The Alpine Garden is a great design solution! Here you can arrange retaining walls, an alpine slide, a grotto, a rockery, a hanging garden. Detailed master classes and 62 photos will help you do all this.
The Alpine Garden is one of the types of country design. It is suitable for those who like alpine slides, low beautiful flowers growing near stones, lush conifers.
What plants to plant in an alpine garden?
The alpine garden is recommended especially for those who have a sloping plot. You can emphasize this natural landscape, create an alpine slide, rockery, a group of containers here.
Of the flowers, perennials are mainly planted here. It is enough to grow them from seeds once or acquire parcels, plant these plants on your site, as they will delight you for a long time. They do not need to be watered often, since such flowers are used to growing in arid and windy mountainous areas and are unpretentious. You can feed them in spring and autumn, remove faded inflorescences.
These plants grow so that they suppress weeds, so you hardly have to weed an alpine garden. Here are the flowers that would be appropriate here:
- alpine poppy;
- Snapdragon;
- astilba;
- saxifrage;
- alpine asters;
- subulate phlox;
- marigold;
- viola;
- calendula;
- daisy;
- fiery carnation.
Also don't forget to grow in an alpine garden:
- hosts;
- ferns;
- alissums;
- sagebrush.
Be sure to plant remontant strawberries in your alpine garden. She will delight you with delicious aromatic berries.
And here are some shrubs you can place here:
- ground cover roses;
- honeysuckle;
- barberry;
- Japanese quince;
- spirea;
- hydrangeas;
- lilac;
- heather;
- viburnum buldenezh;
- various berry bushes.
Mostly an alpine garden uses horizontal space, but pick out a few areas to emphasize vertical compositions. Plant clematis and maiden grapes here.
Of the trees, it is recommended to grow low conifers in an alpine garden:
- thuyu Canadian;
- spruce;
- juniper;
- mountain pine.
Also here you can plant several fruit trees in single plantings. Especially with this style, an apple tree that has a creeping shape will be in harmony.
Read also what plants to plant in a classic garden
How to arrange an alpine garden with your own hands?
Accentuate the natural beauty of this sloping location. Use it to make terraces, winding paths, rocky waterfalls, alpine slides.
If you have a steep area, place some flat rocks here that will not only help steal the area, but also become comfortable steps to climb.
- First, you will need to use a shovel to select the ground here so that these stones lie strictly horizontally, then place them in place.
- Place flat pebbles between these objects. First, it is better to lay geotextiles there, then pour some gravel and sand so that the pebbles do not fall through and weeds do not grow.
- Place some low plants here that will decorate this landscape.
Place some of these stones to highlight the beauty of the waterfall. Water will flow down these steps, creating the desired effect. Place boulders and small flat stones nearby.
Plant a low ephedra here as a bright accent, and place a few plants around.
The design of such a garden also implies the presence of an alpine slide. Place a few large stones around the edges, and place small ones closer to the center. Fill the space between them with soil and plant short flowers here.
You can make not only an alpine slide, but also a flower bed of stones, retaining walls from this natural material. Arbors, observation decks, waterfalls and streams, bridges and gravel dumps will be appropriate here.
Hanging garden in alpine style, photo
It will allow vertical space to be used. Such a garden can be made near a concrete wall. When you create it, immediately foresee the pockets that will need to be made from reinforced concrete. You will fill them with fertile soil and plant plants.
That is, you will need to make a double concrete wall. The outer one can have its own shape. In it, you will provide pockets in which the plants will be located.
As you know, the Hanging Garden of Babylon is one of the eight wonders of the world. You can select at least a small section of a concrete fence for a similar one to get an interesting result.
Plant unpretentious frost-resistant plants in the created pockets. You can also use annuals.
- Consider your irrigation system right away. It is better to make an automatic irrigation system even at the stage of laying a vertical garden. Sometimes you will add liquid fertilizers to this water in order to feed the plants at the same time.
- You will make the outer wall for the fence from concrete, the grade of which is B15. It is poured into a previously created formwork, which is made from boards. If you want to quickly cope with this work, then use concrete blocks or fence elements made of this material.
- The interior is made without the use of formwork. To create it, you first need to make a frame consisting of a metal mesh and reinforcing bars.
- A concrete mixture is applied to these iron components. The frames of the pockets consist of reinforcing bars, on which bitumen mastic is applied.
- A fine mesh is attached here, in which there are pockets for plants. Cement mortar is applied to them.
- Then the outside is covered with a thin layer of concrete mixed with silica. The latter is able to increase the viscosity of concrete, its strength, and rid this material of cracks.
- When all these solutions are dry, soil is poured into the pockets and plants are immediately planted. Thus, the wall will look like a stone one, which is required to create an alpine garden.
And since the plants will already be quite large, they will perfectly cover this part and decorate it.
In this technique, you can make not only a vertical garden, but also a grotto, a cave, a raised flower bed. You can plant plants here or not. For an alpine slide, this idea is perfect.
How to make a grotto in an alpine garden?
Such a rocky object is able to beat the unevenness of the site, and since it will be made mainly of stone, this is another great idea for an alpine garden.
Usually the grotto is installed near some kind of hill. It can be a slide or a fence. But other options are also possible. If you have a high fence, make a frame for the future grotto from the connecting rods and mesh. Then you will coat it with a cement mixture made from 3 parts cement and 1 part sand. Then it remains to hide this base by attaching stones here.
Then, in the resulting space, you can place a recreation area, put benches here. It is also possible to place a small gazebo in which to relax. But if you want to get the coveted coolness in the heat, then a garden fountain would be an excellent option.
For this, you will first need to make a fence. It is made of concrete.
By the way, you can use a concrete well ring. You will need to prime it and glue a decorative stone on it to get such a mini-pool.
Behind it you will build a grotto and also cover it with stones. When you do this, then pay attention to where you will have a fountain and communications to it. And on the side of the pool, make a small terrace to pour earth here and plant flowers. These tiers are lined with pebbles, which also looks beautiful.
If you want to make a light mainsail so that you can install it in another place of the site if you wish, then you first need to create a base from a mesh and metal pins, and then cover it with foam. When this composition is dry, cover it with a cement mixture on top, to which you attach decorative stones.
If you want to make a solid structure, then you first need to make the foundation for it. Consider the diagram.
As you can see, you first need to create a gravel bed, then a foundation is installed on it. After that, you need to make a frame from plywood and boards. On top of it, you will install reinforcement and you will attach stones here using cement mortar.
At the back you will build a concrete wall that will cover this grotto from that side. Then it will be possible to plant vertical plants on top, for example, girlish grapes and install a bench inside.
The grottoes near artificial reservoirs look beautiful. They are built in the same way. For the pool, you can use a ready-made form or make it out of concrete with your own hands.
Such an artificial rock can be made on the basis of reinforcing mesh, metal pins and polyurethane foam. Then it is finished with a primer, cement mixture and stones. But you can do without stones, make the cement mortar uneven in order to create the appearance of these natural creatures. Then you will need to paint this artificial rock to get a more authentic look. Attach a fountain and communications for it here so you can try it out later.
How to make a rockery and an alpine slide with your own hands?
These two objects are also an integral part of the alpine garden. Rockery is similar to an alpine slide, but this is a flatter composition and makes it faster. After all, there is no need to put a bed of rubble and sand down.
Elements of such a composition look great against the background of gravel bedding. Set aside a rockery area, put stones here. Plant small conifers in between. Fill in the rest of the space with gravel. So as not to weed the weeds, first lay geotextiles, and then fill these stones.
By making an alpine garden, you can create not only a rockery, but also a rock garden. Also, first lay the geotextile, then cut round holes in it to create islands of vegetation and rocks here. Then add gravel or small chippings to create a serene backdrop. In such compositions, bushes and trees are not planted, but a few low perennials will come in handy here.
If you want to accommodate more plants, then an alpine garden is for you. You can plant several types of short perennials or give preference to one. Then heather, sedum, saxifrage or rejuvenated will suit you.
Even one boulder will help you achieve the desired effect. Place it among flowers and herbs to create a composition for an alpine garden.
You can place such stones near water bodies, plant flowers nearby. But try not to take more than 2-3 colors, these are the principles of these compositions. If you do not have such a stone, you can make it out of papier-mâché, and put a metal mesh on top and cover it with cement mortar.
Another idea for an alpine garden is a rocky garden. Lay some flat stones, plant green plants among them. Tall shrubs and trees are not placed here.
Use ground cover perennials and ferns to create a rocky garden.
If you can give a rocky composition only a small part of your territory, then pay attention to the alpine step. This is a miniature composition. Plants are planted on it in a horizontal plane. To do this, you need to pour soil on a flat stone and plant unpretentious flowers or succulents.
If you have even less free space or no summer cottage at all, you can make a container and a rock garden and make your dreams come true.
Take a similar container, fill it with sand. If you don't have enough of this material, then you can put any drainage down, for example, shredded foam. Cover it on top with a layer of sand. Place two or three stones here, plant the same number of bushes of unpretentious succulents.
A retaining wall like this will also be a great option when you are thinking about how to make an alpine garden. This art object will help to zone the area or to strengthen the slope. Also, the retaining wall will replace one of the walls of the pergola or gazebo, it will become a screen that covers it from neighbors.
On the shore of the pond, you can arrange a semicircular wall, into which a waterfall is mounted.
Usually, to create such objects, they take even flat stones. Bricks are perfect for this. If you disassembled old masonry, you still have such elements, make a retaining wall out of them in the form of columns. To do this, you first need to arrange a foundation, put 4 rows of bricks on it horizontally in a checkerboard pattern, strengthening it with cement. Then you put another row of bricks, at intervals, place three bricks vertically on these bases. Then again lay down one stone horizontally and finish your work with three rows of bricks.
You can make a large retaining wall right outside the house and turn it into a cute flower girl.
And if you want to give this interesting art object a modern look, then use the same bricks or blocks and fasten them with cement mortar. When it's dry, sand this wall, and after a while, cover it with several coats of paint.
Of course, it is necessary to arrange an alpine slide in the alpine garden. Choose a suitable site, pour a layer of rubble and sand on it. Then arrange the stones. Plant the plants between them, putting a nutritious soil here in advance. You can place a small coniferous bush in the center of the composition, and plant not only flowers, but also remontant strawberries around the edges. This plant thrives on low elevations and will yield more yield here than on ordinary beds.
Also here you can plant low irises, tulips, which will decorate this place in spring. Daffodils, which bloom at this time of the year, will also be appropriate on the alpine slide.
To make the alpine slide not only pleasing to the eye, but also to be able to harvest here, plant creeping thyme. You can add this herb to your tea to make it more flavorful.
You can also plant more bright flowers here, but not much. See how beautiful a miniature carnation looks against a background of stones and greenery.
Blue fescue also looks great and will become a bright accent of the slide.
Now we propose to watch a master class, which shows in detail how to make a retaining wall with your own hands. You will use the materials you have available.
- If there is a river nearby, you can bring a few flat stones from there to then fulfill your dream.
- If you've taken apart brickwork, take these items.
- If you have dug a well, there are probably some stones in the clay soil that is being dug out from the depths.
- If nothing like that, then pour the concrete solution into forms that will look like stones. When the mixture dries, these elements can be used.
How to build a retaining wall in an alpine garden - a master class with step by step photos
When you erect it, keep in mind that no more than three horizontal seams can come together, and vertical seams can go through no more than two rows.
When choosing a material, think about the fact that it should be in harmony with the surrounding color. You can use natural stone, concrete, which is covered with plaster. Most often, brick is used for this. It is a very affordable building material.
You can use special compounds to fasten the elements, or simply lay the stones on top of each other. Such masonry is called dry.
Try to lay the stones not in a strict, but staggered manner so that the seams are not one above the other, but slightly offset. It is better to lay wider stones on top so that they act as a kind of visor and do not allow the lower part of the structure to get wet.
When making an alpine garden, look for the rubble laying of the sandstone retaining wall. It has a patchy color that looks very cute. Place larger slabs on top to protect the bottom masonry from moisture and use the upper space. You can place flowerpots here or make this place a table for tea drinking.
Place tall, sunny-colored plants in the foreground of the retaining net. Add bright orange tones here. Then you have a southern-style alpine garden.
- If you want to use wet masonry, then take good cement, combine it with sand in a ratio of one to three and build, for example, this one. When forming this retaining wall, install a circle of wood or metal. The hoop of a barrel can act as it.
- On one side, make a semblance of a window.
- Place beautiful white country furniture nearby, put such romantic pillows on the armchairs.
- They can also be sewn with your own hands. To do this, you need to cut out 2 canvases from the same fabric and a long ribbon from this material. It will need to be hemmed on one side, and on the other, assembled on a thread. Place the resulting frill between the two pieces of fabric to be tucked in.
- Sew on three sides with a typewriter. Leave the edge free on one for now to insert a pillow. To wash this pillowcase, sew on the zipper or buttons and zip loops on this fourth side.
A master class begins with step-by-step photos. To make a retaining wall, take:
- shovel;
- bucket;
- manual ramming;
- construction mixer;
- trowel;
- gloves;
- building level;
- rubber hammer;
- stones;
- building mixture;
- concrete of class B25;
- reinforcing mesh.
Taking a garden hose, use it to outline the shape of the future retaining wall.
Based on these markings, use a shovel to dig a trench of the desired shape. The depth should be about 50–70 cm in order to lay the foundation here.
The reinforcing wall can now be installed in the trench. Align it so it is on the edge.
Place the same on the other side of this notch. Mix the concrete solution with a mixer and pour it into the trench. Tamp it down, then use a shovel to flatten the surface.
Drive in a few rods of reinforcement and pull a rope between them. Put the first layer of concrete mortar, place a stone on it and check with a level that it is level. If not, fix it.
Secure the formwork plank at the back and continue to lay the stones. Use a rubber mallet to position the rows closer together.
When the retaining wall is ready, remove the excess mortar so that it is not very visible at the seams. You can make some of the slots larger to fill in the soil and plant the plants. They look great in these pockets and these perennials will be warm here, so they will grow great.
Now check out some examples of dry masonry. For this, you can use not only rectangular stones, but also rounded boulders. If you wish, plant some unpretentious plants in the seams.
If you like strict geometric lines, then pay attention to the following stones. Many of them are almost square in shape, so this classic structure will also look great.
If you want something more fun, then paint some elements of the retaining wall to your taste.
If you intend to make a retaining wall of dry masonry, then you also need to make a foundation first if you need to strengthen the slope. To do this, they dig a trench, the depth of which is 80 cm, and cover it with gravel. At the same time, they are thoroughly rammed. Stack stones. In this case, place the large ones at the bottom, and the small ones closer to the top. If the width of the structure is 2 stones, then sometimes put anchor stones. They are also called binders. Such stones should be laid across the masonry, and not like the rest along. This technology is perfectly illustrated by the following retaining wall diagram.
Pour gravel on the back of the wall. This will prevent the water from pushing the stones out.
When arranging an alpine garden, use stones everywhere. They can form part of the foundation of the house, become a kind of columns near the entrance. Place some pretty pebbles between the low ornamental conifers.
If you want to steal a basement, a facade in this style, then you can take a processed stone, the so-called tumbling, and use it.
Limestone would look great here too. Pay attention to how the finished basement of a house from this material looks like.
For such work, the stones are either glued to the prepared surface, or fixed on it with the help of fastening elements of the clamps. The first method is called wet, the second? dry.
You can also use these beautiful stones, between which green moss will grow. The combination of these two textures and colors is very advantageous.
But you can use not only such round boulders, but also rectangular stones. You don't even have to lay geotextiles down, because you will make wide gaps, and the grass growing between them will have to be perfect. It will sometimes need to be mowed, no more maintenance is required.
These rectangular stones look great against the backdrop of a small pond. You can make a decorative waterfall that will supply water here. Also use stones for this.
See how wonderful a pebble track of different colors looks. It can be laid out in the form of a mosaic, planted with such bright flowers on the side to get a similar effect.
You can also decorate the entrance to the alpine garden with stones. Such a fence even at the entrance will give those who come the desired mood, they will understand in what technique the garden is made.
You can of course use a gabion fence here. After all, their main component is stones.
Art fences will also look great in the alpine garden. If you have few stones, then keep the fences low to simply separate one area from another.
If you have a garden with a slope, use the following idea to make these stone terraces, which also become flower beds.
This is how your alpine garden could be. If you still cannot decide exactly what objects you want to see there, then the video will certainly help you.
It will be interesting to look at the Swiss Alpine Garden. You will see edelweiss and, perhaps, want to plant it in your country house.
What the grotto looks like is shown in the second plot.
You will learn how to make a retaining wall in the third video.
