Pete wrote:

Hello Pete

P I just purchased three old oak half wine barrels. planning
P on putting Clematis H.F young in them as it is supposed to
P be good in containers. What should i line them with? or do i
P have to. will they rot after a while from the soil and
P moisture. On the barrel it says keep moist so the metal
P rings do not slip off......getting confused

Depends on the condition they're in now as to how long they'll last,
but oak is a tremendous wood and should last many years.

Barrels are kept watertight by keeping them wet - this swells the wood
which seals the gaps and forces it out against the bands, hence the
warning. Great if you want to make a water feature out of it.

But for a planter you're going to have to drill holes in the bottom
anyway, which means it will dry out in the summer. The bands need to
be kept in place to stop them slipping down and the thing falling
apart - but I'd have thought a simple answer to this is just to band
in a few 1/2" nails around the lower edge of each band just to keep it
from slipping down when the wood shrinks. Use ones with medium sized
heads and nail them flush so that the head catches the band and they
shouldn't be noticable.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/