You have probably seen those big planters and troughs in pictures of old English gardens. They are most likely made of Tufa rock. You can learn all you need to know about this and get an interesting geology lesson at the same time if you click this - http://www.tufa.bc.ca/index.htm

A source I always reccomend for instructions and outstanding ideas is http://www.rlstore.com/ Hyprtufa is fake. You can read the article about mixes to find out how to make it.

It is fun to play with. You can shape it, file it, form it, add to it the next day as long as you do not let it dry out. (just cover with a piece of plastic) It can withstand the coldest winters and loves the rain. The longer you have it the more character it gains.

If you want to make something big, this is the stuff to use.

It is not waterproof so no ponds. You can try to seal it but would be better off to use concrete. It would be cheaper and far less aggravation.

You can use it for fountains that do not have to hold water. What I mean is that the water will not be sitting in, just passing through.

It is relatively light compared to concrete so makes great trough style planters. If you have ever wanted to make a "Giant Head" statue it is great for this because you can take your time molding and add to it as you see your statue taking shape. If you do not like what you see, it is easy to knock off a bit and change it. When you are done it will, unless it is 3 or 4 feet high, be possible to move it without a forklift or crane.

Like the natural Tufa, it supports the growth of Moss and Lichen. This gives it an aged look in one growing season.

Once you get started with this you will be hooked. It is great for use in molds, you mix as usual and press it into the mold. In a couple of days, when it is cured, you can take it out and you will have a light, textured looking casting. These are nice when lightly stained, or given the moss growth formula.

Mix up a batch and try it!

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

The site will be constantly added to as time passes, so please click for updates.

To get an excellent book on this go here - http://www.rlstore.com/ I will give a short lesson here but recommend you get the book. It is money well spent.

Lets get going!

You will need a couple of heavy-duty cardboard boxes. One should fit inside the other with at least 3" between them.

Line the big box with plastic. Don’t worry if it is not smooth, just do the best you can.

Mix up your ‘Tufa and fill the bottom of the box to about 3" deep. Now wrap your other box in plastic and set it inside the first box. Fill the space around it with more Tufa. If the little box wants to collapse as you press the Tufa into the gaps you should fill it with sand or cut pieces of Styrofoam to fit into it. If you have enough Tufa left over you could fill 4 foam cups to use for legs.

Cover and let it sit a couple of days.

If you see the outer box getting wet, don’t worry about it! After a couple of days take the inner box out. Let it sit another day and take off the outer box. If it is wet just tear it off. If it is dry, carefully cut it off. Now you can smooth all the corners and edges. Use a piece of steel or a wire brush. If you do not like the pattern the plastic left on the outside, wire brush there to.

You may want to put drain holes in. do it while it is still "green", just use an electric drill and a 1/2" drill bit. I don’t bother, the Tufa soaks up water and even if filled to the top it seems to disappear in a 1/2 day or so. If you live where it is really rainy I guess you should put them in. It is nice not having them. I fill the planter to the top with water and do not have to water again for 2 or 3 days.

Another thing you should do before you put in your plants is plug the drain holes if you decide to make them and fill with water. Do this daily for a week. You want to leach out some of the acidity from the cement. Once this is done it is ready for use.

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All Rights Reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

All the information on the site is free to use and share.

Click here to go to my site now. http://www.delsmolds.com

I am hoping that when you see what I have (or have not) set out you will send in your tips and stories.

By sharing we can all learn from each other. We can also help newcomers to the hobby / business.

The site will be constantly added to as time passes, so please click for updates.

Aloe Vera , known as the healing plant, is easy to care for indoors or in the garden. It is a drought tolerant succulent which grows well in dry shade to part sun. Its bright green stalks grow up to 1 foot long and up to 2 inches thick They usually have creamy white stripes or dots along the leaves. Aloe plants grow upright and spread with time by creating clumping offsets. Perennial aloe produces dramatic, bright orange flowers on long stalks in the spring and summer. Used medicinally aloe vera gel is beneficial for burns, minor cuts, scrapes, insect bites and other skin irritations.

Water-wise aloe is great for xeriscaping in dry gardens with other succulents and cacti. They don’t mind heat as long as they don’t get too much sun. Aloe does best in light or dappled shade on the porch or on the windowsill. It is even reliable in dry shade. One to two hours of direct sun is plenty. Dark brown or orange spots on the leaves is a sign of sunburn. Aloe vera is easy to care for and only needs water once a month or when the stalks become shriveled. Planted in the ground, it can tolerate more drought and will grow slightly larger. Aloes are cold hardy to about 45 degrees. Mine have survived a light dusting of frost, but they have overhead protection. I wouldn’t leave them outdoor in the open if Jack Frost visits your area frequently. Indoors, they are suited to the hot dry conditions of the average home. They will tolerate a few hours of sun a day, but should be fine anywhere with lots of bright, indirect sunlight.

Aloe vera plants form offset pups and will eventually become a clump. Mine started out in a small 4" pot from the nursery. Normally, you should repot plants in a slightly larger pot. But I planted my aloe in a huge 12" pot, knowing it would fill in. Who has time to repot their plants all the time? To keep the pot from looking empty, I planted a small trailing succulent around the edges. They have similar cultivation needs, so they get along great and look terrific. You can see an aloe vera picture and even download the wallpaper on my succulent webpage at theGardenPages.com. After the first year, my aloe created lots of offsets and filled in the pot nicely. The new shoots are easy to tease out from the main plant so I can repot them or give them to friends.

Aloe vera is famous for its healing benefits and is commonly grown in kitchen gardens to help with minor burns and other skin problems. To use aloe, work with one inch chunks cut from the tips of the leaves. Peel off the spines and cut open the chunk. Squeeze out the aloe juice and pulp onto sunburns or other skin irritations. Spread it around with your fingers or the aloe peel. It will feel cold on burns. The juice may feel sticky at first, but will eventually dry out, leaving a slight green tint. Apply 1 - 2 times a day to cool off burns and help heal skin. I was amazed at how well it worked on my baby’s diaper rash when nothing else helped. First, I’d slather the skin with aloe gel, then put the remaining pulp into his diaper and wrap it all up like a little burrito. Usually the rash was cleared up in a few hours. Fresh is best, studies suggest aloe starts to loose its properties within an hour of picking.

Healing aloe vera is an easy to grow plant indoors or out, with outstanding health benefits and makes a great addition to any garden.

Laura Zinkan tends a gardening website at http://www.theGardenPages.com where you can read growing tips and lore about succulents and native plants. Drop by to smell the flowers, see lots of photos and even download garden wallpapers. Laura is a busy mom with a small yard in southern California so she expects a lot out of her plants. She also has a site called http://www.AngelCityArt.com where you can share her vision of Los Angeles and California with photos and essays. Copyright © 2005 by Laura Zinkan. Proper credit must be given with reprints of this article. All rights reserved under U.S. and international law.

Cocoa trees can grow as tall as fifty feet although they are usually kept pruned and kept much shorter to make it easier to harvest the cocoa bean pods.

The trees reach their maximum productivity when they are thirty to forty years old. A cocoa tree will live approximately sixty years.

The bean pods grow directly off the trunk and thicker main branches of the tree, not off the leaves as many people think. This is because the pods are heavy. The fragile leaf systems of the tree couldn’t support the weight of the pods.

A cocoa tree can have up to one hundred thousand baby-pink and white blossoms every year. The blossoms have no scent. The leaves of the tree vary in color. Young leaves can be pale green, lavender, or purple in color. Mature leaves are dark green. The pods start out green but turn yellow or red when ripe, depending on what type of cocoa tree it is.

There are two main types of cocoa trees. There is the native Central American cocoa tree called the Criollo, and a type called Forastero which is grown mostly in West Africa and Brazil. The Forastero trees produces approximately ninety percent of the world’s crop of cocoa beans. The beans from the Criollo are more expensive and are used in high quality chocolate.

Cocoa trees like shade so other tropical trees such as banana trees are planted right next to the cocoa trees. These larger trees that provide shade for the cocoa trees are often called “cocoa mother trees.”

The cocoa trees start producing cocoa bean pods after three or four years and continue producing pods for approximately another thirty five years. In most areas, harvesting of the cocoa pods is done twice a year. Ripe pods are approximately eight inches long and three to four inches in diameter. The ripe pods are cut by hand in order to protect the younger pods that are still ripening.

After the pods are cut from the tree they are taken to a fermenting area. There the pods are split open to reveal the pulp and cocoa beans. There are up to forty cocoa beans in every pod. The pulp and beans are scooped out of the pod, placed on banana leaves that are usually laid on the ground (fermenting is also done in baskets and also in large sloping boxes), and then covered with more banana leaves. The pods are left to ferment for several days.

As the beans ferment they lose some of their bitterness and change from a lavender or white color to brown. The fermenting process is important because that is when the beans take on the chocolate taste we are accustomed to. During the fermenting process the beans lose some of their moisture. By the time the beans are ready to be packed in bags for shipping, the moisture content in them is somewhere around five to seven percent.

Dorrie Ruplinger is the publisher of http://www.chocolateistheanswer.com which provides information and resources about Door County Wisconsin parks.

Trees add so much to the home landscape! They provide shade, clean air, habitat for wildlife, value to your property, and even memories.

If your yard does not have any trees at the moment, you may want to consider planting some. Studies have shown that trees and landscaping add value to your property. Even if you do not intend to sell your property, trees can provide years of enjoyment. If you have trees in your yard, check to see that they are healthy. If they are near the end of their life expectancy or show signs of decline, you may want to plant new trees that will become established before the old trees are removed.

If properly located and planted, trees can help control energy costs. A large shade tree planted on the southwest side of the house can provide cooling shade in the summer, helping reduce air conditioning costs. Once the leaves drop in the fall, the winter sun is free to warm your house on cold winter days. Evergreen trees, planted to block cold winter winds, can help reduce winter heating costs.

Have you wondered what you could do to reduce greenhouse gases and address global warming? Planting trees will help! One of the greenhouse gases causing the most concern is carbon dioxide. Plants take this gas out of the air and use it in photosynthesis. Carbon is stored in the wood and living tissues of trees. When leaves fall and are composted, carbon is added to the soil. This improves the soil for plant growth and stores more of the carbon in the form of soil organic matter. Carbon can be stored for hundreds of years in the trunks of trees or in the form of lumber, furniture, and other wood products. By planting trees in your yard, you can help reduce greenhouse gases.

Trees also provide shelter and food for a variety of wildlife. While installing bird feeders will help attract birds to your yard, providing them with nearby trees and shrubs to escape danger, build nests, and obtain food, will be even more effective. Squirrels and other small mammals use trees for nesting sites and food sources. When selecting trees, consider what food value they may offer to the wildlife in your community.

Trees can offer years of enjoyment. Planting trees and watching them grow can be part of your family’s memories. Consider planting a tree to commemorate a milestone in your family’s life. While raking leaves may seem like a chore as you get older, jumping in piles of leaves can be a treat for children. Hanging a swing, building a tree house, or simply relaxing under the shade of a tree on a hot summer day can be a memorable experience.

Paul is Head of Training for a major UK Charitable Organisation with a wealth of experience in personal development, management development, e-learning and operational management. In addition he owns PK eBooks (http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk) and has just published a Home Owners Guide to Landscaping eBook which can be found at http://www.pk-ebooks.co.uk/home_landscaping.htm

If you are preparing beds for landscaping around your house this article should simplify the process for you. I say that because of everything that is written about this subject, some of it is accurate, some of it is just plain wrong, and much of it is much more complicated than it needs to be. I like to think of myself as Simple Simon. I find the easiest, yet most effective way to do things, and they work.

Let’s assume that the area where you are planning your bed is now planted in grass. How do you get rid of the grass? Chemicals or no chemicals? Chemicals are easy, so we’ll look at the chemical method first.

My favorite chemical for killing grass and weeds is RoundUp, and used properly it is effective. Rule number one: Read the label on the package, and mix the chemical exactly as recommended by the manufacturer. Rule number two: Assume that every plant that the RoundUp touches is going to die. It is a non-selective herbicide.

The first thing you need to do is mark out where your planting bed is going to be. Spend some time on this step. If you are landscaping around your house, give careful consideration to what is going to be planted in the bed, and then decide how large each plant is going to be when fully mature.

You can keep plants trimmed to a certain size, but be realistic when you make these estimates. Trust me when I tell you, this is the number one mistake made by Do-it-Yourself landscapers. People are just afraid to make those beds large enough.

Typically, a bed should never be narrower than 42”, and corner beds should be 12’ in diameter. Islands. If you make those little tiny island beds that I see everywhere I am going to come over to your house and snap you with a wet towel! The island bed in your front yard should be 20’ to 40’ long, and a minimum of 12’ in diameter on at least one end.

The easiest way to mark out your planting beds is to buy a can of marking paint at the hardware store. Unlike most spray paint, this only works when the can is inverted, and it is designed specifically for painting lines on the ground. They even have cans that spray chalk instead of paint. I’ve always used the paint, it holds up better if it gets wet.

Once you have the outline of the bed established and marked, mix up some RoundUp and spray all the grass and weeds inside the bed area. Do not put RoundUp in a sprayer that you intend to use for other purposes. You need a sprayer that is dedicated for the use of herbicides. When applying the spray, be very careful not to let the spray drift onto the grass and other plants that you do not want to kill.

To minimize spray drift, adjust the spray nozzle so the spray pattern is narrow and the droplets are larger. A wide, fine spray pattern is sure to drift outside of the intended area. Also keep the pressure in the sprayer quite low. Pump it just enough to deliver the spray. High pressure causes the spray to atomize and drift. Apply just enough spray to wet the foliage. If you have liquid dripping off the blades of grass, you are applying too much. More is not better.

Once sprayed, be careful not to step in the area that has been sprayed. Many a people have had golden footprints across their lawn because they forgot and walked through what had been sprayed.

This is the difficult part, and the part that many people do not get, so pay close attention. The only way that the RoundUp can possibly work is if you leave it alone. Did you get that? Once you apply the RoundUp, don’t do another thing with that bed for 72 hours. That’s three very long days. I know you’re anxious, but this is the price you pay for not planning ahead.

RoundUp is a systemic herbicide, which means that it has to be absorbed by the plant, then translocated throughout the plant. It takes three days for that to happen. If you go digging and chopping, you might just as well skip the spraying step. Go build a compost bin while you’re waiting.

After three days the weeds and grass are going to look as healthy and happy as ever. Don’t let ‘em fool ya. They’re as dead as dead can be. Providing the RoundUp didn’t get washed off by rain within the first 24 hours of the waiting period. Now you can dig and chop to your heart’s content.

However, the only digging that I do is to go around the edge of the bed and strip the sod back about 15”. Just peel off about 1” and flip it into the center of the bed. This makes it easier to edge and mulch the bed if you get the sod out of the way. Now for the non- chemical method.

Mark out the outline of the bed as described above. Strip the sod back 15”, just like above. Since you aren’t using any herbicides I would dig down about 1-1/2” when removing the sod from the edges. Take the sod you stripped back and lay it in the center of the bed upside down and pack it down firmly. Now take newspaper or brown paper grocery bags and cover the entire bed area. Use 9 layers of newspaper. No matter what method you used, chemical or non chemical, you are now ready to fill the planting bed with topsoil.

Put 8 to 12” of good rich topsoil in the bed. Make sure the soil is higher in the back, closest to the wall, so the water drains away from the building. If you are creating an island planting make the center of the bed the highest point. Make sure the topsoil you buy is well drained and rich in organic matter. Buying topsoil is a tricky game, you’ve got to be careful and shop around. Topsoil is one item that you do not want to order over the phone, sight unseen.

This is what you are looking for when buying topsoil:

Topsoil that is rich in organic matter will be very dark in color. If the soil is light in color it is probably just fill sand. The other thing you’ve got to watch for is how well drained the soil is. Topsoil that has a clay base is poorly drained and sticky, and your plants will not be happy at all. They might even die if they are too wet. Once a clay based topsoil dries out it gets very hard.

Today most topsoil is run through a screener to remove the clumps, rocks, roots, and sticks. There is nothing wrong with buying unscreened topsoil, especially if you’ve visually inspected it and have found it to be of good quality. Actually, really good topsoil shouldn’t have to be screened, but there is little of that quality topsoil to be had.

When you visit the yard where the soil is stockpiled, scoop up a handful of the topsoil and run it through your fingers. If it seems to be grainy, it is probably good soil. But if it appears to be tiny round balls that can be smashed between your fingers, it is probably a clay based soil that will trap water during rainy seasons, and get as hard as a rock when it’s hot and dry.

Pay attention to how the soil is screened. Some machines just shake the soil over a set of screens to separate the debris, and others actually shred the soil. If the soil needs to be shredded, you don’t want it. Look closely at the pile that the raw soil is coming from. If the soil in the raw pile is as hard as a rock, that’s what the screened soil is going be once you get it in your beds. If it appears to be fairly loose, it’s probably good soil.

Put 6-8” of topsoil in your beds. You are now ready to plant. Did you notice that I didn’t get into rototilling and all kinds of extra work? Nor did I suggest that you add bone meal or any of those other goodies that the garden centers sell. I skipped the part about checking the pH too. pH is important, but I’ve found that good topsoil almost always has a suitable pH.

I’ve got a confession to make. In almost 30 years of growing, planting, landscaping and the like, I’ve never tested the pH of the soil on any project that I was working on. Is that smart? I don’t know, but I’ve been successful in my efforts, and I have landscaped several hundred homes and grown tens of thousands of plants.

It’s something to think about. What I’m really trying to say is don’t get caught up in too many details, and be careful who you take advice from at those garden stores. Many of those sales people were flipping burgers last week.

You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, http://www.freeplants.com/resellers.htm.

Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website, http://www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent gardening newsletter.  Article provided by http://gardening-articles.com

For the cost of a packet of seeds, you can quickly create a show stopping garden accent or a living hideaway for children, hide a rusty chain link fence or an unsightly garage wall, and turn an ordinary balcony into a private garden. Started from seeds, annual vines will scramble to heights of 20 feet or more, highlighting features you want to show off and covering eyesores.

Here are just a few of the many uses for annual vines:

- Add a little magic to your garden by planting a trellis or pole with brightly colored morning glories and moonflowers. You’ll have a burst of brightly colored flowers during the day, and luminescent white blossoms at night.

- Add shade and privacy to your balcony with annual vines. Because their root systems are limited, they can be grown in large planters on a trellis, or allowed to trail from window boxes and big hanging baskets. The vertical growing habit will make a small area seem larger.

- Annual vines are ideal for introducing your children to the magic of gardening. Build a teepee of bamboo or fallen tree branches, and plant with scarlet runner beans or tall nasturtiums. Your children will enjoy their colorful (and edible) hideaway while learning about the wonders of nature.

- Plant climbing vines along chain link fences and light poles to soften the look of your landscape.

- Annual vines will quickly blanket a problem slope or other area that is difficult to mow with colorful flowers. If your slope is difficult to plant, use a vine that will reseed itself such as morning glories or cardinal climbers.

- Plant vines along a southern wall to keep the house cooler in summer.

Annual vines are easy to grow. They like a sunny location with good quality, well drained soil. Plant your seeds according to the package directions, and keep them evenly moist until they germinate. After germination, you’ll only need to water when the weather has been extremely hot or dry. Use fertilizers sparingly. An abundance of nitrogen will encourage your vines to produce an abundance of dark green foliage and few flowers.

Have your trellises or other support in place when you plant your seeds. If you can’t plant right next to the support, insert twigs into the soil next to the seeds to lead the vines to their intended support. If the vine can’t find its support right away, it will waste time searching and reaching for something to grab on to.

Recommended Annual Vines

Black Eyed Susan Vine Unlike many climbing vines, this one isn’t invasive so it can be incorporated into existing gardens without fear of crowding out existing plants. It’s a great choice for hanging baskets and window boxes. Height: 5′ to 10′ trailing vine

Cardinal Climber Vine The deep red flowers with white or yellow throats are sure to draw attention to your trellises, fences and poles. Height: 6′ to 20′ vine

Cypress Vine This vine can add a tropical texture to your landscape with its interesting foliage and mix of bright red, pink and white flowers. With the right conditions, it grows to 20 feet. Height: 8′ to 10′ vine

Hyacinth Bean Vine This striking vine will have your visitors asking if it’s real! The flowers are followed by velvety purple bean pods. Height: 6′ - 20′ vine

Mina Lobata ‘Firecracker Vine’ or ‘Exotic Love,’ this unusual, exciting, interesting annual vine has up to 12 beautiful 2" tubular flowers on each spike. Performs well on trellises and in hanging baskets. This is one of the few annual vines that will tolerate a little shade. Height: 6′ to 10′

Moonflower Plant this fast-growing vine on a porch, near an entrance, or under a window where you can enjoy the evening performance and heady fragrance. The flowers bloom only at night, and unfold in 2-3 minutes, and event worth waiting for! Height: 10′ to 20′ vine

Morning Glories In the summer, flowers open in the morning, and in the fall they stay open all day. Morning glories are grown as a groundcover in difficult areas. Height: 8′ - 10′ vine

Jackie Carroll is the editor of GardenGuides.com, where you’ll find seeds for all of the vines mentioned in this article, and GardenGuidesKids.com. http://www.gardenguides.com http://www.gardenguideskids.com

One of my favorite succulent plants is named Crassula tetragona. These drought tolerant plants look a little like pine branches with the needles sticking out the sides, or a green bottle brush. They are often used in bonsai pots to look like pine trees. In the ground, they grow up to 4 feet tall. They will branch at the tips and can be used as a low, informal hedge. Their leaves, which look like fat pine needles are about an inch long. Their color can vary from green to deep, bluish green. They can take full sun to light shade, love heat and are easy to root and grow.

Like other Crassula, these grow well in dry gardens with other succulent and cacti. As houseplants, give them up to 6 hours a day of sun. They should also do well with bright, indirect light. These perennial plants are drought tolerant and only need water once a month or so. In summer they get wide, flat sprays of flowers that make me think of Queen Anne’s Lace. Blooms are produced on the tips of their branches. Flower color can vary from white to yellow. Visit my website at www.theGardenPages.com to see photos. Crassula are hardy to 40 degrees. In my garden they have survived light dustings of frost. But all that water stored in their leaves and branches will freeze if they are exposed to cold temperatures for very long.

Crassula are easily propagated by cuttings so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a lot of plants. These plants branch at the tips and can get a little top heavy. Trim the tops to create more succulents for your landscape. If you plant the cutting straight up, it will continue to grow that way. If you place a cutting on its side, the cutting will develop roots along the branch and form several plants. In my yard, the dog sometimes knocks off a few branches here and there. Those branches take root with no help from me, thank you. So, I’m slowly getting bigger groups of Crassula growing around the yard with no time or effort from me, cool deal.

Xeriscaping with drought tolerant cactus and succulent plants has become popular out here in the arid southwest. My crassula are growing in both full sun and shade, in heavy alkaline, clay soil. They are poking up around my cactus and their fluffy branches provide a nice contrast to the flat green cactus pads. They get watered once a month (if I remember ). They’re pretty, carefree and always look green when everything else has fried. If you think you have a brown thumb, this is the plant for you!

Laura Zinkan tends a gardening website at http://www.theGardenPages.com where you can read growing tips and lore about succulents and native plants. Drop by to smell the flowers, see lots of photos and even download garden wallpapers. Laura is a busy mom with a small yard in southern California so she expects a lot out of her plants. She also has a site called http://www.AngelCityArt.com where you can share her vision of Los Angeles and California with photos and essays. Copyright © 2005 by Laura Zinkan. Proper credit must be given with reprints of this article. All rights reserved under U.S. and international law.

This is a simple to do project that will get you fantastic compliments. You will be asked to “make some for me please”. When you hear that you know you did it right!

Getting started.. You will need your usual cement, sand and water. Or you can get a sack of redi mixed concrete for your first one. Once you see the result you will want to make more. That means that you will need to mix your own concrete. Redi-mix can get a little expensive.

You will need enough 2” x 4” lumber to build a mold. That means if you want a paver that is 18” square you need enough lumber to frame it up. Make a frame with your 2 x 4’s and to make it easy to get your stepping stone out I suggest you use screws to assemble it. When you want to take it off you just take out a few screws. This saves a lot of aggravation. . (A note here – You should not make these any larger than 24” square. They will be very heavy! Even if you make them 2” thick it will be difficult to move them alone without a cart or wagon.)

Now place your frame on a flat surface that you have covered with a sheet of plastic. Next line the inside of your mold with plastic. I use a garbage bag that I have cut so that it is a single sheet. Once you have done this find a leaf or two, depending on the size of your mold. Using your artistic instinct place the leaves in the mold. Have you got them just right?

Mix and pour your concrete on top of the leaves. Wait a couple of days and unscrew the form. I turn the form over before I unscrew it so I can take the plastic off without damaging the still “green” concrete. You might want to leave the plastic for a couple of days. If you are like me you will want to “see how it looks” and will pull the plastic off as soon as the form is out of the way. Be careful! More than one stone has been spoiled this way. Let the paver sit, keeping it damp for about a week. You will be able to wash the leaf out of the concrete with a garden hose. If it does not all come out, don’t worry you can get the rest later when the stone set up more.

These stones look great and each one is a little different so they are truly unique. Once you have seen how good they look you will want to go into full production. I have seen people start with a couple and finish with a complete patio done this way. Others have done driveways! They all looked terrific!

Go ahead and do a test stone today. You will love it.

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn. All rights reserved.

Author - Del Germyn Web site http://www.delsmolds.com

My web site is setup to help you and I learn more about molds and casting in general.

YOU WILL FIND….

Articles on how to mix your concrete, hypertufa, etc for different uses.

Free information on how to make your own molds. Tips and hints on their use and care.

Free information on making and using various types of molds to cast concrete, plaster, cement, ceramics, and molding with hypertufa.

Suggestions for projects that you can do in a couple of hours that will make your yard / garden look great.

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Dill is one of the easiest herbs to grow and would make a great first herb for someone who has never grown herbs before. You’ll find lots of uses for both the fronds and the seeds in the kitchen. A sprig of dill will perk up almost any soup, salad, or main dish. You can buy transplants at your local garden center, but there is no need because dill is easy to grow from seeds. You won’t even have to start them indoors - just plant your dill seeds right in the garden where you want them to grow.

When to Plant

Dill likes to be planted in cool weather. In warm winter areas that don’t experience a hard frost, you can plant dill in fall or winter. In cooler areas, plant dill a week or two before your last hard frost. After the first sowing, plant again every 10 days or so for a continuous crop.

When growing in containers, use a deep container to accommodate the long roots, and remember that you will eventually have a plant that is three feet tall. Plants grown in containers may require staking.

Cultivation

- Here are a few suggestions to start you on your way to a healthy crop of dill:

- Dill, like most herbs, loves to bask in the sun, but will tolerate afternoon shade.

- Dill grows up to 3 feet tall, so plant it in the back of your flower, vegetable or herb garden.

- Sow seeds close together. This will allow the plants, which blow over easily to support each other.

- Cover the seeds lightly, and allow a week or two for them to germinate.

- For a continuous crop, sow repeatedly from mid spring to early summer.

- Don’t plant near caraway, fennel or angelica.

- Caterpillars are fond of dill, and can be handpicked if they become a nuisance.

Harvesting and Preserving

The best way to use dill is fresh from the garden, so during the growing season, cut your dill to use fresh as you need it. If not kept cut, your dill will go to seed, so cut often until you are ready to switch to seed production.

If you find that you have cut more than you can use, dry the excess in the microwave. Spread the dill in a single layer on a paper towel and microwave on high for 3 minutes. The result is beautiful and tasty - much better than dried dill you buy in the grocery store. After microwaving, remove and discard the hard stems, crumble the leaves, and store in an airtight container protected from light.

Once seedheads begin to form, it’s time to stop cutting dill for fresh use. Allow the seedheads to develop and dry completely, then cut them. You’ll be able to remove the seeds easily with your fingers.

Medicinal Uses:

To brew a stomach-soothing tea, use two teaspoons of mashed seeds per cup of boiling water. Steep for ten minutes. Drink up to three cups a day. In a tincture, take 1/2 to 1 teaspoon up to three times a day. To treat colic or gas in children under two, give small amounts of a weak tea. Many herbalists recommend combining dill and fennel to ease colic in infants.`

Culinary Uses

The taste of dill leaves resembles that of caraway, while the seeds are pungent and aromatic. Freshly cut, chopped leaves enhance the flavor of dips, herb butter, soups, salads, fish dishes, and salads. The seeds are used in pickling and can also improve the taste of roasts, stews and vegetables. Try grinding the seeds to use as a salt substitute. Both the flowering heads and seeds are used in flavored vinegars and oils.

Jackie Carroll is the editor of GardenGuides.com, a leading internet destination for gardeners, and GardenGuidesKids.com.

http://www.gardenguides.com

http://www.gardenguideskids.com