Concrete Garden

I kill plants. Succulents, luckily, are pretty hardy and incidentally the only thing I’ve ever managed to keep alive. Like a proud parent, I surveyed my year-old, barely wilted succulents and decide it’s high time to expand my mini porch-oasis. So using some leftover concrete mix from the Stone Bookend project, I decided to create homes for my new additions.

I made these simply by pouring concrete into random plastic containers I had around the house and then setting a smaller container inside to create a recess. Once cured, I cut and peeled off the container and used a masonry drill bit to create drainage holes. Then it was time to populate these homes with new sprouts of life.

I’m fortunate enough to have amazing friends like Jeff and Wendy who sell cactus and succulents through their semi-annual “Operation Art Gardens” fundraisers. These fundraisers help fund new equipment for Jeff’s video production class which he teaches at local middle and high schools.

So, I shot Jeff a message that I was in desperate need of some small succulents and he gladly invited me on over to pick from the hundreds he had in his backyard. I, of course, snatched up more than I had made pots for, requiring me to eventually create a second wave. Perhaps I’ll experiment with adding interesting stuff like stones or dye to the concrete or perhaps painting them afterward. Whatever I do, I’m extremely happy how beautiful and easy this project turned out to be.

This entry is part of 2012’s Project 365 – A Creative Thing a Week.