Members of the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society, under the leadership of the MGAPG, gathered in late August to begin work on a fundraiser for the Garden. Ten members created over 20 hypertufa planters from plastic bowls and various other containers. The planters will be filled with alpine plants, herbs or succulents in the spring and sold at the Garden Society's spring plant sale in May.
The hypertufa mix we used consists of Portland cement, Sunshine Mix #4, sand and a handful of fibremesh. Molds are either lined with plastic or sprayed with vegetable oil to facilitate removal. After curing for about two weeks, a propane torch will be used to burn off the fibremesh fibres to create the final look.
These planters are lightweight and durable. They do not crack during our cold northern winters and hardy plants can be satisfactorily over-wintered in them outdoors.
