The now fashionable landscape, which these photos of an alpine hill represent, requires, in addition to design experience, some knowledge in botany and floriculture. We can confidently say that the alpine hill is a painting in nature, a picture that constantly changes with the seasons and does not bother the eye. It is not enough to choose and place with taste the stone material on the allotted site, giving it the appearance of a rocky mound. It is necessary to select the right plants for the alpine slide, place them so that they do not interfere with each other, do not obscure the original beauty of others with their exceptional and unique beauty, but make up a holistic composition, naturally fitting together with natural stone into the general background (gardens, buildings). In addition, it is important to take into account the growing conditions: some need the sun, others cannot do without moisture, and still others need good drainage.
Unique fantasies
In natural alpine meadows, plants are ranked depending on height: at low elevations - bright catchy spots of flowers among lush greenery,the highlands are covered with more modest vegetation. Even the famous edelweiss prefers fluffy hairs on its surface to catchy beauty, protecting it from the cold height of the mountains. But a man-made landscape is created for the soul, and here, choosing plants for an alpine slide, you can deviate from the strict rules dictated by nature. On your own hill, in search of originality, you can allow bold fantasies and combine the incompatible. Imagine splendor: bright tulips among gray stones against the backdrop of a pyramidal arborvitae, which occupies a central place and visually raises the hill. In the sunniest place - arrows of a decorative bow surrounded by juveniles and stonecrops, Siberian irises, among which bright blue eyes of gentian peep out occasionally, but boldly. Below - spherical junipers, interspersed with broad-leaved bergenia along the slopes, with a pink boil of awl-shaped phloxes, with yellow cinquefoil stars. On the edge of the hill in the crevices - undersized ferns, brightly flowering dwarf primroses, blue-eyed periwinkles, white daisies, interrupted in some places by an "explosion" of luxurious hosta leaves. Even lower … No, fantasy is enough. It's time to move from words to deeds.
Wood and shrub plants for alpine hills
Slow-growing conifers - European spruce (up to 1 m high, dark green needles), Weymouth pine (up to 1.5 m high, bright green needles), prickly spruce (1.5 m, silver-blue), thuja, Korean fir, cushion and Canadian spruce - the list is not over. They all need an open place in the sungood drainage. Ground cover junipers Cossack and scaly, medium tall handsome yew berry (black hard berries are poisonous!). Perfectly complement coniferous deciduous shrubs such as dwarf forms of common barberry, spirea, Fortune euonymus, forsythia Malysh. The choice of hardwoods is even richer. But you can’t overdo it with them: falling leaves can disfigure a hill in autumn, and rotting leaves can harm other plants.
Perennials for alpine slides
There are a lot of such plants with decorative foliage and flowers for an alpine slide. Let's name some of them. Ground covers: Alpine Lychnis (up to 15 cm, pink), styloid phlox (up to 15 cm, hot pink), divaricate phlox (blue, up to 30 cm), saxifrage (different colors - white, blue, pink, up to 30 cm), alpine aster (lilac, up to 30 cm), periwinkle (bright blue, 20-30 cm), carnation-grass (pinkish-lilac, up to 25 cm), bergenia with shiny leaves that do not fall for the winter, geyhera - a fashionista with fireworks light small flowers, hosta - the queen of the shade, ferns with carved leaves. From the early spring - muscari, crocuses. Of the bulbous - tulips, daffodils, hazel grouse. Succulents - stonecrops, young. Of the medicinal - fragrant thyme, white and yellow cinquefoil.
Annual plants for alpine hills
Many of them are good - escholcia, alyssum, viola, honey phacelia, limnantes, nemophila and many, many others.
