ORIGINS AND CHARACTERISTICS
The rock garden, in addition to its aesthetic and ornamental purpose, performs a function of containing the sloping ground, attenuating the differences in level.
The rock garden has relatively recent origins, the first signs can be found in the Renaissance period, where in addition to the interest in literature, philosophy, art and poetry, nature was also very important. At that time it was fashionable for illustrious men, collecting beyond the common objects also the marvels of nature, shells, bones of aquatic animals, stones etc. The real diffusion of the rock gardens is in the Baroque era, in fact, the term that commonly defines this epoch that is rococo history derives precisely from the use of piling up rocks. Modern rock gardens have been strongly influenced by the style of Japanese gardens, composed of elements that are only natural elements such as sand, water and stones,
The rock garden differs from the other types of the garden because it constitutes a true composition of green created by stones and plants alone. The realization does not necessarily have to be followed by experts, it can, in fact, be realized and taken care of even by people who have no experience in this field, but it is important to pay attention to some details. The rock garden is a very suggestive variant for any green space, large or small. Having a large space where to create the rock garden is certainly more suggestive, in fact, it increases in relation to the volume occupied by stones and rocks, the distance between them and the planting of specific ornamental plants.
HOW TO CREATE A ROCKY GARDEN
To create a rock garden you need to follow some guidelines. First you need to choose a sunny place and never close to trees, you need to ensure water drainage, you need to make sure that the garden is sloping or make changes to make it so and you have to pay a lot of attention to the arrangement of the plants based on the species to which they belong.
To create a uniform garden the surface to be used must be about three times the height of the garden. The more stone compositions we use the greater space at our disposal.
Once the place where the garden will be created needs to be cleaned, then remove any existing weeds or stones. After cleaning, you can proceed with arranging the stones. To give an aspect that is as natural as possible, it is advisable to place the stones on the mountain, placed in a staggered manner, ie the upper stones must be set back with respect to the lower ones, so that there is enough space between the edge of a level and another to make plants stay. Very important is to fit the boulders well into the ground, trying to create a structure that is as stable as possible, so as to resist the weather or the wind. Once the first group of stones has been created, it is necessary to proceed with other groups, scattered throughout the territory in a homogeneous way. Between one group and another, one must insert soil. It is advisable to use local rocks, both for economic reasons and avoiding excessive transport costs, and for a question of environmental context. Rocks that are too porous are not recommended as atmospheric agents such as wind, rain and frost could break them up. The shape of the stones and rocks must be as irregular as possible but avoiding particularly angular ones. The most used rocks are tuff, limestone and sandstone. The shape of the stones and rocks must be as irregular as possible but avoiding particularly angular ones. The most used rocks are tuff, limestone and sandstone. The shape of the stones and rocks must be as irregular as possible but avoiding particularly angular ones. The most used rocks are tuff, limestone and sandstone.
PLANTS FOR THE ROCK GARDEN
The plants suitable for the rock garden are those commonly called Alpine. They are species of plants that manage to grow above the limit in which trees can survive. They are plants that present extremely slow growth and tolerate snow and wind and great droughts, in fact, they develop tomentose leaves, that is slightly hairy and fleshy, which allow them to retain as much water as possible in the face of the dry season. Alpine plants need direct exposure to the sun. Other plants suitable for the rock garden are the Rupestri, they can be both herbaceous and small shrubs, they too present a slow growth and are not excessively large.
In the rocky gardens more over low forest species can be planted, that is the plants that grow under the trees, very resistant because they are used to the shadow and to acid soils.
In conclusion, before creating a rock garden it is necessary to first choose the type of plant you like so as to try to recreate the environment in which they live.
