Workshop Scheduled

Cindy Miller of Trinity Productions and John Passander, past president of the Connecticut Orchid Society and member of Newtown Horticulture Club, will present a workshop on creating a hypertufa planter, Saturday, September 22, from 9 am to 1 pm, at 126 Hanover Road in Newtown.

A hypertufa planter is created by covering the exterior or interior of a mold (cardboard box, Styrofoam ice chest, plastic containers or pans, cat litter pans, etc) with a tufa mixture, and allowing it to dry. This type of planter will not freeze, crack, or break from the cold, unlike many cement or pottery planters.

“Hypertufa is the term used for a type of artificial stone. It was first created in the mid 19th Century by mixing sand, peat, various volcanic aggregates, and cement,” explained Ms Miller. “It’s relatively lightweight compared to stone or concrete and no matter how cold your winter temps may be, if properly cured, [hypertufa] is freeze proof,” she said.

Hypertufa is a substitute for the natural volcanic rock called “tufa,” used for making Alpine-style planting troughs. Natural deposits of tufa have been mostly depleted, according to Ms Miller.

Participants are asked to bring plastic gloves, a container mold of choice (materials supplied are based on a finished planter of approximately 12 by 14 by 6 inches in size), as well as a box lunch, and a snack to share.

Registration and payment of $25 (additional supplies charge may be applied if the planter is large) can be made by check, charge or PayPal to Trinity Productions, Box 8, Brookfield CT 06804. Directions will be mailed upon registration. Call 203-426-9448, send email to trinity@trinityproduction.org, or visit TrinityProduction.org for additional information.