravel.

If you have a small, rocky area (about 6 square meters), then the height of the plants for the slide should not be more than 50-70cm. For large plots with an area of ​​​​more than 30 sq.m. - the height of the crown can reach more than one and a half meters. Therefore, as we said earlier, you need to know in advance about such things as the growth of an adult tree in order to harmoniously combine all the plants on the alpine hill with each other.

Now we will analyze the features of some coniferous plants, the height of which in its final form does not exceed one and a half meters.

Dwarf species of mountain pine:

"Winter gold" - crown shape - shrubby, spherical; the height of an adult plant is 0.5 m; diameter - 1.0 m; the color of the needles - in summer - bright green, in winter - golden yellow. Frost resistant variety.

"Mughus" - crown shape - shrubby, spreading, sometimes creeping; height of an adult plant - 1.5 m; diameter - 0.6 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Gnom" - crown shape - shrubby, dense, spherical; height of an adult plant - 1.5 m; diameter - 1.5 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Mors" - crown shape - shrubby, spherical; the height of an adult plant is 0.5 m; diameter - 0.5 m; the color of the needles is greenish-blue.

Dwarf pine Winter gold

Dwarf species of juniper:

Chinese juniper - crown shape - semicircular; height - 0.7 m; diameter - up to 1.0 m; the color of the needles is green or bluish-gray.

Juniper scaly - crown shape - cushion-shaped, compact; height - 0.5 - 0.1 m; diameter - 1.5 m; the color of the needles is bright, silver-blue. Frost resistant variety.

Common juniper - crown shape - creeping; height - 0.2 - 0.3 m; diameter - 1.0 m; the color of the needles is green. Frost resistant variety.

Juniper Cossack - crown shape - pillow-shaped; height - 0.5 - 0.8 m; diameter - 1.5 m; the color of the needles is dark green or bluish-green. Frost resistant variety.

Lying juniper - crown shape - semi-creeping, dense; height of an adult plant - 1.0 m; diameter - up to 2.5 m; the color of the needles is green or bluish-gray.

juniper chinensis

Dwarf types of thuja:

"Hoseri" - crown shape - spherical; the height of an adult plant is 0.5 m; diameter - 0.6 m; the color of the needles is dark green. Frost resistant variety.

"Little Dorrit" - crown shape - spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.8 m; diameter - 0.6 m; the color of the needles is dark green. Frost resistant variety.

"Danica" - crown shape - spherical; height of an adult plant - 0.8 m; diameter - 0.8 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

Thuja Hoseri

Dwarf species of spruce:

"Little Gem" - crown shape - spherical-flattened; the height of an adult plant is 0.5 m; diameter - 0.5 - 0.7 m; the color of the needles is light green.

"Nidiformis" - crown shape - nest-like, with a deepened middle; height of an adult plant - 0.5 - 1.0 m; diameter - 0.8 - 2.0 m; the color of the needles is dark green.

"Will's Zwerg" - crown shape - narrow conical, dense; height of an adult plant - 1.0 - 1.2 m; diameter - 0.4 m; the color of the needles - young - pale green, old - dark green.

"Echiniformis" - crown shape - cushion-shaped, compact; height - 0.2 - 0.6 m; diameter - 0.4 - 0.8 m; the color of the needles is green.

Norway spruce Little Gem

Finally, we would like to say that the most milestone in creating an alpine slide is its planning. After all, you will have to familiarize yourself with big amount material for many plants before you can select the ones you need. So take your time, think everything over, and think big, presenting a finished composition when your trees are 2-3 years old. And only after approving each plant, get to work. I wish you success!