Those who appreciate the beauty of the environment are faced with a notable conundrum: how to hide covers well in their plot. As if on purpose, the covers of sewage wells, water treatment wells and rainwater collection wells are often located in the representative area, which is supposed to be the most beautiful.
So I asked for help Lina Puodžiūtė, landscape architectto share their experience and advice on the matter. Lina also teaches courses «My garden project»where you can learn even more tricks to create a beautiful environment in your property. So let’s start the journey to the destination with this video report, where we create an example of a specific plot:
A vase with geraniums on the lid: is it really the best solution?
We want to cover the manhole, not make it stand out. So, if our aim is to hide this part of the garden, it’s best to choose more subtle plants and color mixes. Suitable options include green and gray tones that don’t attract too much attention. On the other hand, if you select bright flowers in a pot and place them on top of the well cover, you will not only fail to conceal it but will also draw everyone’s eye to it. This situation is quite common in our country.
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the most spectacular plants at the Chelsea Flower ShowIf you really wish to use a vase with flowers, I suggest following the principle of drawing attention directly. If you place a pot of red geranium a few feet away from the lid, people will focus on the vibrant, real plant, and the lid will likely go unnoticed. The outcome is what we wanted: a clever way to manage the yard.
By the way, if you are interested in learning more tips on how to plan your space wisely and avoid mistakes, we invite you to join the landscaping course «My garden project,» which is offered in the main cities of Lithuania.
Or hide the covers well with junipers?
This is a very popular method among us: planting a plant near the hedge, which over time will hide the hedge under its lush leaves or branches. Often juniper is chosen for this purpose. It would seem very convenient: the needle slides over the well lid and covers the entire surface, no problem. Plus, it’s green all year round.
However, L. Puodžiūtė noted several disadvantages of this option during his work practice:
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Crop Rotation: How to Apply It Generally in Your Garden- Juniper tree branchas time passes it becomes increasingly difficult to remove them from the well cover when it is necessary to access the well to carry out maintenance work;
- Why the juniper is starving its thorns tear the skin of the hands. When it is necessary to lift the well cover, we are faced with the truly unpleasant process of moving that juniper to the side;
- Why the juniper grows wherever it wantsand not where we want… If you expect the juniper to branch laterally to the lid and cover it well, that won’t necessarily happen. Practice has shown that sometimes it is the other way around, so the juniper does not cover the entire roof and maintenance becomes more and more complicated.
What is the best place to plan hedges: in a flower garden, on a lawn or on a pavement
If you are simply creating or renovating your plot, where there is good cover, L. Puodžiūtė recommends planning an area with decorative plants. This is convenient because it will be easy to access the well, and the composition of properly selected plants will cover one or more covers from the main viewing angle.
Of course, another solution is also possible: incorporating the covers into the lawn or paving stones. However, according to Lina, this is irrational. Your lawn is likely to be difficult to mow, especially if the cover is raised or if it is larger. Furthermore, he will see well. In addition, in sanitary pads of any size, the cover will be bright.
Therefore, a great solution is to incorporate them into a flower garden, greenery or any decorative plant area. This is particularly relevant at the entrance to the construction site (see an example in the video report), where you want to make a good first impression.
An example of how to hide covers well in a flower garden
Let’s analyze this example in more detail: what plants are used, what principles are applied – perhaps it will become a source of inspiration for creating a camouflage composition of plants in your garden too.
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To transform bare boards into a cozy terrace / Yellow wheelbarrowFirst of all, when planning such an area, do not save space on the plot, because it will be necessary to accommodate many plants in order for flowering to last as long as possible and the area to be decorative throughout the year.
Perennial flowers and narrow-leaved herbs grow in the greenery. An excellent choice in the foreground are alums (lat. Heuchera), in this case the variety «Georgia peach». The deep red color looks amazing and they last so surprisingly long. Also, let’s remember the principle of diverting attention: everyone notices the brightness of alums, so it diverts attention from what is happening further in the greenery.
Alms goes well with corn millet (lat. Panicum virgatum), which has green leaves and slightly pink tips.
Deepening the composition, little by little the entire row of plants rises until it covers a sufficiently large coverage of water treatment plants. In addition to those already mentioned, the following plants were used to create the vegetal composition:
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Designing the Environment on an Empty Lot: Where to Start for Settlers- Salvia Nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
- Deschampsia Cespitosa ‘Goldtau’
- Achillea Millefolium ‘Cherry Queen’
- Echinacea purpurea ‘Pink Poodle’
- Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) ‘Alba’
- Varpotasi liatris (Liatris spicata)
- Koeleria glauca (Koeleria glauca)
- Simple black cohosh ‘Atropurpurea’
- Raudonžiedis snaputis (Blood Geranium) ‘Max Frei’
- Pennisetum alopecuroides (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
The list of plants is really long, it’s not even complete here: watch the video report and you’ll see how it looks live. And such a long list of plants is necessary to ensure that the blooms in this area last from early spring to late autumn, and thus our goal of hiding the covers well is achieved.
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