Rockery
Landscape compositions are quite diverse. Each of them has its own character and personality. Our article will help you create a unique rockery on your site, which will become a real pearl of your garden..
Due to the presence of stones that are used to form rockeries, such an object of home decor is often confused with an alpine slide. The main difference between rockeries and an alpine slide should be considered the absence of tiers, but the formation of stone peaks is not excluded. In addition, flat stone decorations are often placed in the shade of the garden, while the inhabitants of the rock garden need intense lighting.
When forming a multi-level stone composition, rather large stones are used, while for a flat stone object of a landscape plot, not only large boulders are used, but also gravel bedding, which is a kind of mosaic background that favorably sets off the beauty of the inhabitants of rockeries.
When creating a flat stone-plant object, the emphasis is placed not only on wildlife, but also on the attractiveness of a cold stone, which, as it were, «vies» with plants, «proving» its uniqueness. After seeing such a composition for the first time, each person reacts differently: someone will be fascinated by a scattering of small stones, the magnetism of which is slightly diluted with thin vegetation, and someone will think that gravel is needed in rockeries only to emphasize the individuality of plants. rockeries can be found miniature representatives of coniferous vegetation, while on alpine slides they are most often not used.
Types of rockeries
Depending on the plants that are used to form rockeries, there are three main types of such garden decor..
European rockery
To create rockeries of this type, plants are used, the natural habitat of which is the middle strip.
english rockery
Differs in the most classic, restrained look. The emphasis in such a garden is made more on greenery. There are decorative varieties of wormwood, various types of conifers, as well as a variety of cereals..
japanese rockery
Few people know that the classic version of rockery is Japanese garden compositions. Such stone plots are distinguished by a significant predominance of natural stone of various shapes and sizes. Plants in this case are used in very limited quantities..
In addition to the classic stationary rockery, there is also the so-called “mobile rockery”. Most often, the composition is formed in a log, in which the inner part of the wood is removed in advance so that a kind of container is obtained..
To create a decorative stone garden, you should adhere to the fundamental rules, which include important criteria for placement and formation of the composition:
When creating rockeries, initially low-growing, as well as dwarf plant species are used.
To form a composition, it is best to choose unpretentious representatives of the fauna. This will avoid education «defective» islands that spoil the harmony of the design idea.
The described element of landscape architecture should not be visually limited by borders, thereby creating a clearly limited area. It is necessary to understand that rockery is an imitation of a fragment of the natural landscape, therefore «obsessive» elements of optical imaging will be inappropriate here.
When deciding on a place to create a plant-stone tandem, you should opt for the most visible part of the personal plot. If space is available, the best place to create a harmonious rockery is the beginning of the garden..
Stone decoration can act both as an independent element of landscape architecture, and be a harmonious addition to another object (for example, an artificially created reservoir or decorative fountain).
Selection of stones for rockeries and installation of large stone objects
Special attention is paid to stones in rockeries. Large ones form the basis of a decorative object, and small ones are used to create a kind of background..
When choosing the main boulders, preference should be given to specimens that have aesthetic appeal..
To create a rockery, you should choose two or three large stones, which will form the basis of the landscape plot.
To place accents and enhance the aesthetic effect, it is necessary to use stones of two or three colors. At the same time, it is advisable not to use a gray granite palette, which will be lost against a background of lush greenery..
The stone objects of the garden, taken from various sources of the natural environment, look very impressive. For example, a structured orange or brown slate of slate would look great paired with a sleek black boulder taken from the seaside. Today, there are still skeptics who are convinced that a flat stone garden should be formed from stones belonging to the same breed..
Before installing the largest stone specimens (the weight of the stone can be so significant that special equipment is required to install and move it around the garden), it is necessary to concretize the site at the place of its installation, or at least add a layer of crushed stone of the middle fraction. Otherwise, over time, the boulder will sink into the soil..
Plants for rockeries
For the formation of rockeries, you should not use overly artsy and luxuriantly flowering plants. In addition, you should give your preference to the most unpretentious undersized natural specimens..
The plants that are best suited to form a flat stone garden are divided into four main groups..
Conifers (dwarf species). Among the variety of coniferous representatives of the flora for the formation of a harmonious rockery dachadecor.ru recommends using low-growing varieties of juniper, spruce, pine, cypress, spherical thuja and other equally interesting miniature species of this group.
Low-growing shrubs. Among the great variety of plants in this group, as an example, we can cite compact varieties of Potentilla shrub, some types of Japanese spirea, as well as nodding honeysuckle, sun light, horizontal cotoneaster.
Herbaceous perennials. Herbaceous perennials (gravilat, ornamental onion, heuchera, badan, primroses, geraniums, hosts) make it possible to diversify the composition and add some colors to it. These plants go well with bulbs (daffodils, crocuses, tulips, woods), which can also become participants in a landscape plant-stone fantasy.
Ground covers. To create a stone garden, you should not use ground covers that grow quickly. In the best way, such plants of this group as sedums, saxifrage, arabis, rejuvenated, cat’s paw, styloid phlox, aubriets will fit into the overall picture of the created object of the design idea. Moss adds a touch of naturalness.
Final stage
After all the inhabitants of the stone garden have taken their rightful place, you can start decorating the composition with small stones.
First, a layer of medium gravel is laid. It will serve as the basis for the formation of the decorative stone layer. In addition, such a “pillow” will add naturalness to the created composition, reliably hiding traces of human interference in the formation of the landscape..
The first layer is covered with a decorative stone background of rockery. At the same time, there are many ways to place small gravel: you can simply scatter it over the entire area of the formed area, or you can use gravel of several colors to form various patterns. If stones brought from the sea coast are used, then most often they are laid out one by one, forming a kind of surface through which blotches of ground cover vegetation will break through.
A prerequisite for a properly equipped rockery is to fill the entire territory of the composition, which remains between large stones and planted plants, with a scattering of gravel or pebbles. And it should be remembered that the smaller the plant, the smaller the stones should surround it..
By adhering to the fundamental rules applied to create the stone garden described here, adding your imagination and a touch of individuality, you can create a unique landscape masterpiece that will delight the eye from season to season without losing its enchanting appeal..
