Gardening Garden Design Garden Projects Why Hypertufa Troughs Are a Garden Must-Have Containers made of a portland cement mixture lend texture and interest to a garden. By Helen Yoest Helen Yoest Facebook Instagram Twitter Website Helen Yoest is a perennial learner, researcher, and teacher of gardening, nature, and the environment. After completing her formal education in London, England, she began her career in the environmental field. With nearly 40 years of experience, Helen has worked as a researcher in air pollution science, garden writing, garden maintenance, and sustainable gardening.Helen is a lifelong nature lover who has always surrounded herself with birds, bees, butterflies, insects, and snakes and learned to identify and care for their habitat.From 1985 to 2001, Helen worked at Parson Engineering as an air pollution engineer. After that, she owned and operated Gardening with Confidence, a gardening maintenance company, for 16 years. In 2017, Helen founded Bee Better Naturally, an educational non-profit teaching homeowners to sustainably attract and care for birds, bees, and butterflies. She is a national speaker on sustainable gardening, garden maintenance, garden art, nature, and the environment. She also teaches classes to attract wildlife and sustainability. She's written three garden-based books: Gardening with Confidence, Plants with Benefits (featured in the New York Times), and Good Berry, Bad Berry.Helen has written dozens of gardening stories for Dotdash Meredith brands, including Southern Living Magazine, Garden Gate, and many others. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on October 10, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Garden troughs can contain large woodland landscapes, others are small and whimsical, and some even hold miniature rock gardens. Each has a distinct personality, which is part of the appeal of troughs. Because you can change the soil mix, you can grow plants in a trough that you couldn't grow in your garden otherwise. You can make troughs from hypertufa, which is a mix of portland cement, perlite, and peat moss. Make your own hypertufa trough. The grouping of troughs above contains mostly shade lovers. The center front trough is planted with a miniature fir; to the left is a miniature hosta. Second row, left to right: dwarf meadow rue (Thalictrum kiusianum) mixed with miniature hostas; holly-fern woodsia (Woodsia polystichoides) with Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears' and rockfoil (Saxifraga veitchiana); and two troughs with bulbous fern, miniature hostas, and rockfoil. Back row against wall, left to right: miniature forget-me-not and Japanese painted fern; more rockfoil, Saxifraga paniculata' Silver Velvet', and self-seeded violets. See the best plants for trough gardens. Cold Comfort A handmade hypertufa trough needs to cure in a shady area for 30 to 60 days. Once cured, it can be left out in freezing temperatures as long as it is elevated off the ground. A shallow version, such as this one, holds low-growing succulents and groundcovers. See the easiest groundcovers you can grow. Soothing Scene Nestled alongside a Japanese maple and a patch of wild ginger (Asarum canadense), the rock garden trough is filled with tufa rock, miniature hostas, and Kenilworth ivy (Cymbalaria muralis 'Alba Compacta'). Step Up Use leftover hypertufa mixture to create feet for your troughs to keep them off the ground. Add your favorite bonsai varieties and a lawn ornament to keep your trough garden looking festive. Mini Woodland Load up a hypertufa trough with dwarf conifers, succulent sedums, and cascading groundcovers. Add in different decorative rocks of your choosing. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit