Concrete leaf ornament or water feature

It's so easy to make your own concrete garden ornaments, and this concrete leaf just looks gorgeous in the garden. Use it for decoration, as a water feature, or to feed the bird life.

 

blog.greendoodle.com

I have previously featured a similar projects using a hypertufa mixture, but a cement leaf is far more durable and less likely to crumble over time. The light grey colour of the finished cement leaf provides a wonderful contrast in the garden.

YOU WILL NEED:

Soil from the garden

1 bucket of cement and 3 buckets of sand

Rubbish bag

Rubber gloves

Bowl for mixing

Tools for mixing

Large leaf - rhubarb and philodendron leaves are perfect

Buy bagged cement and sand at you local Builders.

HERE'S HOW:

1. Lay the rubbish bag on the ground. Using from the garden, build up a rounded mound for your leaf. Place your leaf face down on top of the mound of soil.

GOOD TO KNOW
If you intend to use this as a water feature or bird bath, create a large mound so that the leaf can hold water.

2. Mix up the cement and sand until you have a sloppy - but not runny - mixture. With your gloves on, use a trowel to place cement mixture on the back of the leaf. You don't want any gaps and also want to try and keep a consistent thickness over the back of the leaf, approximately 3 to 4 centimetres thick.

3. Use you hands (gloved) to pat down and smooth the cement over the back of the leaf. This not only ensures you have a nice smooth back, but also removes any air bubbles that may be trapped inside the mix.

4. Leave this to cure for 3 days. In hot weather it helps to lightly spray mist with water in the morning and afternoon to prevent cracks from the mixture drying too fast.