The-Artistic-Garden's Blog

A Reader Asks Construction Questions About A
Decorative Cast Leaf Fountain

I received an email from Jan R. asking me:

Hi there, I want to make a hypertufa leaf or concrete leaf fountain. After the leaves are made how would I form the fountain and to what? Got any ideas? Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Jan

My reply:

Hi Jan:
Thank you for contacting me about making a concrete or hypertufa leaf fountain, which is a fun project to do. The answer to your questions will be rather difficult ones to answer at this point, as you’ve not told me how the leaves are to catch and/or collect the water; how many levels you want; or what sort of base you want the fountain to set on, to name a few.

Make sure you read through the ins and outs of working with hypertufa and concrete for leaves. Here are a couple of articles on my website that will be of help: Leaf Casting with Hypertufa: Tips for Success, and Concrete Leaf Casting: Super Tips From the Pro’s.

There are many variables I’d have to know in order to walk you through this, but basically here is what I believe will help you think this project through:

• Most crafters make two or three leaves set in a tiered fashion, and at angles to each other, which allows the water to spill over the edge(s) and finally collect in the bottom leaf.
• Joining all the pieces can be accomplished by mixing up a fresh batch of your recipe with bonding agent included in it and some bonding agent also painted onto the areas of where everything will be joined for good measure. (You would have to wait until the leaves were cured enough to be handled before you start joining them.)
• You need to seal the concrete or hypertufa leaves with a water-proofing sealant.
• You need to know how to install a simple pump in order to get the water flowing back up to the top-most leaf; you also need to get a pump that has the right GPH rating to effectively keep the water flowing.
• Another consideration – WHERE are you going to hide the pump and cords? Inside the base, or …? I wouldn’t think you want the pump and connections visible.
• You will need a GFI electrical connection available to plug in the motor for the pump. **There’s no side-stepping this requirement – water + electricity do NOT mix!

To learn about GPH and GFI, read this article on my website. Skim about half-way down: Garden Spitters Installation: GPH & GFI Considerations.

This is as specific as I can be for you at this time as I’ve no clue as to what actual shape/form you want your fountain to have. Nor how large you foresee the thing to be. What kind of leaves do you plan on using? Huge gunneras or something medium sized?

But, I do hope these tips help get you to thinking and sketching your ideas out on paper. Though not the easiest project, it is quite doable. Obviously your creative skills will really come into play with a project like this!

Good luck. I really hope you are successful with this leaf fountain project … personally I think there’s nothing nicer than the sound of trickling water in my garden.

Hypertufa Rocks Project
Making Hypertufa Boulders for a Waterfall

I received an email from Carole M. asking me:

Could hypertufa be used to create boulders to be used on a waterfall on a pool? We built one that needs help. Thanks!

My reply:

Hi Carole:
Thank you for contacting me and if you are referring to using a hypertufa recipe (or even a concrete recipe) to make boulders for your waterfall … yes you certainly can use the appropriate recipe for this project.

I suggest you read over ALL the pages of hypertufa and concrete information I have on both my website and my blog pertaining to hypertufa and/or concrete projects. There are things you need to be very aware of if your finished project will be in contact with plants or pond fish.

**Let me caution you that whether it’s a ‘tufa or concrete rock you are making, the thing you really must do as a final step before you allow plants or fish to come into contact with water that is in constant contact with your rocks or boulders, is to leach the lime residue out of the rocks/boulders (or even a trough or planter for that matter) completely.

This important step cannot be over-emphasized as necessary to do! Read more about that here: Build a Hypertufa Garden Pond Waterfall.

In addition, I will make a shameless plug on my own behalf, and recommend you purchase my Hypertufa eBook, as there is more in-depth information there that will be helpful to you. You can find information about my eBook here: HypertufaBooks.com. The eBook will more than pay for itself after you’ve made your first boulder, for sure!

A hypertufa or concrete boulder project will be quite an undertainking for you, so I will advise strongly that you do a small “test” project, or couple of projects, using the recipe you decide upon. Get the hang of working with the recipe; the curing time, etc.

Here is a blog post you will find informative since you’re new to working with recipe mixtures containing Portland cement: The Number #1 Cause For Most Hypertufa and Concrete Recipe Failures.

Best of luck in tackling your hypertufa boulder project!

A Reader Asks If She Can Successfully Use Hypertufa
To Bring New Life To Her Strawberry Jar

I received an email from Lael asking me:

I have a terracotta strawberry jar that is flaking off on the surface. I want to cover it with hypertufa. I would use about 1/2″ to 1″ layer, and leave the jar in place. Do you think that would work? I love your site and have made several spheres and a planter.

My reply:

Hi Lael:
Yes – your idea of using hypertufa to resurface your jar would work, as long as you do a really thorough job of scraping off all loose flakes and clean off any dirt, etc.

Then I would suggest to wet down the jar, apply a good coat of bonding agent to the jar; add some bonding agent into your hypertufa mixture and then apply it. Click here to learn more about hypertufa bonding agents.

But … do you want the peat moss to decompose for little pits and crevices? Or would perhaps a “pure” concrete recipe be better for this project if you want a smooth surface (since I don’t know what final look you are trying to achieve)?

All going well hypertufa or concrete ought to stick onto the terra cotta forever.

Good luck!

More About Marjin’s Use Of Hypertufa Rocks
for His Alpine Garden Installation

A couple of days ago I posted about one awe inspiring use of hypertufa for a garden wall and house and alert blog reader Nancy did some nosing around on the internet (thanks, Nancy!) and found a link to the crafter’s website www.v-d-brink.eu and there happens to be a video posted there of the actual installation.

I thought posting that video would be of interest to lots of people, so here it is. If you’ve ever wondered just how much you can get addicted to working with ‘tufa … well I guess Marjin’s backyard installation kind of answers that!!