How to Make a Hosta Birdbath That Won't Crack

Cover your work surface with a large plastic tarp or several garbage bags to allow for easy cleanup.

Pour a 50-lb bag of playground sand into the middle of the tarp. Mix the sand with water until you reach a consistency that sticks together, but does not have pooling water on top. Add 1 to 2 cups of water at a time and stir the sand with your hands. Mound the sand up into a 12-inch tall, rounded hill. Cover the top of the mound with a layer of plastic wrap.

Place a 13-by-9-inch Hosta leaf on top of the mounded sand. Place the underside of the leaf up and the top of the leaf touching the sand. Adjust the placement of the sand underneath, if necessary, to accommodate the shape of the leaf.

Prepare a 10 pound bag of quickset concrete according to package directions. Only add enough water to create a pudding consistency. Start by adding the minimum water indicated on the package, stir the concrete and check the consistency. If you need more water, add it a half cup at a time. Concrete that is too wet has a greater chance of cracking when it sets. When preparing and working with concrete, wear a face mask to prevent respiratory irritation, eye protection to prevent dust particles in your eyes and rubber work gloves to protect your skin from the drying effects of the concrete.

Transfer the concrete from the bucket to the top of the sand mound and Hosta leaf. Use your hands to smooth the concrete onto the leaf, mounding the concrete to a three-quarter-inch thickness at the center of the leaf and one-quarter-inch at the edges. Press the concrete against the leaf to pick up the details of the leaf's veins.

Cover the mounded concrete with a piece 18-by-12-inch piece of canvas. Soak the canvas in water and wring out the excess liquid. You want the canvas damp, not soaked. Place it on top of the concrete.

Allow the concrete to cure and set for 7 days. During this time, keep the canvas damp. Remove the canvas once a day, or more often if necessary, and soak it in water. Wring the excess water out and place the damp canvas back on the concrete.

Remove the canvas cover at the end of the week. Gently lift the concrete structure off the sand mound. Remove the leaf from the inside of the concrete and discard it. Place the concrete birdbath upright for another 72 hours to complete the curing process.

Place the completed birdbath in your garden. Either place it directly on the ground or set it one a concrete, store-bought base.