This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

[miniaturerockgardens] Old Concrete

From: Louise Parsons <parsont@peak.org>

Diana,  Wonderful news about the upcoming good press for gardening!!!
Please be sure to let us know which edition of "Business Week" to look for.
 Sometimes articles are being prepared several issues in advance; at other
times, they make it to press quite quickly.  

I agree with using a trough formula rich in cement.

Valerie,  If your cement has not hardened or gotten lumpy, it should be
fine.  When you are ready and you open it, it should be a nice even dry
powder.  If any of you are allergic to dust, or are immune-compromised in
any way it is especially important to wear a dust mask when handling the
dry cement, peat, and aggregate such as pumice or perlite.  The mask is a
actually good idea for anyone handling these things dry.   

Several years ago I took a trough class at Berry Botanic Garden.  It is
extra enjoyable to make them in a group and share the task of mixing and so
fourth.  Our local NARGS chapter has a trough-making party every year in
the fall and then in the spring we have a planting party to share plants
and starts.  We make and plant extra troughs to sell at our plant sale the
day before Mother's Day.  From these parties and the class I have learned
some great tips.  If you are too far from a rock garden group or if you
want to make more troughs, invite some plant-loving friends for a social
event.  With either a large group or just a pal or two --and this may
depend upon the amount of workspace that you have --it is terrific fun.  

We often make troughs in stout cardboard produce boxes lined with heavy
plastic (the plastic can be re-used many times).  The one drawback is that
the smooth plastic can leave shiny areas between the desirable "wrinkles".
The wrinkles themselves are good because they look like natural seams in
rock.  From alpines curator Jack Poff I learned to get rid of the shiny
spots by rubbing a little dry concrete on them as soon as the trough was
unmolded.  

This would make the some purists in the realm of rock gardening really
cringe, but troughs are also an excellent planter for miniature roses.
Actually I have met very few "purists" in the world of rock gardening and
sometimes ponder at the reputation that rock gardeners have gotten for
being purist.   There are a lot of serious plant nuts among them though
<grin>.  

People who grow miniature roses often have a difficult time keeping them in
the black plastic pots that they typically come in, so this is another
separate use for troughs.  The genetic ancestry of miniature roses is not
truly alpine, but they are definitely mountain plants. Since the soil in a
trough stays cooler than it would in a plastic pot, the roses do especially
well.  Unfortunately they do *not* take very well to being mixed with other
plants.  You might get away with tucking in a few of the spring bulbs that
don't mind the summer water such as the tougher varieties of miniature
narcissus and crocus.  Alpines and miniature roses don't mix well at all,
though.  The miniature roses are heavy feeders compared to most alpines, do
not like root competition, and also do best with an organic mulch such as
bark chips.  Organic mulch is a no-no for most alpines. 

Cheers,  Louise
Corvallis, ORegon

Magnolia, Erythronium revolutum and trilliums blooming, buds bursting,
fiddleheads unfurling, hummingbirds humming and dive-bombing, ...Ah, spring!

It is true that August Mobius was a difficult 
and opinionated man. 
But he was not so rigid that he could only see 
one side to every question.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tired of empty chat rooms and out of date bulletin boards?
http://www.ONElist.com 
ONElist: Making the Internet Intimate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mountains in miniature -- create your own alpine scenes
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index