Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
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
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.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
In an attempt to hide a telephone pole in our front yard, or at least draw attention away from the pole, I designed this area to have different textures and focal points. Big stones, mulch, tall shrub, wide bush and a variety of flowers that will bloom at different times in spring and summer. I have added decorative small rocks around the Yucca plants (not shown in this picture). Only took one day to put together.
By CalaLily from Alexandria, VA
Good strategy, to work around what you can't change by making a distraction, emphasizing something else. Yucca plants turn heads every time. (11/08/2007)
I know telephones poles can be unsightly, but remember that eventually a telephone repair person will have to climb that pole for one reason or another. Not every repair person has a bucket truck and they may have to use a ladder. If your plants or decorative things are in the way of their safety they will have the right to remove them. (11/09/2007)
My house sits on a corner lot, and I have a telephone pole on the corner of the lot. I have 2 kinds of clematis going up the pole and at the top I have a big English basket of annuals in the basket for the summer. It is a hit with everyone, they all look for it when it is hung at the end of May. The clematis is dark purple and a hot pink.
My husband is a retired system technician for the telephone company on high tech computers. He said that the men that would work on a pole would have a bucket truck. The chances of someone climbing a pole would be rare.
(11/09/2007)
By Lil
My husband is a repairman for the phone company. He doesn't have a bucket truck, and neither does 1/3 of the rest of the garage he works out of. If your plants are in their way, they can remove them for safety's sake. If they feel something impedes their way and it's too dangerous, their other option is refusing the repair job.
Remember, the poles are the property of the utility companies. (11/09/2007)
I don't want to be a party-pooper, so I'll just guess that different phone and utility companies have different requirements for their easements on private property. Where I am, the utility/phone/cable companies have a 10 - 15 foot easement under their wires and around their poles. Every few years they hire a tree-cutting service to trim everything in their easements, with no cost to the private owner. Under the wires, they allow bushes and plants that do not grow to the height of the wires. Around the poles they like to keep it clear. If the pole is in a public right-of-way adjacent to a road, plants more than 2 feet high are not allowed. Drivers have to be able to see. (11/10/2007)
By Janice C.
Seriously, who is climbing poles these days? It wouldn't be safe to prop a ladder against the pole anyhow. Yes, they used to use spurs to climb poles but those are relics now. Nice job on the garden. (04/13/2008)
By Anonymous
Does a 'telephone pole with lots of wires' put off radiation if it is at the edge of your property? What are negative health effects? (05/23/2008)
By Mary
