Friday

snirt and hypertufas~


I'm in the mood for gardening ~ but all we have outside is snirt (snow and dirt).  Winter is just dragging on too long in my neck of the woods!  The snow is going down; but it's all yucky and dirty looking.  I'm ready for a good rain to wash it all away.

I'm also feeling creative ~ but don't know what to do.  I don't feel like painting.  I already put four loaves of homemade rye bread in the oven ~ and don't feel like doing anything more in the kitchen.  I want to do some gardening in my flower beds; but they're still buried under all the snirt.

Maybe I'll go and find a bag of cement ... I'm sure I must have some tucked away somewhere ... doesn't everybody? ... and make up some hypertufa pots.  I already have a good collection of them started; but I don't think you can have too many of them.  The photos I have here are from last year.  


I just LOVE hypertufa!  Of all the flower pots I've made ... I've only had one break on me ... and that was one that I dropped ... so technically, it was operator error ~ not construction error.

What is hypertufa?  Well I'm glad you asked.  It's just a mixture of 1 part cement, 2 parts sand and 2 parts peat moss or pearlite, stirred together with water and formed into a container ... dried ... and presto ... a flower pot.  They're really easy and fun to make; but be forewarned ~ it's also a messy process.  If you do it ... make sure you wear rubber gloves, because the cement can be pretty harsh on bare hands.  If you do a google search you can find all kinds of recipes for it.

They are such sturdy pots ... they hold up under any weather condition.  I've had some that have sat outside through the freezing winters and none of them have cracked.  PLUS ... a huge bonus, especially around here ... they are dog proof! ... Sam's pooch, Rambo can't destroy them like he does my plastic flower pots.

  It's also the same recipe that I used when I made my rhubarb leaf bird bath.

Yes... I am soooooooooo ready for spring and warmer weather ~ so I can get outside and dig in the dirt ... without snow, and plant my succulents into hypertufas. 

Until next time...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel

16 comments:

  1. Hi Mel, Well--guess I'd better not rub it in that it's in the 70's and a gorgeous spring day in Tennessee... (Forget I said that!!! ha)

    I would 'wish' your snirt away if I could... I can only imagine how you feel waiting for spring up there. I'm sorry.

    Your hypertufa pots look great --and as you said, one can never have too many of them... Hope you can make some more...

    Have a great weekend.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. Oooo! theyre lovely! Have you done the buttermilk & live moss blender thing and then "painted" it on the sides to grow?

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  3. I love your hypertufa pots, too. I'm passing this post to my Gardening Daughter; I think that is something she would love to do.

    I'm interested in your rhubarb leaf bird bath. I've never seen anything like it; it's lovely.

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  4. Hypertufu? I thought you were getting medical on me. And yes I used to could find a bag of cerment around, but it was usually hard when I did. hahahahahaha

    I loved the leaf bird baths you made. I knew about them but we did get to see them first hand. I like it when I can really realate to some stuff.

    Love you girl, I never heard of Smirt either. Boy am I getting an education from Up North With Mel.

    Love from Ypsi again

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  5. Neat! Are they waterproof by chance? My bird baths (concrete) have both cracked in the winter freezes (yes, even our wimpy Texas freezes). I've added plastic plate liners to hold the water, but if these are waterproof, I'd be tempted to try making my own bird bath...

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  6. RE: Betsy ~ in the 70's! I'm jealous!!

    RE: feralwoman ~ no, I never painted them with moss and buttermilk; but I have heard of that. I have, however planted moss in one and it's spreading naturally.

    RE: Pat ~ yes, feel free to pass the info on

    RE: Jack ~ as old as you are and you don't know smirt? lol

    RE: texwisgirl~ The bird bath leaves I put a coat of poly on them; and those I tip upside down in the winter ... just in case. Truthfully, I think they would be fine though, because my flower pot ones with the dirt and rain in them haven't broken... and they sit a LOT LOT longer in a frozen state than they would down your way. I say, "GO FOR IT!"

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  7. typo error ... I meant to say SNIRT to Jack ... with an N ... i know he knows smirt ... oops... another typo ... I meant SMIRK

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  8. Your hypertufa flower pots are fantastic. If I didn't live in an apartment I'd try it. Hope your SNIRT is gone soon...so you can dig your hands in the dirt.

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  9. My goodness is there anything that you don't do? They look so nice. Guess when I was younger and healtheir I did more too. Today John and I made a trip to San Antonio to eat at Coyote Canyon and then came home and had to take a nap. lol

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  10. The weather here has been beautiful and almost all of the snirt is gone. I was hoping to do some yard work this weekend, but there is snow in the forecast for the next week.

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  11. Well! I've never heard of hypertufa pots. What an interesting idea! I just might have to try that.

    Yesterday was driving and I noticed teeny green leaves on the deciduous trees, enough green to be clearly visible. And this evening I drove into town, and I saw the grass along side the roads and streets are beginning to peek out with green, too. I'm so glad to see it! Your turn is coming! Honest!!

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  12. Now I thought you were starting a novel and these two were the two main (but somehow shady) characters in the plot! I imagined a dark mystery story of Snirt talking to Hypertufas in a sneaky whisper, planning their evil schemes, but Slim and Mel entered the picture and foiled their program with the greatest of ease!!! ☻☻☻

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  13. It must be that time of the year. It seems like everyone in our neighborhood is working in their garden.

    Take care Mel and have great weekend :-)

    ~Ron
    *******

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  14. Love the pots. Do you make drainage holes in them or are they mostly for out door pots?

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  15. I'm all set to make some hypertufa's this spring! SPRING starts today as I'm typing this... but I would have to dig under another half a foot of snow to get to some sand here! ARGH - enough already!! I want to see green!
    'love & hugs from afar'

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  16. darn, I knew there was a reason I needed some cement mix from the salvage yard...thanks for the reminder....snirt...how true. Thanks for helping to make Sy's Birthday a learning experience. He loved it Great Aunt Mel.
    BlessYourHeart

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