MAKE
AN ALPINE TROUGH
This little sink-style trough is easily made and will
fit into a corner of the tiniest garden. At least half
the price of shop-bought ones, it will look attractive
for many months of the year.
(right) The finished feature, planted with a selection
of spreading rock plants and a dwarf conifer
You
will need: Two cardboard boxes, the same shape but with one about
5cm (2in) bigger than the other all round
A “hypertufa’ mix of one part cement, 1 part
sharp sand, and 2 parts seived peat-free compost: you
need enough, roughly, to fill the smaller box, but overestimate
to avoid running short
Wire netting and wirecutters
Wooden pegs or corks to create drainage holes
Bricks to support the mould Plants used here: Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’; Sedum
spathulifolium ‘Cape Blanco’ and ‘Purpureum’;
Lithodora diffusa ‘Heavenly Blue’; Thymus
pulegioides ‘Aureus’
1. Mix the hypertufa: here 2 shovelfulls each of cement
and sand to 4 of seived compost
2. Add water until you have quite a wet mix, about
the consistency of porridge. Mix well.
3. Cover the base of the larger box with a layer of
the mix. Cut a sheet of netting to fit the base, snip
out four or five holes (see above), and lay it over
the hypertufa.
4. Here, we cut small lengths of roofing lath to make
pegs. Insert them firmly through the mix; they will
keep holes through the base clear to rovide drainage
fo the trough.
5. Spread another layer of hypertufa mix over the
base to sandwich the netting. The more rigid “grille”-type
netting is easier to use than chicken wire, as it stays
flatter.
6. Roughly pat down and smooth the base, brushing away
any hypertufa that might impede removal of the peg later
on.
7. Place the smaller box inside the larger one. Cut
four more oblongs of netting to fit the sides of the
box, making them 2.5-5cm (1-2in) smaller each way. It
is important tha any sharp edges will be completely
covered at the top. Set thm in the gaps.
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MAKE
AN ALPINE TROUGH
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