Best Plant to cover a drain cover
The Friendly Otter
Posts: 2
We are blessed with an end of terrace house, a mere few feet away from the Canal. We are surrounded by wildlife, including, squirrels, Swans, Geese, and a wonderful "countryside" feeling. All this is however near the centre of a major city, and thus comes with a little background noise, and other minor issues.
The big problem, is that the main sewers for the area run through our meagre lawn, and we need to leave the inspection cover accessible, in case there is a need for man to get down into the depths of the system.We have been here for a few years and so far they have not needed access, but it is a requirement in our deeds.
I know most of these men are pretty strong, so I am thinking that a tub or two on top of the cover, would look a lot nicer than the cast iron and concrete.
However I can't think what to put in these tubs, as ideally a fragrant plant would help cover the odd day when the atmospherics are not good, and obviously the wrong plant and tub combination could make the cover more visible, and could increase the Hernia rate for the poor drain engineers.
So, any ideas for how to cover the unit, ideally a novel idea of a planter (I've thought of a an old galvanised washing bucket), and some nice plants that combine the physical distraction from the concrete and the steel, with the nasal distraction that occasionally becomes so important.
As our last house also had a drain cover, so I am assuming that this is a common problem, or this may be the reason why we can afford the houses we buy!
Posts
I had a similar situation in a previous house which was solved after building a deck. We positioned the steps down from it so that you came off the bottom step onto the drain cover.
However, up till then we did what you're thinking of. A collection of plants in containers. You can get resin pots now which are lighter than terracotta or stone so that might help when it comes to lifting. Another option is to make a wooden container the same size and put it on castors so that you can move it easily. Like a moving raised bed. You can plant it up in all sorts of ways then to suit your taste and the seasons. Even sweet peas in the summer to provide a good scent - and distraction!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
One thing I can guarantee you is that if you cover it in heavy pots, it won't be a workman who moves them! They will stand while you do...
Rather oddly, we don't even have a drain cover for the sewers in our garden. It was flagged by the surveyor when I bought the place. There is one in the gardens on either side!
We covered ours with the false plastic grass, bought a metre from the garden centre and cut it to size.
A while back, on one of the threads on here, someone posted a picture of a wooden box full of succulents - it looked great and would serve the purpose and not be too heavy to move.
Can anyone remember which thread it was on?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
..if you are able to plant something small in the ground next to the manhole cover, then a very cheap and simple solution can be achieved with one of these below... for about 6 months of the year. I would put a short but upright bird bath in the middle of the cover for all year round, one that's strong enough to withstand wind but not so strong that it couldn't easily be moved, or a little decorative feature like my mushroom below....
Geranium 'Mavis Simpson'.... planted as a small 9cm pot plant, it takes a couple of years to reach full vigour, it dies back to a crown of foliage in winter, evergreen, it spreads outwards from April onwards to about 5 foot width...best planted on the north side, so it grows southwards, easily trained over a cover and easily moved apart if need be...the tangled stems are very light... just grab hold, lift up and away... replace when finished. The actual plant here starts from the top of the photo, the rest downwards is all summer growth.. so I hope you can see what I mean...
Was it chicky's crate with the pot half buried? I wonder if it was on garden gallery...
Edit: maybe not, can't find it...
I can't either
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Does the plants grow through the ornamental bark which you can buy
In bags.?
this would be useful for the weight prospect. Others may know .