Hi Sue,

I have some clay pipes that have been sitting around for over a year. Now, that most of the yard is planted I need to use them! How did you stabilize your's? - ie. did you sink them into the ground or fill them with gravel or ??? I may have asked about this long ago, but don't remember where to find the discussion.

Looks like you've settled nicely in to life in Sebastapol - lucky you!

Thanks!

Liz

Yes, we dug them in a bit, not too much, maybe 10-12" and then just filled them with garden soil topped by good potting soil. I did originally want them staggered but Brad made them pretty even. I have some small ones too that I haven't used yet.

We absolutely love it here!

Thanks Sue! Seeing them in your garden has inspired me to finally set mine up.

I saw them used in a landscape at the SF Flower and Landscape show in 2008



and on a garden tour I saw a small garden that used them as planters and also as a base for a slab of stone as a bench.

We went to the same show. I think that was the year that Michelle won "best of show" - we had hired her to do a basic design, that we could implement, the year before. My pipes are the same as the tall ones in the second pic & that show was the reason I said "I want them", when my friend was remodeling her house in SF. When she first mentioned them I had all sorts of ideas - planters, water feature, benches, etc. I have 7 of the tall pipes. I'm thinking I'll line an area, where we're putting in some railroad tie steps - kinda' placed where a handrail would go, but purely decorative with trailing plants (probably sedum). I would love to make some benches, but haven't convinced my husband... yet.

Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning getting plans from her, last time I saw her was when I was touring gardens in the East Bay last summer but I drove by her house a few weeks ago when I stopped in at the local Sloats nursery, her garden is still cute.

Mine are the tall ones too, some were broken at the other end but we knew we were going to bury them anyways so it didn't matter. I would like to get a few more, will have to hit the salvage places again.