Water Lily Planter From Cement

If you like flowers and decorating everything around you,

if you like the sight of lilies on water, especially Nymphae Marliacea Chromatella or Monet's Nympheas, and
if you only have access to simple materials for your creativity, then
You can decorate your garden (not only your own garden and not only the garden) by making a Water Lily Planter of your own in various colors!
Instead of water, the grass of the lawn will serve as the smooth surface for your lily.

Such a Water Lily Planter looks beautiful not only on a lawn, but also on any hard surface in the yard or inside the house. It will delight you with its bloom, even in winter.

The Water Lily planter consists of a circular base, with a reinforced mesh inside and with several rows of cement petals attached to its base in the shape of a circle. The inner row of petals form a pot for planting and in the center of the cement base there are 4 holes which allow for water flow.

• cement (preferably high strength);
• sand (fine, without stones);
• paints: acrylic water-based white exterior paint + lemon colorant, yellow paint;
• PVA glue;
• acrylic lacquer;
• films: food film, poly-film;
• thick fabric (jeans);
• plastic bottle (shampoo for example) with a curved shape for the formation of petal molds;
• plastic bowl (as mold): bottom diameter 25 cm, top diameter 32 cm, height 15 cm;
• plastic container for flowers with many holes in the bottom (as a support for the petals): bottom diameter 10 cm, top diameter 12 cm, height 10 cm;
• 4 sticks: 7 cm long and 1 cm thick (to form holes in the planter, the thickness should not be larger than the holes in the bottom of the plastic container);
• a piece of reinforcing mesh, 14 × 14 cm (size depends on the size of the bottom of the plastic bowl);
• sandpaper;
• strong rope, 1 m;
• elastic rope, 50 cm (for fixing the inner petals);
• sprayer;
• brush (with a long handle);
• scotch tape;
• trays (or just a hard, flat surface);
• paper / cardboard;
• scissors;
• pen / pencil;
• ruler;
• knife / blade;
• water without impurities;
• trowel for mixing sand, cement;
• rubber gloves;
• containers for mixing cement, sand, paints.

For this step you need: paper / cardboard, pen / pencil, ruler, scissors, fabric.

Make a pattern out of paper / cardboard in the shape of future petals: length 15.5 cm, width 6 cm.

Then using a pattern, cut out the petals out of fabric.

The number of petals depends on the size of the plastic bowl. For the form with a bottom diameter of 25 cm, top diameter of 32 cm and 15 cm high, 29 petals should be made.

You need: sand, water, a plastic bottle with a curved shape, food film, trays or a solid flat surface, rubber gloves.

Moisten the sand and lay it on a flat hard surface, cover it with food film and press down using a plastic curvy bottle to make the molds for the petals. Straighten the food film in the form so that the wrinkles are like streaks.

In total, you need to make 29 molds (as many as your fabric petals).

You need: cement, sand, water, fabric petals and molds made from sand made in the previous stages, food film, knife / blade, sandpaper, rubber gloves.

Knead the cement solution: 1 part of cement + 1 parts of sand + water to get a solution as on the photo.

Dip each fabric petal into the cement solution and lay them neatly and precisely in the sand molds. If the molds are narrow, then first pour a spoonful of cement into it, and then lay a fabric petal dunk in the cement.

Cover the cement petals with film so the drying will be slow.

If the edges of the petals are not even, then cut off the excess with a sharp knife or blade, when the cement hardens a little.

2-3 times every 6-8 hours spray some water on the cement petals and cover with film again. This will make the petals stronger. Wait for them to dry well.

Take out the petals from the molds. Ground edges and irregularities with sandpaper. Wash off cement dust with water.

You need: a plastic bowl, a plastic container for flowers, 4 sticks, a piece of reinforcing mesh, a rope, a film, cement, sand, water, cement petals made in the previous step, an elastic rope, rubber gloves.

Put the plastic flowers pot in the center of the reinforcing mesh so that the 4 holes do not intersect with the grid bars (these holes are needed for insert sticks to form water evacuation holes), and the other 4 holes intersect (these holes are needed to attach ropes to the wire mesh for easy removal from the mold). Mark this position.

Cut the rope in two and tie to the reinforcing mesh in 4 places, threading them through the holes in the plant container.

Lay the film in the plastic bowl (mold for cement base of Water Lily Planter).

Prepare cement mortar (from sand, cement and water) and pour it into the bowl with a thickness of 5 cm. Shake the bowl gently to remove air bubbles of the cement mortar and avoid holes at the bottom.

Put the reinforcing mesh with a container tied to it in the center. Immerse the reinforcing mesh at the center of the cement base.

Put the pot on the surface of the cement base. Thanks to the attached threads, the container does not shift from the previously noted position. Insert 4 sticks into the holes. Check whether the sticks have reached the bottom, measuring the protruding end of sticks – it should be 2 cm.

Stick in the cement base the first row of petals around the pot - 8 pieces. Fix them with the elastic rope. Then stick the second row of petals - 8 pcs, then the third row - 13 pcs. The third row of petals leans on the outer edge of the plastic bowl.

Cover with film and leave to harden and dry for 2 days.

After the final drying, remove the elastic rope, cut other ropes and remove the container.

There will be gaps between each petal of the inner row. As you don’t want soil or water to flow away through those holes, you must fill them. Use film to fill the outer part of the row and use cement mortar to fill in the holes.

Remove the film after drying.

You need: PVA glue, brush, adhesive tape, paints, glass for mixing paints, Water Lily Planter made during the previous steps.

„Paint” the petals with white glue. Wait until it dries.

Since I like the contrast between the color of the cement and the painted parts, I decided to leave the base of the Water Lily Planter unpainted. To get such contrast cover the base with tape.

Paint the petals with white paint. Start to paint from the middle of the Water Lily Planter and the bottom of the petals. Apply two coats of paint.

Add lemon colorant to white paint and color the petals. Use yellow paint too.

Wait for the paint to dry.

To further protect the paint from the effects of rain apply an acrylic varnish.

Wait for everything to dry completely.

Remove the tape from the base of Water Lily Planter.

You need: soil, flowers, water, Water Lily Planter made during the previous steps.

Pour the soil into the center of Water Lily Planter and plant the flowers.

Transfer Water Lily Planter to any place you like, holding it by solid cement base.