Stick your nose in a trough...

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A trough at The New York Botanical Garden

Gardeners all over the world are discovering what rock gardeners have known for some time—that growing plants in troughs is the ultimate in small-space gardening. Trough plantings are the garden equivalent of William Blake’s “…world in a grain of sand.” Because they are contained they are the ideal solution for space-starved urban gardeners.

Troughs originated as stone vessels used in European agriculture and trades. Generally hand-hewn from a single piece of rock, genuine pieces have become very rare and costly. In recent years, avid gardeners have developed recipes for a material called “hypertufa” whose main ingredients are peat and Portland cement—creating a lighter but authentic looking substitute. Trough makers can now make lightweight replicas or artistic versions, both suitable for the garden.

These containers present many advantages to today’s gardener.

--because there is generally more plantable space than pots provide, groups of plants can be planted together

--despite the ability to plant an entire specialty garden in one trough, they are portable, and can be moved and exchanged with one another to keep displays fresh

--their natural appearance fits in well in any environment and they can be made the focus of a garden, or an accent in the background

--special potting mixes can be used to grow nearly any plant association desired; as long as the plants need the same conditions, they can be grown in the same container

--beginning and advanced gardeners can make use of these versatile garden features

--they are particularly effective in patio and wall settings, near traffic patterns in the garden and close to seating and buildings, providing a transition element between a dwelling and its gardens

--plantings can be themed in an infinite variety of ways; popular choices are: by country, geographic region or mountain range, flower color, vegetation color, cultural conditions, woodland, and imitations of natural scenery

One word of caution: troughs are containers and, like clay-pots, must be properly watered for plants to thrive. The larger the trough, the less frequent they need to be watered, but even plantings that prefer fast draining potting mix must be watched.No garden is too big, or small for a trough—or better yet a collection of these versatile containers.

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