GARDEN FEATURES OF SYNTHETIC STONE 
EDWIN K. BORCHARD 
Acknowledged the Dominant Material of the Age in Which We Live, Concrete 
Has Possibilities for the Artist Which Are as Yet Almost Unsuspected 
useful purpose where low cost is a consideration, and where 
the piece is more or less masked by shrubbery or plantings. 
But the best decorative concrete is made in a quite different 
manner than that just described. A few manufacturers 
assuming for their workshops sometimes the name of “studio" 
and really deserving such a designation — put just as much care 
and artistry into their product as goes into a fine marble or 
bronze. 
For after coming from the mould concrete may be scrubbed, 
ground, and polished — or best of all, tooled and carved — in ex- 
actly the same manner as marble or granite. The object of 
any of these processes is to remove the dull, lifeless and artificial- 
looking film or skin of cement from the surface. When this is 
done the true color and stone-like texture is revealed in all its 
beauty. There is moreover no mistaking the appearance of 
concrete so treated; so if the question of how to distinguish 
between the good and the not-good arises, let it be remembered 
that the fine work shows a sharpness and fineness of edges and 
detail and, upon close examination, minute particles of the stone 
used for mixing with the cement will be seen embedded in the 
matrix of cement. This is a sure indication for pieces brushed 
or ground after moulding, while for the carved pieces the marks 
of the tooling will be readily seen. 
When we speak of tooling and carving, the object of using 
ECAUSE of the nature of the material composing it, 
synthetic stone or cast stone (which are the names 
applied to concrete in its finer or ornamental forms) 
not only resembles natural stone, but actually is stone. 
Let us understand this thoroughly. Portland cement is pul- 
verized rock so treated that it has the property of temporary 
plasticity, afterward again becoming stone. The worker in 
ornamental concrete takes ground marble and marble chips or 
ground limestone and chips, mixes them with this portland 
cement in gray or white depending upon the color required, and 
the resulting material really is stone itself. Thus, it is apparent 
that cast stone ornaments are not imitations of stone, nor indeed 
intended to be, but are stone itself, cast instead of carved 
to the required form. Hence it is a perfectly sincere and legiti- 
mate medium for the artist, provided it is sincerely and legiti- 
mately — that is, frankly — used. 
Obviously this property of plasticity brings cast stone garden 
pieces within the reach of owners of the tiniest and simplest 
of gardens. No large blocks of stone need to be shipped from 
quarry to cutting yard, and the costly hours of patient cutting 
and chiselling are eliminated; vet the artist is as .essential of 
course, as ever. The artist recognizes above all else — or first 
of all — the limitations of any medium, and knows intuitively 
how to practice restraint. He knows that groups or figures from 
life, unless in conventionalized 
form, should be avoided in 
such a medium as synthetic 
stone, at present anyway. Per- 
haps as the art of moulding it 
progresses, we shall some day 
have replicas in synthetic stone 
of beautiful pieces of sculpture 
just as we already have them 
in bronze. But until then it 
is best to confine ourselves to 
the vases, benches, columns, 
pediments and the like which 
offer ample opportunity with- 
out subtle pitfalls. 
Even thus, there are good 
and bad pieces in synthetic 
stone — not bad in the sense of 
quality or permanence but bad 
art. The cheaper pieces fall 
short on the score of appear- 
ance. This is because to 
achieve cheapness, output 
must be great, hence such 
pieces are turned out in a 
purely mechanical way, often 
bv the manufacturers of con- 
crete building blocks! They 
are not claimed nor expected 
to be other than a machine- 
made product, are sold just as 
they come from the moulds, 
and hence are characterized by 
smooth, lifeless appearance, 
with little clear-cut detail or 
ornamentation. 
Such pieces may serve a 
PERGOLA COLUMNS, PAVEMENT SYMBOLS, AND A SUGGESTION OF PAGAN ALTAR 
Developed in synthetic stone of warm ivory tint and planted with aspiring upright Juniper, and the suggestive 
Vine, reconstruct the atmosphere of a prehistoric temple as well as create a lovely garden shrine for to-day 
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