"Fun with Hypertufa " May 21, 2005

Making Hypertufa :

A demonstration presented by

April Buckman of Garnett

(and Queen of Hypertufa)

The reddish-chocolate-colored mix looked like a mud pie in the making.

This morning at Toad Hollow Iris and Daylily Farm, April Buckman, of Garnett, stirred up her recipe:

3 parts peat moss

3 parts vermiculite or pearlite        

2 parts Portland cement

water

April gave the class as part of The Learning Connection.*

"Always wear gloves," April advised. "The cement will eat you up. You don't want construction-worker hands."

"Think brownie dough or thick cottage cheese," April said about the desired consistency.

"I kind of mix it like I mix a meatloaf and if you find a lump in your cement, squeeze it out."

She added a bit of red colorant to the mix.

Her mold was a plastic bowl. She had wrapped a plastic grocery bag around the bowl and duct-taped it. That's so the hypertufa won't stick to the bowl and the plastic bag also aids in removing the mold after the hypertufa has dried.

April started adding handfuls of the mixture along the bottom of the mold, until it was all covered. Here she makes a hole in what will become the bottom of the bowl.

After flattening the bottom so it will sit level, she covered the wet creation with plastic. "You want it to dry slowly," she said. It needs to dry for at least 24 hours before unmolding it.

It looks like a bundt cake.

Roger Heineken watches as April makes a drainage hole.

April used a cardboard box as the mold for this trough.

Hypertufa can be used as planters, birdbaths, or other decorations around the yard.

Decorations, such as tile or glass or shells can be added when creating the forms.

Toad Hollow Daylily Farm Open Houses:

Iris Tour: Mother's Day weekend.

Art in the Garden: Father's Day weekend

Daylily Tour: the last weekend in June through the next weekend.

*April Buckman's hypertufa class was sponsored by the Learning Connection, a non-profit education program. The Learning Connection offers a wide variety of classes taught by community members.

The Learning Connection is a community effort. About 50 people have volunteered to teach classes that are listed in the summer catalog.

In addition to classes, the Learning Connection, a United Way Agency, also operates the Emporia Farmers' Market and co-sponsors the Emporia Literacy Program.

For more information on the Learning Connection, contact Cheryl Patton, executive director, or Kim Stuchlik-Davis, catalog coordinator, at 620-343-6555 or 702 Commercial, Suite B-3, Emporia or by e-mail tlc@osprey.net.