Troughs in the rock garden by Jan Tholhuijsen

2017 Troughs in the rock garden

Index Chapter 1. Troughs a wonderful phenomenon in our garden. Chapter 2. Troughs from various regions in Europe. Chapter 3. Practical projects for the Rock Garden.

You can download the entire book in PDF format for your computer.

A good article on troughs by Tim Ingram in Alpine Kent Gardener's Diary is: https://tinyurl.com/Tim-Ingram-K-A-G-Diary Of course you can not miss the fish box troughs of Ian Young see here the Ebook https://tinyurl.com/IanYoung-fishboxtroughs To see what is shown and for sale in the czech republic to troughs click here: https://tinyurl.com/Troughs-Czech-Republic My e-book Practical projects for the rockgarden you can separately download it. https://tinyurl.com/Practical-projects-for-the-roc A beautiful site, gardens and troughs by Kevin Begley http://coolwatergarden.com/ The Scottish Rock Garden Club http://www.srgc.net/site/ De Vlaamse Rotsplanten Vereniging http://www.vrvforum.be/ De Nederlandse rotsplanten Vereniging http://www.nrvwebsite.nl/index.html The saxifraga society http://www.saxifraga.org/default.asp

Chapter 1

TROUGHS IN VARIOUS REGIONS IN EUROPE.

Botanical garden, Brno, Czech Republic.

Botanical garden, Brno, Czech Republic

Botanical garden Brno Czech Republic Botanical garden, Brno, Czech Republic

Botanical garden, Brno, Czech Republic

Botanical garden, Brno, Iron troughs and tuff on beams. Czech Republic

Botanical garden, Brno. Iron troughs. Czech Republic.

Botanical garden Brno. saxifraga gutters. Czech Republic

Garden center, Eva a Josef Holzbecherovi, Lelekovice. Czech Republic

Oldrich Maixner, Sedlec, Czech Republic

Oldrich Maixner, Sedlec, Czech Republic.

Garden center, VladimĂr Valenta, Czech Republic.

Vladimir Kalous, Czech Republic.

Hana a Josef Vernerovi, Trnov. Czech Republic

Jan SouÄ?ek, Czech Republic.

Hana Staskova, Dobruska, Czech Republic

Jiri Balatka, Czech Republic.

Jiří Papoušek, Czech Republic.

Zdenek Ä&#x152;anÄ?ara, Czech Republic. Two troughs together with slate.

Jan Tholhuijsen, vitrified clay pipes, 1992. my first rock garden Netherlands

Jan Tholhuijsen, round terracotta bowls in 1992. my first rock garden Netherlands

Jan Tholhuijsen, 8 homemade troughs of sandstone Kal, Czech Republic

Jan Tholhuijsen, Nine homemade troughs of sandstone Kal, Czech Republic

Jan Tholhuijsen, 8 small round troughs of sandstone Former chicken food bowls, Kal, Czech Republic

Jan Tholhuijsen, 3 big troughs of sandstone Kal, Czech Republic

Jan Tholhuijsen, 2,5 meter trough of sandstone Kal, Czech Republic

Jan Tholhuijsen, 2,5 meter broken trough of sandstone Kal, Czech Republic

Jan Tholhuijsen 3 meter trough. homemade. .Netherlands.

Jan Tholhuijsen cascade gutter homemade. .Netherlands.

Jan Tholhuijsen, half vitrified clay pipes, home-made. .Netherlands.

Jan Tholhuijsen. lightweight trough, home-made. .Netherlands.

Jan Tholhuijsen round terrazzo sinks, home-made. Netherlands

Jan Tholhuijsen, Satellite disk, homemade, Netherlands.

Jan Tholhuijsen, Circular scale, made of polyester, Netherlands

Jan Tholhuijsen, Three troughs of culverts, home-made, Netherlands

Ian Young, granite trough , Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Ian Young, visbox trough, homemade Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Chapter 2

TROUGHS A WONDERFUL PHENOMENON IN OUR GARDEN.

Troughs a wonderful phenomenon in our garden. Troughs, they are not indispensable in the rock garden. The best are of course the 100-200 year old sandstone troughs used in stables to feed the cows. Very heavy, but that was good because they do not fall over easily. In the 50s, had a lot of working families in the Dutch countryside a pig to fatten and I remember my father came to these people to slaughter the pig, there was such a trough on the separation of the pigsty. Half in and half out of the barn, so the food could be molded easily. Usually, the pigs received waste from the kitchen disapproved potatoes as a mush cookedi (Ven.). In the UK in the south Pennines landscape (backbone) you see them just along the roads as trough, which is fed by an external source. David

Walker has written a nice article on this ii (Walker).â&#x2C6;&#x17E; In the Netherlands they were used around 1900 as horse feed bins and later they usually moved to the pigsty to further serve there. Why the farmer made his feeding troughs yourself, eg. Of oak? The farmers would prefer the feeding troughs of stone, because they are made to last. It would have preferred to feeding troughs of the incorruptible sandstone above that of wood, which, over time, the horses were fragmented (biting into the wood!) (CAARTEN, 1972) In the UK in the south Pennines landscape (backbone) you see them just along the roads as trough, which is fed by an external source. David Walker has written a nice article on this (Walker).â&#x2C6;&#x17E;

So further we arrive at the troughs in the Czech Republic, where I came for the first time in 1991, the time had stood still. During communist rule farmers were given the choice: either move to the city and live in an apartment and works at a factory, or continue to live on the farm, the land was expropriated (a short after which the farmer for his own use his free time which could grow and could keep a cow) and he went to work in the cooperative. Most farmers had no money to maintain the buildings and so touched a lot of beautiful farms in decline. The old-fashioned machines and troughs were just standing all these years. the refund was instituted after the liberation in 1989, people could recover their possessions. Many farms were run down and they were glad that they could sell them and get some

money for it. They did not see the value of the troughs and some were beaten to pieces and used to fill the foundation to build on. The farm that I bought had twelve of these troughs, between 125 and 350 cm long. In the following years, I have 20 more troughs made from sandstone blocks.

350 cm trog op de voorgrond

Troggen voor de studio. (voormalige stal)

Authentic old troughs are not many on the market but there are companies that still make this stone troughs and reasonable prices. iii (Jirรกskova)iv (Qingdao Yingfengyuan Industry & Trade Co.)

Then we come to making your own trough. It many ways to make a trough and I want a couple to discuss with you. First make the trough in a pit in the ground, very laborious, but with a great result. For larger troughs is it that difficult to lift them out of the pit. This process will extensively discussed by Ger van den Beuken in an article on the website of the NRV.. v

(Van den Beuken)

Troughs with a formwork, I think the most common way, but really only good if you make at least 3-4. The formwork making is time consuming and not very profitable. In 1990 I have for myself and a friend made in six different sizes. These were standing at the entrance of my firm. I also made a few years ago, some troughs with a jig with variable dimensions. vi (Tholhuijsen.J.)

The troughs with polysryreen core on an idea by Ian Young is a wonderful way to creatively make a trough. You can make various sizes and even think how the exterior will look like. It's a much copied method, and do well with a bit of skill. I myself have made 8.vii (Young)

Also of aerated concrete is in an easy way to make a trough. Protection for winter is an option, for example with bubble wrap on the inside.

But what if you want to create a trough of three meters, that is also possible. It requires some preparation, but the result can be good.

A short overview of the three meter trough

Also in the UK there are several points of sale of troughs as (Wharefedale) en (Hill-Farm)

There are of course many more original ways to make troughs for example of vitrified clay pipes.

Or a satellite dish Everything is possible, even a halfboiler

Now the latest development of the self build troughs. There will really be working with XPS (extruded polystyrene foam) but this way with tea towels I think not. Still, it's great fun working with these materials. The first troughs are finished and they are going in the winter in order to harden. My three meters trough is also so coated. Here is the link to the PDF how to proceed lightweight trough. (Tholhuijsen.J.) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8wSWiwm_WABZ29ub1cwWmRzNEU/view?usp=sharing

Sources i

Ven., J. van de. Het voeren van varkens in het kot omstreeks 1920. Retrieved from http://www.cubra.nl/wtt/v.htm

Walker, D. Stone water troughs in the south Pennines landscape. Retrieved from http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopyuk.org.uk/mag/artjun04/dwtroughhigh.html

iii

Jiráskova Kamenné květináče, kamenná koryta, truhlíky. Retrieved from http://www.zahradnidekorace.com/zahradni-koryta-kvetinace/

Qingdao Yingfengyuan Industry & Trade Co., Ltd Antique Stone. Retrieved from http://cz.yingfengyuan.com/antique-stone-trough

Beuken, G. van den. Tips over troggen. Retrieved from http://www.rotsplantenvereniging.net/troggen.html

Tholhuijsen, J. (z.j.). Zelf een trog maken [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1IIaG08QuQ&t=23s

vii

Young, I. (z.j.). BULB LOG 38, Troughs with polystyrene core. Retrieved from http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2008/170908/log.html

Aubrieta 'Elsa Lancaster'

2017

Practical projects for the Rockgarden

Jan Tholhuijsen

4-1-2017

How to create a trough of 3 meters.

We all know the wonderful 2-300 year old troughs, entirely chiseled by hand. In Western Europe they are priceless, especially 2 to 3 meter troughs. In my previous life in the Czech Republic, we had 12 of the sizes of 1.50 to 3 meters. These were present on the farm that we purchased. Used in the stables as feeding troughs for livestock. They were just there, I did have a destination! Now we are back again three years in the Netherlands, with 400 sqm of land, I wanted to back it up a little garden, with rock plants. So far, so good, tuff, lava, sandstone and making troughs, everything is been addressed, but a 3 meter trough was still a wish. Not to buy such an old, but create one. You must do this on the spot, because he is not to lift more. But how do you do it as cheaply as possible? make an expensive formwork you only used once, no I did not. Here I would like to explain how I did this.

Let’s start

Materials  14 Small curbs for paving 100-15-5 cm, I bought them second hand.  6 gravel tiles of 50-50 cm.  Tile adhesive for exterior  Reinforcement bar approximately 3 meters, in diameter 8 mm.  1 stainless steel threaded stud of a meter and stainless steel nuts

      

120 mm screws and dowels (10) Small packet of peat 25 kg bag of Portland cement chicken wire Plastic to protect the ground Old tea towels or cotton / linen pieces A good hammer drill with long masonry drill and grinding machine with diamond wheel.

Determine the right place, lay plastic on the ground, If the trough is ready you can cut it Lay the tiles with the top down, side by side on the plastic, so that a piece of 50-600 cm becomes available. The tiles lay about 3-5 mm apart, so you have all five drains. On both long sides put three small curbs for paving .You grind than two curbs for paving half. Beginning with the top row of a half, and then two full and half again so that there is a connection is created. Now grinding four pieces of 40 cm for the ends. Drill now above the upper band halfway down the lower band, with an 8 mm masonry bit. Do this for all Carefully drill, the curbs for paving can break easily when drilling. (I'm two lost) Take away the curbs for paving in order to start greasing the narrow bottom with glue. put on the gravel tiles and pressing, then the top row. The rebars grinding into pieces of 20 cm. and these iron gently into the holes curbs for paving tapping so that they are connected to the lower curbs for paving. On the corners, I also drilled holes (carefully) through the band to the short side of 40 cm. Herein is a plug and then connect with a screw of 120 mm. Two pieces of stainless steel threaded end at one third of the curbs for paving pierced and secured with nuts put on solidity. If you do then drill from the inside out, then occurs to pierce a bigger hole on the outside so you can eliminate the nuts.

After that rub the gaps between the curbs for paving with glue so they sit well together. The next day, create of mortar and half plain tiles or pieces curb obliquely upwards around bricklaying against the walls. Chicken wire on the upper lock for the next day to bricklaying on the rest. Create of mortar so that it is soft enough to "slam" at the top of the trough through the chicken wire Smear on to a cm on top of the rim, so that the edge is between 8 and 10 cm wide word. This does not have to be tight, it is better that what is wrong, a natural handmade trough.

Lay next to the trough a large piece of plastic, so you do not mess up the ground. We will now give the exterior an old handmade appearance Necessities for a first mix. (You need 3 mixes)  In the wheelbarrow and I use an old measuring cup of half a liter.  9 x portland cement  2 x peat  2 x cement / sand  1 x glue. Mix well then add water to create a thin gruel. The tea towels or other items must be at least 60 cm high. The first towel dipped in gruel, and well get through it so that the entire fabric is soaked. You can see that the gruel too thick when the cloth do it and you will see dry round pieces of mixture, then a little water needs to.

If the cloth is well soaked, to grasp the corners and lower to the ground on the outside and then bring in over the top. Then press down and sticking. Make the trough outsite a little wet for better adhesion. Continue until you are around. Do not dry in the sun, care for shade. After a few hours you can still update the outer side at its own discretion with a brush and bowl of water. The next day at the bottom of the base of the trough, you can take the plastic and cut away excess cement. The inside with the overhanging cloth. Here you see nothing yet of when filled.

The filling is, First potsherds, anti-root fabric The basis: 25% sand from the garden, 25% Japanese split 2-6 mm, 25% coarse river sand / crusher sand, 25% improved garden soil and clay The plants are 817 827 843 834 845 848 847 846 313 841 851 857 361 362 363 398 837 855 856 534 540 317 604 829 839 822 424 849 815 816 524 106

Ajuga Armeria Asyneuma Azorella Benthamiella Burkartia Calceolaria Campanula Celmisia Clematis Crassula Crassula Dianthus Dianthus Dianthus Dianthus Dianthus Dionysia Erysimum Ewartia Globularia Helichrysum Juniperus Lysimachia Minuartia Ramberlea Raoulia Santolina Saxifraga Saxifraga Schivereckia Scleranthus

pyramidalis juniperifolia pulvinatum filamentosa patagonica lanigera fothergillii asperuloides argentea marmoraria exilis subsp. sedifolia setulosa var. curta microlepis ssp. rivendell haematocalyx subsp. ventricosus repens haematocalyx subsp. pinidicola haematocalyx ssp. alpinus aretioides caricum planchonii bellidifolia 'County Park Silver' communis japonica uniflora 'Inchgarth' australis chamaecyparissus x zimmetri longifolia doerfleri uniflorus

'Metallica Crispa' 'Brookside'

syn. Perezia lanigera syn. trachelium asperuloides

'Bevere'

'Horts Blaze' ? 'Compressa'

'Small Ness' Hybriden syn. Schivereckia bornmuelleri 'Olive'

Winter / rain protection

For the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fRLeT6coDE

How to create a cascade gutter

The idea is derived from the saxifrage gutters from the botanical gardens in Brno, Czech Republic.

On the Internet I found half vitrified clay pipes, 45100 cm, has been used by an old farmhouse with a thatched roof as drainage. There I could do something with.

The chassis I made from impregnated beams of 7-7 cm diameter.

The pieces half tube overlap each 10 cm and 3-4 cm they decay.

The transitions between the tubes are sealed with cement, so that the excess water from one to the other half-tube runs down.

The ends sealed with a template and cement.

At the bottom of the tubes is located a layer of 10 cm. gravel / potsherds and above root cloth. The excess water can freely flow down.

Ground mixture, Japanese split 25%, coarse masonry sand 25%, improved garden soil 25%, clay and black soil 25%. The rocks are of a remainder at a garden center in the neighborhood.

Chassis given a layer opaque stain for color. The stones have a beautiful old look. They are already a dozen years at the garden center. youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsRtkiR3yvI&feature=youtu.be

Winterprotection

Create a trough of a half-boiler.

The old iron dump I found this winter this half-boiler. It is made of 4mm thick iron.

This spring I get 5 mini hostas from a good friend Jos van Bergen.

I had a lot of lava rocks.

In Ian's Bulb log 2316 (about troughs) I saw a theme trough with hostas. (Thanks Ian) http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2016Jun08146538183 9BULB_LOG_2316.pdf.

Cleaned the half boiler remove the rust and hammerite painted.

Also created an underframe in impregnated bars. (I had a few pieces of half a meter)

The holes made close with wooden dowels

I'm old fashioned and like to use shards at the bottom

Covered with anti-weed fabric Mix 1/4 Japanese split 2-6 mm, 1/4 compost, 1/4 breakers sand, 1/4 vermiculite and a little clay

There was also an ideal place our small barn on the north side. 414 Hedera helix 'Dyinni' 835 Hosta 'Hakujima' 1254 Hosta 'Green with Envy' 1255 Hosta 'Little Wonder' 1256 Hosta venusta 'Aureomarginata' 1257 Hosta 'Baby Bunting' 1253 Pinus mugo 'Varela'

Small crevice garden In 1990 I made a garden for a friend with a piece of rock garden. In 2002, his son took over the house and rebuilt the garden. These slates were piled up in 2014 behind the house. My friend asked if I could use them, (ha, ha guess what) The beginning of a small crevice garden

The slate that I got

Additional materials

Where am I going to build it Surface 3.70 meters long and 1.35 meters at the widest

Paving stones away and I made three holes in the ground filled with grit 20-30 mm, for excess water to drain. The back is made from pieces of gravel tiles.

Root foil made from below so that no pests can be inside

Base mixture is applied, one quarter Japanese split 2-6 mm, 1/4 coarse sand, 1/4 garden soil and the rest clay.

Put the big first stone

415 Helichrysum 672 Allium 894 Armeria 426 Bolax 844 Campanula 659 Daphne 427 Dianthus 812 Dianthus 653 Draba 609 Erigeron 422 Erysimum 419 Genista 410 Gentiana 667 Gentiana 669 Gentiana 19 Gypsophila 423 Helichrysum 610 Iberis 603 Iris 891 Iris 840 Luzula 605 Phlox 656 Phlox 623 Picea 629 Pinus 238 Potentilla 639 Primula 895 Primula 412 Salix 417 Salix 418 Sempervivum 892 Sempervivum 896 Sempervivum 893 Sepervivum 522 Stachys 671 Thymus 842 Tofieldia

milfordiae cyathophorum var. farreri maritima gummifera dasyantha retusa simulans spec. suendermanii flettii pilosa acaulis sv. modra septemfida Aretiodes retortoides pruitii ruthenica reichenbachii ulophylla hoodii abies mugo hyparctica marginata marginata reticulata (alaska) calcareum

discolor praecox coccinea

'Little Penny'

'Watson'

'Turkisch Bazaar' ‘Procumbens Nana‘ 'Frohleiten' 'Tmaust'

'Nana'

'Bořanovice' 'Pavlica' 'Kissen' 'Beamish' 'Curulea' 'Boydii' 'Grigg's Surprise' 'Ford's Spring' 'Crimson Velvet' 'Arendsii' 'Elfin'

Half vitrified clay pipe troughs

I found a place where I could buy this halfvitrified clay pipes. (â&#x201A;Ź 2, - each). Long 100 cm / width 32 cm / 15 cm high.

At my other project, the saxifrage gutter I have made from the end sealed with cement. Now on the internet I found ECO plates. Made from recycled plastic

Cut to size and put fixed with sealant. Can be dyed in the color of the vitrified clay pipe. At the bottom of the side pieces I still drill holes for drainage

Frame made, and on to the next.

Series Easily work with a crosscut saw. You can precisely determine the degrees

With a sharp coarse sandpaper everything sanding.

Fill the damaged to a glue paste.

Degreasing with water and ammonia.

The top edge also rub with paste glue, so that no water gets in the course of the winter. (If the water freezes and expands, it can break)

The frames of impregnated beams are in place, dyed with opaque stain for the color.

Inside and outside twice dyed with exterior latex. terracotta color.

The single trough.

The double trough. The connection with kit stuck to each other

The filling for the semi vitrified clay pipes 1/3 Japanese split, 1/3 crushers sand, 1/3 potting soil and a small part vermiculite. a layer of 4-5 cm potsherds on the ground, with antiroot fabric

I searched the Internet for red Weser flagstones and found 25 km away from me these stones. â&#x201A;Ź 20, -. Today I'm going to get them. The color had to fit with the semi-vitrified clay pipes.

In the big trough.

In the small trough

1264 Anemone lyallii 1271 Biarum tenuifolium 1277 Daphne x hendersonii 'Milan' 1273 Heterotheca pumila 1269 Juniperus communis 'Anne Marie' 1266 Lewisia 'Sweetheart' 1270 Picea punguns 'Wald' 1263 Polygonatum hookeri 1268 Primula minima 'Alba' 1265 Ranunculus parnassifolius 1267 Rhodiola species 940 Saxifraga maginata var. Boryi 943 Saxifraga marginata /from TJR 2010 1057 Saxifraga 'Ganymedes' 1191 Saxifraga 'Smichov' 1200 Saxifraga 'Thalia' 1212 Saxifraga 'Violeta' 1217 Saxifraga 'Vysehrad' 1275 Saxifraga 'Stephanie' 1276 Saxifraga 'Dr Czay' 1278 Saxifraga 'Celestial Empire' 1279 Saxifraga 'Herbert von Korajan' 1272 Sempervivum 'Hey Hey' 1274 Sempervivum 'Arlette' and an unknown juniper.

1286 Burkartia syn. Perezia lanigera 1287 Cassiope 'Muirhead' 1283 Lewisia nevadensis 'Rosea' 1284 Lewisia brachycalyx 'Alba' 1285 Oxalis enneaphylla 'Annette' 1262 Pinus banksiana 'Schoodic' 939 Saxifraga marginata var. Bubakii plant coll.in type locality by J.BĂźrgel 1984, Crna Gora,Durmitor at.2000m (endemite) 971 Saxifraga tombeanensis plant by M.Kammerlander 1991 / no other information available 1028 Saxifraga 1040 Saxifraga 1136 Saxifraga 1219 Saxifraga 1222 Saxifraga

[Superlativ Group] 'Calgary' 'Discovery' x goringana 'Nancye' x malbyana 'Wilhelm Tell' x anglica 'Winifred'

A satellite dish to a small crevice garden The powder coating was still perfect. Degreased and washed.

Holes drilled.

With Hammerite paint smeared so that the holes do not rust.

Impregnated small beams to scale legs, glued

Support made for the first slate and hammerite.

With cloth covered the holes

And see yet without plants, and now sprinkled with Japanese split, after planting this spring is sprinkled with crushed slate

Aquilegia jonesii Asperula sinntenisii Calceolaria fothergillii Erigeron scopulinus Globularia incanescans Pinus Mugo sport mops 'Mini" Primula marginima Sempervivum minimum Sempervivum arachnoideum 'Linda' Sempervivum 'Braune Maus' Sempervivum Syn. arachnoideum subsp. Tomentosum 'Lagerii' Sempervivum 'Latex' Sempervivum 'Edward Balls' Sempervivum Arachnoideum var. Tomentosum Sempervivum 'Bella'

The tuff rock About 800 kg of tuff rocks. Bought at Alpine Planten Cathy Porter http://www.alpenplanten.be/index.cfm?fuseaction=art& art_id=3895

The additional Materials Small tufa, tuff grit, tuff gravel, Japanese split , vermiculite etc.

The place where he has to come

The surface covered with anti-root fabric. So you will not mix with the ground

The north / south situation

The model

Starting with the base mixture, make good permeability. Japanese split 2-6 1/4 mm, 1/4 breakers sand 1/4 garden soil, 1/4 compost.

Ready as I wanted it

120 holes with diamond drill 30 mm diameter.

Completed drilling.

The top layer is crusher Sand, tuff dust, garden soil.

The holes 90% saxifrage's.

Buy young plants so they are easy to plant in the holes.

After a day planting finally finished.

The tools for planting.

Made in the autumn of 2014, the photo is from spring 2015

The Moraine A Moraine, everyone knows the fenmeen however, there are many different moraine see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moraine. In my last garden I had a scree on a natural slope. But a moraine is much more complicated. To create something in your garden is not possible, but there is definitely something to do that satisfies conditions at the base. Of course it is always a surrogate. Wiert Nieuman wrote in his book "Rock Gardens" in 1991, ISBN 80 210 0084 9 a chapter about this. Grove drained, that is to do. Under this soil oxygenated and nutrient-rich water flowing. That is more difficult. In my little garden space is a limitation. Should not be too dominant. Functional and also be considered beautiful by a layman. The idea was born, now implementing. Drawings I did not make, it's in my head, but it remains an experiment. The place I have in mind, the shape must be in the lines of the garden Seven ancient gravel tiles 50-50 cm (Free) Place by removing grass.

At the hardware store bought a square mortar tub 70-48-30 cm 90 liter and dug in (â&#x201A;Ź 7.75) The inner frame to hide the pump and hose and cables. Made of ECO plastic plates (18mm thick) Total required for the entire project â&#x201A;Ź 50, - of these plates, Also, in order to put it on top of stones and a plant.

The power supply with timer. dug in cable to the main electrical outlet

Bought four half vitrified clay pipes. cut out the inside

This is the layout of the tubes, behind the dense bulkhead, partition with an opening at the bottom and the front with a 15-1 cm slit in order to let through the water

The tubes painted with concrete paint, opening pasted a perplexed 15-4 cm and curving down. (Heated) The water will flow so beautiful.

The test set-up, the pump flow into the tank and water. The beams of impregnated wood

Got 91 old sidewalk tiles. Tile cutter hire and create pieces of 10-15 cm. and smaller.

The first layers laid tiles, stone stuck together with glue.

Water hose firmly put in place These are porous, goal is to add water to the plants that are planted into the wall. Upstairs is namely all closed

The pebbles on the ground must have exactly the height of the water line, then plastic anti-weed fabric. So the water is a bit through the plastic sheet.

The walls are about 15 great holes and numerous smaller holes.

At the garden center in the neighborhood bought approximately 120 kg stones for a small price

The soil mixture made very permeable. 1/4 grit 2-5 mm, 1/4 grit 8-16 mm, 1/4 crusher sand and 1/4 potting compost.

The water is richer in oxygen by the waterfalls The flow goes under the ground. I can also mix a little liquid fertilizer off in the resevoir and to bring the water that nurtures the plants. Now still no plants, the grass does not look, everything looks too new, but I hope for further progress. Of course, it remains an experiment. It is not a real moraine, but my interpretation adapted to my garden, with the resources available to me and without glacier

The lightweight trough The inspiration for this kind of trough has surely come from the fish box troughs of Ian Young. One can say two ideas, both with the base polystyrene core. With pleasure I also copied the fish box troughs from Ian. For people who do not know this way of troughs a couple links from Ian's creations and a clear instruction. Photo above from Ian's workshop

http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2008/170908/log.html http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2015Jun031433327631BULB_LOG_2215.pdf http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2015Jun171434531125BULB_LOG_2415.pdf http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2009Nov181258556803BULB_LOG__46_comp.pdf

Let's start with the lightweight trough

Extruded polystyrene, or XPS is what I'm going to use. For sale in any good hardware store. 5 cm thick. A suit is 8 plates 125-60-5 cm. costs between â&#x201A;Ź 40- â&#x201A;Ź 45. You can make three or four troughs, depending on the size. STYRISOL is a brand name. XSP Extruded polystyrene, is not to be confused with ESP Expanded polystyrene. The advantage of XPS above EPS is, inter alia, that it has a higher compressive strength, and a closed cell structure, which makes it less sensitive to water absorption. As far as the base material. further needs: Adhesive paste for XSP. The glue should be for outdoor use. Portland cement. Peat. 6 tea towels or any other cotton cloths of that size.

First cut the slot and feather off ( where thesheets would slot together).

Measurements for this trough (of course you can choose a different size) The bottom plate is 100-40 cm. Make the long and short sides,the height that you wish while trying not to waste material. (About 18-19 cm height)

Add Adhesive now to the long and short sides to join them together. Only spray the adhesive on one side. Press down the adhesive with a sliding movement across each other.

Make the bottom plate ready for the connection to the sides. The glue will, after 24 hours be more strong than the plate. Also, again press with sliding movement to each other. I used long screws for the sides, but this is not needed.

With a round hole saw make 2 holes of 6-7 cm diameter. Why so big ? I want to do it with two holes, because I want to support the trough in three places, two on the sides and one in the middle. But you can do it differently. Maybe I'll make the next one with 3 holes and support in two places.

Now I have used some waste pieces to make the top wavy, to replicate worn areas, but you may leave the edge. Next time I may do that. The next task is the roughening of the outside and inside.The flat surfaces are very smooth, and in order to get a good connection with the cement it is necessary to â&#x20AC;&#x153;keyâ&#x20AC;? the surface. You can do this with a very coarse sandpaper, but I do it with a serrated sanding / cutting machine.

For covering I use tea towels and cut off the edges. This in order to mask the transition between the cloths. For these dimensions you use six towels. Then we rub the base with cement â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;porridgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with a brush. This is in order to improve the adhesion.

Now comes the most difficult chore. The cloths must be soaked with the slurry of cement and peat. First wet the cloths with water and wring them out so that they retain some moisture, for better absorption of the slurry. Composition of the mixture: for this trough 8 x half a liter of cement and 2x half a liter of peat and 2 x half liter masonry sand. I use a measuring cup of this size. Make the mix to the fluidity of yoghurt. Immerse the cloths well in the mix there until they are well soaked. Wear gloves !!

This photo is of the 3 meter trough, but the principle is the same. Place the soaked cloth from the outside over the edge to the inside of the trough. Make sure the cloth hangs exactly flush with the bottom on the outside. Start on a corner, which will help reinforce the trough.

With a little wet paint roller you can additionally apply pressure to the cloth. Take the remaining slurry and create a layer on the bottom where there is no cloth.

The next day you make a paste of cement and edit the underside, especially at the corners of the trough with the linen cloths to strengthen this area. Now, drying and curing. leave out a few weeks will make chemicals disappear. Then you can fill it with your own mixture and creations. How I do it: to be continued

Update 1 Some pictures of the lightweight trough. The second trough under construction with some adjustments. The sides are 30 cm height now, and the wave I saw out with a jigsaw. The rounding at the corners goes well with a jigsaw. Then update it with coarse sandpaper. It's fantastic to work with XPS, but it is a bad mess in the workplace. Photo 2 shows a hole, this is the long screw that is now only used to press the glue, then I remove it

Now, the base designed for a trough of 125 cm long. Now I have an idea how many troughs I can make a pack of 8 plates XPS. (125-60-5 cm) Three plates, two troughs of 100cm. Kept over a strip of 10 cm. 2 plates 1 trough of 125 cm. Now, to go 3 plates, I can still make a trough of 175 cm. The width at all is 40 cm and height 30 cm. Photo 1 right the first trough, amid the second one meter trough, over the first layer of cement paste for better adhesion, left 125 cm base. The large screws to compress the plates together and be removed after a few hours to re-use. (They are expensive â&#x201A;Ź 2.50 each) At the first trough I placed a large number of bricks on it, in order to put the pressure on the glue,, with screws this is easier The adhesive bond is stronger than the plate.

Update 2 The 175 cm trough the base is finished. 125 cm is sanded. Photo 2 the remnants of the package XPS. There are now four troughs 2 x 100cm, 1 x 125 cm and 1 x 175 cm.

Photo 4-5 and 6, the structure on the outside of the trough which is ready.

Also using a wire brush, you can make the basic good rudely .

Update 3 This time I get the trough on the workbench, normally on the floor is easier but there is not enough light on the floor for filming. Covering the trough with the soaked cotton cloths (tea towels) is not difficult, but requires some skill and knowledge. Therefore, I hope this video will help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV9gzHsrfkw This is my first video with moving images made with my photo camera which includes this function. So do not pay attention on the quality. What matters is that you get an idea, how to apply the (tea) towels. First, with a brush, “paint” the trough fully with a cement porridge. This is to assist the bond the coating to the (tea) cloths. Wearing good protective gloves, moisten the cotton tea towels and soak/coat them well with cement porridge. Make sure the bottom of the trough on the outside is flush with the bottom of the cloth. With any remaining cement porridge, coat the bottom of the trough. After 2 days you are able to restore / repair the exterior of the trough with cement porridge on any bad pieces. After 3 days I again lubricate the outside with a thin cement gruel. When tht is dry, turn the trough over and smear the outer base with a layer of a half a centimeter cement paste. This has to be a thicker paste so that it does not flow. The coating achieved with these paintings is very strong. my 3 meter trough is so lined and now he goes in the second winter. Anyone can create a trough in this way. While you're afraid of the winter you can do bubble wrap against the inner sides. Costs A pack XPS € 44.50 3 tubes of adhesive € 36.00 for 4 troughs (2x100cm-1x125cm-1x175cm) Long screws for extra pressure € 22.00 (you can reuse every time) 2 Portland cement € 10.00 Little peat and sand, and plastic on the floor. (Tea) towels cost?

Update 4 This time a little more about the finish after the base with the tea towels is ready. It may be that the tea towels have included less cement porridge, you go the extra quantity lesser places with cement porridge and a brush. Then the whole trough coat them again white the cement porridge to soften the sharp edges. At the bottom it is possible that at the corners, the tea towels are not stuck well, i fix with some glue paste. Then cover the soil with a thicker cement paste of half a cm and smooth. Then dry again.

Update 5 The final results of the 125 cm trough. Trough outside for further curing, by my experience with the 3 m trough, I know that the wall of the trough is very strong and hard. Still, I'm surprised every time. The strong cement mix gives this result. Also about the structure I am very satisfied, it gives from the start an old look, which only gets better. Just one small calculation

basePlate 125-40-5,5 cm = 27500 cubic cm 2 long sides 125-30-5,5cm = 41250 cubic cm 2 short side 30-30- 5.5 cm = 9900 cubic cm Together 78650 cubic cm Concrete is originally a mineral substance and the specific weight of dry compacted concrete is 2400 kg / mÂł (this equates to 2.4 g / cm3) 78650 cubic cm x 2.4 = 188 760 If the trough would have been made of concrete with some armament Therefore he would be between about 180 and 190 kg.

Update 6 I wanted to create a trough of 175 cm, but that is too big for my small workshop. I must make them outside, I'll do better next spring. So I have cut in half the trough and made two of 87 cm. I had enough pieces for close to the ends. There was still glue. With the jigsaw first rough corners then finish with sandpaper I want to really emphasize, make all surfaces rough, because default is all very smooth finish, and for good adhesion of the cement is necessary.!!!!!

Countless possibilities for design and how big you make it. It's great material to work with.

Update 7

Yesterday made the fourth trough and the cloths that I used were quite cotton but a rigid structure. My wife used them long gone, and I thought to try. Not good. They were not flexible enough to fold nicely into the corners. All'll be fine, but it is better to use soft cotton or old T shirts (cut sleeves) even when nylon is processed, it does not matter. As long as it is supple and not too thick. 7-12-2106 today completed the fifth trough. The other four are outside further to harden.

Can not wait for the spring, when I'm designing and planting.

These five troughs is the result. The troughs are now a few months outside to allow to neutralize the cement. The destination in the garden is already known. Spring all set up and planting. It was a very fun project, if you want to make big troughs, this is THE way.

The 90 cm trough is on north east side. The slate are deeper so the sun in the morning to shine on everything.

The 100 cm trough also on the north east side.

the 2e 90 cm trough, also the south-east side with higher slate.

The 100 cm is on the south-west side, the slate are a bit higher so that the sun shines on variegated.

The 125 cm trough, also the south-east side All five lightweight troughs 'prepared for planting' all in crevice style, with slate Overall video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JKbbZ7ybVQ&t=71s

Jan Tholhuijsen, born 22-8-1943. Since 1989, active rock and rock garden plants enthusiastic. Now my fourth rockery since 2012 building. My first rock garden was in the Netherlands. The second and third in the Czech Republic and my fourth again in the Netherlands.