Aside from the roaring 60's when rock garden's enjoyed a brief reprise in fame and glamour, the traditional alpine garden has been on the decline for decades. Across Britain, those inheriting gardens of late have been dismantling rockeries in their thousands, throwing out all that old, stale soil and discarding all those boulders and stones that were so carefully placed. I have to admit - I'm not a huge fan of rockeries on a small scale either. However, that shouldn't be a reason not to grow some of the stunning alpine plants available...hence why making a small alpine garden/rockery in a container is ideal!
The Butlers Sink
The first time I visited the family farmland - having not been there for decades - I discovered some old building materials had been dumped by the new owners of the holiday lets. I wasn't mad. In fact, far from it...I jumped right in and started to see what I could find.
When I saw the Butler's sinks, my heart leapt. Yes, they were cracked and chipped, worn and torn, and would be useless as an actual sink. BUT - perfect for the gardener in me! They're darn heavy things though, so I only actually managed to get two into the car and back home. And so began the two new mini-alpine gardens.
Planting
Setting up is pretty fun, though as you can see, the first step is to get the dogs out of the sink! Then add well-drained soil (preferably mixed with gravel and perlite), set up your stones and rocks, pop in the plants and dress with more gravel.
Over the past few years the plants have grown exceedingly well. The iris reticulata was absolutely stunning this spring, and as you can see, the other Butler's sink is now also planted up and positioned behind.
They've really come into their own. And the thing I really love about them? Because they're gardens on the miniature you have to stop, stoop and take them in to really notice everything. It's a great way of finding a few quiet minutes! There are TWO MORE sinks at the farm...I guess I have another project for this winter!
Thanks for reading!
Geoff
Awesome gardening shots!
Thanks!
pocketsend:101@brimwoodfarm, have fun!
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Wow! Great find! Is the lemon thyme and wooly thyme a usable food herb?
You can use the lemon thyme for sure. The wooly variety might be a little too, errr, wooly.
These butlers sink gardens are fantastic! I'd pay big bucks for one. They remind me of the terrariums we had in the house, back in the 60's & 70's.
Yes, and terrariums and bottle gardens are making a comeback too. They're very 'in vogue'.
My Granny always said "Keep it, It'll come back around." That is so true. I might even have that white teardrop shaped terrarium in the top of the garage. Now I'm gonna have to go look, haha.
You should! Those teardrop terraniums are well sort after!
They look great and when you move to your farm, if you tire of them, they make great drinkers/feeders for pigs
Very true! Maybe I should leave the others at the farm instead of hauling them back and forth!
What a beautiful idea! And a great example for someone who doesn't have a lot of space to plant. It's nice to see gardening in containers that aren't just plastic pots.
Thanks! I have A LOT of pots too, but I like this way of making a mini garden from smaller growing plants.
You did an awesome job. Very nice mix of rock and vegetation.
Also...
LOL!
It was a hot day so I guess the cold sink was ideal. Ha! And thanks! :D
Man! See, I wish I could think like this! You took something that most people would overlook and gave it new life! Great job!
Thanks! I wish I was better at recycling stuff. One man's trash is another man's treasure, and all that.
I love these I want one for my Cactus! There is one in a field on one of my local walk very temping to swipe it. But that would be wrong I want to stubble across something like that
Oh my gosh! That is the best idea - a mini desert scene with lots of different cacti!! I want that too!
Just need to find an old sink. ummm
Perfect re-use for the sinks and the way the plants have filled out shows they're happy. Nicely done!
I know. If anything, they need a bit of a hair cut to reveal some of the gravel again - they've kinda taken over everything!
Wait til the other sinks are ready and then you can populate them with the cuttings from these.
But the dog plants were doing so well! I like the fairy gardens too though. 😁
Haha. I know, but theres only so many dog plants I can handle.
Thank you for sharing. Nice post @brimwoodfarm.