The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

My Friend Tom’s Simple & Cheap
DIY Garden Hose Guides Saved His ‘Maters

Hey everyone, this is a great and cheap-o (we like that, don’t we ) idea sent to me just yesterday from my longtime Texas friend Tom Vanderzyl. Tom and his dear wife Alice have themselves a wonderful new home and for the first time in many years are able to put in a garden.

Needless to say, there’s lots of tending to be done to it, but for now they wanted to at least get in the tomatoes and veggies. So … right now there are little ‘mater plants to be watered. But Tom soon found he had to deal with the hassle of his very long garden hose threatening the welfare of the young plants as he tried to drag that dang thing around to water.

Being the very bright and inventive guy he is (he is a painter and sculptor extraordinaire – as is Alice – might I mention) and being a very thrifty guy too … he came up with simple and cheap PVC garden hose guides. He sent me these pics and explanation and I said to myself, “Hey, I’m going to share this with my blog visitors!!”

Alrighty everyone … here’s what Tom had to say:

Well I’m sure everyone knew this … but I had to discover it independently through labor and anguish.

Ah, the life of a Farmer … alas and alack … but there is the ripe tomato, yum! Ciao, TV

I am sure this PVC sleeve idea could be used in other ways. You really don’t need to use real tall spikes stuck in the ground, and you could paint the PVC green (or dirt brown) if you wanted the hose guides to sort of blend in with everything. I guess you could even take this idea a little further and use sleeves made from copper or aluminum tubing. I’ll bet there are a lot of great variations on this very simple and doable DIY garden hose guide idea.

Oh, you might be interested in seeing another project Tom and Alice showed me awhile back … their great use of FREE recycled broken concrete for the long drive leading up to their new home. I give them two-thumbs up for being thrifty AND helping out dear Mother Earth by reycycling whenever they can!

Not All Craft Glues Or Adhesives
Work For Every Type Of Project

I recevied an email from Jayne who asked:

Hi Claudia, I would like to know what type of adhesive is best for making ‘mosaic’ garden balls using bowling balls. I tried silicone but the mosaic pieces loosen after a while. I need an adhesive that will survive freeze/thaw cycles … I live in Ontario, Canada.

Any suggestions would be great. I currently subscribe to your newsletter which I enjoy very much. Your website is the best! Thanks! Jayne M.

My reply:

Hi Jayne:
OK, let’s talk about craft glues and adhesives. I do understand how your cold climate can make any glue or adhesive basically harden up and just not “work”. This is the reason why the silicone didn’t work – it was the wrong adhesive to use. Not just because of the cold temperature factor, but also because it just isn’t the right adhesive for your project. The surface of the bowling ball necessitates a different kind of product.

Let me say here too … I am not going to nick-pick about the dictionary terms for “craft glue” or “adhesives”. To most of us, when we’re doing a craft project we don’t care what the gooey stuff is called … just as long as it works and keeps things stuck onto our item for a loooooong time.

My suggestion would be to use one of the appropriate commercial grade glues/adhesives (there are many different kinds geared to specific materials and/or surfaces) from the “Liquid Nails” product line or better yet, “Rhino Glue”. I would think these products are available in Canada.

Read about Rhino Glue and make sure to click on their FAQ page. Click here to read about the Liquid Nails products.

I can buy these products at the big-box DIY stores … like Home Depot which I know you have there in Canada. Here in the USA Home Depot keeps the Liquid Nails products and the Rhino Glue in one of the paint department aisles. If these brand name products are not available in Canada, I am sure you’ll be able to find something similar that will do the job for you.

Now, here’s a product I recently learned about – Weldbond Universal Space Age Adhesive. Wowee! I think this stuff just might be the answer to many crafter’s dreams for the craft glue-to-end-all-glues!! I have read of mosaic artists raving about the stuff … so I will encourage you to contact these folks. I don’t know where it is available in stores in the USA or Canada. But they take online orders.

This information should help you be successful with your next bowling ball craft project. Oh! I should mention that I am sure you know that no matter what surface you want to use a craft glue on … that it has to be clean of all dirt and grease. With your bowling ball, you might want to scuff up the surface with some coarse sandpaper to make an even better surface for the glue to adhere to.

Good luck!

A Reader Asks For Ideas To Repaint
A Very Old Water Jug

I received an email from Yogesh, asking for help with trying his hand at applying a decorative paint technique of some sort to a 100-year old pot he really wanted to repaint. That first email didn’t have enough information for me to properly answer him, so I asked him to email me again with more exacting information.

Here’s his reply to me:

Thank you very much for your offer to help me.

Please find attached pics of the pot I was talking about. This pot is around 100 years old, we used to keep water in this, but now I want to keep it in my hall as a show piece.

It was leaking so my mom had applied cement, which you can see in the pic, too. I want to paint it in coffee/dark brown color, but if you can suggest something great I would appreciate it.

Do also let me know which country are you located in? I am from India.

Kindly suggest what best [sic] can be done on this pot? Looking forward to your reply.

Regards, Yogesh

My reply:

Hello Yogesh:
First, I live in Tennessee, in the USA. Nice to know my website is visited by people from other countries.

About what decorative paint technique you could apply to this pot … after reviewing the photos you sent (thank you) this is my suggestion on how to try and bring it back to a more eye-appealing object:

1) Scrape off/sand off/wash off any dirt, loose paint, or loose cement on the pot. If it has any dirt, or grime, or possible greasy residue on the outside surface you must remove it, as the new layers of paint need a clean surface to adhere to. If you wash your pot with water and soap, please make sure it is 100% dry before you proceed. Water might absorb into the pot, especially in the spots that have cement, so give it a few days at least to dry.

2) For a 2-tone coffee/dark brown coloration – that decorative paint technique is not at all hard to do. I will suggest choosing 3 shades of coffee/dark brown colors … light, medium and dark shades. I will assume in India you have stores that sell either “craft paint”, or if those are not available, then you can use paint used for painting inside walls in houses – “latex paints”. Latex paint cleans up with soap and water, which is much easier than using oil-based enamel paints. However, you can also use oil-based enamels.

3) I advise that you use either of these decorative techniques to apply the paints: the daubing technique or sponge technique. Easy to do and either can provide a very nice, antique looking result. My website provides the information on this page Daubing Decorative Paint Technique and this page Sponge Painting Technique.

**Make sure you paint a good base coat of paint onto your pot before you begin to apply the other colors (again … follow the directions in my instructions).

4) PRACTICE FIRST on something other than your pot to make sure you like the colors you chose, and to get the knack of how to daub or sponge on the paint to get the “look” you want after the paint dries. I practice on large pieces of cardboard that I brush on a neutral color paint on first, so that my paint colors show truer than if I painted them onto plain brown cardboard. You may find that you need to use more of one color and less of another; you may decide you don’t like the colors you chose; you may find the way you apply the paints doesn’t look realistic enough … or you may LOVE your first test and know you can proceed to do the same technique onto your pot.

5) After the painted colors have dried, apply at least 2 coats of clear sealant. There are matte, semi-gloss and gloss finishes available. It’s up to you how “dull” or shiny looking you want your pot to be.

That’s about it.

The biggest factors in being successful in making any decorative faux finish look attractive and/or “real” is going to be correct color combination choices AND your SKILL LEVEL or artistic ability in order to apply a convincing painted finish to the pot. These two issues I cannot help you with.

I hope this information helps and I am sure that if you take your time, practice some, experiment with applying the paints in different ways to finally achieve the “look” you want, that your very interesting old jug will take on a whole new life!

Best of luck with your project Yogesh, and do not hesitate to contact me in the future if you have more decorative paint technique or faux finish questions or “how to” concerns.

Spring Time Heralds The Return Of
My Favorite Birds – The Hummingbirds

This is such a fun time of year … I start to be on the look-out for the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird to make its appearance at my house. Last night I figured I had better make up a small batch of my trusted hummingbird syrup nectar recipe. (Recipe is down below.)

Even though hummingbirds typically arrive in the greater Nashville area around mid-March, I live about 40 miles south of the Music City and thusly it seems it is never until right around April 15th (yes, TAX day!) that I get to see one.

I don’t know if you are a hummingbird lover like I am, but if not … I encourage you to give it a try this year and make a batch of hummingbird syrup and place a feeder out in your garden or better yet, hang one outside a window. This way you’ll get to see all the cute antics and buzzing around they do. Hummers are very entertaining, for sure.

Once you hang out a feeder, I’ll bet it won’t be too long thereafter that you’ll have these little marvels buzzing and chirping all over your garden until Fall comes. Some of you in warmer climates, or other parts of the world may never be without these little fellas gracing your garden. You’re lucky.

So, since I am now officially on the hummingbird look-out, that means I’ve already made my batch of hummingbird syrup and have hung out the feeder. Then it dawned on me to post and give a heads-up to the rest of you to not forget “it’s hummer time of the year”. Are you ready for them?

I also thought I’d pass along the homemade syrup recipe I use and to also direct you to a website that will certainly prove to be helpful and interesting, especially if you’re new to the joys of hummingbirds. Those of you who already are into hummers may not be aware of this site. There’s tons of good info, photos and such.

I will highly recommend visiting Hummingbirds.net which I found many years ago and have found it to be a trusty source of information and also the migration maps that are on that site are something I check every year. That’s where I saw that on March 28th this year, a Ruby-throat was spotted in Nashville and recorded.

Don’t Buy Expensive Store-Bought Nectar! Make Your Own

Not that I want to take a sale away from any retail establishment, but I learned early on that the packaged hummingbird nectar mix being sold is way too expensive as compared to how simple it is to make, but also that the red coloring that is put into the commercial mixes is possibly very BAD health-wise for these little guys. I have read in more than one place that red dye could cause tumors in hummingbirds.

Plus, they do NOT need to see a RED feeder or RED nectar solution in order to find it, or to be attracted to it. I can state this for a fact as:
     A) I had one feeder whose red feeder base got very bleached out by the sun, and it was more of a dull beige and those hummers never minded one bit! They found it without trouble, and;
     B) In all my feeders I only use my homemade nectar and it is crystal clear. Again … those hummers can always find the feeders, day in and day out.

Here’s the artificial nectar/syrup recipe I have used for years, and it’s one that you will find all over the internet and in hummingbird books. You can trust this one as being correct.

1. Use one part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water. Mix until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. As example: 1 cup of sugar + 4 cups of water.

   Though it is not necessary to boil the sugar and water mixture, I do. It certainly helps to dissolve the sugar quickly. The reason people think they have to boil the mixture is to “kill” the microorganisms that cause fermentation in the syrup. But this just isn’t true. The microorganisms actually are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills. This is why CLEANING your feeder and replenishing the syrup regularly is most important.

2. Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Once you get the hang of how quickly you’ll be going through the syrup, you’ll know what size batches to mix up. Me … I only get a maximum of 4 hummers late in the summer. So they don’t consume too much.

   But I know of a hummer-lover who gets so many at her home that she uses up 5 lbs. of sugar every week! Whoa … she has so many hummingbirds flying around you wouldn’t believe it. (Yes … I am sort of jealous. Well, maybe just half as many as she gets would be fabulous!)

This homemade hummingbird syrup approximates the average sucrose content (about 21%) of the flowers that are favored by North American hummingbirds.

**Word of caution: Do NOT, I repeat do NOT add more sugar to the recipe thinking you will be doing the hummers a favor. It doesn’t work that way. Just like with us humans, a little sugar is OK, but too much is detrimental to our health.

It’s the same with hummingbirds. Plus they will be feeding from real flowers, so rest assured they are getting the nutrients they need. Just stick to the proportions of water + sugar in the recipe.

Oh, lest I forget, I don’t care what you read … everyone I know who feeds hummers has ants and other flying bugs getting attracted to the feeder. There are easy ways to combate this. I encourage you to look for the answer to this on the site I have referred you to.

My solution to combat ants is to use a little cup thingie that hangs in the middle of the feeder hanger. I found one at Wal-Mart for 98-cents. It holds water (or you can put a little cooking oil into it) and when the ants try to climb down the feeder hanger to try to get to the feeder openings, they can’t. They hit the water (or oil) in the cup’s bottom and that’s as far as they can go. Works like a charm for me!

And before I end this post, I had to include this photo that is another shot taken along with the one up above. I am sooo jealous of her …

Get your hummingbird syrup ready … get your feeder positioned … and wait for the fun to begin!

What Kind Of Paint Can I Use For A Tuscan Look
On My Grey Concrete Planter?

Gabby emailed me asking:

Hello, can you help me find the right type of paint for a large concrete planter? It is grey concrete and I want to achieve a tuscan look. Also where do I buy this paint?

Thank you sooooo much … Gabby

My reply:

Hi Gabby:
I will be happy to help and answer your questions.

#1) For information on what paints to use and info on what I think will be an easy way for you to get a tuscan look, please refer to my article: Decorative Sponge Painting.

Note: in this article I do not mention concrete planters (but I should – think I’ll add that to the page) but acrylic OR latex paints will be fine for your planter. Follow the directions in my article and you ought to have a nice long lasting decorative paint finish for many years.

Getting the “Tuscan look” you want will of course rest upon your artistic abilities. If need be … practice on a large piece of cardboard to get the color combination and appearance right. Sometimes my color choices aren’t always the greatest after I see them applied together. I have to do trial runs myself sometimes!

#2) In the USA, acrylic craft paints can be found at stores like Michael’s Crafts, Hobby Lobby, even the Wal-Mart in my area has a huge array in their craft section.

Or, regular latex paint can be purchased at stores like Sherwin Williams (though probably pricier than what you need to spend), Home Depot, even Wal-Mart sells latex paints, or most large hardware stores. You do not need to buy the most expensive paints.

#3) Make sure to apply at least 2 or 3 good coats of clear sealant, too. There are matte, semi-gloss and gloss finishes. For a Tuscan look I will say a matte finish is what you should use.

In addition, I suggest you take a few extra minutes to read all the pages I have in the decorative paint techniques section of my website. You’ll get lots more helpful how-tos that will not only help you have success with this decorative paint project, but any others you decide to to try.

Best of luck in dressing up your concrete planter! A Tuscan-type technique really isn’t a too-difficult decorative paint project for even a beginner to try.

Questions About A Concrete Stepping Stone Project

I received an email from Hilda who asked:

I was delighted to find the information you provide on your website. I am making stepping stones from a silicon mold. They are basically 10″ x 10″ and 2″ thick. I need the “details/design” to appear of course.

I wonder which recipe would be best and ask what recipe would you recommend? I prefer a lighter color than the dark grey. Regular paint for added color, or stain?

Can’t wait to begin. I just hope the drying time is not too lengthy, as I need to make production on these.

Many Thanks, Hilda – Alabama

My reply:

Hi Hilda:

If you have details and designs that you really want to be a feature of your stones, then I’d opt for a pure concrete recipe, versus using hypertufa. ‘Tufa has peat moss in it, which doesn’t make for as smooth a consistency recipe. Plus, the hypertufa decomposes over time, and that will leave small pits and crevices in your stepping stones. So … use a concrete recipe instead.

For easiness, why not just go to Lowe’s or H-Depot and buy a big bag of ready mix concrete?? You certainly could use that and many crafters do.

Or, here’s a recipe on my website concrete art mold recipe that ought to be a good one for you to try.

**Please note: I have also seen this same recipe recommended on other sites, but the ratios are a bit different – 1 part Portland cement to 2 parts sand. I would say try a small batch of each recipe/ratio and see which one you like best. Remember … often times it’s trial and error until you get a recipe working just right for your particular needs.

You want a lighter color? Then you’ll have to find WHITE Portland cement, but understand it can be more difficult to locate. You probably won’t be able to find it at Lowe’s or H-Depot, but do some research (online, Yellow Pages, etc.) and call around to companies that supply materials to the stucco industry; or call swimming pool installation companies; or commercial concrete companies who might be able to steer you in the right direction. I’ve also read that ACE Hardware and the Ready Mix company sell it (if you have either of those in your area).

Also WHITE Portland cement will likely be about double the cost of regular grey Portland. Just so you know.

For those of you reading this who live in Canada, I have read that Target carries white Portland; also Pacific West Systems Supply Ltd; and Curtis Lumber. Again, call around first to see who stocks it in your area.

About stains vs. paints … either will work, just depends on your desired final outcome. Again I will refer you to my website to my stain and colorant guide. The link for the PDF guide is about 1/2-way down on that page.

About drying time … “curing” time depends upon a few factors, like the temperature and humidity to name two. But figure about 30-days minimum before you can feel safe to walk on them. But less time as far as being able to take them out of your mold (maybe a few days or so – but they need to keep curing after you remove them) so you can start a new one.

This “how to make your garden stepping stone project” information ought to get you pointed in the right direction so you will have success. Good luck!

This Is One Creative Bird Chaser!

I came across this great photo of a very creative piece of garden yard art today and I thought “I’ve just got to share this with my visitors.”

Plus … for many of us, thoughts of what we are going to plant in our vegetable garden is looming in our minds. Warm weather is slowly starting to take hold. So I thought this yard art decor idea might prove helpful for you in the future.

Need an effective bird chaser? Well, I think this crazy bird chasin’ monster just might do the trick.

If you have young children, perhaps you’ve got one of their old rubber or plastic monster toys collecting dust that could be resurrected and placed out in your vegetable patch.

If you’re like most gardeners I know, myself included, birds can become quite a problem because they love to peck into things like tomatos and nibble, leaving lots of damaged fruits. Not that I mind our feathered friends getting to eat my organically grown ‘maters … but geez, they take two nibbles and then move on to another ripe beauty to sample. I don’t appreciate that – they ought to stick to just one and then I’d be more tolerant!!

For another idea – maybe a few aluminum pie plates tied onto this monster would be an added feature to scare away the birds. I don’t know how aggressive your birds might be.

Anyhoo … I just thought I’d share this whimsical garden yard art idea. If nothing else … I hope it puts a smile on your face today.

See ya later!

A Very Frustrated Hypertufa Trough Maker
Seeks Helpful Advice & Answers To Her Problem

I received this email plea for assistance from “Laughing”:

Please help me Claudia! I have tried the hypertufa beginner recipe several times and my ‘tufa troughs and containers break apart while taking them out of the molds I am using, which are simple large plastic containers – nothing fancy or anything. Just rectangular containers.

Only 2 of my hypertufa troughs out of about 20 have survived! Any thoughts?

Help please. Laughing

My reply:
Hi Laughing:
Oh dear … sorry to hear about this and I know you really aren’t laughing! (But if you are – good for you! Life has too many other things to get stressed over … hypertufa isn’t one of them! )

Unfortunately, I can’t nail down where the problem lies, as I haven’t a clue to everything you are doing, from A to Z. But my BIGGEST guess, based on years of experience in helping other beginners with the same problem is this:

??Are your ratios of dry ingredients to water correct??
This is normally the #1 culprit that causes disasters.

I will also ask are you unmolding them too soon? Or perhaps you’re not providing enough moisture during the cure process? You should make it a point to peek inside the plastic bag you’ve wrapped your troughs in to see if condensation is collected on the inside of the bag every now and then.

Perhaps my reply doesn’t sound too helpful, but really … either a too dry or too wet mixture is what normally causes the problems. It *sounds* like maybe too dry a mixture is why the portland can’t set-up nice and strong, since you say they fall apart. Even though when you apply the mixture it seems OK, after the item(s) start to cure, that’s when the issue of not enough water in the hypertufa recipe becomes apparent.

If your mixture was too wet, most times it would start slumping off the sides of your form and you’d know almost instantly you had goofed and used too much water in the recipe.

My only other stab-in-the-dark guess is are you really using the right ingredients as listed in the beginner’s recipe?

Good luck and I hope this sets you on the right path.

Hey “The-Artistic-Garden” readers … want to learn about ‘tufa trough making? Then click this link to read my instructions on how to make a hypertufa trough. And remember to be mindful of the ratio of water you use in your recipe!