Trough of the Week: Luke

Luke: Very cool in his 14" x 14" trough

Meet Luke: he's cool. He isn't impressed with fussy showy blooming displays. He just keeps growing, keeps building his root system and stands out as a go-to champion when other, more delicate and temperamental troughs show fatigue.

His stand-out feature is the miniature conifer (upper right) Blue Foliage Cypress Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Glauca Compacta Nana'.  (Why the horticultural world attaches so many extraneous denotations to the name of a small tree is lost on me -- but there you have it.) Blue Sterling Nursery says of this winner:

'COMPACTA' Rich greenish-blue bun that has nice compact recurving sprays and a good tight habit. The size in ten years will be somewhere around 12" high and 12" wide. Good selection! 

Photo by Wolfgang Putz

To the left of the tree is a miniature hosta 'Cat's Eye.' The little bit of bloom that will come from this trough arises here, from the mini-hosta, which blooms a delicate lavender flower in early summer.

The mounding growth below the hosta is Greek Oregano, a subspecies of Origanum vulgare. What a great herb! According to greekfood.com:

Historically, as the name implies, Greek oregano originates on the mountain slopes of Greece. It continues to be an important erosion-control plant: its roots reduce soil erosion on mountain slopes. Greek hillsides covered with summer's growth of wild oregano in bloom are a fantastic excursion for eyes, feet, and nose!

The name "oregano" means "joy of the mountain" and has its origins in the ancient Greek "oros" (mountain) and "ganos" (joy).

According to Greek mythology, the sweet, spicy scent of oregano was created by the goddess Aphrodite as a symbol of happiness. In ancient Greece, bridal couples were crowned with garlands of oregano. Oregano plants were placed on tombs to give peace to departed spirits. It was also used as a laxative because of its cathartic effect.

Oregano has powerful bacteria and fungi killing properties. It is used as a painkiller and anti-inflammatory, . . .  a treatment for indigestion, coughs, and to stimulate menstruation. The oil of oregano is used for toothache, and in some cosmetics. The leaves and flowering stems are natural antiseptics because of high thymol content.

To its right you'll find a small delicate patch of green moss, which, I've discovered, enhances any shade-loving trough. (I plan to write a future post about mosses.)

Finally, lower right, is the beginning of a stunning bundle of European Ginger  Asarum europaeum,
a low-growing ground cover that adds shiny green accent and keeps on giving (it spreads and at points needs to be divided).

Final note on Luke: He is at rest right now, bundled in for the coming cold winter (as noted here). When he re-emerges in the spring the single contingency he imposes is how much sun he will need. All of the plants in this trough are shade-loving, with the exception of the Chamaecyparis pis. Glauca Compacta Nana.  Most Chamaecypari love sun. I may need to transplant it and replace it with a shade-loving Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana Aurescens’ or Abies koreana ‘Starker’s Dwarf’. But we'll see. As I said, this trough is a champion and the Blue Foliage Cypress might do just fine.