As pretty as they are, let’s not ignore their practical importance: these concrete beauties allow a person to walk through their garden easily without worrying about hurting precious plants. You’ll be less likely to trip and crush a delicate plant if you are careful to walk only on the stepping stones.
– Square or round plastic containers – Vegetable oil – Foam brush – Dry repair concrete – Wheelbarrow or bucket for mixing concrete – Rubber gloves – Trowel – Leaves – Small rocks
Choose containers that will make a good size for a stepping stone. For round stones, use plastic plant trays. For square or rectangular stones, use plastic food storage containers. Choose leaves with interesting shapes, strong veins, and defined edges.
Use the foam brush to spread the vegetable oil around the inside of the container and on the vein side of the leaf.
Mix repair concrete (concrete without large pieces of gravel) as per the instructions on the bag using the wheelbarrow, trowel, and rubber gloves. Pour the concrete into the molds and press the leaves, vein-side down, onto the concrete.
Weigh the leaves down with rocks or stones and allow them to sit for 24 hours. Cure as per the instructions on the concrete package and then unmold your stepping stones and place around the garden.
I weighed the leaves down with river stones removed them from the molds after 24 hours and, voila!