Do-it-yourself rockery (from the English rock - rock, stone) is a great opportunity to realize bold fantasies of creating a stone garden. The original composition will be the highlight of the garden plot and emphasize the individuality of its owner.
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Rockery and rock garden: similarities and differences
stone garden
The first rocky gardens appeared in Southeast Asia, every detail in the Chinese and Japanese gardens was not accidental and had a philosophical meaning. In Europe, stone flower beds spread in the second half of the 18th century. Every year, rockeries and rock gardens - areas on which various compositions are made using stones and plants, are becoming more and more popular all over the world.
Despite the fact that these gardens have a lot in common, and they are often confused with each other, there are significant differences between them:
- rock gardens reproduce in miniature the mountainous alpine landscape, therefore they are created in the form of rocky hills. Rockeries can also be placed on a flat surface.
- in a classic rock garden, plants are planted that grow on the slopes of the mountains. For landscaping rockeries, dwarf coniferous and ornamental shrubs are popular, which are not found in nature in this combination.
- sunny places are selected for rock gardens, rockeries can also be placed in the shaded part of the backyard
- when creating rockeries, more stones are used than in rock gardens
In both types of rocky gardens, slow-growing unpretentious species are preferred.
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Rockery in landscape design
The main advantage in comparison with the rock garden is the use of not only alpine species that grow poorly in the middle lane. For rockeries, the diversity of plants is much higher, they are less demanding on the soil, often have a powerful root system, and they are easier to care for. Also, there is no labor-intensive construction of the slide, planar rockery is not subject to soil leaching and stones sliding.
Unlike flower beds, rockeries look spectacular, natural and perfectly decorate problem areas of the dacha - barren areas and blind areas of buildings. A stony flower garden will not only decorate the garden, but also help protect the soil from erosion.
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Types and styles
Rockery device
By type, rockeries are divided into stable and changeable:
- Stable ones require more solidity during construction. Large stones are dug deep into the soil. Perennial plants are chosen, the crown is regularly given the desired shape
- Changeable rockeries are more dynamic, better suited for experimentation. They are made up of small stones. With a base of low-growing trees and shrubs, different types of flowers are combined annually, new ornamental plants are planted.
Consider the main styles of rockeries: Japanese, European, English and tropical.
Japanese style
Japanese style
Much attention is paid to minimalism and the combination of stones, rigor and restraint are emphasized. Plants play a secondary role, placing accents and emphasizing the beauty of the stone. Green color prevails, it is important for flowering plants to choose pastel shades with smooth transitions. The style looks original, pacifies and sets up for contemplation.
European style
European style
For European-style designs, you should choose plants that are common in the local landscape, bright flowering and climbing varieties are acceptable. There are no strict restrictions on the choice of plants and the shape of stones.
English style
English style
Emphasis is placed on maximum naturalness, picturesqueness and closeness of the composition to nature. Use material of various sizes - from small stones to massive boulders. Unpretentious coniferous plants predominate (thuja, juniper, dwarf spruce), which retain an attractive appearance all year round. Greens go well with coniferous species - wormwood, cereals.
tropical style
tropical style
For the tropical type of rockeries, bright vegetation is used that can obscure the stones. Plants are placed in several tiers. You will need tropical species, cacti, succulents. Sprinkling can be laid out in the form of fancy patterns and decorated with ethnic figurines.
A stone flower garden does not always have a pronounced style. You can make a beautiful garden using techniques from several varieties of rockeries.
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Composition with conifers
When arranging a rocky garden, it is important to follow the basic principles:
- A place for rockeries is selected without unnecessary elements that can violate the integrity of the composition - large trees, flower beds, fences
- Stones that are close in origin and style, imitating the landscape of a particular area, are preferred. The central element of the composition can be a large stone or plant
- We install stones, avoiding excessive symmetry in the arrangement - nature is characterized by randomness
- Plants, growing up, should not cover the stones completely; slow-growing species are used for rockeries
- It is important to remember the drainage layer - too wet soil is destructive for the roots of many species.
Sometimes novice designers mistakenly assume that the more stones and plants, the better. This is not so - the beauty of a stone garden is in the conciseness and harmonious arrangement of all elements.
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Preliminary preparation
A rockery can be either in the form of a landscape gardening complex with paths, water features and architectural forms, or a small corner of your suburban areawhich you can arrange yourself
First you need to choose the style of rockery, size and location.
Interesting ideas
The design of the rockery is matched with the style of the site and fits into the terrain
In the landscape composition, the buildings and structures available on the plot are used, these can be architectural forms or a retaining wall. Before creating a garden, it will be useful to look at examples of photos and diagrams of rockeries.
Composition with wooden elements
Stone garden with coniferous plants
Rocky mixborder along sidewalk
Composition "dry stream"
Choose a place
Flower garden near the pond
It is desirable that the composition be visible from all sides. Stone garden in the background fence - not the best idea, but if there is no other place, then climbing plants will help to decorate the background. Suitable places for rockeries: entrance area, recreational areas near water bodies, garden, backyard.
In order not to have to clear the garden from fallen leaves every autumn, you should not build a flower garden under deciduous trees. It is also undesirable to have a stone garden close to the house - snow falling abundantly from the roof can spoil the appearance of the composition.
You can make rockeries both on flat terrain, and on a hill with natural height differences.
Drawing a plan
Composition scheme
Before building a rockery, a diagram of the future garden is created on paper or in a graphic program - it is important to consider where each stone will be located, which of them will become the main element of the composition. Then you should schematically place the plants, leaving free space, taking into account further growth.
If rockeries are visible from all sides, high elements should be correctly placed in the center. When viewed from only one side, large objects are placed in the background.
The scheme of the garden is a few large stones, ornamental plants planted between them and gravel backfill. The external outlines of the composition are created close to the natural pattern of the area. So that rockery does not look artificial, it is not made rectangular or square, smooth curves of the borders look better.
On the choice of stones
Suitable stones for the garden
It should be borne in mind that stones are the basis of rockeries, the perception of the composition depends on their selection, location on the site and combination with each other. The main selection criteria are durability, decorativeness, naturalness. All materials can be used, except for rocks containing a lot of chalk.
It is recommended that bright and dark materials be introduced with caution, preferably breeds of natural tones. The stones should be unfinished and rough; old blocks covered with moss or lichen look good. Large sharp stones should be avoided, they cause visual and psychological dissonance.
Stones choose the same or similar material in structure, but of different sizes. Large ones will form the basis of the composition, and small ones will add naturalness. Used rocks: sandstone, tuff, limestone, slate, basalt, shell rock. The surface is covered with crushed stone, gravel, pebbles.
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Plants in rockeries
Dwarf varieties are suitable for planting in stone flower beds. coniferous, ornamental deciduous and flowering shrubs, perennial herbs and flowers, ground cover. Less often, bulbous plants are used for decoration (tulips, hyacinths, daffodils).
Coniferous species
Composition with juniper
When choosing plants for rockeries, conifers are popular: miniature varieties of cypress, pine, spruce, hemlock, juniper, fir.
Commonly used varieties for planting include:
- Pine mountain (Pinus mugo) - Mops, Gnom and Winter Gold
- juniper horizontal (Juniperus horizontalis) - Wiltonii and Blue Moon
- juniper inclined (Juniperus procumbens) - Nana
- scaly juniper (Juniperus squamata) - Blue Carpet, Blue Star
- thuja western (Thuja occidentalis) - Danica, Teddy, Ellwangeriana Aurea
- Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) - Bennett, Gracilis Oldenburg, Minima
- cypress (Chamaecyparis)
- spruce (Picea abies) - Nidiformis
- fir Korean (Abies koreana) - Brillant, Alpin Star
Choose species with a rich color of needles and an interesting shape.
Deciduous plants
Present as shrubs and dwarf trees.
Often used:
- cotoneaster horizontalis (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
- honeysuckle capped (Lonicera pileata)
- Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica)
- thunberg barberry (Berberis thunbergii)
- creeping willow (Salix repens)
Perennial herbs and flowers, grasses and ground cover species
Plants for the stone garden
From perennial herbs and flowers, rockeries will be decorated - primrose, geranium, petunia, crocuses, yarrow, hosta, irises, delphinium, lavender, day-lily, backache, immortelle, St. John's wort, gypsophila, etc.
From cereals - fescue, barley, feather grass, bluegrass, millet.
Mandatory plants in rockeries, creating a fluffy layer - plantations of ground cover perennials. These include: sedum, styloid phlox, aubriettes, arabis, saxifrage and etc.
Important points to consider:
- choose slow-growing unpretentious species
- plant height for medium sites no more than 1 m, for small up to 0.5 m
- to preserve year-round decorativeness, the frequency of flowering is taken into account. Some of the flowers are planted in separate flowerpots or pots
- in classic versions, only perennials are used
- for a shaded garden, moisture-loving species are suitable: sour, gravilate, primrose, buttercups and ferns. For sunny - wormwood, edelweiss, armeria, thyme
- take into account the needs of plants in the light, moisture, soil composition
- before planting plants think over the color scheme, a combination of shapes and textures
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Installation of curb tape
After choosing a place for rockeries, we prepare the site - we level the site, remove the turf (up to 20 cm), extra planting and weeds
We mark the border, dig in, place the curb tape. The tape is firmly immersed in the soil and rammed on both sides.
Geospan is laid in the recess for rockeries - synthetic textiles ideal for landscaping. The material is adjusted along the edge of the border tape.
Geospan laying and placement of large stones
The next step is the installation of stones. They start with large boulders, trying to avoid symmetry, clear shapes and figures.
They think over the placement of plants, taking into account their further growth, and proceed to planting. Geotextiles are cut with scissors, the edges are tucked. They dig a hole of sufficient size, add a fertile layer - soil, peat, drainage (chipped brick, expanded clay, sand) and other fillers required by each specific species.
Having completed these works, the geospan is folded back and covered with backfill. When planting plants, the sequence is observed - first, tree species are planted, then shrubs, and finished with ground cover varieties.
planting
The next step will be filling with small stones with a layer of 5 cm. The material is chosen based on which stones were used. If rubble rocks (dolomite, limestone, sandstone), then it is better to use crushed stone, and if rounded stones, then pebbles.
Backfilling with stones
At the end of the work, the composition is supplemented with small stones and decorative elements.
stone garden
The surface bordering the garden is covered with a lawn - greenery creates a contrast and focuses attention on rockeries. It is possible to apply a sowing or rolled lawn.
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Composition in pink colors
Caring for a stone garden depends on the composition of planted plant species and rockeries. But there are also general recommendations:
- watering is carried out as needed to a depth of 7-8 cm
- rockeries should be weeded, carefully removing weeds, the soil under the plants is mulched to retain moisture after watering
- fertilizers are applied only to those plants that need it
- regularly remove dead and dried leaves, inflorescences, cut overgrown shoots of ground cover species
- New plants are planted to replace dead plants.
- check whether the soil has been washed away during rains and snow melting, if this happens, pour soil, sand and tamp
Near plants that require neutral or alkaline soil (gypsophila, edelweiss, sapling, backache), lime is added to the soil. Caring for rockeries is easy and within the power of a novice gardener. Subject to the basic rules, a stone garden will delight its owner for many years.
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