DIY concrete hanging birdbath with river rocks, Digi Mart USA News: You do not necessarily need an expensive birdbath or fancy feeder to attract birds to your garden. According to a Dwell and House Digest article, a homemade hanging birdbath can be built from basic materials including concrete, play sand, river rocks and rope.
The design was inspired by an Instagram creator, @innergoodsworcester, who is based in Massachusetts and described the piece as built to handle winter weather year after year.
The project starts with a mold. The source describes rolling out a tarp or old blanket, spreading play sand on top, and shaping it into a shallow bowl by hand.
Rocks are then arranged in the desired pattern, mainly in the bowl section, and pushed into the sand. The source notes that stones could also be placed along the outer ridge.
Next, a mixture of concrete, perlite and chopped fiberglass is prepared in a large bucket and poured over the sand with an old cup or scoop until the structure is thick and sturdy with no holes or gaps at the bottom. The base is then left to cure for about 48 hours.
To hang the finished piece, the source describes attaching three sections of rope, each made of two strands, tied into thick knots underneath the birdbath to support the weight of the concrete. It can then be hung from a hook.
The source also advises filling the bath with water to a maximum depth of 1 to 2 inches, keeping the edges dry and replacing the water each day.
The design can be customised with moss, plants, soil and gravel in the basin, or with decorative items such as fairy garden accessories. The source gives example prices of a 50-pound bag of QUIKRETE Play Sand at roughly $6 at Lowe’s and Fairy Garden Mini Garden Decor packs at $1.50 each at Dollar Tree.
These prices are as reported in the source and may have changed.
