Funny you should ask.

I just stuck my first plant in my first hypertufa trough last week so I can't really say how it's going. I rescued a dwarf hemlock that had been crushed by the gutter repair guys and then the remodeling guys a couple years later. It now has "character" being very lopsided and looks pretty cool. I've also stuck a small fern I found and a patch of mixed moss and mossy pearlwort. Any suggestions of other plants I could use would be greatly appreciated. They would have to be shade tolerant which doesn't seem to be the case with most of the trough plantings I've seen.

One place you can really check out a ton of awesome troughs is at the Flower Factory near Stoughton. They seem to be more into rock garden and alpine plants there, but they have a huge selection of everything else. Worth a stop if you're in the area and worth the drive if you're into gardening. They also sell troughs which is probably easier than making your own if you're not going to make many.

OH been there many times, Shady. The place is awesome! Stonewall also has a few nice troughs with conifers in them so they might be the people to contact about companion plants.

Dave
Franklin

These are not exactly troughs or miniatures, but they're my favorite 'tufa planters. Irish Moss and Moss Rose. I put petunias in my troughs.
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Yeah, Kim! That irish moss is the same thing as what I call mossy pearlwort. I've put some in with my hemlock and it seems to be doing very well. Yesterday I was looking at Mazus repens/reptans as another candidate.

My Japanese maple experienced a LOT of dieback suddenly this year and is now sprouting from the low trunk. I'm thinking of ripping it out and potting (troughing?) it up to make room for a livelier shrub. I have GOT to get to the Flower Factory soon to at least get more Sagina and whatever other low, troughable plants I can find.

I have a few with mostly alpine plants. And more troughs to be planted. I'll be planting one for shade that will have miniature hosta, primula, Carex 'The Beatles', Carex eburnea, dwarf hemlock.
Rick

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HI Rick, and everyone,

I really like your troughs. Are those purchased or did you make them? I also see a cacti in your second pic...is that Escobaria vivipara?

Kim,
are your troughs purchased? I like the scotch moss, and was thinking of using a useless copper birdbath and growing moss roses in it. I love the color!

Shady,
Ever get to Flower Factory yet?

Dave
Milwaukee

Dave, mine are handmade. Would the copper birdbath have drainage holes? I'm growing Moss Rose this year after not growing it for too many years...it's my favorite! And cuttings are so easy to root!
As soon as the weather cools, I'm anxious to get into the tufa again. I finally found a large bag of vermiculite.

Rick, those troughs are excellent! Just the style I like best. What did you use for forms? I have a plywood form that I made to keep styrofoam sheets from bowing out, it's working out great...but I want to get some 1-1/2" insulating board.
Thanks for listing the plant names, I'm going to look for some of them.

That's weird. I could have sworn I posted a reply yesterday.

I did make it to the Flower Factory yet again but didn't get any trough plants there. I ended up getting a Saxifraga and a Paxistima at The Bruce Company that look really cool with the battered hemlock. I covered the bare soil with fine sifted Turface so it looks more "finished." I'm really liking the way it looks!

Yes, all my troughs are homemade. The first pic is actually a styrofoam trough, and a most adept member of our Rock Garden Society made it. I have made one since, and it turned out - ok. I think the trick is: if you think your done blending paint colors (on the stryrofoam), blend some more!

The round planted trough is the oldest, at about 20 years. It has a chicken wire armature for strength.

Of the empty troughs, the center one was formed in a dish washing plastic tub that fits in the sink. All the others were made with wood forms, with a form for both inside and out of each trough. I have dimensions for the plywood I used. If anyone is interested, I could dig them up. 1.5 inch insulating board should be strong enough.

I used fibermesh to strengthen the cement on all of these. The different shades are from added cememt coloring (black). Advice here: 1. Add the coloring at the end of the mixing if you want more random, uneven coloring of the hypertufa 2. Remember the color of your hypertufa is much darker when wet. So add more color than you think, because the finished product will be much lighter.

Planted two cactus/succulent troughs a couple days ago, and a shade and an alpine trough will be today.

Kim, do you still use a plastic bag between the stryrofoam and the tufa to release the hypertufa from the form, or does is the styro release sufficiently all by itself?

Dave, that is indeed Escobaria vivipara. Good eye! Didn't I (or did I?) send you some seed? Incidentally, that is the only place I allow Sedum acre (with no seed production), and the the hen and chicks are light green (now almost yellow) only because of neglect and stress.

Rick

Very nice. I've been thinking this would be a good time to turn my energy to trough-making since the garden is kind of in "coasting" mode. Then they could cure and leach all winter and be ready to plant first thing next spring.

Rick, I line the styrofoam with plastic, but I'm going to try it without. Should pop off just fine.

Thanks Kim, I've heard the styro doesn't need anything more to release, but only heresay.

When you guys say styrofoam are you saying one of those is actually painted styro? It sounds like you're also talking about using it (picnic cooler?) as a mold or form.

As for releasing from forms, I've had good luck with covering the object (pot, box, whatever) with a few layers of wet newspapers. If it's a bit wrinkly the fit isn't super tight. They peel out of the inside of the finished product easily and don't show if some bits stay on.

Dag! If it weren't promising to be so hot this coming weekend I might get fired up for some projects. Aw heck, maybe I will anyway. You people are a bad influence!

Okay, yes, I can understand your confusion. The answer you your question is yes and yes.

The first pic of mine (Leftwood) is a painted styrofoam fishbox. No hypertufa involved. The styrofoam boxes used for produce and fish are usually made of a quality of styro that is stronger. Can be important, depending on the kind of soil you are filling it with. The other two pics in that post are hypertufa.

Then there is the styrofoam used as a mold for a hypertufa trough. That is what Kim is talking about, and what the "release" discussion was.

The traditional release product is vaseline, or linseed oil. But I use plastic bags almost exclusively. All my troughs receive texturing on the surface before they harden, so the wrinkles are of no consequence.

Rick