You can create an elegant and eye-catching leaf casting with a few simple ingredients.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I learned how to make concrete leaf castings to put in our gardens. Our instructor was Roberta Palmer, who sells her leaves all over Portland and also holds little how-to workshops in her own backyard. Roberta has her castings tucked throughout her garden. Some of them are left natural concrete, and allowed to weather and collect moss. Others are beautifully painted in gradated colors. This leaf is approximately 15" across. Her yard is lush with big-leafed plants grown specifically to use in her castings. She grows varieties that are quite large, heavily veined, and highly textured. Her garden plots are framed with wonderful arbors and collected treasures. She tucks old ladders and tools among the plants-- so charming! Here the rungs act as shelves for her handmade concrete planters. Roberta walked us through the steps involved in making the concrete leaves, including mixing the concrete, adding colorant, mounding sand, choosing leaves, working with the underside of the leaf, building up the concrete, smoothing the bottom with a brush, and adding a copper fitting (if we wanted to put our cast leaf on a copper pipe pedestal, for a raised bird bath or feeder). Finally, I got to try my hand at it. Here I am, hard at work on my leaf (sorry, can't recall the name of it): Roberta suggested not going all the way to the leaf's edge, but rather making a scalloped finish with small adjacent balls of concrete. (Oh my, I do believe it's time to touch up my roots...) We took our leaves (I made three) home, still on their sand mounds in the sturdy cardboard boxes, covered in plastic, where we are to allow them to 'cure' for several weeks. I peeled away the green leaves a few days ago, and this is what they now look like: Here's the same leaf, with its scalloped edge. That same leaf. I built up the pile of sand so it came out deep and cone-shaped. Notice the copper fitting inserted at the bottom; I think this will be a little bird feeder on a pedestal. My second leaf (rhubarb), just a small little guy to tuck in my yard somewhere. We added a reddish colorant to the concrete to give it a slight terra cotta tint. This was my third leaf, a hosta. Roberta helped me curl the tip over an extra lump of sand to add an 'elfin' feel to this casting. Again, fitted for a copper-pipe pedestal. Love that cute curled tip! And there you have it: my adventures in the garden of concrete leaf castings. When they are fully cured, I'll show you their final resting spots out in the yard. Added bonus: I don't need a green thumb to keep them looking pretty!
HEAD PLANTER DIY from styrfoam heads and concrete! Perfect to brighten up your garden! 2 DIYS included! With photo instructions and video!
Add a unique and creative touch to your outdoor space with these easy-to-make DIY garden concrete leaves.
Cement Leaf Casting: Envy those great leaves you see in peoples gardens or on tables as decor? It’s easy to make your own!
HEAD PLANTER DIY from styrfoam heads and concrete! Perfect to brighten up your garden! 2 DIYS included! With photo instructions and video!
Somewhere in the last couple of years, I encountered a post about concrete leaf casting, and haven't been able to shake the idea out of my h...
Yes, I know this is a food blog but one that encompasses “all things food and drink” so I’m stretching the parameters here to embrace leaf cast birdbaths—after all, our feathery f…
The gorgeous reason this woman lays a HUGE leaf on a mound of dirt! I made this leaf casting out of elephant ear leaf. This is my 1st leaf casting and I am extremely pleased with it. Its pretty easy to make.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD1EElkMwJw
Huge DIY Concrete Face Garden Sculpture: My garden is my paradise, so I love to add some interesting sculpture to it. Contrary to what you make think, sculpting is not as difficult as you may think if you give yourself a chance. I’ll provide you with a few key points to keep in mind and t…
The gorgeous reason this woman lays a HUGE leaf on a mound of dirt! I made this leaf casting out of elephant ear leaf. This is my 1st leaf casting and I am extremely pleased with it. Its pretty easy to make.
A few years ago I made a cement leaf & since then have been wanting to do it again. I finally did it. I love this craft for a couple reasons. First is just because it’s something different than my typical paper & sewing crafts. Also because it doesn’t have to be perfect. The imperfections … Read more "How to Make Cement Leaves"
Over 50 of the BEST Garden Ideas & DIY Yard Projects - everything from yard art, planters, garden stones, green houses, & more!
Finally, foliage doesn't have to be fleeting.
Super simple instructions with pictures to cast leaves on a sphere/orb using a concrete mix. Use as a candle holder, planter or orb.
Concrete leaves, cement leaves, garden projects
I often get asked; how well have my projects held over the years? Come take my Garden Tour of my Concrete Projects and see.
The gorgeous reason this woman lays a HUGE leaf on a mound of dirt! I made this leaf casting out of elephant ear leaf. This is my 1st leaf casting and I am extremely pleased with it. Its pretty easy to make.
Decorative-concrete artist Tommy T. Cook has built a reputation for being able to create almost anything from concrete using an array of highly refined and boldly artful processes. In this feature, he demonstrates a portion of that skill by describing how he uses the gargantuan Gunnera plant to craft watershapes in which replicas of the plant’s outsized leaves serve as uniquely natural fountain basins and spillways.
Stay connected to family and friends by sharing the LittleThings that spark joy.
Make a Lawn Statue, Copied From (almost) Anything: Having a lawn statue is a great way to personalize your home. As a maker I really wanted to show my style and skills in my yard. The Idea Behind Making A Copy Out Of CementI wanted to make small cement Moai head of my own. Actually I wanted to make …
