growitall said:The topic of alpine troughs really deserves a thread of its own.
Indeed!
Since I have little shame about my own ignorance, here come the questions...
What is the deal with troughs???
What is the difference between a trough and planter?
Where does the word trough come from and why is it that alpines are planted in troughs as opposed to containers or planters?
Why couldn't one create sharp drainage, lean soil, or special conditions in general in something other than a trough, per se?
What are the mystical/magical properties of tufa troughs or hyper-tufa troughs? Could one use a concrete trough? (I planted stuff between the rows and in cracks of concrete in my old barn foundation--some were raised/some were not--were these troughs and crevices?) Could one use other soft stones i.e. pipestone or really soft sandstone?
What are your troughs made of? (They look like they've held up well for many years. I've heard that hyper-tufa can fall apart after a winter or two. What can you tell us about 'winter-hardy' trough construction?)
Do the toughs have drainage holes or do they just 'leak' some other way?
Well, that's a start, anyway (more where that came from)
