Trough Planter Ideas

Moss Garden

• Combine mosses of various heights and colors for a textural contrast. Golden club moss and yellow Scotch moss add a bright note, while moss found on trees and Irish moss provide deep green. In sun, use Scleranthus, which forms a thick, green, mosslike mat. Before adding moss, plant small bulbs in the trough, such as crocus, snowdrops, muscari and small frittalarias, which charming poking through the moss in spring. Accent the trough with lichen-covered branches and stones.

Succulents

• Succulents became become increasingly common with gardeners because of their shapes, colors and ease of care. They are suitable for trough gardens because of their shallow roots and drought tolerance. They range from the green, red and gray rosettes of houseleeks to bright yellow, red, silver, bronze and chartreuse of the creeping varieties. Add some decorative rocks or marbles to accent the shapes and colors and top the empty spaces between plants with colorful gravel.

Edibles

• Herbs mixed with edible flowers work well in large troughs for sunny spots. Mix textures and colors by planting golden, variegated sage, creeping rosemary, winter savory, chives and several kinds and colors of thyme. Add color with violas or pansies, or plant nasturtium seeds. Lingonberries, a slow-growing, dwarf, evergreen shrub, looks good in all seasons, and provides flowers and bright red berries.

Dwarf Conifers

• Arrange miniature conifers forming a miniature landscape if mixed with rock “mountains” and flat ground covers such as herniaria or raoulia. Mix in heathers and dwarf primroses for color or add flowering groundcovers, such as creeping phlox, arctostaphylos, dianthus, armeria or saxifraga for textural contrast. Create a miniature world by adding tiny furnishings or garden tools.