Creating and Planting Garden Troughs

Fingerut and Martin begin with an overview of the history and background of troughs (originally carved from solid stone and used to hold water for livestock). Even though most of the photos are in black and white, you obtain a clear idea of the beauty various shapes and sizes can add to your garden. The older troughs covered with moss are to die for.

A section on "Hypertufa" explains what it is and why it is useful for making incredibly lightweight and strong facsimiles of real stone troughs. Next, the reader is supplied a shopping list of ingredients, utensils and other supplies (rubber gloves, polystyrene foam, duct tape, etc.) needed for the trough-making project. Exact quantities and amounts are not provided, but ratios are given instead. This lack of exactness might prove frustrating to the new trough maker.

A good part of the book is devoted to the design and installation of plants in troughs. There are many excellent photos and an informative text describing plant choices, plant care, recommendations, etc.). If you aren't inclined to take on the obviously dirty and labor-intensive work of making your own troughs, you can check to see if your local garden supply store or nursery sells ready-made troughs and then use this book as a guide to filling them with plants.


Most Comprehensive Resource in Print!   April 4, 2000
 36 out of 38 found this review helpful

For the novice or experienced trough maker or trough gardener, this book is a MUST HAVE. I could have been spared months of research and many lost hours in trough construction had this book been available when I began making troughs! A very organized presentation of material with breath taking color photographs, detailed resources, extensive plant index, and easy to assimilate instructions. I recommend this to all my "trough students"! A worthy investment!