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Hypertufa and Your Garden
Some gardeners are substituting hypertufa for cement when crafting their backyard projects. Whether it be stepping stones from the leaves of rhubarb, or a birdbath, or containers and troughs, working with this substance has become quite enjoyable and popular.
Just what is it?
It is simply a substance made from a recipe of portland cement, water, sand, peat moss and perlite. Depending on what your project is, the mixtures will be different in strengths. The great thing about this substance is that it is very light in weight. Not even close to the weight of a chunk of cement or real stones. It can withstand the very cold temperatures. If you have extremely harsh winters where you live, this substance will not fall apart or break under those circumstances. If it has been cured properly, just as in the recipe for cement mixtures, it will hold up sufficiently. As durable as it is though, experts estimate light weight products with perlite can last 10 years or more. And, they can weather. Roots of other plants can get into the crevices which can make the breakdown process of the material quicker. Have you seen the fake rocks that are quite popular? Hypertufa means exactly that. Another feature of this recipe, is that you can do so much with it as you build your project. This substance can be sculpted. It can be painted, or colored with a tint. You can mold it into any shape or form. The uses are endless. There are some tools you may need to purchase, but for molds, many regular household items will do. Leaves from rhubarb plants are used quite frequently with this mixture to produce stepping stones in the same way as you would use them in a cement mixture. The procedure is almost identical. In the end, they just are not as heavy. The projects are quite lovely looking as well. You would never guess that a stepping stone or plant container was actually artificial and not made with real cement.
If you think that was amazing, take a look at this beautiful collection of leaves done in hypertufa entitled "Marys" Leaves." These people have put together a great little presentation with accompanying music as well. Obviously, these crafts don't have to be for the outdoors only.
Bring them inside as lovely accent pieces to your decor.
This Hypertufa Manual will give you the information needed to get started on your own projects.
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