Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Pretty Factor


A.k.a. by TPF which translates into how certain people or things get away with things. An example is how the pretty girl in school is able to score extra time completing an assignment or how a coworker gets away with hour long lunches.
In this case TPF refers to the method that hubby used to help negate the fact there is this two 55 gallon barrels collecting water sitting in the end of my driveway. It's not illegal to have rain barrels in our city but we prefer not to broadcast our rain collection efforts.
Still need to paint the barrels gray to match the foundation although I haven't had good results with the paint staying past a few months. I also want to attach more lattice to the barrels in the sides & front.

A second advantage is that once plants start growing up the trellis there will be a sound damping effect. Directly across from those barrels about 18' is the backdoor of neighbor. He & his have been getting pretty loud lately. Since we share a driveway sounds bounces between the two houses and is amplified.

 On a side note the pale green with tiny yellow flowers is a ground cover that appeared 8 years ago in the backyard. This year I've dug it up & re potted it for both selling and to use in a future garden project. Anyone have any idea what it is ? It is similar to a jade plant.

Behind all those 2" pots of ground cover is my Stevia plant and another widow box planter with Nasturtiums and Kentucky Wonder Poll planted.

In the background behind the greenhouse is a neighbor's Walnut tree that blocks sun when we have it. Today it's that day it's cloudy & raining.





I should point out that originally Woodsrunner just started out to build a platform to elevate the rain barrels so I could slip the watering can underneath the spigots.
Then I suggested a trellis but sold it to him an another area to grow food in.  Hence the cucumber and the companion planting of marigold for bug control and later pole beans when they sprout.

Follow this link to my husbands blog where he gives details on the building rain barrels.


~~ pelenaka ~~

4 comments:

  1. The groundcover looks like sedum to me...look up Sedum sexangulare or Sedum acre. Nice rain barrels! Maybe I will paint ours white...it's horrible green plastic.

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  2. I'll look it up online thanks.

    Beware about painting the barrels despite ruff'n them one with a bit of sandpaper then using that special spray paint for plastic there was issues with adherence. At least for me here in NY with our winters.

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  3. I just saw a planter top rain barrel for $99 at the local garden shop....way to savvy up the yard on the cheap.

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  4. Thanks Jo, yeah I saw one @ Tractor Supply cute very cute howe it had a self watering planter built in then I glanced @ teh price. Not so cute.

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Thanks, good to know there are other's with this interest