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Show me your butts

debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
edited May 2021 in Problem solving
Hi all, I have A dilemma I really want a water butt as I have hard water and plants which require rainwater to flourish but the only place I could put a water butt is on my patio so is there any way to disguise a large grey plastic butt? 
If any of you have photos or ideas of how to make it less obtrusive please let me know thank you
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  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    You can get smaller posh ones,they arent cheap,ones with planters to pretty them up, barrels. I used to be really annoyed by then got 6, now and I don't care anymore, guess you. Could get some kind of screening roll
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    The posh ones are too expensive. I did look but nearly £200!!! 
    I was thinking of a shallow pot on top of the butt with trailing plants? And tall pots around the base? 
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    debs64  Surely the answer is to buy ugly and cheap, then obscure it with trellis, a timber box, stonework built up round it, or similar.  I know there are adhesive vinyls available for prettying up garage doors etc. so I imagine there are smaller ones for the type of job you have?
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    As long as you or someone can make the hole for a tap,you can use pretty much anything as a water butt
  • Jack1974Jack1974 Posts: 61
    Nanny Beach said:
    You can get smaller posh ones,they arent cheap,ones with planters to pretty them up, barrels. I used to be really annoyed by then got 6, now and I don't care anymore, guess you. Could get some kind of screening roll
    Hi Nanny, Please could you post a link? Thank you.
  • Mr. Vine EyeMr. Vine Eye Posts: 2,394
    I was looking at this and the difference in price between the cheap standard ones and the decorative ones was too much.

    Decided id go cheap and then wrap something around them to hide them if need be, but actually they're fine.

    A good solution if you have space is to  put potted plants around them, then they just sort of blend in. That's what I've done at the front of the house.
    East Yorkshire
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    No idea how to sorry I just typed in water butts trawl through looking at prices. If I was worried about asthetics, how about second hand shops, reclamation yards,metal animal feed storage,milk pails
  • NorthernJoeNorthernJoe Posts: 660
    The water supplied by an ugly butt will make the rest of your garden look great. Small price to pay i reckon. Get an ugly butt then save up for a beautiful butt to replace it if that bothers you.

    Personally I like them because it's a greener way to garden and I'm getting free water.  Free anything makes me happy. I'm also not as bothered by aesthetics as there's enough ugly things around in our garden anyway.

    Several ugly tree stumps,  I'm not a fan of the window fronted wooden summerhouse and I think greenhouses are fugly too. Although we're considering a solution to the greenhouse,  replace with a barrel sauna. They look nice and we'll actually make better use of it. Not a propagating gardener. Buy,  plant and help grow.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I put mine in my front hedge so it's more of less completely disguised. Not so easy for cleaning it out though.

    You can get mount mounted, flat, water butts, that look not so much like water butts. A neighbour has one and you wouldn't know what it was...
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I wrapped bamboo screening round mine in the courtyard when I opened for the NGS.
    Not entirely convinced on the aesthetics so when it got tatty a few years later, I binned it and now don't bother. Water butts do the job, you know they are there and your visitors know they are there, why hide them.
    Having said that, it does look a bit nicer with some tall plants in pots nearby, I've got miscanthus in one pot.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
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