We needed a solution for the bottom of our deck stairs where grass wouldn’t grow but we didn’t want to keep stepping the dirt. Looking into ideas for DIY stepping stones I saw the idea to make giant leaf stones and was instantly obsessed. We have a huge rhubarb plant that grows next to garden hose so when it was ready harvest I knew exactly what to do.
This was a cheap and easy DIY with beautiful results! Let me know if you try it out!
Supplies:
- Large leaves
- Concrete Mix
- Bucket
- Stir stick
- Gloves
- Trowel
- Drywall Tape
- Large piece of cardboard or tarp
The Process:
Step 1
Choose and your leaves. I used rhubarb leaves from the garden, but any large leaf will work!
(I always pull rhubarb stalks straight out of the ground when harvesting instead of cutting. Cut the leaves off the top and use the stalks fresh or slice and freeze for recipes.)
Step 2
Set up your space. Rinse the dirt off of your leaves and set up a space to work, laying the them face down on a large piece of cardboard/tarp/whatever you have.
Step 3
Mix your concrete according to package directions
Step 4
Using a trowel, spread an even first layer of concrete over back the leaves.
Step 5
Cut pieces of drywall tape and criss-cross them over the stone to add strength.
Step 6
Cover with another layer of concrete. (Make it thicker than I did- see update at the end!)
Step 7
Slap them, wiggle and shake the cardboard underneath to vibrate the concrete mix and pop any air bubbles!
Step 8
Allow to fully cure.
Step 9
Flip them over and pull off the leaf. Toothpicks can help pull out leaf fragments from small gaps, but they will also decompose over time so don’t worry if you can’t get it all out!
Here they are in place! We’re still going to keep trying to grow some grass around them, maybe without the kids walking all over the seed we can finally get it to grow.
UPDATE:
My kids broke all of my stepping stones into pieces.
But I did love the way they looked, so I’m going to experiment with making them thicker and also adding a concrete strengthener to the mix. I’ll report back with my findings!
