Garden ⁄  Gardening Tips & Ideas

DIY Rhubarb Pavers

Create leaf-shaped garden pavers in just a day and use them to lay a stepping stone path in the lawn.
By Handyman Magazine

To make the pavers, take a simple concrete cast from rhubarb leaves.

Rhubarb leaves are a good choice for pavers because of their size.

As the pavers aren’t structural, use quick-set concrete, mixing it to a creamy consistency so it takes a detailed imprint from the thick and fibrous leaves.

Use tin snips to cut chicken wire mesh 30mm smaller all around than the leaves, embedding it in the concrete to reinforce the pavers.

Step 1. Spread the concrete

Step 1. Spread the concrete
Handyman Magazine

Position a rhubarb leaf vein-side up on a flat surface covered in newspaper.

To make the paver cast, mix quick-set concrete to a creamy consistency, then spread it over the leaf to at least 20mm thick using a trowel.

Add chicken wire mesh cut to size and apply another 20mm layer of concrete.

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Step 2. Finish the cast

Step 2. Finish the cast
Handyman Magazine

Leave the concrete to set, then once it is dry, peel away the rhubarb slowly and carefully, working from the edges in and then from the stem towards the top end.

TIP: Use an old kitchen knife to scrape out any pieces of leaf that remain in the surface of the concrete.

Step 3. Lay the pavers

Step 3. Lay the pavers
Handyman Magazine

Mark the locations of the pavers on the ground to create a pathway.

Lay the pavers as stepping stones directly onto packed-down soil.

In a grassy area, use a spade or mattock to cut out the paver outlines and remove the turf, spreading a 20mm layer of mortar to bed each paver in position.

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