Make a leaf bird bath

[This story first appeared in the Dec14-Jan15 issue of Green Ideas magazine.]

You’ll need…

• Concrete, plus water for mixing
• Bucket to mix the concrete in
• A really big leaf
• Old plastic bag or sheet
• Rake (helpful but not necessary)

Step by step

Step 1

Pick a leaf from your veggie patch – choose one that’s as large as possible, ideally with deep veins. We used a broccoli leaf but a courgette or rhubarb leaf might work too.

Step 2

Rake up a mound of soil or damp sand to make a mould. Pat it into a shape that matches the size of your leaf, and make sure it’s curved enough that your bird bath will hold water.

Step 3

On top of your mound, place a plastic bag, old sheet or anything that will stop the soil mixing with the concrete.

Step 4

Place your leaf upside down on the bag. Shape and tuck the sides of the leaf downward to get a dish shape.

Step 5

Mix your concrete as per the instructions. We used around 1/4 of a 20kg bag but it will depend on the size of your leaf and how many you make

Step 6

Pour concrete on to the leaf, a bit at a time. You want full coverage, at least 1-1.5cm thick.

Step 7

Smooth out the concrete and add more if needed. Consider flattening an area in the middle of the leaf if you want to place the finished bird bath on a flat surface.

Step 8

Once dry (it’s best to leave it overnight), the leaf should pull away easily from the concrete. You can then paint or varnish the concrete – or simply pop it into a tree as-is – add water (or just seed) and enjoy some bird-watching!