Here’s a simple but effective succulent tray
you can make featuring toadstool accessories.
-heavy plastic sheeting to cover work surface
-two equal sized pieces of styrofoam or
insulation foam at least 12 inches square. One of the two pieces should be at
least 2 inches thick. Rectangle shapes work fine as well.
-ruler and a Sharpie pen
-keyhole saw
-3 inch common nails
-baking spray
-protective mud gloves (Your gardening gloves
will work fine.)
-trowel and plastic mixing bucket
-a length of ½-inch pipe or rebar
-a brick
-a fresh batch of hypertufa. Use your favorite recipe or try mine:
(http://fromthesummersgarden.blogspot.com/p/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-ja-x_10.html)
-permanent craft glue such as Goop or E6000.
-exterior craft paint of latex paint
What you do
1. Use one of the two pieces of foam as the
base for your tray mold. If they are of different thicknesses, use the thicker
piece for the top part of the mold.
2.
Draw a rectangle or square on the top mold piece leaving a 1 ½ inch
thick border around the edges. Use the
keyhole saw to cut out the rectangle resulting in a foam frame shape.
3.
Position this frame shape on top of the bottom piece of the mold. Use the nails to pin the frame to the base
piece, spacing them about 4 inches apart all the way around the frame.
4.
Once the mold is assembled, generously spray the inside with the baking
spray.
5. Mix
up the hypertufa to a clay-like consistency.
It should stick together when squeezed, resembling gray hamburger.
6.
Sprinkle hypertufa over the entire bottom of the mold in a one-inch
layer. Press the hypertufa together with your gloved hands creating a smooth
solid surface. Tamp the bottom layer
with the brick to get a smooth even surface.
7. Out
line the perimeter of the frame with a thick border of hypertufa. Use your fingers to press it to the sides of
the mold and smooth together.
8. Use
the brick to square the sides and corners of the tray. You can create a fluted edge by pressing the
sides in even increments with the ½-inch
piece of rebar. Finally poke one or two drainage holes in the bottom
with the pipe or rebar. Set aside, out of the weather, to set and harden for at
least two days .
9. Roll 6 baseball-sized balls of
hypertufa. This will make three complete
toadstools. If you’d like more
toadstools, roll two balls for every toadstool.
10.
For each toadstool, roll one ball into a thick stalk-like stem. Flatten a second ball into a mushroom cap and
round the edges. Be careful not to make
the caps too thin or they will break easily. Use the rebar to flute the caps if
you’d like. Allow these caps to set
over night. The next day they should be
hard enough to carefully pick up.
11.
Use the sharp corner of a trowel to bore a depression in the bottom
center of each toadstool cap and allow to cu
12. Glue
the toadstool caps to the stems with Goop Household Cement or E6000 craft
cement.
13.
Leave the toadstools plain or paint them with exterior paints.
14.
Pot up the tray with succulents and add the toadstools for the finishing
touch.
If you’d like to make these toadstools and
succulent tray but do not feel up to doing it yourself, join is in a creative
workshop offered repeatedly through the summer.
For more info visit: peaceinmygarden.com
