Ideas for a butler’s sink?

I have an old butlers sink, I was thinking of putting it next to my front door. It gets lots of sun there. What could I put in it to have all year round growth? It would be nice to have flowers, but can I plant a mix of late spring/summer flowers, or maybe foliage?
Any ideas please?
Thanks

 

I have 3 of these old sinks and they now look like stone troughs since a cement/peat mixture was applied to them.
Anyway, mine are used for annual displays, at least so far
One will be used for succulents......echeverias.....and dwarf alpine plants.
Diosma is an excellent plant for a sink. The variety Sunset Gold grows well here in a pot in a very free draining compost in full sun. Evergreen, tactile,, low maintenance, (hardly ever watered) aromatic foliage and pinky white flowers (mine currently flowering). Bulbs like blue anemone blanda, dwarf iris or dwarf daffodils can be added.
Convolvulous cneorum is an evergreen with silver foliage and white flowers in summer. Cascading and mounding habit. Very attractive. Ophiopogon nigrescens ....a black "grass".....would go well with it to make a black and silver scene.
Osteospermums ...the relatively hardy spreading varieties .....would look good there
There is much though to recommend annuals .......for the summer pelargoniums of one colour would provide flowers from spring to autumn. Wallflowers, violas, pansies could replace them in autumn through winter.

 

Hi Verdun.. Nice to share your posts.

As the saying goes. "They are worth their weight in gold" meaning Butler sinks. The cemet/peat covering you mention is known a 'Tuffa'. They always attract attention when planted up. One draw back is the weight. If you want back triuble....try moving one.

For members who might be interested in sink/trough gardens. Tuffa mix can be applied to different surfaces, so you don't have to wait until a Butler sink comes along.

 

Hi Siennamiller. I have always seen them planted up with alpines or bonsai. You can become very creative, creating minature garden or landscape themes.

 

I have 6 sinks of different sizes, I just love them . Some are planted with Herbs, some with flowers and bulbs. As Verdun has said there are many choices for sinks - depending on the size of the sink. You have the opportunity to let your imagination wander with them and they are easy to change if you get fed up of the same display. Personally I avoid anything very tall as I think it looks unbalanced. Plants like Mexican Fleabane, Scabious, Lithodora, Cranesbill, Wildflower mixes are some of my favourite choices. Herbs such as Marjoram and Thyme are great as have almost year round greenery. Fleabane, Geums, Sedums and Cottage Pinks, Scabious are green all year. Asters and Chamomile look pretty in a sink. Spring bulbs such as Tete a Tete daffs, Anemones Blanda, Frittalaria Muscari, Dwarf Iris, small Tulips are all good choices for sinks.

 

Hi Mike
Ha ha, as you said, those sinks covered in cement mix do weigh a ton. If I say so myself though, they look good (and expensive)
You are right...the cement mix can be used to cover a number of items......an old washing machine drum, for example, has made an excellent container for a number of years now. Anything really as long as the material is not flexible; plastic for example will move so cement will break away.
I have made troughs and containers too using buckets etc within buckets and filled with cement. Geoff Hamilton was my inspiration for this

 

10 x Alpine Perennial Mixed plug plants: Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors
Something like this?

 

I like the idea of herbs, but don’t want something that will attract too many bees as it’s right by the front door, I’m putting some bee/butterfly plants in the back garden.

 

Verdun, I’m not going to lie, I had to google most of what you wrote, it’s like a foreign language to me . The pelargoniums are pretty and I like the idea of grass. I think I’ll try some of these ideas and work out what I like as I go along (and as I learn what I’m doing!).
Thanks everyone

 

Sorry Siennamiller.....I guess I do get carried away but I hope it helps.
Not keen on that collection of alpine plug plants ....often you end up with things you dont really like

 

that’s ok, It’s all just completely new to me. Ok, I’ll have a look at all these ideas and t y and remember to post a photo when I’ve done it

 

Please do , and if that's you in your avatar a few pictures while your planting them up would also be nice ,

 

Haha, it is me, but I’m not sure I’ll look quite like that when out in the garden