How to Create a Showy Patio Planter for Shade
Patio planters dress up and add interest to any outdoor living space. Creating an impressive planter for a shady patio spot is a great way to enliven empty and neglected spaces that the sun does not reach. Most plants are not particular and thrive in any container that allows for proper drainage and nutrient retention. Creating a unique planter for a shady patio spot is not a time-consuming or expensive endeavor --- making a planter out of hypertufa requires only a few ingredients and a little imagination. This planter has the look of true stone without the weight or cost. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Large plastic sheet
- Shallow plastic garden pot, 15 inches in diameter and with drainage holes
- Sheet of lightweight plastic
- Masking tape
- Vegetable oil spray
- Short dowel to fit in drainage hole in plastic pot
- Scissors
- Portland cement
- Mason's sand
- Milled peat moss
- Perlite
- Concrete colorant
- 5-gallon bucket
- Wooden mixing stick
- Rubber gloves
- Watering can with spout
- Hand shovel
- Wire brush
- Mosaic tile pieces
- Garbage bag
- Spray bottle
- Bricks
Instructions
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1
Choose a shady level spot for making the pot. Spread a large plastic sheet on the ground. Gather all of your tools together and place them on the plastic sheet.
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2
Turn the pot upside down on the plastic sheet. Cover the pot with plastic. Turn the pot right-side up. Secure the plastic to the inside using masking tape.
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3
Cut a hole in the plastic where the drainage hole is. Place a wooden dowel in the drainage hole.
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4
Spray the plastic bag liberally with vegetable oil spray.
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5
Combine equal amounts of part peat moss, perlite and sand. Add in the same amount of concrete. Add a pinch of concrete colorant. Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in the 5-gallon bucket using a wooden mixing stick.
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6
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add water to the dry ingredients a little at a time. As you add the water, blend the ingredients thoroughly with a hand shovel. Remember to wear gloves. The mixture should be the consistency of cottage cheese.
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7
Press the hyperfufa mixture to the plastic on the outside of the pot. Keep adding the mixture to the pot until it is 2 inches deep.
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8
Make lines in the hypertufa with the wire brush for added texture. Gently push pieces of mosaic tile into the pot randomly or in a desired pattern.
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9
Remove the dowel from the drainage hole.
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10
Spray the pot with water lightly and cover it with another large garbage bag. Hold the bag secure with bricks.
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11
Allow the pot to cure for one week. Spray the pot every three hours for the first day and then once every other day.
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12
Remove the plastic bag from the pot. Remove the plastic pot.
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13
Allow the pot to cure outside for at least 10 days.
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14
Spread a thin layer of crushed gravel on the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with high-quality potting mix. Add shade-loving plants to the planter. Water the plants daily.
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Tips & Warnings
Make a collection of various sized containers for a dramatic effect.
Do not place the hypertufa pot in direct sunlight to cure.
References
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
