Hi to all. I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and would like to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be in the corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea, how to build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please. Thanks x

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:35:35 +0000, Bluelady wrote:

I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and would like
to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be in the
corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea, how to
build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please.

Take rocks and heap them up in the corner, fill spaces between rocks
with soil, stuff plants into soil. Just like arranging crysthanamums
in a vase.

But you need to know the conditions the alpines you have bought will
like, acid or alkaline soil, wet or well drained?

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Jun 12, 8:35*pm, Bluelady
wrote:
Hi to all. *I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and
would like to make a feature of them within a small rockery. *It will be
in the corner of the garden where the two fences meet. *I have no idea,
how to build or start the rockery. *Can anyone give me advice please.
Thanks x

--
Bluelady


No-one can tell you this. Go and look at a few rockeries. Maybe in
your local park.

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:35:35 +0000, Bluelady wrote:

I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and would like
to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be in the
corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea, how to
build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please.

Take rocks and heap them up in the corner, fill spaces between rocks
with soil, stuff plants into soil. Just like arranging crysthanamums
in a vase.

Once read a book on the subject which included two styles you
don't want to achieve: "almond cake" and "alas poor Fido". The
aim is for as natural-looking as you can manage.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

On 12/06/2012 20:35, Bluelady wrote:
Hi to all. I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and
would like to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be
in the corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea,
how to build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please.
Thanks x




Mix topsoil with gravel and organic material (last year's growbags would
be fine). The aim is free draining but will hold some moisture.
Make sure that the strata of the rocks is parallel.The aim here is to
look like a big block of stone that has eroded and been partially
covered in soil.

On Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:18:50 +0100, Chris J Dixon
wrote:

Dave Liquorice wrote:

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:35:35 +0000, Bluelady wrote:

I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and would like
to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be in the
corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea, how to
build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please.

Take rocks and heap them up in the corner, fill spaces between rocks
with soil, stuff plants into soil. Just like arranging crysthanamums
in a vase.

Once read a book on the subject which included two styles you
don't want to achieve: "almond cake" and "alas poor Fido". The
aim is for as natural-looking as you can manage.

I think that was good old Brigadier Lucas Phillips in _The Small
Garden_, the first gardening book I ever had. A very sound man, if
fond of the occasional burst of over-ripe prose.

Just heaping rocks up is unlikely to work well. As Chris says, it
needs to look like a natural outcrop, so it's good to lay them
systematically. Don't be afraid to leave what looks like too little
space between the rocks as long as there are no voids underneath. You
want the effect of brave plants in a tough environment, and you'll be
surprised how soon they take over visually.

--
Mike.

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:35:35 +0000, Bluelady
wrote:


Hi to all. I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and
would like to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be
in the corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea,
how to build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please.
Thanks x

Use big rocks and fill the gaps with a firm soil.

Steve

--
Neural Network Software. http://www.npsl1.com
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. http://www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. http://www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. http://www.justnn.com

On Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:35:35 +0000, Bluelady
wrote:

Hi to all. I have purchashed lots of alpines and quite a few rocks and
would like to make a feature of them within a small rockery. It will be
in the corner of the garden where the two fences meet. I have no idea,
how to build or start the rockery. Can anyone give me advice please.
Thanks x


I am digging one out at the moment.

To follow the advice of whoever built this one:

Bury tons of bricks.
Plant horribly spikey conifer.
Bury some of the biggest pieces of concrete you can find.
Also bury some nice pieces of stone but save a few for the top.
Cover the soil with bin bags which will be really fragile in 20 years
time.
Plant several other conifers too.

On the bright note we need hardcore for water container bases on the
allotment so I can get rid of all ballast there!
--
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk

mogga wrote:

I am digging one out at the moment.

To follow the advice of whoever built this one:

Bury tons of bricks.
Plant horribly spikey conifer.
Bury some of the biggest pieces of concrete you can find.
Also bury some nice pieces of stone but save a few for the top.
Cover the soil with bin bags which will be really fragile in 20 years
time.
Plant several other conifers too.

On the bright note we need hardcore for water container bases on the
allotment so I can get rid of all ballast there!

Quite possibly. My last house (many years ago now) was built
on sand - you only had to dig one spit deep, and you were in
pretty much pure sand. I was only there for a couple of years
(half of which it was on the market) so didn't really get to
grips with it.

I did remove what was supposed to be a rockery in the middle of
the lawn. I was able to manhandle the stones away, until I got to
the bottom and found one at least 3 ft x 2 ft x 1 ft. It
resisted all efforts with levers. Being sand, I quickly dug a
trench alongside, and nudged it in, and soon had it all
buried.

I just hope nobody tries to plant a tree there ;-)

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Chris J Dixon wrote:
mogga wrote:

I am digging one out at the moment.

To follow the advice of whoever built this one:

Bury tons of bricks.
Plant horribly spikey conifer.
Bury some of the biggest pieces of concrete you can find.
Also bury some nice pieces of stone but save a few for the top.
Cover the soil with bin bags which will be really fragile in 20 years
time.
Plant several other conifers too.

On the bright note we need hardcore for water container bases on the
allotment so I can get rid of all ballast there!

Quite possibly. My last house (many years ago now) was built
on sand - you only had to dig one spit deep, and you were in
pretty much pure sand. I was only there for a couple of years
(half of which it was on the market) so didn't really get to
grips with it.

I did remove what was supposed to be a rockery in the middle of
the lawn. I was able to manhandle the stones away, until I got to
the bottom and found one at least 3 ft x 2 ft x 1 ft. It
resisted all efforts with levers. Being sand, I quickly dug a
trench alongside, and nudged it in, and soon had it all
buried.

I just hope nobody tries to plant a tree there ;-)

Chris

I got called to clear up a garden and part was a rockery that at first
glance from the other end of the garden didnt look too bad. When we got
to it, perennial grass had run all the way through it, you cant get to
the roots because of the rocks. I told the owners that in two weeks time
new shoots would appear and it would have to be done regularly from then
on. Maintaining one of these is essential.

In article om,
says...

I got called to clear up a garden and part was a rockery that at first
glance from the other end of the garden didnt look too bad. When we got
to it, perennial grass had run all the way through it, you cant get to
the roots because of the rocks. I told the owners that in two weeks time
new shoots would appear and it would have to be done regularly from then
on.

A perfect application for glyphosate; apply to grass by hand with a
soggy glove.
Grass is very sensitive to it and it will soon kill the unreachable root
systems.

Janet