Let’s Try A Hypertufa Planter from a Hose Storage Basket!

It’s perfect: a garden hose storage basket.

Using a hose storage basket, my daughter and I have made a large garden planter from hypertufa. It has turned out very well, and I took some video of our process to show how we accomplished this. We did this in early spring a few years ago and I am anxious to get started on making some similar projects during this summer.

I was so excited about making this hypertufa planter. My daughter had this  basket which has been in storage in her garage and I came up with the idea of using it as a mold to make a large hypertufa pot. It can hold a lot of succulents, mounded really well. Or perhaps a larger plant like a fern or heuchera as a focal point for the edge of the patio. There are many possibilities.

As it turned out, she used the finished hypertufa pot as a large landscape garden planter out in her front garden at her house. She put pink pelargoniums in it.

But here is our video so you can view our technique of solidly packing the sides and bottom so the the finished planter will be very strong. Upon reflection, I don’t think I would have made the sides quite so thick.

My daughter filmed and helped me make the planter. It was fun working together. It was the Friday before Mother’s Day 2014 and she knew nothing would make me happier than doing what I love with my daughter.

We have made a lot of planters and troughs for her home since she has been interested in garden planters made from hypertufa too!

She has such a large front patio, and it is a perfect place. Hens and chicks thrive there. It has a slightly southeast exposure, and with the overhang, it is sheltered from the hot sun in the main part of the day. Her urns grow mats of hens and chicks each year. So I am hoping her troughs will do the same. ( And I am hoping to harvest a lot of cuttings from them, too! Just keeping it real!)

Making a large hypertufa planter is a little more challenging. It is  heavy and awkward when it is done. Then I wrap and store it, so a garage is the ideal place. We did leave this one for two days in the garage fully wrapped for the First Cure. Then we removed it from its basket mold. That was just a little struggle. I think it was because of the strong top rim of that basket keeping us from manipulating it out. But the hose hole only created a tiny bulge, so that was not an issue. And the texture was not so much of the basket weave, but was more of the waves going upward, if that makes any sense at all.

BTW, if you would like to continue to use this new hypertufa pot as a hose basket, just drill out that hole area, which you can see in the picture. You can enlarge it to whatever size is needed and have a heavy container to put your hose in if you like.

This new hypertufa pot had its Second cure outside wrapped up, and I had it in the side yard under a lilac bush. I am sure this one will last forever, and she can always remember the day we made it together. It is so much fun sharing a passion for creating planters with my daughter. She loves them too.

Here’s a photo in which I am attempting to show the texture. Hard to see, I know. I don’t think I got it at a good angle.  I left it for about two weeks before I leached it for the alkalinity. See the details about leaching here.

Update:  I know many of you question whether or not these planters last. This one is over 5 years old and just as strong as ever. It has faded a bit in color, but it is outside all year long in all kinds of weather.

Please comment and let me know what you think. I would like to hear from you! And if you should have any suggestions for what you would like to see in a video, I would be glad to help you out with one.