Hypertufa Wall Planter

Hypertufa is lightweight pourus material used to make many cool garden projects. Looks like stone but lighter, a workable material allowing you to express your creativity without much artistic talent.   To make hypertufa all you need  is:   portland cement , peat moss, perlite water and a little creativity!

Succulents are a great addition to this unique planter 

I saw this planter on Pinterest and decided to make one to display on my garden fence. Below are my instructions for making this Hypertufa Wall Planter.

Things you will need to gather before you start

• Perlite
• Sphagnum Peat Moss or potting soil
• Portland Cement
• Water
• 2 Kitchen size garbage bags
• Small wire brush
• 2  wire coat hanger
• Dish Pan ( plastic)  or something to mix your ingredients in
• Rubber gloves, Particle mask, Safety glasses
• Cardboard, and rectangular plant tray (used to hold annuals at garden center)  

 Find a place that you can get messy, preferable outside.  For best results it is best if the temperature is above 50 f when making any Hypertufa.   

Cover you work space with a cheap vinyl table cloth.  The  plastic plant tray will be your mold for the wall planter. Since the tray has open spaces you will need to cut cardboard to fit on the inside of the tray.  Secure with tape. Next cover the plant tray / cardboard with a kitchen size garbage bag. This step will make it easier to remove the hypertufa ( tufa) the next day.   You are ready to mix your ingredients.

I recommend that you always work safely - Put on your gloves, dusk mask and any eye protection. Wet cement can irritate your skin, and the dust is not healthy for your lungs. 
Use a 2 quart container, (from the deli )  to measure the ingredients. The dishpan will be used as a mixing bowl.  Place the following dry ingredients into the dish pan:   1 1/2 portland cement, 1 1/2  perlite, 1 1/2  peat moss or potting soil)  then  MIX together completely.

Fill 2 qt  container with water (you may use more or less, but is a good est.)  Then add small quantities of water to the dry mix , mix with you hands until you get to the consistency of ( uncooked )  meatloaf mix.  When you hold a ball of the mix in your hand it should stick together. If it is too wet, then just add a little peat/portland cement. 

Take you time, mix well. Once the mixing is complete it is time to place the mix in your mold.  Placing the tufa mix in the mold is best done by taking tufa mix and  making hamburger patty shape. Place each one in the mold until the bottom is covered. Press all hamburger patties together so that are a solid mass of tufa in the mold! About 1 1/5 "- 2"  thick .
While you are putting the mix in the mold you may want to add some reinforcement wire.  Cut the  coat hangers  into two or three   approx.  6” pieces. Place in the wet mix to add support.  Keep about a cup of the wet tufa mix for later


Keep in mind that you will need to hang this on a wall, and it will be heavy. The easiest way to hang would be to drill one or two hole about 3 in apart near the top of the planter. This can be done after the wall planter is removed from the mold ( next day ) or make a hole now with a pencil ( or anything pointy) while the mix is wet.   Another way to hang -  use wire coat hanger ( cut to about 8")  bend in in half, making a loop. Place the open end into the wet mix, allowing about 1" of  the loop end to be exposed.  

Next take the 6” terracotta pot ( or two smaller pots) and embed into the cement, near the bottom of the wall planter. Add a little mix (cup from above)  inside the pot to cover the entire back inside of the pot.  You can also  place a small decorative stone below the base of the terracotta pot ( into the wet mix) to help support the pot from the bottom.

Almost done -  Smooth the top side and the corners of the planter with a small hand trowel. Sorry I forgot to tell you a trowel is needed.   If you want to decorate the front of the wall planter consider adding some broken tiles, smooth stones, or whatever top surface. Simply press into the wet tufa.  Wipe the tiles clean after you have completed your design.   

 Finally  cover with a plastic garbage bag, twist the end of the bag.  Allow the planter to harden for 30 to 48 hrs.  Once hardened enough to move, remove from the bag, then carefully turn upside down and remove from the mold.  To make it look like stone take the wire brush and rough up the sides. Spray with water and place back in the garbage back for 2-3 weeks. 
It will take that long for your wall planter ( the cement) to cure. During this time the planter  will  become hard and all the ingredients will bond together
Please note during this time Handle with care, the planter is still fragile.

Once cured, rinse again and it is time to plant.  - Enjoy

Visiting Beautiful Gardens

 

I  enjoy visiting gardens. Going to a public or private garden,  is a great excuse to spend the day outside.  I like to look for new  ideas for my own garden design  but  often it is just a great way to relax and enjoy someones elses' hard work.  Recently I attended a plant conference, with the American Conifer Society (ACS),  held in eastern Pennsylvania. http://conifersociety.org/.  Like others in the group,  I  have a certain passion for plants that have needles and cones.  I also enjoy seeing those conifers integrated creatively throughout a landscape.  One of the benefits of being a member of the ACS is the opportunity to visit gardens.   This recent ACS event included visits to a few fabulous gardens.

 

Chanticleer Gardens, located in Wayne PA., was the first stop for the two buses of ACS members .  Conifers are carefully planted throughout this garden, however this garden is also full of textures and color, where foliage is just as prevalent as flowers.  It is often refered to as a  "pleasure garden".  There are no plant labels to distract your view and there are plenty of comfortable chairs to relax and enjoy the beauty.

  

It in not hard to understand why Chanticleer, was such a big hit with the members.

http://www.chanticleergarden.org/

 

 

 

 

The Ruin Garden, sits high on the hill over looking the  Gravel Garden and a nicely planted Pond Garden. It is one of the more interesting and creative gardens at Chanticleer. A  roofless mansion, the Ruin Garden was rebuilt to resemble the house where the son of the previous owner lived.  Entering  each room, you will see a enchanting variety of plants carefully planted. It appears that are taking over the old block walls of the foundation.   

 

 

A 24-foot-long sarcophagus-like table of polished black granite holds a pool of water beneath the fireplace "chimney." Succulents are creatively planted in the  mantel.   

 

 

The main entrance pavilion is located in front of one of the two mansions on the property.  The Teacup Garden is located behind the mansion, planted with many tropicals and many very beautiful containers.    

 

  

 

Texture and foliage are key elements in many of the containers and planting beds. 

 

 

 

 

A wonderful radio interview about Chanticleer  Gardens

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/17/155056269/chanticleer-a-botanical-distraction-from-daily-life

 

  

 

 

Tyler Arboretum

The second stop on the tour, was lunch at Tyler Arboretum. One of the oldest and largest arboreta in the northeastern United States, Tyler Arboretum‘s heritage dates to 1681.  The land that makes up Tyler was acquired from William Penn by Thomas Minshall

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One of the original trees planted at the Tyler Arboretum. Cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) planted between 1830 and 1875.

 

 

 

 Fox Hollow - Inta Krombolz

 

Frequently private gardens are included on ACS Conference tour. Fox Hollow is a very creative garden  crafted and maintained at the home of Inta Krombolz.  Our large  group  enjoyed walking through her 3 1/2-acre garden  which features a wonderful array of plants, unique welded garden art, and beautifully planted containers.

 

 

 

 

 

Two bus loads of conifer lovers converge on  the garden called Fox Hollow. This  gorgeous garden is located outside of West Chester. The property, has many  mature trees, scores of unusual plants, and abundance of texture and color. It is not a surprise that this garden was featured in an issue Fine Gardening magazine

 

 

When I see other gardeners that have hypertufa containers, I am always interested in how they are planted and displayed in their garden. This garden had many unique rusted metal stands that were created by Inta.   In fact welded garden art  and bold foliage is very prevalent throughout this garden.

 

 

 

 

A shed that any gardener would be envious of, is accented by a  bottle tree created by this gardener and artist. .

Visiting beautiful  gardens is very beneficial, especially with a group of people with similar passions. Belonging to a garden club has afforded me many opportunities that I would have otherwise missed.   We live in a very fast passed world, with little time to appreciate the beauty that is all around us. Take time to stop and smell the roses.

Gardening is like Therapy and You Get Hypertufa

Gardening has a way of calming the mind, reducing the stress of the day, and exercising those muscles that were idle because you sat in front of the computer all day.  The collection of busy thoughts running around inside my head somehow settles when I am in my garden.  Whether it is pulling  weeds, deadheading flowers or just cutting grass,  an afternoon working in my yard  can leave me feeling physically exhausted, but pleasantly  relaxed.
 

 
There is some discussion that  It’s in the dirt ! More specific, a strain of bacterium in  the soil - "Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found to trigger the release of serotonin, which in turn elevates mood and decreases anxiety".   

 As much as I like  working  in my garden (in the dirt) , I enjoy making accouterments  for my garden.  I have constructed  wooden planters,  trellis's and  pergolas and a crazy garden gate but  making  hypertufa  is much more fun and does not require a circular saw.  Mixing  up the ingredients is like making a cake.  Making hypertufa containers does not require artistic talent, however  it will help you  find your creative side.   And the end result is a unique container and one more  reason  (like you need one) to buy plants.

So why do people enjoy making these stone like pots?  You buy a few basic ingredients, get a mold at the Dollar Store  and with a little instruction and some water you can create a you own really cool container. The design, size  and shape is up to you.   Although you are not digging in the dirt and  there is no release  of serotonin,  the good feeling comes because the entire  process was done by you. You made it!   



Hypertufa is fun because it does not require you to be a concrete artist.    Google hypertufa  and you will find hundreds of experts and just as  many recipes

 

After making a few of your own  pots you will get the hang of mixing the ingredients.  I tell  my classes  the consistency of the mix after you add water should feel like a  moist meatball (in the bowl!).   As you slowly work the mix into the mold, getting the bubbles out of the mix, also seems to release some of the frustrations from the day!   Removing  the firm but uncured  pot  from the mold,  then carefully working out the rough edges with the flat trowel and wire brush  transforms the concrete pot to an aged stone trough.

I used a childs kick ball as the mold for this pot.

Even if you make a  mistake you have the ability to create something beautiful.   Once when giving a demo at a Garden Expo,  I broke the side of the container (made the day before)  when putting it back into the mold to take it home.  After a few unrepeatable word.  I  took my square trowel  and careful carved the damp Hypertufa, smoothing over the  obvious break.  The pot below,  now has  lowered front ( broken part)  planted with some nice plants  and  I believe it  turned out to be one of my nicest containers.  

http://www.finegardening.com/reader-photo-happy-accident-hypertufa
Fine Gardening Web Site

 

In all my hypertufa classes I  show participants how to use a wire brush and a flat trowel  to  texture the sides of the uncured pot after it is  unmolded  and also what to do to fix broken sides.  

 

Once  the pot has cured for about 2 weeks it is ready to plant.   There are so many choices, however because the  size of the container, plants that remain small grow best. Succulents are the easiest to grow, but conifers and herbs also do well in these containers.  The key to successful containers plants is well drained soil. I use Al's Gritty Mix.


Pots can be made in many sizes and shapes .  Just find a mold and you can create what ever size container you desire. The smaller pots were made using quart nursery pots.

You dont need a large yard,  or big deck, only a small patio  with  a little sun.  You can plant with one or two plants or a  combination of many plants.  If it does not look good one year, you can change it the next.  The containers are easy to weed,  add a little fertilizer and  require regular watering

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Even a stay in the hospital can result in a usable mold. Its the small pink rectangular wash container  provide to every patient. 



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Gardening has a way of calming the mind, reducing the stress of the day, exercising those muscles that were idle because you sat in front of the computer all day.  Making these pots is one more way you can  enjoy the beauty of your garden.
If you have never tried Hypertufa or if you have made a few pots and it did not turn out the way you expected  -  Use my "Hypertufa Instructions" on the blog and try it again.  I made a many  mistakes before I got it right.

Making hypertufa is  just like anything you do in the garden, it takes a little time,  some practice, and patience and the results can be pretty nice. The bonus is that you  will get to plant the container when you are done.  

And it is a great way to spend some time with your friends.

Heuchera's in Your Garden

I  remember seeing Coral Bells   growing in my grandmothers garden.   They had ordinary green  leaves  with  small pink flowers floating on tiny stems.  Then in my first garden I planted Heuchera Palace Purple, a greenish maroon leafed Coral Bell that had more colorful leaves, white flowers  and was not a challenge to  grow for a beginning gardener.   Over the years Heuchera's, or Coral Bells,  with the help of hybridizers , have evolved into some very incredible  perennials. 

 Heuchera villosa 'Bronze Wave' and Stachys 'Helen Von Stein'

Go into you local garden center and it is not unusual to find at least a dozen different Heuchera (HEW-ker-a)   cultivars.  Once limited to shades of green and maroon, now the color palete includes, yellows, caramel ,cinnamon, peach,  all shades of maroon,  chocolate,  and greens with red veins , red with green veins,  the list continues to grow,  and did I mention that this perennial has flowers too.

Bronze Wave - Foliage is dark with copper, purple and brown tones, blending into a metallic bronze color. The large wavy-margined hairy leaves are 6 to 8” across and make a clump about 24” across and 18” high. 24” wands of pinkish-white flowers are produced from mid to late summer.  

 Heuchera Pewter Veil

Grow them in some sun,  with a little late day shade and the seem pretty happy.  Although  not the best planting I have seen cultivars like "Palace Purple" grown in full sun. Currently I am  growing  "Midnight Rose' in a container ( photo below) with as little as 2 1/2  hours of sun,  planted  along side hostas and ferns.
Over-watering  will rot the roots.  They are happiest, in a decent soil, mulched, with occasional watering, more frequent in the hot summer. In containers,  you will have success with potting soil that is a little coarse and well drained.

 Heuchra 'Midnight Rose' and sedum in hypertufa bowl

The reason that these two unlikely partners do well  in this containers is the growing  medium .
Peat moss, small bark fines, perlite. 

Al’s 5-1-1 Mix is a bark-based mix that also provides great drainage and aeration. This mix is  created by Al from Gardenweb.com website. The mix composes of 5 part fine bark, 1 part sphagnum peat, and 1 part perlite. This mix is recommended for annuals or anything that only last a few seasons.
The ingredients are:
5 part partially-composed pine bark fines
1 part sphagnum peat
1 part horticulture grade perlite (coarse size)
1 tbsp per gallon of garden dolomic lime

Heucheras look great with many other perennials and annuals in containers. Here are just a few examples.

• Heuchera with sedum Angelina and festuca Elijah Blue
• Heuchera with festuca Elijah Blue and lysimachia Aurea (golden creeping Jenny).
• Ipomoea batatas 'Sweet Heart' aka 'Sweet Caroline Purple' (Sweat potato vine) with Heuchera 'Caramel
•  Hakonechloa ‘All Gold’ , Xanthosoma ‘Lime Zinger’ , Heuchera ‘Mahogany’, Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’

Heuchera villosa 'Caramel' and Liriope muscari 'Peedee Ingot'

The bold leaves of the Heuchera 'Caramel' contrasts nicely with the fine leaves of the Liriope.  This combination can be found under some trees in the perennial gardens at Longwood Gardens.  With regular watering and mulch these perennials do well under many trees. 

 In fall, the foliage of Heuchera Caramel turns a beautiful  salmon red. Like many of the new cultivars this hybrid does great in heat and humidity and is happy in a wide range of soil conditions. Tolerates a good deal of sun, where the foliage color intensifies. Another good selection for the shade garden Best grown in rich, humus, well drained soil with adequate moisture. Once established, it can take on heat, humidity, even poor soil.

Great Combinations -  Heuchera villosa Beaujolais with  Hakonechloa grass at Longwood Gardens 

 Heuchera  Beaujolais -,  is a super vigorous variety with large 5" burgundy leaves.growing 8-10" x 12-16" , very tall 24" cream colored flower stems appear mid season.zone 4a - 9 and is listed a deer resistant plant.  This  Coral Bell is different from other plum colored varieties by its unique color, tolerance to heat & humidity and its vigor.

Another favorite combination for your shade garden is Heuchera  "Plum Pudding" and Japanese Painted fern Athyrium niponicum picutum.  These two will bring attention to front of any shady foundation planting. 

Heuchera americana Marvelous Mable  

Spring foliage begins  purple and eventually  matures through the season to  green with, dark veins and silvery mottling.  White flowers form early in the season.  Because of their low, mounding habit, they can be planted along paths or in containers.
 Height: 8-13". Spread: 17-19". Leaf color: purple in spring turning to deep green through the season. Zones: 4-9. Flowers: Creamy White on 16" scapes.

Heuchera Problems - not really!

No serious insect or disease problems. Frost heaving of roots may occur when winter temperatures fluctuate widely.

 

 Heuchera americana Green Spice

‘Green Spice’ is a clump-forming Coral Bell cultivar that  has silvery, gray-edged leaves with purple veins (in cool weather) and not particularly showy white flowers. The rounded, lobed, long-petioled leaves  (to 9” tall) which may spread to 16” wide. Tiny, whitish flowers appear in late spring to early summer on slender,  stems rising well above the foliage mound, typically to 24-28” tall. Leaves turn orangish in autumn.

These  are just a small selection of the hundreds of cultivars of heuchera.  They have come a long way from the ones I first found in my grandmothers garden.  Happy Gardening !

 

Conifer Cones 

Color  in the garden is sometimes found in the oddest  place.  One does not always look at the end of a conifer branch to find beauty.  These three small  cones are perched at the end of the branch of a very small conifer -  Picea abies "Pusch".  The needles of the conifer look like most any conifer, but the cones in the spring are outstanding.  There cones contain the seeds of this plant, brightly colored, but eventually  turning a dry brown. This small drawf growing evergreen is a springtime jewel. While some are looking for blooming bulbs and bright flowering azaelas, I have found interest in this display of red cones.
 Slow growing to about 2'x3', likes well drained soil, and a sunny location. Because it is zone 3 hardy, it will be ok in most climates, and in my zone 6 will do just fine in a container.  I purchased this plant from Bob Fincham's  nursery in Washington -    Coenosium Gardens  

 

 

 

Picea abies 'Pusch'

Picea abies 'Pusch' is a witches broom, found on the parent plant, Picea abies `Acrocona Pusch'. Check it out at  Rich Foxwillow Nursery  and also in close up photo below.
The two photos (top and below) look very similar, (well some kids do look like their parents) however Pusch is a very dwarf  almost basketball sized conifer ( and will stay small), Acrocona is about 6x6 irregular shape, growing larger and more irregular, considered an intermediate conifer.  In comparison the cones on the parent plant (see below) are about 2x the size of Pusch above.  Either plant is a prize to behold in your garden.

I will go into more detail about witches broom in upcoming post, when I can post best photos.  But the short and simple explanation is that the parent plant will begin to grow a branch with a strange twist, or weep or very short growth, like a mutation. When discovered, a branch from the mutation will be removed and grafted to form a new unnamed plant. 

It is not surprising that interesting cones can also be found out in the woods.   The photo of these cones, some type of fir,  were taken  while hiking Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park.

Conifer cones are cool!