Rockery is a small stony garden, a modern element of landscape design. It combines the beauty of ordinary flower garden and stones. In terms of their appearance, rockeries are very similar to rock garden, but they have two distinctive features: rockeries can be positioned on a plain, and plants of any kind, not just alpine.

Content

• 1 Styles and types of rockeries
• 2 Choosing a place for the device rockery
• 3 Rules of arrangement of rockeries at their summer cottage
• 4 Selection of plants for rockeries

Styles and types of rockeries

Landscape designers highlight 3 main styles rockeries:

1. Japanese style - it is distinguished by the maximum number of stones and various blocks, and the plants act as bright strokes. It is ideal for people seeking peace and harmony.
2. European style - these are dynamic slides made of stone, most similar to the natural landscape of the middle band.
3. English rockaria style - these are ephedra, mostly durable, which are so loved by the British. Such landscape decoration will last for many years.

Independently you can make rockeries of three types: temporary, stable and changeable.

The easiest way to arrange a temporary rock arion on a flat or with a small lifting area. You can plant small seedlings on it, which will later become lush bushes. Think carefully landing pattern considering future adult sized plants. The dumps and stones will be temporary, as the shrubs grow, they need to be replaced by more massive and spectacular ones.

Если вы хотите украсить свой двор не на один год, то отдайте предпочтение стабильному виду. For его устройства нужны large stonesor small, which can be grouped. All plants must be planted in mini-zones, separated by stones. In this way, you will be able to restrain the growth of plants, which will lead to disruption of the composition

Give preference slow growing coniferous plants that are easy to care for. Shrubs plant stunted - barberries, silverweed or spirea.

If you like dynamics, then pay attention to changeable rock aquarium. For его устройства заложите небольшой участок на несколько крупных растений, которые станут основой всей композиции. Затем можно каждый год подсаживать новые растения и кустарники.

Choosing a place for rockeries

Give the selection of the right place the most attention, it will depend on it all the beauty of the future design. Perfect option - rough surface, slope or small mound. In this case, rockeries will be natural, it can be made in the form of a mountain valley, dry scree or cascade. In addition, rockeries can act not only as a design element, but as a functional - prevent erosion soil.

When choosing a place for rockeries, consider the following points:

1. Plot for future designer fantasy should be sunnyso you can make a chic flower garden of light-loving plants.
2. Rockery is not a separate item, it should blend in harmoniously in the general relief of the territory.
3. If on the background of the composition there are ugly buildings or a fence, then decorate them climbing plants, low trees or shrubs.
4. Not worth it install rockeries right outside the house - spring composition can be destroyed by melting snow.

Rules of arrangement of rockeries at their summer cottage

1. Draw a rough plan Rockaria, mark the location of stones and flower beds.
2. Mark the area of ​​the future rockeries. Be sure to remove about 20 cm of topsoil, remove all unnecessary roots and weeds.
3. Install drainage system - a mixture of broken brick, rubble or gravel, and then cover it with sand and compact the soil. It will become the basis of rockeries, rid it of weeds and unnecessary moisture. Not worth it as a drainage layer use construction waste - it will adversely affect future plants.
4. Sand on top needs to be covered. substrate, in which the planting and laying of stones will be carried out directly. It is possible to prepare the substrate by yourself; it is enough to mix fine crushed stone, garden soil and sand.
5. Choose stones natural shadesthen they will be able to set off the beauty of the plants. Remember that large stones look richer and more spectacular than small ones. When installing stones, bury them at least half, with pressure stones should not turn out and swing.

Since the rockeries should look beautiful on all sides, choose interesting layout of stones turn outward from plants.

Try to use stones from the same material, then the composition will look complete. Small pebbles are fixed with mortar or glue.

Selection of plants for rockeries

The plants are the face of rockeries. All the beauty of the composition depends on their proper selection and disembarkation.

For рокария можно use совершенно любые растения, главное, чтобы они выгодно смотрелись на фоне всего ландшафтного дизайна.

Постарайтесь use растения, blooming at different times, then your rockeries all year round will look festive and elegant.

The first spring flowers are crocuses and snowdrops. Later, primroses, muscari and low tulips bloom. With the arrival of warm pores, the decoration will be zhivuchka, yaskolka, cat's paw, phlox styloid and sunflower, which are in perfect harmony with the rich green.

For stone mound suitable unpretentious plants such as saxifrage, sedum, ground covers and young.

An excellent choice for rock arias will be the catchers, which emit essential oils that soothe the nervous system and improve immunity.

If rockeries turned out to be small, then you can decorate it with dwarfs - miniature thuja, evergreen juniper, low spruce.

All plants of rockeries should be single composition, harmonize with each other not only in size but also in color. Additionally, you can decorate the soil with gravel or river pebbles - a layer thickness of about 4 cm will be sufficient.

Rockery is volumetric 3D design elementable to favorably emphasize the individuality of the dacha and its owner. And if you install a gazebo with barbecue near this beauty, then you get a real corner for relaxing in the country.