The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

A Concerned Crafter Asks What Paint Product Sealants
Are Recommended For Garden Pots

I received an email from Beth asking:

First of all I have to tell you I absolutely love your website. I just found it yesterday and am really enjoying all of your information.

Question … does sealing the inside of clay or terra cotta pots affect the plants at all? I have painted several of them for this summer and had left the inside untouched. Was a little hesitant and just wasn’t quite sure. Thanks! Beth

My reply:

Hi Beth:
Thank you so much for your kind compliments. I appreciate you taking the time to tell me.

Sealing the inside of pots causes no problems that I am aware of … I seal all my pots on the inside and my plants are thriving. I use Krylon acrylic clear spray paint, BTW. Always am happy with the long-term results.

However, I know a garden-art artist who swears by Thompson’s Water Sealant to seal the inside of her pots. She says it doesn’t harm her plants in the least.

But, to err on the safe side, I wouldn’t use Thompson’s Water Sealant if you’re going to grow something edible in it – not sure if the sealant would leach into the soil, and ultimately the plant.

On a side note: before she begins a decorative painted technique project, she told me she applies a good coat of SprayN’Seal. It’s a pottery sealer and she says the only place she can find the stuff is at Ace Hardware Stores. (It’s a product from Canada – made by Cartanna International Sales Inc.; phone number is 604-943-2727)

The only other thing I’d like to add here about using Thompson’s Water Sealant … maybe it’s great for terra cotta, but it sure STUNK when I used it years ago on my deck! What a waste of my money; it only lasted one year and did a p##-poor job of sealing my wood deck.

So … even when using on a terra cotta / clay pot … you be the judge as I’ve not personally tried it.

To see all the painted techniques and how-tos on my website that will teach you how to liven up any old plain plastic, resin or terra cotta or clay garden pot, please go to: Decorative Paint Techniques For Garden Planters & Pots.

What Is A Good Substitution For Peat Moss?
It Is An Environmental “No-No” In The UK

I received an email from Mike who asked:

I am very interested in your excellent web site and in particular hypertufa recipes and projects.

I am based in the UK and peat is a big “no-no” environmentally. Can you recommend a peat substitute for hypertufa recipes? What is the function of peat in hypertufa? Sorry to bombard you with queries.

Best wishes. Mike

My reply:
Hi Mike:
Thank you for contacting me.

Interesting, I did not know peat moss is a complete “no-no” in the UK! (How come, if I may ask? There is so much of it in the world it certainly is a “renewable” plant/product, and I have read that Canada, for instance, does practice controlled harvesting.)

Anyway, you can use coir. I am not personally acquainted with using it, but I am aware some folks do use it as an acceptable substitute for the peat moss. I do have detailed information about a coir based hyperturfa recipe on my website (thanks to your inquiry.)

But, here is the basic recipe. As is most often the case with hypertufa recipes, you may need to adjust a ratio of one of the ingredients (normally it’s the amount of water used or not used). Try a smaller project before you tackle a huge project!

Basic Hypertufa Recipe Using Coir In Place Of Peat Moss
3 parts coir (coconut fiber)
2 parts Portland Cement type I-II
3 parts perlite
(water as needed for proper consistency)

To read all the information, please go to: Hypertufa Recipe using Coir.

About the purpose of the peat in hypertufa: over time, if left out in the elements (your garden), the peat will decompose, leaving pits and crevices. This replicates real Tufa rock, which is the whole idea of folks working with hypertufa. I will assume the coir will decompose, but maybe will take a little longer to do so??

I do hope this info helps.

~~~

Mike emailed me back and said:

Thank you Claudia for all the information.

There’s still plenty of peat around in all purpose compost here and you can still get peat but it’s known as being an unsustainable resource and all the big retailers have policies to reduce and eradicate it over the next few years.

Are Plastic Pots OK To Use Instead of Clay Pots
For A Pot Person Project?

Stan emailed me and asked:

You have a great website! Just a question about making a pot man. Do you recommend using the plastic pots at all, or just strictly the clay? Thanks for the help. Stan

My reply:
Hello Stan:
Think about this … plastic pots do not weigh very much, even collectively, and if a strong enough gust of wind comes along, your plastic pot person may just go flying across your yard! That is unless you secure it down somehow.

Personally, I would only use clay (also referred to as terra cotta). I think clay pots are just a nicer look for a pot person project. And over time, clay / terra cotta will age nicely, and maybe, if you’ve placed your pot person in a shady spot, it will start getting a little moss growing on it, again adding to the overall charm of it.

For instructions and recipes about how to get moss to grow on garden items, please take a look at my article: how to grow moss on garden planters.

Also, I personally think that plants growing from terra cotta just look a bit more “natural”, versus plants growing in a green or black plastic pot, don’t you think?

But, maybe you are planning to paint all the surfaces, or dress up your “person” with a hat or clothes, which in that case yes plastic would be OK … but again you have to deal with the lightweight-ness of plastic.

So … the bottom line is this project is doable, but I strongly advise securing it to whatever or wherever you are placing it. Good luck!

For a set of instructions to make a clay pot person, please refer to my pot person instructions how-to project article.

A Garden Art Crafter Asks
“What Release Oil Do You Recommend?”

Harold emailed me and asked:

What is the barrier or release oil that you recommend for hypertufa or concrete garden art projects? Thanks!

My reply:
Hello Harold:

If you refer to the following page on my website, approximately half way down the page you will see where I have listed a number of different release agents (or release oils) that can be used with success: hypertufa and concrete mold preparation tips.

There is also other good information on that page that just might be of use to you, too.

Hope this helps you. Good luck with all your garden art projects.

A Garden Art Enthusiast Wants To Build
A Mini-Stonehenge In Her Backyard

I received an email from Wendy who asked:

We want to make a small version of Stonehenge in our back yard rockery and cannot lift the large stones we would want.

Hypertufa is a perfect alternative, suggested by a friend. Any hints or tips would be appreciated. I’ve bookmarked your site and will return to it when I can digest all that is there. Thanks so much!

My reply:
Hi Wendy:
Thank you for contacting me and hypertufa would certainly be a great mixture to use for making large boulders and rocks!

I think just about everything you will need to know as far as recipes, proper mixing and curing, etc. can be found in all the hypertufa pages on my website. To easily see all of them listed in one place, you can go to the Site Map on my website, and scroll down until you find “Hypertufa How-Tos Overview”.

I encourage you to read through each page to gain a full understanding of everything, and to think about which recipe you want to use; do you want to add colorants, etc.

In order to accomplish tall, vertical boulders such as those found in Stonehenge, you are going to have to construct forms on which you’ll smear the hypertufa. To get really large rocks and such, you can’t make huge solid blobs of ‘tufa! Plus they’d weigh a lot, which is why you aren’t using real stones in the first place!

One possible way to make the forms could be accomplished by using wood and chicken wire stuffed with plastic (to help the chicken wire hold it’s shape). Since I have no idea how tall you want your version of Stonehenge to be you might have to make forms that are much sturdier than what wood and shicken wire can offer. Now you are moving into the realm of making armatures, which is a whole other ballgame!

No matter what type of frame or armature you end up making, think about the fact that the frames will become one forever with the ‘tufa. So you might be making a LOT of frames for this project, too!

This “Stonehenge” hypertufa rock project will require some artistic creativity and ability on your part, of course. I will make a shameless plug on my behalf: in my Hypertufa eBook, I do discuss form making in more depth than on my website, and I have some photos of how to make a form as I’ve just mentioned. If you are interested, you can find out more about my eBook, how to purchase it, and such here: www.HypertufaBooks.com.

I believe that if you do all your reading “homework” before you dive into this project, you’ll be good to go.

I would also highly suggest you experiment on a smaller object first, to get the hang of getting the recipe ratios correct, etc. Some people are successful from the get-go, and other folks have a couple of disasters before they get it down right. You be the judge of how to proceed. 

Good luck with this large-scale hypertufa rocks project!

~~~

Wendy emailed back and said:

Hi Claudia,

Thanks so much for the notes. My husband is very good at learning everything he can about something before he jumps in and I’ll be the #1 assistant, so we’ll be fine.

I do appreciate your suggestion of trying a small something first. We have a book filled with pictures of stone circles and other rock gatherings in Celtic Britain. I’ve been looking through it and I have to say that Stonehenge is my favorite, but that’s a LOT of work. We may adapt it to the space available.

I can just hear family and friends now, when they view it for the first time.

We’ll first check your website and go from there. I appreciate your link to the eBook.

Thanks again for everything!

Best regards,
Wendy

A New Hypertufa Project Enthusiast
Asks For Birdbath Basin Ideas

Annie emailed me and asked:

I have recently made some minature hypertufa birdbaths and now want to try a larger project. I LOVE the idea of using large leaves with a hypertufa recipe and wondered how to go about shaping the birdbath’ s bowl and other things like that. I think I can figure out the base, but I can’t figure out how to make the bottom of the bowl.

Any creative ideas you can share with me? Annie

—————-

My reply:
Hello Annie:

Sure, I’ve got a couple ideas. To start with, take a look at this photo!

How about using a very large leaf for the entire bowl?

Yes, you’d have to get your hands on a real leaf, such as a gunnera leaf which was used for the casting shown in the photo.

Gunnera leaves can get really huge. As you can imagine, they are highly desired for leaf casting projects.

Unless you know someone who will give/send you a leaf, maybe you live in a warmer cliimate and have the room to grow a gunnera plant. If you do, you’re lucky!

This photo shows an incredible concrete gunnera leaf made by the artist team of Little and Lewis. If you’re not familiar with their mind-bloggling garden art … please go and visit their website.

Or … if you can’t get your hands on a gunnera leaf, how about an elephant ear leaf?

No matter what size of leaf you end up using, if it is for making a birdbath basin, you will use a large mound of damp sand on which to lay your leaf so it will hold the shape you want in order to apply the wet (and heavy) hypertufa or concrete mixture. A bag of play sand (found at a store like Home Depot) is cheap and what many people use for leaf projects.

Lay down a piece of plastic larger than the size of the mound you will make (this helps the sand to retain the moisture); then dampen the sand so it will hold the height and shape mound you’d like; then shape your sand mound; and then lay the leaf down on the mound. Some folks will place another piece of platic on top of the damp sand before laying down their leaf. It’s up to you.

Make sure the leaf is spread out in the shape and height you want before you start applying the ‘tufa or concrete. By “height” I mean the higher you’ve mounded up the sand, the deeper the leaf basin will be to hold the water in your birdbath. Follow me here?

Also, make sure to carefully push and spread your wet mixture out to the edges of your leaf, and try to smooth off the edges, as it will be a lot easier to smooth off the edges when wet, rather than trying to do it after it is cured … though not impossible. And make sure you have enough of your mixture on the edges – don’t make it too thin or the edges could crack and break when it cures or after you move it off the sand mound.

For some helpful tips to help your project be a success, I encourage you to refer to my webpage Leaf Casting Super Tips.

Another idea … you could cast a smooth bowl by simply making a mound of sand; place a large sheet of plastic over it with as few wrinkles as possible in it (this will help the inside of your basin be “smooth”); mark off the circumference so you know you’ll end up with a perfectly “round” basin shape; and then apply your wet mixture onto the plastic surface.

For added embellishments and before your basin is totally cured, you could add partially cured little leaves all around the outside edge; or line the entire outside or inside of the bowl with the leaf decorations. You’d not want to give much curvature to the leaves, as you’d be laying them, in essence, on the basin. You’d attached with more ‘tufa or ‘crete and make sure to use bonding agent appropriately.

Since you’ve not said if you’re working in hypertufa or concrete, the only other idea would be to maybe stamp or carve in leaf decorations into very smooth ‘crete. I think this approach would be better suited for a concrete project.

I hope I’ve helped get your creative juices working! Good luck!

Clay Pot Woman – Do You Have Project Instructions?

I received an email from Renee who asked:

Quite a while ago I saw directions for a terra cotta (clay) woman pot person. Then my house burned down and I lost the directions. Do you have directions for a woman pot person? Thank you.

My reply:
Hi Renee:
Thank you for contacting me and I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your home. I cannot imagine what going through an experience like that would be like. I do hope you and your family are now able to put that situation far behind you.

About instructions for a clay pot person … I do offer a good set of instructions on my website: Terra Cotta / Clay Pot People.

And of course with the addition of your creativity, you certainly should be able to feminize it.

Here’s a really cute idea for a female pot person that shouldn’t be too hard to duplicate:

It looks like a bag of sphagnum moss (you can find that at most indoor gardening areas in stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s, or of course gardening centers), an old straw hat, about 16 medium sized pots, about 12 small sized pots, and 2 medium-large sized pots are all you need for this project. Oh! Well yes … you will need a chair or bench of some sort, too!

And again … using your creativity, you can certainly paint your pots, or add more clothing or accessories to give it your special touch.

I do hope this information helps you. Good luck with your clay pot person project.

Sculpting Hypertufa Into Realistic Rocks
For Use In Bonsai Landscapes

Jim wrote and asked:

I am an avid bonsai gardener. How do I make hypertufa into rocks with sharp edges so they will look like small mountains and fit well into my bonsai gardens? Also what recipe would you suggest for these rocks? Jim

————–
My reply:
Hi Jim:
Thanks for asking your questions.

First, as far as sharp edges, that is what one would call “artistic expertise”. Meaning, you’ll have to use some kind of tool (maybe a small paring knife; a screwdriver tip; or an appropriate “professional” carving implement) to scrape and carve away the ‘tufa in order to get the crevices, sharp points and such you’ll need to make in order to reproduce the look of real rocks.

Next, about a good recipe – since I know this project is for use in your bonsai garden, I don’s see why a very simple hypertufa recipe that does NOT have perlite or vermiculite in it would work. After all, these are very small rocks, and because of that perlite or vermiculte would not give them a realistic look (at least not in my opinion).

So, you could use either of the recipes found on the following page, but you wouldn’t necessarily need to use the fortifiers: Hypertufa Sculpting Recipe.

And, for something as small as what you’re making, a “final layer” would not be necessary.

Really, any ‘tufa recipe can be carved, in essence. These recipes as you’ll note don’t have the perlite/vermiculite which allows a smoother surface. (The peat moss will give you enough texture.)

OH … I would highly suggest to really sift and/or pulverize the peat moss to a very very fine texture. Again, with such small objects as you’ll be crafting, you don’t want a huge chunk of peat in your recipe!

Hope this helps get you pointed in the right direction. Good luck with all your bonsai garden projects.