Design Happens

Hello, Spring! How I’ve missed you!

Planting season is revving up now, and as the old adage goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” I can’t say I’m looking forward to rainy weather, but there are some advantages. This year I’m looking into creating a rain barrel system to collect that rainwater run-off and reuse it for the garden (saves money and is conservation-minded).

A coworker has a similar goal and posed a good question: “How should I decorate my barrels?” Those big old drums can be quite industrial looking and don’t always meld well with your yard’s natural splendor. I was doing some research on our sister site, Ecologue.com, on creating a rain barrel system and found this clever idea from eco-designer Michelle Kaufmann:

Basically, she masks her drum with the plants she’s hoping to water. You just need wire to wrap the barrel with and then some fast-growing, viny plants. Soon enough your rain barrel will be integrated into the landscape. (Check out her how-to video for more info.)

As for my coworker, he decided to let his son get creative with finger painting — it’ll definitely have a personal touch.

Do you have any other ideas for prettying up a rain barrel system?