HOW TO MAKE STEPPING STONES FOR THE GARDEN

Stepping stones can be used in many ways in the garden either as a complete path or more informally to reach into a large flowerbed without treading on soil. While you can buy stepping stones from a garden center they are relatively easy to make as Kathy Woodard explains in her article which I found on The Garden Glove website.

Stepping stones in a garden can create a path or patio, or simply point the way on a visual trail through your garden. They make a great DIY project year round, and most can be easily done on a covered craft table or in a corner of the garage. This is a great project to get creative with and allow your personality, or the personality of your garden shine through. Here are our favorite DIY stepping stone projects, complete with instructions for creating your own.
Our Basic Stepping Stone Recipe

Portland Cement

Water

Mold

Release Agent (We use Pam)

Decorative elements

You can use almost anything as a mold, as long as it?s smooth and can release the stone once it?s cured. I like disposable plastic containers, becasue the stone will pop right out like ice cubes from a tray. You could line boxes with plastic wrap, use cake pans or even line nursery flats for large stones.? Trick we learned: if you are making a large stepping stone, or one that has a lot of detail and therefore not as thick, place a piece of chicken wire into the mold after you have poured or applied half the concrete. Then apply the rest of the concrete over the wire. This will strengthen your stones so they are less likely to crack. As you see in the photo below, partially burying the stones into gravel or soil will help protect the more delicate edges from breaking.

Starting with our feature photo above, this tutorial comes from The Mizelle Group and uses a rubber doormat to create the wonderful textured pattern in the stepping stone that you see above.

Next is one of our?favorites ? from Family Crafts, this tutorial takes you through using a leaf to create these garden stones that are more like natural art! Here are the?instructions.