Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
primdawg

Show me how you disguise unsightly stuff!

Being a relative newbie to the hosta addiction, I have of course gone overboard and ordered more plants than I have spots to put them!! It came to me last night that the entire west end of my house could make a great hosta bed. There is a large oak tree about 20 feet away from the house that provides a nice shady area, it is inside the fencing (no deer!) and is right now just a weed bed. My problem is this is where all my AC units(3) and the power meter and gas line come in so I need to make these a bit less obvious. I have seen the small fences used around trash cans, so that is a possibility, but I was hoping some of you very gifted and artistic hosta folks might be able to show me other options.

I will take pics of the area in question and post this morning.

Annette

Comments (13)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    16 years ago

    plant a gorgeous garden.. and no one pays attention to the utilities ... as an example.. see below .. AC, spigot, gas meter ... second spigot.. hose ... and one dwarf .... does any of it bother you if i hadnt mentioned it ...... ken

    ps: i mean really... should i paint the siding to match the garden .. lol .. i do look forward to what others do ... but the bottom line for me always comes down to spending a hundred bucks on more hosta/conifers .... or some structure to hide the AC ... lol ...

    {{gwi:334831}}

  • mctavish6
    16 years ago

    Who cares about an air conditioner when you have an adorable little red head in the garden? What a cutie! MCT

  • Annette Holbrook(z7a)
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Here is the area in question. Like I said it is currently a weed bed!

    View coming in gate-new hosta area left, chicken coop and oak tree on right.

    The entire wall-

    As you can see, there is an abundance of utility stuff.

    Annette

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    16 years ago

    credit the weeds .. generic round up ....

    lay down a path .. of your choice ...

    bring in 80 yards of mulch .. your choice ... rake smooth .. leaving it 3 to 5 inches thick depending ont he courseness of the mulch ... after settling you want 2 to 3 inches ....

    buy hosta ... 200 ought to be about right ...rotflmbo .....

    ken

  • esther_opal
    16 years ago

    Plant a screen far enough to get behind and not cause circulation problems such as upright yews. Remember fast growing cheap plants will continue to grow fast and over grow the spot. Deciduous trees will cause leaf problems for the AC and not screen in the winter.

    As Ken says the more attractive the planting is the less utilities will be noticed!

    Ken knows well evergreens which will be their own feature if you get good advice on varieties that give long term beauty.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    16 years ago

    might be too much shade for conifers .. but check out the conifer forum over the next month .... i will be posting a lot of spring pix .. when they flush out ....

    but i will put in the caveat that i garden in zone 5 ... and GA is a long way away .... so you will have to research what conifers will not tolerate your heat ... and your shade ....

    ken

  • dobesrule
    16 years ago

    Some tall growing ferns would like the condensation that forms around those ac units.

    Lisa

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    16 years ago

    sum and substance will cover the THREE??? a/c units ... one near each .... but far enough away ... and drain them right onto the hosta .... ken

  • ademink
    16 years ago

    Put up a "wall" of trellises and grow climbing hydrangea and/or Five Leaf Akebia on it. Both will provide some sort of winter interest (hydrangea bark and FLA is semi-evergreen in milder climates and can grow in shade. FLA grows quickly and hydrangea takes a few years to get rollin' along. If you plant them alternately side by side, you will have quick cover while the hydrangea develops.

  • playinmud
    16 years ago

    I think a row of dwarves would be perfect...love Ken's dwarf, need to get me one of those. LOL! Very cute.

    S&S...Blue Angel...Guardian Angel, and of the large ones would look great there. You'd be so awed you wouldn't even notice the utilities.

  • FlowersForMyFarm
    16 years ago

    Here's a photo of my air conditioner etc. surrounded by hostas. You really do tend to notice just the plants when they're more mature, the utilities just kind of blend in. You can't see in the photo but the hosta area continues past the air conditioner and around the corner too.

  • Annette Holbrook(z7a)
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks all for the help.
    I would love to spray the entire area with Roundup, but since my husband is a beekeeper and I collect poutlry, we tend to avoid chemical treatments, so it looks hand weeding for me (or I may just put a few hens out there for a few hours and let them at it.
    I would love to put some conifers in, but I have had an abysmal time with hemlocks, which is the extent of my knowledge of shade tolerant conifers. Maybe Yews??
    I do have a few volunteer ferns between the AC units, so they would definitely be a great addition. Don't know why I didn't think of it!
    Dwarves, hmmmm. Well since we already have 6 cats, 4 dogs, 2 parakeets, 30+ chickens and multiple beehives, I think I'll pass on anything else that needs to be fed or nurtured LOL.
    I have been also dying to get a climbing hydrangea, but could never come up with a good spot to put it. Finally, it looks like I can bring one home!

    Annette

  • leesa49221
    14 years ago

    You could build a tall 3 sided screen out of lattice and grow ivy up it. Make sure you put hinges on it so it can be folded for easy access.Id love to see a punch of color as a backdrop to your future hosta plantings. Perhaps some hydrangea in front of the screen. You have a blank canvas there so be creative.