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| Lilly shines in a 14" x 14" trough |
Question: What do you see in the picture above?
Answer: A universe of decisions. Meet
Lilly Trough. Helping her reach her beauty -- even as she is rockin' it in her non-blooming season -- was complicated.
First decision: I had to determine the size and shape of the trough mold I used. (Did I want edges? A circle? Oblong?)
Second decision: Proportions of the respective ingredients for the trough (cement, peat & perlite). In this particular trough I used less peat since --
another decision -- I attached a screened bottom, instead of cement with drainage holes. (The screened bottom diminishes the weight of the trough and enhances good drainage - - a
must for the sustainable trough garden).
Third decision: Proportions for the soil mix specific to the plants in this trough. Which brings me to the
Fourth decision: The plants. This trough has been made for full sun ~ standard rock-garden fare. This means the soil mix must be a healthy gritty mix of a little compost, sand -- maybe even grit or small gravel. These hard-core stone-croppers thrive in harsh conditions, which is why I love
Lilly. Her respective parts include:
Upper right corner:
Cerastium tomentosum ~ Snow-in-summer. (Blooms white flowers in summer)
Lower right corner:
Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink' (Blooms pink in summer)
Center:
Sedum acre 'Golden Carpet' (Blooms yellow in summer)
Lower left corner:
Sempervivum arachnoideum tomentosum
Even off-season,
Lilly shines! She's edgy, with a center of warmth, a good solid mix-up of moods and expressions, and she's got attitude. She can be yours.
Fifth decision: What's she worth? Contact me
here if your are interested.
