Troughs

[hadacekf]

In 1994, I visited Gran Sasso. which is a mountain in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. On this mountain grows Leontopodium alpinum ssp. nivale. The collected seeds I have grown into a trough. 1996 flourished the plant for the first time, by this time the Edelweis increased  by self sowing.

[Carlo]

Beautiful Franz! This is a very fine Leontopodium....

[ranunculus]

Magnificent, Franz.

[brianw]

Once de glazing has been chipped off I guess the sinks are porous and prone to frost damage.
Is it not better to use Ian's method and paint them with glue and sand as he does with polystyrene boxes?

Rising damp in old houses used to be coped with by coating the (internal) walls with bitumen emulsion, allowing to dry to the tacky stage and then liberally coated with gritty sand, by throwing it at it. When dry this was a good base for normal lightweight 2 coat plastering.
Has anyone found a successful coating of a bonding agent and sand/grit which lasts outside in all weathers, without shelling off a porcelain base?

[Lesley Cox]

Really beautiful Leontopodium Franz. We rarely see this form and it never seems to be in the seed lists so thank you for these pictures. A perfect plant for trough planting.

[Gabriela]

In 1994, I visited Gran Sasso. which is a mountain in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. On this mountain grows Leontopodium alpinum ssp. nivale. The collected seeds I have grown into a trough. 1996 flourished the plant for the first time, by this time the Edelweis increased  by self sowing.

I hope this is what I'll dream about tonight!
First I need to google about Gran Sasso right away  Thank you!

[ichristie]

Flowering here just now Adonis vernalis Adonis cyllenea Gentian acaulis

[Maggi Young]

Matt Matthus, the president of NARGS (North American Rock Garden Society)  write about  alpines in troughs in his latest blog : http://www.growingwithplants.com/2016/05/how-to-make-real-alpine-trough-garden.html

[DaveM]

Various Rhodohypoxis cultivars
(Sorry about the hosepipe in the baclground)

[hadacekf]

Flowering in my through:
Thalictrum kiusianum
Mimulus cupreus Whitecroft Scarlet

[astragalus]

Amazing to me to see Thalictrum kiusianum in bloom in your trough. Here, it doesn't start bloomimg until the end of August or early September, about the same time as Gentiana paradoxa. I wonder why?

[hadacekf]

I think my garden is warmer and some plants begin in spring earlier to growth.

[Rick R.]

That's interesting, Ann.  Here in Minnesota, flower stalks are just beginning.

[astragalus]

Rick, nothing here except the foliage which is really very nice. If it repeats its usual pattern, it will bloom end of August or beginning of September as it has done so far. Surely your garden is colder than mine so it can't be the cold that's delaying the flowering. I haven't seen it in bloom in other gardens so just assumed it was an end of summer bloomer.

[hadacekf]

Flowering in my through:

Campanula choruhensis
Physoplexis-comosa