Utility cans in front of homes

[geri317]

Just bought a villa in Sanibel. Searched for one without utility cans in my front yard but it didn't work out and we're stuck with three! Would love some ideas of hiding them without waiting years.

[cquick]

Just bought a villa in Sanibel. Searched for one without utility cans in my front yard but it didn't work out and we're stuck with three! Would love some ideas of hiding them without waiting years.

Ours are in the backyard, they are huge. I have planted some butterfly plants around our pool screen, but it's not enough. Our next door neighbor built a beautiful raised flower bed out of stone with roses in it, works great for them. I'm not satisfied with my solution yet, still a work in progress.

[kb8tpw]

A good landscapers can fix you right up......

[mulligan]

Just make sure you allow enough room to access the cans. The utility workers have the right to hack and slash whatever they need to gain access.

[cquick]

yes, keeping the distance from the utility boxes is my problem. Can't plant anything that might interfere with the underground equiment, and I sure don't want any tree roots cutting into my cable! :22yikes:

anyway, planting around the screen will work for me after the bushes grow a bit. they are far enough away

[getdul981]

McGowan's planted Muley (sp) grass around the one at our previous house. It grows pretty tall and thick and has pink flowers in the fall and it can be cut down by the utility people and is supposed to grow back. We never had to test that theory though. Also, I think the restriction is only for the front of the boxes. If the side you want to hide doesn't have the latch and hinges, you can probably plant closer.

[mulligan]

They're talking about the cable and phone pedestals also. They need room all around, though not as much.

[downeaster]

The utility company came through our neighborhood a couple of years ago. They made people with "the big green boxes" (electric) in the rear cut away shrubs so the box can be seen from the street. They were very polite and explained the boxes must be visible in case of an emergency. Every box I have seen has instructions printed on them relative to plantings around them.

By the way, if you are buying a lot in a new area the underground utilities may not be in place. A box could suddenly appear.

[NotGolfer]

We have a neighbor who planted pampus grass by theirs. It's growing all around it and hides it. Other neighbors have planted bushes by theirs.
BUT that being said...it's correct about plantings near these so be wary of how you do it.

[JP]

I was thinking about putting in a waterfall type feature high enough to block the sight of the boxes and then landscape it in with bushes, trees, plants and boulders.

[rayschic]

Brookstone sells covers that look like rocks but are lightweight. I would check with the utility company before using this idea.
See bottom right pictures on this link.

Brookstone (http://t.brookstone.com/endeca/search_results.jsp?Ntt=outdoor%20rock)

[2 Oldcrabs]

The "big Green Boxes" are transformers that change the voltage from 14,000volts to 120volts for our homes. Inside the box is something called elbows that allows a service person isolate the 14,000volt cable in the event of a "fault". An 8 foot "hot stick" and a whole lot of dexterity is needed to pull these elbows. If plants are in the way they will be cut or pulled out for the safety of the service person. 14,000volts will create a big ball of fire and "cook" a person in seconds.:22yikes:

[PaPaLarry]

Theres plenty of bushes you can grow, about 4-6 ft away from boxes that will grow fast. The Lagustrome bushes grow fast. Check with nursery on Rt 301 "Fairfield Nursery'. They will help you.

[CFrance]

Our boxes and post(s) are between our house and the neighbors'. We also planted moule grass on our side and left the front open so it could be accessed, because our landscaper (Jamie) said the utility company was "giving them hell" about covering the front of them. I think by next fall the grass will have grown quite a bit. It doesn't get as tall as pampas grass, but another landscaper told us "critters" like to nest in the pampas grass because of the shelter it gives down at the ground, being so thick a plant. I don't know about that, but grasses seem like one good solution.

[salpal]

Outdoor Artificial Rocks - Landscaping Fake Rocks - BackyardXscapes (http://www.backyardxscapes.com/artificial-rocks-1.html)

[Ohiogirl]

utility boxes, which are in the front yards, about every 4th one. We have them in ours. These front areas are very small - and you have to be careful with overplanting because the front yard will look like a jungle in 2-3 years since things grow so fast here.

I suggest you drive around villa neighborhoods that are 5-7 years old and take pictures of the ones you like. You will also notice some jungles.

We have some kind of holly that grows in a mound (planted by the builder) that have almost encompassed the short one, and I have knockout roses in front of the taller one - who cares if the utility someday has to cut those back - saves me a trimming. They haven't yet and ours was built in 2006. We are lucky not to have the big box in ours, just two cylindrical ones, the tallest about 4 feet high.

[Cedwards38]

Call Mark Olson Sr. at Village Landscaping. Those folks are fabulous at that sort of thing.