Ideas for a butler’s sink?

I planted up a Butler sink in my last garden. I Unibonded it first then used the peat/sand/cement mix and it lasted at least 20 years with no bits falling off. I wish I could have taken it with me but it was just ridiculously heavy.

If only I had known you had a crane ARMANDII

 

Oh dear, not more 'special' jackets. I have a wardrobe full of 'em.

 

The ones with the special straps?

 

Ha ha, Brilliant!

 

@Siennamiller - where in the country are you? If you're in a milder part of the country you could be quite adventurous. Most importantly when you position it make sure that it definitely slopes down to the plug hole. Put a 5cm layer of quite coarse gravel in the bottom and use a good MPC mixed with plenty of grit (and slow release fertiser) to aid drainage.
If you're in a mild area try snowdrops for early colour. Add some Lewisia for later spring colour.......
Lewisia by longk48, on Flickr

Lewisia by longk48, on Flickr

Lewisia will shortly be readily available in most GCs.

For early summer colour I'd look to Saxifraga. In mild areas I would try Saxifraga stolonifera for the bonus feature of the foliage..............
Saxifraga stolonifera by longk48, on Flickr

Saxifraga stolonifera by longk48, on Flickr

Summer interest could be maintained by Echeveria. E.agavoides..................
Echeveria agavoides by longk48, on Flickr

Echeveria 'Hercules'................
Echeveria "Hercules" by longk48, on Flickr

Echeveria secunda............
Echeveria by longk48, on Flickr

For late summer colour try Bessera elegans.................
Bessera elegans by longk48, on Flickr

There are alternatives if your location is not so mild.

 

Ooh, love that first one, it’s beautiful. I’m down south, 20mins from the coast.
Thanks, I’ll have a look.
Where I’ve placed the sink, it gets direct sun for a large part of the day, with little shade, will it do ok like that?

 

I’m definitely going to get some of the Lewisia, it’s lovely. I also like the Bessera.
Thanks

 

So the Lewisia and the Echeveria should survive an average south coast winter and the Saxifraga is worth a punt. All will multiply so bear that in mind and don't overplant. Use some blue slate chippings (bags available in Poundland) if you think it's a bit bare. The plants will root through that as they multiply.

Perfect. Just pay attention to the compost mix as I described and the tilting towards the plug end - it only needs a slight tilt.

They're bulbs so check out the bulb section of your local GC. Otherwise order online - they'll not need planting for another month anyway.

 

Just remembered these that I bought a couple of weeks ago, would any of these work?

 

These being?