The Quick & Easy Mushroom DIY That Will Look So Adorable In Your Yard

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Mushroom-shaped decor isn't going anywhere anytime soon; fun fungal pieces are still popping up all over the place, from leading design fairs like Maison de Objet in Paris to Amazon's virtual shelves. It's no surprise, then, that ornamental mushrooms are also taking over their natural habitat: the garden. A cluster of toadstools sprouting from a planter is undeniably magical, after all. And it just so happens that making shroomy yard art is easy. Pour some cement into hollows in sand or soil and press in some sticks. Once the concrete is dry, paint the caps in any hue you wish. Don't forget the polka dots! Then, stick the mushrooms into patio planters filled with bright flowering shrubs or directly into your garden beds.

Mushroom varieties you can grow at home are cool and all, but they're not something you cultivate just for looks. To make whimsical forever-shrooms, get a large bowl or tray, some builders sand — a 50-pound bag of NorthRock Paver Leveling Sand costs about $67 — or fine potting soil, and some quick-dry cement, like this 10-pound bag of QUIKRETE Construction Grade Mortar Mix for about $22. Head out into your yard to forage for some sticks or thin branches of varying lengths. Don't have trees or shrubs in your backyard or garden on a balcony? A pack of 40 Amosfun 7.8 and 11 Inch Long Natural Twigs costs less than $16. You can use any old paint you have lying around to decorate your mushrooms; weatherproof your creations using Mod Podge or a similar spray or paint-on sealer. Alternatively, invest in a set of waterproof craft paint.

Pour sand into your bowl or tray. Add a splash of water and mix. Make deep, angular hollows in the sand with your hand for elongated ink cap-style mushrooms or, if you prefer something more uniform, press a large soup ladle into the sand. Mix the cement according to the manufacturer's instructions and pour it into the hollows. Once it's a little tacky but not yet dry, push a twig into each mushroom cap, level the surface, and use a wooden skewer to draw gills. Wait 24 to 48 hours for the cement to dry completely, and pull your mushrooms out of the sand by their stems (the twigs).

Paint them in your favorite hues, dotting on the white spots with a sponge. For a more natural vibe, observe the common mushrooms that grow on trees in your yard and replicate their patterns and colors in paint. If you don't like the idea of sand (or potting soil, if you used that) sticking to the concrete, line the holes with newspaper or plastic sheets before pouring it in. Make giant mushrooms directly in the ground by digging a hole in the soil of a garden bed or your lawn, lining it with plastic sheet, and pouting in the concrete. Make teeny mushrooms using individual small bowls, wine goblets, or even egg shell halves (sit them in egg holders to keep them upright) for the molds. Real, untreated sticks will eventually rot. Instead, push a long screw into the wet concrete cap. Then you can easily replace whatever rotten stems with new ones.