Stone garden at the dacha composition. DIY miniature rock garden

Your own country plot gives you the opportunity to fully express your Creative skills and realize your dreams. One of them may well be a rock garden with your own hands, which you can build thanks to our recommendations. In addition, in the article we will talk about its miniature version.

In the photo - how to make a tabletop stone garden and on summer cottage

General information

Imitating the natural landscape of mountain slopes using rocky gardens is one of the most popular ways of arranging suburban areas and gardens. These are retaining walls and steps from wild stone, on which greenery has already clearly appeared. It is considered a special skill to create a composition in such a way that it merges with part of the mountain landscape and seems old and long abandoned.

Often a Japanese stone garden is combined with an artificial one. This makes it possible not only to install an aesthetic element on the territory, but also to solve the problem of space on the site.

The main prerogative of stone gardens is:

• creating a secluded cozy place in a small area;
• division of the site into separate zones;
• hiding unattractive objects.

The instructions allow the construction of artificial structures and full use of the natural unevenness of the terrain, which are very often considered disadvantages of the site. Therefore, you can have a beautiful stone garden even in the most unsuitable territory.

For example, if the slope of a ravine or a ditch spoils the entire suburban area with its appearance, they can be used as the basis for a rock garden or rock garden, which we will help you create.

Kinds

Although there are several types of rock gardens, they have a main idea that unites them: flowers and plants are planted among rocks on a mountainside. Thanks to this, a spectacular combination of stone and flora, complementing each other.

The most popular and widespread is a stone garden in the form of an alpine slide or rock garden. It is an artificially created hill with stones or a natural slope, where herbaceous plants and shrubs “emerge” between the cobblestones (the main element). The latter complement the blocks and emphasize their color and texture.

Initially, low-growing perennials and various bulbous plants were used for artificial alpine slides. Currently grown in rock gardens different kinds plants and flowers, guided only by your taste.

It is not difficult to create, but the work will take a long time. A rock garden differs from a classic flower bed with annuals, as they function for several years, becoming better every year.

How to create a Japanese-style rock garden

Contemplation and gradual unity with nature, a special philosophy of existence, the desire for naturalness, symbolism and minimalism - this is what the Japanese stone garden is.

If you are tired of the riot of colors and diversity, create a calm corner on your site where you can simply:

• relax;
• relieve stress;
• think alone;
• calm down.

To create a site, you will not need to carefully prepare, since the basic requirements for it are minimal.

1. Start your Japanese garden by choosing a location and layout of the area.
2. Make good soil drainage with your own hands, select an area with optimal sunlight and ventilation.
3. The most important elements are water and stones. But, everything should be done as close to natural contours as possible, so do not arrange a pond in the form of a square, as such are not usually found.

Advice: every little thing should be taken into account; maintain special harmony when choosing elements so that the final result will please you.

1. The space should not be cluttered; strive for symmetry and harmony.
2. Decide in advance - you will use the plants only in the warm season or it will be a winter garden, then the price may be higher.
3. When choosing materials for a recreation area, follow a number of certain rules:

• It is advisable to select cobblestones of the same type, so we recommend taking 2-3 large stones rather than a mountain of small ones;
• the basis is large material;
• use small to emphasize it;
• do not bury cobblestones deep into the ground - keep it natural;
• Place the stone upright without pushing it too far into the ground.

As an option, you can install the main boulder in the center of the site, and slightly smaller ones along its edges. This will allow us to identify the plan with the triad in Buddhism.

The Japanese stone garden, unlike other options, also serves as a place for meditation. You can show it off to your friends, relax in it, get rid of stress, find peace and achieve inner harmony.

Rockery

Another option for a rock garden, which experts recommend starting with for inexperienced gardeners. Unlike an alpine hill, the area here is flat and few plants are usually planted on it. The decorative effect is based on the beauty of the stone.

We recommend filling the free space between individual stone fragments with a layer of gravel, which will effectively shade the stone. For example, light gravel and dark cobblestone are successfully combined, and multi-colored river pebbles are combined with light limestone.

Tip: place a fertile layer of soil under the pebbles, which will provide nutrition for the root system of the plants.

It happens that a rock garden has an architectural form. For example, it represents steps made of flat large stones that are framed by creeping plants characteristic of mountainous areas.

Tip: you can create a complex terraced rock garden when the natural topography of the area contains a slope facing the surface of the rocks.
This will be able to unite all natural objects - stone material, shrubs and plants planted next to it.

Elements of stone gardens

To improve the territory, you must also have:

retaining wall

A common element of a rock garden. Set up as a support for a terrace. Functionality comes first, decorativeness comes second. Unpretentious plants are planted in the cracks between the blocks. The structures allow for vertical landscaping of the site, as well as dividing it into separate zones. Very often included in the alpine slide.

Terrace

Complex view of a stone garden. The reinforcement is provided by retaining walls of different heights. Typically the system consists of the following elements: retaining wall; alpine slope; stone steps. They create a terraced garden on the slope of a ravine, river bank or hillside. You can choose a variety and combinations of them. Typically these are dwarf trees and shrubs, as well as climbing herbaceous plants. Heathers, Ericas and low-growing rhododendrons are common.

Small rock garden

A miniature rock garden is a relatively new element in landscape design. It has become widespread in small areas or if it needs to be arranged for a short time.

Sometimes its base is a stone of an interesting shape, which has a natural depression. You can also use an old basket, trough, or a specially made hole in the ground. Such a fancy structure is even made in portable containers and placed in a convenient place, for example, on a home terrace.

Their originality lies in complete imitation appearance alpine slide or rock garden. Super-dwarf plants, mosses and lichens are selected for such mini-gardens. The same applies to stone material, which should also be miniature.

Tip: a piece of limestone will look especially beautiful if you can see natural cracks and depressions that imitate natural rock.

Conclusion

Of the many types of gardens for a suburban area, stone is distinguished by its “philosophical” orientation, in which the Japanese version is most successful. Today you learned how to make a rock garden at your dacha with your own hands, how such structures differ from each other and from others, what basic and additional elements are used in them.

The concept of innovative miniature rock gardens that you can even carry with you has also been introduced. The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.

Stone. What do you associate it with? Most likely, with calmness and serenity. The inherent desire for beauty in a person can manifest itself in different ways. And the desire to make your family nest cozy and beautiful is no exception. And here we are talking not only about the house, but also about the territory near it. Nowadays, trends in landscape design are very different, and every day designers are coming up with more and more new ideas. Recently, rock gardens that came to Europe from the East, namely from Japan, have become especially popular.

Are you interested in this landscape idea? In this article you will learn how to make a rock garden with your own hands.

Land of the Rising Sun style

It is worth noting that among the Japanese, rock gardens are created exclusively by special craftsmen, however, for Europeans, most often a rock garden is a decorative element, and not part of a religious cult, so almost anyone can make it. So, let's begin. You will need large naturally shaped rocks, large boulders or pebbles, crushed stone, sand and small pebbles.

The main elements of a Japanese-style garden are stones and water. But this does not mean that it is possible to arrange a pond on the site with the correct geometric shape. Why? Yes, simply because you won’t find anything like this in nature. And the style of the Land of the Rising Sun is closely related to natural harmony. Be attentive to all the little things! You can’t clutter up space, but you shouldn’t leave it soulless either. Remember, the main thing is symmetry and harmony.

Note! Before arranging a Japanese garden, decide what it will be like? Winter Garden can be planted with evergreens. Or you can focus on plants that grow exclusively during the warm period.

Preparatory process, site arrangement. To begin, remove the soil to a depth of about 10 centimeters. Clear the area of ​​roots and weeds. Fence the area with a rope that needs to be pulled over pegs.

Cover the bottom of the area for the rock garden with agrofibre. Now add a layer of pebbles, sand or gravel. Install a border along the edge of the stone garden. Then intuitively place large stones on the prepared surface. The main task is to create a harmonious composition. Around the stones you can draw patterns that would resemble circles of water. A Japanese rock garden may contain plants, but their number should be limited.

Note! A rock garden designed in the spirit of Japan must be created in accordance with the rules of Feng Shui. It must contain elements of 4 elements: air, fire, earth and water. An imitation of a pond can be circles around large stones.

A rock garden should be thought-provoking. Perhaps this is where you can make important life decisions. Stones in the garden landscape design will help create a truly picturesque corner.

Addition of various elements

Stones are not the only elements of Japanese gardens. The landscape must be complemented by compositional structures. There is a place for paths, fences of various shapes and stone statues. All this is an original part of the garden, made in the Japanese style.

Paths of a soft winding shape only emphasize the harmony of the garden. Designers skillfully disguise the originality and beauty of the material, thereby not disturbing the balance of regal grandeur and simplicity.

The fence is designed to create a calm environment and the possibility of privacy. Opaque fencing is encouraged in Japanese stone gardens.

Tsukubai was originally used to wash hands before starting the tea ceremony. These are peculiar bowls made of stone, with a standard height of about 30 cm. Now tsukubai are just an additional decorative element.

Principles of composition

The most important principle of compilation Japanese garden is the orientation of the composition around a single point of contemplation. It is selected in accordance with the time of day that you will spend in this garden. Most often, the point of contemplation is located on the north side, but other variations are possible.

The next principle to consider is the need to maintain contrast between filled and empty space. In addition, the basic concept of the garden should contain asymmetry. As for Japanese designers, they even take into account light and shade and the reflection of objects in water.

Another principle is the number of elements; it is worth considering that the number must be odd. Objects in a rock garden should be oriented according to a regular geometric heptagon.

Note! Landscape designers in Japan recommend maintaining a balance of horizontal and vertical lines when creating a rock garden.

Stones located horizontally should prevail over those located vertically. The fact is that there will still be more vertical lines in a Japanese stone garden due to structures, trees and fences. Horizontal orientation will dilute the verticality of other structures.

Rockery

Large numbers of plants cannot be planted in rockeries. Decorating the garden here is achieved through the natural attractiveness of the stone. Fill the space between the garden fragments with gravel that shades the stone. If you chose limestone as the main stone, then combine it with river pebbles of different colors.

Note! It is very important to place fertile soil under the pebbles, because it will nourish the roots of the planted plants.

In some cases, rockeries are made in the form of architectural forms. Well, for example, they can be made in the form of steps made of large flat stone. It will be framed by creeping plants, which are more typical for mountainous areas. In cases where the area for rock gardens has a natural slope, it is better to make it terraced. This way you can combine natural objects, namely stones, plants and shrubs.

Filling the garden with bright colors

A painted stone, processed by a craftsman, can come to life before your eyes! It smoothly turns into funny fairy-tale figures, cute animals or beautiful flower bouquets. To paint, you need to purchase special acrylic paints for processing stones. In addition, paints require a solvent, synthetic brushes and a palette to create shades of color. As for the brushes, there should be several of them. It is appropriate to use both thin and thick brushes. A container, for example, made of plastic, can serve as a palette. Part of finishing the stone is to expose it with clear varnish.

For painting, you should choose stones that have a round or flat shape. Sometimes it happens that a natural unprocessed stone already resembles some kind of animal, then the colors will only display and emphasize this image of it.

Note! Experts in stone painting advise that before starting work, treat the stones with a primer, and then apply the background color to it. For example, if you have only dark fabrics at your disposal, then to lighten them you just need to open them with a layer of light paint.

Once the stone has dried, you can begin applying the design. Even if you are a small artist, you will be able to sketch some image you like. For example, these could be bugs, emoticons and ladybugs. Drawing a cat or puppy is also a simple matter, and if you hide it in the grass, then at first glance it can easily be confused with a real animal. First, the image can be applied to the stone with a pencil, and then painted with brushes.

Now you can start decorating your garden with painted stones. The base of the site, as in the design of a Japanese garden, can be pebbles, gravel or crushed stone. The skillful arrangement of painted stones will help you create the idea of ​​a stone garden, made in the spirit of Japanese traditions, but with a romantic modern touch. Here you can not only reflect, but also lift your spirits.

Innovative approach

New direction landscape design, a unique innovation is a miniature stone garden. Such activities have gained recognition in conditions where there is a lack of land plot. Sometimes a stone with an interesting shape with indentations is used to create a mini-garden. An old trough or basket can also be used. A miniature stone garden can even be made in a portable container. It can be placed wherever you wish, even on the terrace.

The originality of the idea lies in the fact that the composition made is very similar to a rockery or other type of Japanese-style garden. To arrange a mini-garden, select lichen, super-dwarf plants and moss. The stone, of course, should also be miniature. A piece of limestone imitating natural rock looks especially attractive in a mini-garden because it has nice natural depressions and cracks.

Care

Of course, every creation created by man must be looked after. And the rock garden is no exception. Below are important conditions care that will help you keep your creation in its original form!

1. If you have plants in your rock garden, they need to be watered regularly at first. This is due to the fact that the plants should first take root well. Once they are established, you will need to reduce watering according to their individual needs.
2. Gravel, like any stone, retains moisture, preventing the soil from drying out. Therefore, later you can stop watering for a long time. Ornamental grasses and plants growing in meadows are drought-resistant by nature and do not need much moisture.
3. Plants that take root well in a rock garden are unpretentious. They do not need additional fertilizers. In addition, it is worth noting that with minimal moisture and high temperatures, fertilizers only do harm, because they burn the plants and do not nourish them with useful substances.
4. The main problem with a stone garden is weeds. Once they have begun to sprout, it is impossible to get rid of them from under the gravel. In view of this, geotextiles are laid on the base, and the soil is first thoroughly cleared of weeds. In order not to spoil the garden, you will need to remove emerging weeds in a timely manner.
5. Removing debris from a rock garden is another challenge. A wire rake and a stiff brush are suitable for this purpose. Carefully sweep away debris from the stone base. If the backfill is loose, then the debris will need to be removed manually, which takes more time. Once every few years, renew the gravel bed, using crushed stone or another stone that you originally used.

Do you have experience building a rock garden? Or maybe you know how to care for it? Then share your skills with us! We will be glad if you write your comments on the article!

Video

Some more ideas for creating a rock garden:

Photo

Heaps

The Japanese are recognized masters of transforming wild nature into an enchanting landscape for meditation. They seem to feel every plant, every stone and trickle of water. Let's try to figure out whether it is possible to repeat the Japanese miracle - a peaceful garden of large stones, pebbles and sand - with your own hands at your favorite dacha. And so that you don’t have to rack your brains in search of the optimal solution, we attach to the article photos and diagrams of such kindergartens, developed by landscape design specialists.

Why create a rock garden at the dacha - kare-sansui?

The main significance that the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun attach to the temple rock garden is a corner for concentrated meditation, without which in the east it is impossible to achieve internal harmony. The further west you go, the less thoughts about nirvana, the more desire for practical but original beauty. Therefore, the idea of ​​a Japanese kindergarten comes when:

• there is a desire to surprise guests, relatives, neighbors;
• I want to admire something unconventional every day;
• there was a need to hide any deficiencies in the relief on the site.

It is necessary to distinguish between the Japanese garden itself, with its abundance of various plants and visual finds, and the rock garden, in which there are no plants. In the east, this difference is taken seriously, but at our dachas we usually end up with some kind of mixture of styles: stones and vegetation are placed on the site in proportions that suit the gardener.

Principles for building a real Japanese rock garden

You will have to invest a lot of time and imagination into a rock garden, and so that the final result is not discouraged by unexpected clumsiness, you will have to adhere to several centuries-old rules.

Advice. Before you start arranging such a meditation corner, decide on the point from which you will view your creation. It is from here that it should look especially impressive.

Making a temple garden with your own hands

Having decided on the location and area of ​​the future kare-sansui, we level the area and fill it with crushed pebbles or clean sand. If you follow eastern traditions, then the pebbles should be taken exclusively light gray. But if literally fulfilling Japanese requirements is not an end in itself and the soul asks for a different color, then you can take yellow or pinkish.

Using a rake, we level the pebbles so that waves appear on them. This is a symbol of the ocean surrounding Japan, and ideally the waves should be arranged in concentric circles.

Advice. Create the base of the garden with pebbles; they will remain in place longer, while sand will certainly be swept away by the wind and washed away by rain.

We place stones on the pebbles. These are also symbols: large ones - masculine, smaller ones - feminine, and in general the stone is an image of the stability of the universe. They need to be divided into five groups:

• main – it contains the main message of the composition;
• secondary - subordinate to the main one, strengthens its idea;
• guest room - forms a balance of contrasts with the main one;

• connecting – lays a “stylistic path” to the architectural objects of the site;
• background - sets the semantic field of the entire garden.

It would be good if each group was represented by a triad of a large stone (the symbol of Buddha) and two smaller ones (his companions). At the same time, they should not stand like soldiers in a parade; on the contrary, we must strive for a combination of sizes and multidirectional lines. The total number of stones should become odd.

Advice. If the positive emotions from contemplating kare-sansui are not enough, add 1-2 plants in clay flowerpots.

At the selected vantage point, we place a wicker chair under shade, put cool water in a ceramic jug on the table nearby, and stock up on a volume, if not of Confucius, then at least of Murakami. Everything you need to achieve nirvana in your personal compound is ready.

Japanese rock garden: video

Rock garden: photo

A rock garden is not just a beautiful corner of nature, but also a place for meditation where you can relax and clear your mind from everyday worries. Of course, not everyone can organize a real garden.

In this article we will tell you how to make a miniature rock garden with your own hands, even if you live in a one-room apartment and move often.

In our project we will try to follow the basic canons by which real rock gardens are built. We will have a plot of grass, of course, the stones themselves, a Buddha statue and white sand, which we will tidy up with the help of small rakes.

Materials and tools for making a miniature rock garden:

• deep frame, casket or decorative box
• artificial moss
• thin polystyrene foam
• cardboard
• black marker
• stationery knife
• scissors
• clean sand
• pebbles and stones
• miniature rakes

How to make a miniature rock garden

Make sure that all the items are the right size and that they can be placed in the box or frame of your choice.

Using a marker, draw a wavy line on a thin sheet of polystyrene foam at an angle of about 45 degrees. Cut the corner of the polystyrene foam along the marking line. To do this, use a stationery knife. Make sure the cut piece fits into the frame or box along its short side. If necessary, cut off excess.

Place the polystyrene foam blank on a sheet of artificial moss and trace its outline. Cut out the artificial moss according to the markings.

Apply glue to the base of the artificial moss and fix it on top of the polystyrene foam.

Glue the polystyrene foam with moss into a frame or box. Fill the part of the box that does not have “grass” with sand. Try to keep the sand a few millimeters below the surface of the artificial moss.

Glue pebbles and a Buddha statue to the artificial moss. The lawn of the rock garden can be decorated with decorative flowers.

If desired, you can organize an island of grass in the sand. To do this, cut a blank from a sheet of artificial moss, glue it to cardboard and place it on the surface of the sand.

The gravel garden is a fashionable trend in modern landscape design and resembles a steppe landscape. The composition is represented by low-growing steppe and mountain plants. The background for them is a uniform backfill of gravel, pebbles or sand. Unlike a rocky corner or an alpine hill, large stones in gravel garden are not used.

Preparing the garden site

The arrangement of a gravel garden begins with careful preparation of its location:

1. The best place for a corner of stones is an open space near the house or terrace. But if you wish, you can set up a garden in the outback of the site. It is good if there is no lack of moisture in the area. This is beneficial for plant growth and flowering. The gravel garden can be placed in a flower bed. A lawn is also suitable for this purpose. A rock garden is arranged both in the shade and in the sun.
2. After choosing a location, prepare the soil. For a gravel garden, sandy soil is considered the most suitable. Although, if you wish, you can arrange such a composition anywhere.
3. Mark the site and mark its boundaries. To do this, drive in the pegs by pulling a rope between them.
4. Remove the top layer of turf by 10-15 cm from the soil. In this case, you need to pull out all the weeds along with the roots and rhizomes. After all, they are a big problem in caring for such a corner.
5. After preparing the land for a gravel garden, leave the pit for 7-10 days, after moistening the substrate. During this time, the untapped weed roots will grow, and you will finally remove them.
6. Then drain the soil so that excess moisture is removed from the roots of the plants that you plant later. Dig up the area and add baking powder to the soil. For this purpose, use vermiculite, expanded clay, brick or granite chips, as well as coarse sand.
7. You can add organic fertilizers and some peat to the soil. In such conditions, plants take root and grow better.
8. Compact the substrate with a roller and cover it using black geotextile. Use a coating that has a density higher than 120 g/m. This material prevents the germination of weeds. In addition, agrofibre prevents subsidence of the gravel layer. When laying geotextiles, cover the joints of the sheets and make a small hole that will serve to drain excess water.

Filling the area with gravel

After preparing the area, fill it with gravel, carefully following the instructions:

• When backfilling with gravel, there are two options. You can plant plants, bushes and trees, and then fill in a layer of stone, or make a backfill first, and only then do the flowers. However, owners most often prefer the second option - make a backfill, and then dig holes in it, plant plants and fill them again with gravel.
• It's not just gravel that's suitable for a rock garden. Pebbles are also suitable for such a composition, because their grayish color and rounded shape will make them stand out well against the background of lawns. It is better to avoid using large stones.
• When filling the area with gravel and stone filler, dividing curbs are erected. They help maintain the boundaries of your corner, because the roots of other plants will want to get into the area. Also, the boundaries of the backfill can be washed away by rain.

Plants for a rock garden

Any composition in a garden without plants will lose its appearance, and a gravel garden is no exception. But at the same time, it is important to choose plants that will successfully complement the composition and will not be intrusive:

1. Plants can be planted singly or in groups. In the first case, they will stand out against the background of the stones, in the second, they will merge with each other.
2. Dwarf and low-growing trees are suitable for planting in a gravel garden. Among them are weeping willow, rowan, birch and willow.
3. Conifers - thujas, firs, dwarf pines, dwarf cedar and spruce - greatly enliven the atmosphere. It’s great if the needles have different shades. Juniper thickets are often placed near the border of the composition. Conifers look impressive in large ceramic pots. This way you will place the main accents in the composition and can sometimes change the situation by rearranging the tub with the plant.
4. Among the shrubs, give preference to barberries and cotoneasters, because they have an interesting shape of the leaves and the crown itself, and the red fruits are especially impressive in the autumn garden.
5. Among herbaceous plants you can choose crocuses, geraniums, poppies, forget-me-nots, alpine edelweiss, and carnation flowers.
6. All ground cover plants, such as sedum, are suitable for a gravel garden. Don't forget about compact cushion plants. These are Arends saxifrage, cultural aubrieta and Caucasian rhizome.
7. One of the main rules to follow when creating a gravel garden with your own hands is not to plant too many plants. Otherwise, the original idea of ​​setting up a gravel garden will be lost.
8. Flower beds with ornamental cereals look great in a rock garden. For example, you can plant yarrow, milkweed, feather grass and knifoffia, evergreen grass, fescue and reed grass.
9. Don't forget to plant crocuses and primroses, which bloom on their own. in early spring, and sometimes even in the middle of winter they hatch. They are being replaced by tulips and decorative bows. Perennial violets planted in groups also look picturesque.
10. From the beginning of June, carnations and irises will bloom in your garden. You can also plant bluebells. Low-growing varieties of daylilies and small shrubs are quite suitable for a gravel garden.

Decorating a Gravel Garden

Having arranged a gravel garden on your site, and planted plants, flowers and bushes, the turn of the most interesting area comes - decorating your composition. Use our tips for this:

• A gravel garden will look more natural if you choose rocks that are prevalent in your area. When selecting material for backfilling, it is better to focus on a stone of one type.
• Variegated mixtures, which differ in different shapes, textures and colors of stones, will look unnatural. After all, they are almost never found in nature. Multi-colored gravel will enliven the composition, but only as decoration. Don't abuse it. In addition, it is recommended to fence off such places from the rest of the territory, as well as areas with sand, so that other areas of the garden do not become clogged.
• To decorate a gravel garden, you can use limestone, sandstone and jadeite. Dolomite and marble, diabase and quartzite also look great. To make all your ideas come true, you may need jasper and shell rock. When choosing stones, remember to pay attention to their durability. Let's say limestone is very fragile.
• Wooden decking works well in a rock garden. To make them, a sawn tree trunk is used. You can also lay out a path of flat stones. They are very comfortable to walk on.
• Stone lanterns are widely used to decorate gravel gardens. Place small lanterns near the pond, near paths and bridges, as well as in the depths of the composition. Hidden flashlights, the light of which is directed towards the ground, can be placed anywhere.
• You can also make small bridges in the gravel garden. This will be especially a good solution if you have built a pond on the site. Similar structures are made of wood or stone. It all depends solely on your imagination.
• Complete the gravel garden with a bamboo fence, which has a height of up to 2 m. Lower fences will become a kind of partition between separate areas of the garden; they look good near streams.

Pond in the rock garden

If you are looking for a way to further diversify the dry landscape of a gravel garden, then a rock garden with a pond would look great on such a summer cottage. It is recommended to equip it using the following technology:

1. To create a pond you will need: sandstone or slate, waterproofing material (usually black polyethylene film or polyvinyl chloride is used), water-loving plants, river sand.
2. The location of the pond should not be near large trees. Otherwise, leaves will constantly fall into the water, clogging it.
3. Make a pond of any shape. You can also choose the depths at your discretion. However, when creating an artificial pond in an area with a gravel garden, remember that its minimum depth should be up to 50 cm.
4. To begin, mark the boundaries of the pond on the ground, after which you can dig a pit, having first removed all the weeds. At the same time, thoroughly compact the soil.
5. After this, pour a layer of river sand onto the bottom of the pit. Its thickness should be at least 10 cm. Compact well.
6. Then install the waterproofing. The strength of the reservoir and its durability will depend on the choice of waterproofing material. Black polyethylene film has proven itself well when creating a decorative pond, but it is not very durable, as it can last only 3 years, or even less.
7. If you want to arrange a pond in the rock garden on long years, use film made from polyvinyl chloride. In this case, the pond will delight you for about 15 years.
8. And the most durable material that can be found for arranging a pond is butyl rubber. Its service life is 30 years.
9. Lay the waterproofing in such a way that it extends into the garden area. There should be at least 50 cm left on each edge. This space can be decorated using any flat-shaped stones. Slate and sandstone will look great.
10. The last step remains - add water and plant the plants. If you have built a small pond, then choose dwarf varieties of water lilies. Plant them in special containers and then place them on the bottom of the pond. Plant low-grade Japanese irises around a decorative pond in a gravel garden. And don't forget about decorative reeds. Remember that aquatic plants should be harmoniously combined with the colors of your garden.

Caring for a Gravel Garden

So you have created a rock garden! But do not forget that any man-made creation needs to be looked after. Caring for a rock garden is not at all difficult, but it is required. And it is carried out in accordance with the following requirements:

• At first, after planting the plants, water them regularly, remember that they are just taking root in the new place. Once they are well established in their new location, reduce watering and apply water according to their requirements.
• Subsequently, you can avoid watering for a long time, since backfilling with gravel retains moisture and prevents the soil from drying out. And this is quite enough for plants to grow among stones. Ornamental grasses and meadow plants are drought-tolerant in nature and thrive with minimal moisture.
• Most plants suitable for a rock garden require no additional fertilizer at all. Meadow plants and perennial grasses successfully manage without fertilizers in their natural environment. In addition, with minimal moisture and intense heat, fertilizers will not bring any benefit, but will only do harm - plants can be “burned” with such care.
• The main problem with a gravel garden lies in the appearance of weeds. Once they start up, it is impossible to get them out from under the gravel. That’s why it’s customary to plant flowers on weed-free soil and lay geotextiles. But they still appear, since the seeds fly in from neighboring areas. They need to be thrown out. The main thing is not to start and do this procedure in a timely manner.
• It is more difficult to remove accumulated debris from the fill. Over time, stones become compacted, and various types of contaminants get underneath them. Therefore, carefully sweep away debris using a wire rake. A stiff brush will also work. If the backfill is not dense, but loose, you will have to select the garbage manually. Once every couple of years, it is recommended to add a little additional gravel.

Thus, a gravel garden is the most inexpensive way to diversify your site. In addition, its arrangement does not require complex terrain and large stones. It is only necessary to properly fill the site with gravel and select plants that will harmoniously blend with the surrounding landscape. And then the rock garden will become a real find for gardeners who cannot devote much time to caring for their plot.