Making Faux Rocks for My Landscape

Coloring my rock

As I've been planting and laying out my yard for our edible food forest and now more for the landscape design I want, I've been frustrated by the horrid St. Augustine grass and other weeds that constantly retake territory I've procured for myself.  SOOO, after looking into various edgings and blocks available at the builder supply stores, I kept coming back to wanting to create rock-scape planters, like those we had built around our pool when we lived in California.  Our whole pool was designed to look like a large pond surrounded by rock planters. I loved it!!

I began reading "how to" articles and watching loads of YouTube videos for ideas and to build my confidence to try to do these myself. I experimented with hypertufa pots with the idea of making varying sizes to encircle my garden beds.  They turned out alright, but I didn't really care for them enough to continue making more than the two I have some plants in. So after some preparing I began with my first "rock" made from two bags of cement that had hardened in our garage.  I built up the shape using a hypertufa mix and foam blocks.  I just kept adding small shovel full lumps around the foam and using my hands to press them all into a form I liked.  Once I got everything covered and shaped to my satisfaction, I took a large garbage bag and cut it so I could open it up completely to be able to cover my rock.  Hypertufa takes awhile to dry completely and it needs to remain damp so it dries and cures slowly.  I used canola oil spray on the side of the bag that would touch the hypertufa to ensure it didn't stick as the piece dried.  It took a good 2 weeks to completely dry, but I uncovered it after the first week.  I didn't bother carving it as I originally planned to add detail, because we thought it had acquired the look of coquina stone often found in Florida and liked the way it appeared.

Bags of hard cement recycled for my rock base

This is a recipe for Hypertufa - I didn't use acrylic fortifier or dyes on mine

My screen for cleaning the sticks and lumps in the peat moss

Pieces of styrofoam packing recycled for my rock

Using my hypertufa mix I began layering the foam and padding the pieces in with more mix

My Hypertufa Rock

So with this first rock finished, I began planning my next one.  I love the work of Moore Design I found on YouTube.  He has several videos with how to's and cement recipes so if you want to try this definitely check out his work. I needed some forms to build on and haven't found the broken cement pieces I'd like to, to be able to follow his examples.  Instead I decided to use some "trash" items that we were planning to take to the recycle center. An old helium tank found by the side of the road along our property and a large green sand tank that had been part of the water softener we had to replace.

Once Kevin had cleared the weeds and grass next to the planting bed I laid out my tanks.  I used Quikcrete builders cement to secure them in place and added broken foam pieces to add height and shape.  Once I got a basic shape I let that dry and then took a section of old chicken wire left by the former owners of this property to further cover the tanks and give the next layer of cement something to hold onto.  I then added a few pieces of broken cement we had here from a walk Kevin is working to replace as he works on a drainage problem we're having near the pool.  So I recycled all these items as part of my "rock",  Once I had a basic shape I let everything completely dry.

Kevin clearing the area and the bags I had of mulch I used to kill some grass before removing it

The tanks I placed down to recycle and add substance to my rock planter

The builders cement mix for holding the tanks and foam in place as the initial base of my planter

Not looking too pretty, but here's my base of tanks, foam chicken wire and cement

A closer look

I've added more cement and some broken cement pieces have been added for height and shape all covered now with a layer of cement to form my solid base

The next step was taken directly from the instructions in the Moore design video I gave a link to above. I used the 9 scoops of sand to 2 1/2 scoops of Portland Cement and only enough water to make it thick but not soupy. You need the cement to be workable, but thick enough to stay in place. I took handfuls with my gloved hands and covered the whole rock.  My initial piece was covered with fingerprints as a result.

The basic coat of finishing cement

You can see all my hand and finger prints in it as I placed the cement in place

I'm using a plastic bag to initially shaped and soften the rock and it's fingerprints

Some of my initial shaping

So to soften and shape this I took a plastic bag and began shaping and softening the rock edges. I used the side of my spade to cut into the cement to give some design elements to my initial work.

Once this had set to a semi hard piece, I then took the spade and old paint brush to cut in my rock elements and used the brush to soften the edges and remove the excess cement.  I think I went a bit overboard with my design work, but I am learning.  I used a steel brush to add a few pitted sections and then softened the areas I was a bit too ambitious on with the side of my plastic bag and the brush as the cement was still pliable yet firm enough to hold the work I was doing. I don't know if it was necessary, but I covered my rock with plastic the same way I had with the Hypertufa rock.  This cured far faster and by the next morning was completely set up.

This was my rock once it was dry.

Preparing to color the rock

I wet the whole rock first and added the charcoal and moss colors going back over with water to soften the edges and try to make it look more natural

And so here it is.  Maybe a bit too many details, but not bad for a first try.

My order of cement oxides arrived in the mail and I then set about to color my rock.  Again I used the suggestions from Moore Design for aging your rocks to color my piece.  I'm satisfied with the way it's turned out, but I can see areas for improving as I continue to learn how to do this.  I have loads of area to work on and expect one day to be a regular faux rock expert!!  (Insert BIG smile here)

Here's a closer look at the detail and color. I dry brushed a touch of white patio paint on some of the edges to give some additional highlights

In the meantime I'm keeping my eyes open for broken cement sources to make my job easier.  I also bought a load of builders sand as the bags of play sand from Lowes are too pricey for amounts I'll need as I continue to create my planters.  I'm truly excited to see how this will progress and work with the plants and eventually ponds and fountains I want to create. I'm also hoping these will make my life a bit easier in time by keeping the lawn separated from my planting beds.  Time will tell.

The first part of my rock planter on this side and they hypertufa rock is on the other side, now to continue building until I completely surround my planting beds

So what do you think?  I'll update as I make progress and my landscape takes shape.