9 Favorite Hypertufa Projects

Wow, did these succeed!

Sometimes when I'm making hypertufa I have what I think is a great idea, and it's a flop. Other times, I can't believe how well they turn out!

Here are the nine best successes with hypertufa in my short career as a hypertufarist.

Learning how to have patience while waiting for the pieces to cure properly is one thing; the staying power to wait and allow them to weather properly (which means, get moss on them) and for the plants to fill them and start to look happy is another.

Luckily, this exercise in patience is paying off.

Although some of these projects were made several years ago, it's only now that they are really showing their true colors; plants are established, and moss grows on the peat moss as the hypertufa wears away a bit.

The projects that get planted with tiny hardy succulents to suit the scale of the little mountain crag just keep getting better and better.

This is the ideal situation for Sempervivum, which love the 'tooth' of the rough surface, giving them something to grip to.

Hypertufa Fissures look like a mountain crag

Hypertufa Fissures resemble a mountain crag, complete with plants

The fissures and strata planters that I make are so pretty when filled with overflowing succulents.

Hypertufa Millstones

The different textures of the carved designs are so fun in combination.

Some of the millstones have round holes in the center, others square ones.

Laid flat on the ground, these can be planted too - or standing, they provide a peek-a-boo experience.

Larger sized pinch pot starting to grow moss

It takes a while for the moss to start to grow on this larger sized pinch pot - the first patches will be on the peat moss in the mix as it starts to decompose.

Pinch pots are actually made in a Ziploc bag, making this an ideal project to start with. Easy clean up for the win!

Strata Planters are a bit like the fissures, just built sideways instead of vertically.

Strata planters with the tiny Sempervivum squishing out from between the layers.

These are a fairly short lived way to plant these drought tolerant plants, after a lot of effort in building the project, but for satisfaction, these are at the top of the list.

Special wiggly twigs add such a great contrast to the rugged hypertufa in this twig handled basket

The driftwood twig is wired on to this basket formed creation. The wires are right inside the mix as it dried.

This basket lasted for a long time, with the twig gradually weathering more and more, but eventually, a few years later, succumbed to the elements. These are ephemeral crafts, not meant for the long term.

Hypertufa Toadstools - fun and interesting fungi

The stems of the toadstools are actually lengths of twig, which gives it a unique appearance (plus, I couldn't figure out how to make the stems from hypertufa).

See the link for more on how I made this project, and a few pivots along the way.

Thumb pots are like the baby version of pinch pots...

With just enough room for one tiny Sempervivum, thumb pots are the next size smaller to pinch pots

These are only about two to three inches across. Good for wedding favors which are short lived (most wedding guests don't know how to take care of these plants and overwater them!)

Funny faces are a great way to add humor to your garden - meet Mr. and Mrs. Grot

Grots actually scare off the weeds - you can see why! I've made several different types of Grots, these are the only ones that are planted. Here, they have Sedum which makes perfect hair, and Mr. has a Sempervivum for his spiffy do.