Hypertufa? done it, know how...?

Just got off topic here
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1004314
and thought others might want to chat about hypertufa.

I've been curious about hypertufa-- stone planter look.
I did it once ages ago with a friend but we may have put in too much water or something--it never set properly! It was too much hot messy work to have failure. Actually--there's tons of hypertufa help on DG, I just haven't checked yet.

Hey Sally, Buttoneer does it she has a couple of sedum troughs. I would love to make one and there had been some talk about a few of us Mid-Atlanticers (is that a word) getting together for a small workshop. What I would really like to make also are the big leaves. I ordered a couple of elephant ear bulbs this year in hopes that I would get a couple of large leaves to use, but so far no show :{ I too made a planter many years ago and might have the directions on a paper somewhere but it would be easier maybe to just go over to the Hypertufa Forum and get one. The planted I made holds my Bougainvillea, the one you like so much. Not sure it was a particularly good planter for the Bougie but it was the right size. I probably have a couple of nice pics from the Phila Flower Show I could post later. Have to go back to my weeding now.

Holly- Thanks for the pic of yours. I like it!

Buttoneer's got a whole thread going on in the Hypertufa forum:


http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/533171/

Most excellent, thanks stormyla !!! I have read that before but that before I fully 'knew'
who Buttoneer is.

Sally here are my pics from the Phila show, There aren't quite what I wanted. I think they are all alpines, not sedums. You can get a good look at the containers. I really liked this one it a real interesting shape.

This one is nice too more square but with some interest.

Last one,

Cool ! Thanks!

Onewish posted some photos on Northeastern forum of her shallow pots. She had made really neat pebble mosaics on top of the dirt. Would look nice on the hypertufas.

here ya go.. mind you these still are not done

2

3

Onewish, you must have infinite patience! They look nice. What else are you going to put in them?

I already put some thyme in and a sedem ... I have all sorts of fairy garden stuff that I might add as well.. just have to check the scale of some of my things... think most of it might be too large

I can't take credit for the gravel.... it was all Randy

I told him what I wanted to do ... and he just sort of took over... said he felt like being back in high school building sets for the drama club

Gotta luv a guy like that!

yeah it is nice at times

Unusual and pretty!

Very pretty onewish1, I think half the fun of those is the building and finding just the right plant and accessories to put them together. I have admired them at the Phila Show but I don't think I could keep something like that alive. I'm so careless with my watering, things in small pots are at risk at my house.

Thanks..... I just had to try Holly... my house plants are usually good... but sometimes i get bad with seedling trays over the winter with the coleus cuttings... I should just learn to pot them up larger to give them a fighting chance

I made one a couple of years ago at a class at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. I think they do it a couple times a year. I will try to get some pictures and post. I keep hoping to have a hypertufa/cosmo party each fall - seems like you could do some really great free-form if you've had a couple of cocktails!

Sign me up to that one. LOL

Did anyone try one of these this summer?

Not yet, Holly wants to use one of our elephant ears to make a large shallow planter for succulents and cacti. Seems counter to the purpose to me, using a tropical to plant a desert, or maybe it's because I'll get to mix the cement. LOL Ric

I have several really nice big leaves and have been thinking how nice to have a few people over and give it a try but with our fall travel schedule I doubt that will happen.