I have a utility pole with a breaker box for the house on it about 2 feet from my back deck. It is an eye sore. Any suggestions on how to hide this hideous thing?
Hardiness Zone: 7a
By BSC from NC
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We have one of those too (as all mobile homes do) but, luckily, ours is in an area we rarely see.
Here's some ideas:
1) ORNAMENTAL GRASS:
Plant a tall ornamental grass with those big pink grass plumes (pampas grass) in front of your pole (about a 18 inches away) & maybe a second one behind it. When they grow they will cover your pole. They bloom all summer & fall & grow 5' to 7' tall!
2) TRELLIS & VINES:
Build or buy 2 - 4 identical trellises & stick them in the ground & plant ivy and/or a flowering evergreen vine on the trellises... I saw some black metal trellises at Joan Fabrics yesterday & they are 1/2 off ($12 ea). They come in all sizes & shapes. You could either use 4 thin trellises & place them all the way around the pole or use 2 wider trellises & place one on the back & one the front side. You can use plastic vines from the craft store until the real vines grow in.
3) EXPANDABLE FAUX IVY TRELLIS:
Here's something INSTANT, where you don't have to wait for it to grow:
www.improvementscatalog.com/
4) LATTICE: If it's only 2 feet from your deck, why not put lattice on that side of the deck? You don't have to cover the whole side, but you can at least put lattice in that one area. They sell cedar lattice in self-standing frames (or without the frames for 1/2 the price) & they also sell plastic lattice in many different colors at Home Depot. You could use construction fencing poles (they are instant & only need to be pounded into the ground) to hold up the lattice then zip-tie the lattice to the poles. But if you have rails around your deck, you can attach lattice to them to form a "wall".
* You'll need to be able to quickly gain access to the breakers in case of electrical fire inside the home, so don't completely cover it.
i painted the metal part that was planted in my garden. mom thought i was nuts, but it turned out great! no photo but it really was pretty. i painted it with sponges and all the colors were in the garden right near the metal pole. it reminded me of camouflage.
then when we moved to florida i painted the ugly water pump. again mom thought i was crazy. but it was brown the color of the fence and green like grass. turned out great so when we were eating breakfast we werent looking at a bright blue pump but a brown and green lump. they were both better
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