Antique Limestone Primitive Long Garden Trough

An antique limestone trough of the plainest farm kind, heavy and primitive, in charcoal gray and cool ash with warm mineral flecks that catch in the light. The exterior is split-face and raw, with deep weathering lines running down the walls, and the corners have been rounded by long use. The thick walls frame a large interior cavity.

It measures 40 inches across and 29 1/2 inches high, tall for a trough, with the rim at mid-thigh. A European farm piece; the form puts it in the 18th or 19th century. Decades of outdoor use have softened the edges without weakening the stone; it can take frost and full sun without complaint. It travels on a pallet and is set with a forklift.

The height suits a planting of clipped box or seasonal bulbs that can be seen from a seat, a bubbling fountain beside a bench, or an informal stone trough for birds at the edge of a wild garden. Set it on gravel rather than a hard floor so it drains. This limestone trough has sold. We usually have primitive troughs of this kind in the yard; ask and we will tell you what is current and send photographs.