Pole of Opportunity
We have an unsightly clothesline pole in the backyard. It (in theory) supports some sort of laundry-hanging device, but the clothesline and supporting framework have long since disappeared. Removing the pole doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, so, instead, I’d like to find a creative way to integrate it into the garden. What are your suggestions to transform this “opportunity area” into an asset?I’ve considered:
1. Building a teepee trellis around the pole a la Minor Adjustments and growing vines up the supports.
2. Perching a birdhouse on top of the pole (possibly in conjunction with the vine-draped teepee).
The major limitation is that this area is shaded by the house (to the right of the diagrammed area) and the sweet gum. I don’t know of any flowering vines that grow without at least partial sun. (I’d classify this area as mostly shade.) Virginia creeper and ivy would do well, but they don’t flower (and they’ve already eaten the north end of the yard). A second problem is that the pole’s location very nearly intersects the proposed ROS hedge. I’ve considered adding second “door” in the hedge, directly across from the pole, but I think that might look odd.All right, creative people, what would you do?
posted by Kasmira at 13.2.06
5 Comments:
How about planting a flower shrub or two at its base. Something that will get fairly tall, but can still bloom in shade, like hydrangea. And then putting the birdhouse on top. Are there any holes in the pole where you might could stock in a screw or dowl or something and hang a birdfeeder, too?
My thinking is, use the top of the pole for birdstuff and hide the bottom with a shrub. Maybe you could paint the pole a favorite color, coordiate it with the flower color of the shrub, the birdhouse/feeder, etc.
The back side will be hidden by the hedgerow which the birds would like for the protectiveness of it. Maybe a bird bath nearby to complete the theme.
What about honeysuckle? It will grow anywhere, it blooms, and it smells good.
i've got a small flower clematis (have no idea what kind it is- it came with the hosue) that i moved from the garage to the laundry pole last spring. our pole is in the north east corner of the lot and gets all the sun and is probably about 20' tall! i can't wait to see how it'll look all covered in pretty little white flowers!
I'd use it for a birdhouse. I like the others and their flower suggestions. : )
I have a clothesline pole too! Complete with the clothesline and pulley. Mine is in the sun with daylilies growing around the base. I tried a clematis since they like their feet in the shade but it didn't work. How about hosta around the base of yours and a birdhouse on top?
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