Joyce Fingerut and Rex Murfitt. Creating and Planting Garden Troughs. BB Mackey Books. 1999.

Gardening in troughs is my main method of growing alpine plants due to physical difficulties. I have used various recipes and tested different plant genera in the troughs for winter hardiness. Since I am slowly expanding my trough gardening, Creating and Planting Garden Troughs is a book that will be referred to often. It is written people well known in the world of rock gardening. The book also won the American Horticultural Society Book Award, a significant achievement.

Fingerut and Murfitt provide information on the evolution of trough gardening from those originally used to water farm animals to the hypertufa troughs of today. Then chapter 2 provides complete instructions on constructing a trough. The reader is given a complete shopping list of items needed. A detailed explanation of the role each ingredient in the hypertufa mix is provided.

Directions for constructing molds with accompanying photographs (black and white) should enable even a beginner to successfully build a mold. Complete instructions are given for filling the mold with the hypertufa mix, initial curing, finishing the sides, and the final curing process. Once the reader has learned the basics, they are encouraged to try alternative uses of the hypertufa mix. After experimenting with the ideas in the chapter, the gardener may well generate some ideas of their own.

The author's instructions on actually planting a trough is valuable for both newcomers and veteran trough builders. It would have resulted in much more satisfaction with the final appearance of my troughs had I known some of the information in Chapter 4. I strongly recommend the reader study this chapter before selecting plants, shrubs, or rocks to be included in their troughs. It will save you a great deal of frustration with your planting just "not looking right" even though you don't know how to correct the problem. I can see some refurbishing of my trough plantings next spring being one of my first gardening tasks of the spring.

Chapter 4, the longest in this book, talks about a wide variety of herbaceous plants, bulbous plants, shrubs, and trees that can be used effectively in troughs. You are provided with information on the habitat requirements for each plant. Since we have so many plants to choose from, I am grateful for some specific suggestions of what will succeed in trough gardening. This saves the gardener money in the long run.

The final chapter, 5, makes suggestions on planting plans for the troughs which includes how the trough is sited in the total garden area. Four different group plantings are suggested: plants for moist conditions, mixed sun and shade, dryland and succulents, and the classic alpines. I love having some examples of how to site a trough in the garden so they don't look totally out of place.

Recommendation

Creating and Planting Garden Troughs is an absolute must for the rock gardener. However, any gardener with space limitations will find the ideas presented for trough gardening beneficial. This book would make an excellent gift this holiday season. I give it my highest recommendation.`