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Gretchen just sent us this question: I just moved to Brazil with my husband and we are working on our balcony garden. We have this great balcony and view its just missing some herbs and plants. Since Brazil is the second largest consumer in the world of bottled water, we are collecting these big 5 liter water jugs from friends to use as planters. Only problem is... How do we make them not look like big water bottles? I was thinking I could string 3 or 4 together and then make some kind of screen or box to cover them. Question is: Made of what? Outdoor fabric on a frame? Who's got some good ideas out there?
Depending on how much time you're willing to spend on them, there are lots of options. You could decoupage them with any image you'd like, and then just apply some sort of sealant on the outside to make them resistant to weather. You could wrap them in twine/rope, or (I don't know if this would *really* work) stretch a mesh knit bag over them to create a sort of yarn-y lattice look.
Personally, I would just go for the fabric-box idea. Just construct a simple frame out of the wood... it wouldn't even need to have a bottom, as the jugs can just be plopped within the frame. Then you could use heavy canvas (go the eco route and get recycled sailing canvas !) or oilcloth and staple it to the frame (this sounds very messy, but just fold the edges over to create hems and staple them, or just heavy-duty glue), or just wrap it completely around and seal one edge.
Definitely post the results once you figure it out !
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Depending on the shape and size, what about wrapping them with jute rope? You should be able to glue it to the plastic with wood glue, or gorilla glue if you're willing to get a little noxious about it.
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