Crevice Gardens in Papercrete Troughs..........

Show season has finally slowed down enough to allow me to experiment with new ideas. This is my version of a crevice garden using a papercrete trough and papercrete crevice rocks. The trough is filled with sempervivums and sedums. I will build a few more and see what customers have to say about them. Hope they like these little gardens as much as I had fun building them. 

Spring Fun..........

Leftover pumpkin head pots from last Fall. Now that Spring has sprung I decided they needed some hair! Small hostas, Variegated Ficus, and String of Bananas succulent all make good fillers!

Tabletop.............

I just took a tabletop out of the mold and allowing it to thoroughly dry. As soon as I have determined it to be dry I will sand the edges and corners and place it on the short stand which sits beside the top. The slot in the middle of the top will be planted with succulents. This top is 44" X 21" and is the second one I have made. The first top was sold almost as soon as it was displayed for sale! 

The mold is ready to be oiled and filled again. I'm thinking I will add concrete colorant to the mix for the next top. I like to make stands for the tops and other projects well ahead of time from recycled wood then placed outside to weather. My customers like rustic but then I have never offered them anything with a fancy finish.

Four days from start to finish! Here is the final product that has been sanded and is now ready to be planted! Time to start another one..........

And finally planted!

New Papercrete Trough.........

Winter is almost non existent as of late yet it is our off season. Off season recreation for us includes days spent in thrift stores, flea markets, and even an occasional yard sale. While shopping last week my wife ran across a long low Rubbermaid brand storage container. It had no lid and was probably utilized to haul a shelf load of what-nots to the thrift store. A two dollar price tag enticed her to see what a long low trough might look like coming out of this mold.  

We were both pleased with the results of her labors on this one. Planting season is just around the corner and I am anxious to fill one of these troughs with an assortment of small sized plant material. I suggested she try building a few in different colors. Her response was "you will have to mix me some"! Well I guess I asked for that one! ☺

A New Year..............

Starting 2017 with a growing inventory. It is always a scramble to have enough ready to accommodate our customers throughout the sales season.  January and February will be spent doubling our supply and experimenting with some new ideas.