HEART-SHAPED SUCCULENT CONTAINER

HEART-SHAPED SUCCULENT CONTAINER  

 This tray-type container is easy to make to showcase your favorite succulents.  It so simple you can make it in less than an hour from hypertufa. 

WHAT YOU NEED:

Plastic-covered work surface

Damp all-purpose sand

Mud gloves

Your favorite hypertufa recipe (I like this one: http://fromthesummersgarden.blogspot.mx/p/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-ja-x_10.html)

Plastic mixing bucket

Trowel

A stick and a brick

WHAT YOU DO:

You can make thIs project inside on a plastic-covered work surface with a pile of damp sand or right out in the garden using soil as long as the temperature is not freezing.

1.  Form the sand or the soil into a large heart shape and round off the edges so the pile resembles a heart pillow- higher in the center sloping lower as it reaches the edges. Be sure that your sand or soil is damp enough to firmly hold your shaping efforts.

2.  Mix up a batch of hypertufa, to a dense clay-like consistency. Sprinkle loose but thick 2-inch layer of hypertufa over the surface of the heart.  Then begin firmly press the material together patting into a smooth heart shape.

TIP:  Do not allow the hypertufa to extend outward horizontally from the edge of the mold.  If it does spread out, it will not hurt your container but it will detract from a nice trim heart shape.

3.  Use a stick or your finger to poke two to three drainage holes in the upper area of the hump.  Then, firm the outer edge using the edge of the container using a trowel or a brick.  This will give the edge a nice even finish.

4.  Allow the hypertufa to rest for three to four days until it is cured and vary hard.  Then using a trowel or small shovel, gently pry an edge upward to lift the container off of the mold.  Be very careful with this step as the container is still “green” and not at full strength.  Carefully clean out loose sand or dirt and allow the container to sit for a week.

5.  Fill with growing medium and pot up your favorite succulents.

At From the Summer’s Garden, we have been busy making some cool new strawberry pots from hypertufa.  Join us for Strawberry Garden Time, our Spring Garden Studio Sale.  Open 10-5 every  Friday, Saturday and Sunday in May starting with the last weekend in April.  We will also be a part of the 2018 KC Symphony Designer’s Showhouse  opening mid-April.  More infor coming soon!

ULTRAVIOLET- 2018 COLOR OF THE YEAR

Even gardeners can be on point with Ultraviolet, the 2018 color of the year!

STRAWBERRY GARDEN TIME POEM

Cynthia Musick wrote this poem for our Strawberry Garden Time spring theme. This coming season our gardens will offera moment of distraction-free time, the "new" ultimate luxury. Time for you to explore, shop and create at From the Summer's Garden.

 

THE STRAWBERRY: NAUGHTY OR NICE?

The Strawberry: Naughty or Nice?

Medieval people believed the strawberry to stand for noble thought and modesty. Though conspicuous by its color and fragrance, it bows humbly to the earth. Strawberries are used as symbols in illuminated manuscripts since the three-partitioned leaf is a reminder of the Holy Trinity. The fruits, pointing downward, are the drops of blood of Christ, and the five petals of its white flower, his five Wounds. 

Thus, it has become a symbol of perfection and righteousness. There is one exception to the strawberry as a positive symbol and that is its depiction in Hieronymus Bosch's strange, complicated triptych, The Garden of Earthly Delights. The painter depicts the strawberry as a sign of sexual voluptuousness, clearly not an expression of the innocent medieval artistic spirit but a sensuous, earthy symbol that lived in Bosch's surreal imagination.

Whether you view it as naughty or nice, the strawberry remains a fascinating plant, beautiful flower and delicious fruit.

PAPER HEARTS WITH SEEDS

In our Valentine Paper Craft Workshop we will be coloring white paper pulp to make these cool little handmade paper hearts. In the process they are loaded with flower seeds. You will use them first as an ornament on a Valentine card or as a gift tag. As spring arrives, the recipient can plant the paper heart in the garden to grow a nice patch of mixed annual flowers. This is just one of several projects you can make in this workshop. C'mon, join us!
Details and signs-up: peaceinmygarden.com or call Steve at 913-579-5395.

2018 KC SYMPHONY DESIGNER'S SHOWHOUSE

Thinkin' nice warm thoughts on this chilly winter day... The KC Symphony Auxillary just called to let us know that they've accepted our proposal, STRAWBERRY GARDEN TIME for this year's 2018 Designer's Showhouse. We are excited to be working with this fantastic organization on this house which goes on display in April. This same theme will focus our Spring Garden and Studio Sale in April and May. Spring is coming with bright red strawberries and fun creative activites. Take heart!

VALENTINE PAPER CRAFT WORKSHOP