For some, January is a trough in the gardening year; in Coolwater, www.coolwatergarden.com it’s a chance to construct more troughs. These are seven new circular troughs, 42″ in diameter (over 1 metre) and I’m defining their characteristics with a variety of materials.
Three are of large chunks of limestone prised out of a front garden in Corofin, Co. Clare. Some of the boulders being too heavy to lift up into the troughs, I made up ramps for those. The soil composition for these limestone troughs is one third limey top soil, one third compost & one third limestone grit.
Two troughs featuring Bog Oak sourced from nearby Ballyneety Co-Op have been filled with ericaceous compost and these will be planted with shade-loving woodland plants.
The sixth utilizes red sandstone flagsones, which were patio stones from a demolished very old mansion nearby. This will be planted with Mini Rhododendrons, most of which have an ultimate height of only 4 inches.
The last one features iron oxide coloured hard shale from a farm in Castleisland, Co. Kerry and will also be planted with woodland plants.
The last two pics are of limestone troughs.
