On Fri, 6 Jan 2012 22:25:56 +0000, Biglarry
wrote:


Hi all. Long time reader, first time poster.....

I've got a question that I'm hoping the knowledgable people on this
forum may be able to help with...

At the front of my house I've got 2 steel pillars that support part of
the house that sticks out beyond the threshold of the rest of the house.
The pillars go into the ground surrounded by paving flags i.e. not into
soil or earth.

I'd like to effectively wrap large flower pots around the bottom of the
2 pillars, fill with soil/peat then plant some vines/flowers to grow up
the pillars and potentially up the house somewhat. Ideally the growth
needs to be dense to block out the steel, as I find the steel a bit of
an eyesore...

Can anyone see any problems with this idea or offer any advice on
vines/flowers? Or any general tips?

You don't indicate in what climate you live so I will assume four
seasons. When vines drop their leaves in winter they look very ugly
twined around metal pillars. Why can't you remove a flagstone and
plant directly into the ground, that way you can plant an evergreen
that will hide the steel pillars all year. I would suggest one of the
columnar junipers, they're dense and can be sheared. They're also
available in several colorations, I happen to like the blue grey
varietals. Of course there are other solutions such as painting the
metal a color that blends in better, or covering the pillars with
lumber to match your house... there are also vinyl columns that can
replace or slip around the metal pillars and in many configurations.
http://www.columnstore.com/vinyl-columns.shtml