Recently, on two separate trips, I spied some really spiffy concrete planters. The first trip was at the New York Botanical Garden, where they were used by the rock garden area (at left).
I thought they looked fantastic and the selection of plants - mainly succulents and small conifers- coordinated well. It wasn't until I took a trip to Quackin' Grass Nursery that I understood how these were possibly made... - Matt N.
AT needs to sponsor a hypertufa making party in each city! These things look great. Anybody have a guess on the costs to make a reasonable size trough planter, like 2 feet by 1 foot or so? I wonder how it compares to the pre-made planters.
Due to weight considerations, must they be "grounded" on a terrace?
Use your favorite search engine to look up 'hypertufa' -- a mix of cement, sand, and peat moss. It seems to be commonly used to make these containers. Its a project I've always wanted to try.
"Hypertufa is an artificial medium with absorbent properties similar to tufa rock. It is lighter than regular concrete, and will not be damaged by freezing after it is completely cured."
I'm sure the answer is no.. but if succulants are planted in containers outside.. will they survive year round?
Succulants will definitely survive and thrive in containers all year round, at least in Philadelphia. I pretty much ignore them and they do just fine.
There is a kind of succulent called "sempervivum" or more commonly called "hen and chicks" that survive the mild NY winters.
i have it in my rock garden-- very low maintenance and doesn't need much watering. Also, they have cool geometric patterns.
Hello,
I didn't have the time to put in more information, but am now sitting down and can flesh out the above a little more...
If you have a larger version I would definitely make sure it is grounded in some way. My initial thought was to get or make smaller versions using household tupperware or bowls as the molds and mixing and matching them within a flowerbox area. The bottom holes are for drainage so if it were on a tabletop I would plug those holes as well and consider maybe lining the bottom with moss or coconut coir (see the link on my name).
What I found most inspiring is that Quackin' Grass (more on them in a future post)is able to have both a succulent AND a cactus garden. According to the owner, Wayne, it is possible to do so here in the Northeast. But be warned that you need strong, direct sunlight. I could not do this on MY fire escapes with their cool North-facing exposures. And I also think you would need to know how to cover the wintering plants when weather gets too severe.
I also enjoyed his succulent shoe 'flowerbox'. It goes to show you that plants will grow in ANY vessel.
Carol, thank you for the Hypertufa link, I really do want to make this into a future DIY project for my own outside gardening area and maybe that material would work perfectly.
One succulent I am seeing in the stores and GreenMarket is 'Hen and Chicks' which is being sold as a ground cover and enjoys full sun.
Love these. I've always wanted to make some, but still haven't gotten around to it (damn neverending project list)!
Instructions -- hypertufa:
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00117.asp
Instructions - quikcrete (although I'm not sure how they fair in winter):
http://www.quikrete.com/diy/CastConcretePlanters.html
Annemarie,
it depends on the plant and your hardiness zone. I'm assuming you're in NY, or thereabouts, so you're in zone 7 (according to revised zone maps by the Arbor Day foundation, just about every region has moved up a zone--damn that global warming). There are succulents and cacti that are cold hardy and tolerate excessive moisture. Eastern prickly pear is one of them. check this list if you're interested: http://www.sci.fi/~cubase/hardycacti.html (sorry--I don't know how to hyperlink...)
love these containers . . . occasionally wondered about a diy project of this sort over the years. I always thought you'd make a mold upside down in the ground and line it with sand . . .
annemarie,
it depends on where you live
I don't think succulents survive a freeze
just think of all that water they're holding
P.S. The top pic is the NYBG, but the rest are from Quackin' Grass and their outside gardens.
You know how some flowers look better by themselves, and with some you really need the whole basket?
Well, these planters as shown in that second picture really sing to me when they're installed in that huge multiple thing. It looks like an installed terraced urban built-in garden thing.
I think that if you have a brownstone with one of those funny little yards in front, that would be a great way to go. It ALMOST makes me wish I did. But then I'd need to wish for a green thumb, too.
Curtis-
You work on getting that brownstone and providing some sangria refreshment and we'll gladly come over and help develop that green thumb!
Thanks folks.
I am in the NYC area, so I'll have to check out that Zone 7 list... I've got some succulents growing indoors now.. considered putting them outside, but I wouldn't want them to freeze.
I've made several hypertufa planters. It's messy but easy and fun. I find that heat-loving plants do well in them; not just succulents, but herbs and veggies, too.
As for cost, a bag of Portland cement won't set you back more than $10; peat moss and sand is similarly cheap.
I would like to make some of the cement containers. I talked to the man at the store that sells the cement mix, and he thinks that saw dust as opposed to peet moss will work for the pot's. Does any one have a recipe for the mix? He did not have one.
I saw on HGTV some of the planters were made and they had to set for a long period of time before use. For some with the peet moss in them, the lighter texture allowed the growth of green moss on the sides of the planters.