Hypertufa Trough-Making: A Hands-On Workshop with Louise Clarke

Join HPS member Louise Clarke for a delightfully messy, hands-on, outdoor hypertufa trough-making workshop. Hypertufa was developed by rock gardeners as an alternative to tufa rock, which is not locally available, and therefore expensive. Hypertufa (pronounced hyper-toofa) is a lightweight, porous concrete mixture made from Portland cement, peat, and perlite.

Your small, weatherproof hypertufa container will welcome plants that like well-drained conditions such as sedums, hens and chicks, and rock garden plants. Ideal for those with limited space, troughs can be planted as miniature gardens or to display choice specimens.

Participants will mix the ingredients, form the trough within a mold, and learn how to release a trough from its mold and finish it. Your instructor will provide individual attention and step-by-step instructions from mixing and molding to aftercare. You will receive full written instructions to take home so you can make more.

Dress for messy fun!

About Louise: Louise Clarke is co-principal of Verdant Earth Educators, a green industry consulting and education firm. A former horticulturist from the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia, she is a certified arborist, as well as a certified green roof professional. She is a graduate of Temple University’s College of Environmental Design.

Louise currently teaches at the Barnes Arboretum School of Horticulture, as well as workshops and lectures for Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, Tyler Arboretum, and other venues. She is active in Garden Communicators International and the North American Rock Garden Society.

Workshop Details:

Date and Time:          Thursday, April 24, 2:00 - 4:00 PM

                                   or

                                   Saturday, April 26, 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Location:                   Floral & Hardy, 4007 Skippack Pike, Skippack, PA 19473

Registration:              Open to HPS Members and Non-Members; registration is required.

                               Registration will open on March 13^th and close on April 21^st.

No. of Participants:   12 maximum per session

Fee:                            $45 for Members; $55 for Non-Members

                                   Click here if you would like to become a member of HPS/MAG before registering for this event.

Additional Info:         A supply list will be sent upon receipt of your registration and payment.

                                   There will be a printed handout you can take home.

                                   Plants will be available for sale.

                                   10% off items purchased from Floral & Hardy the day of the workshop.

                                   Wear work clothes and be prepared to get dirty.

                                   Sturdy rubber gloves and a dust mask are mandatory.

                                   Restrooms are available.

Questions? Contact: Laura Axel at [email protected]