A rain gutter makes a perfect flower box and can be planted in different ways. Rain gutters can also be used to add vertical greenery to a terrace or balcony to save space. Find out below how and with what to plant your gutter.
How can I plant a gutter?
To plant a gutter, you should first cut it to the desired length, drill drainage holes and close the sides. Then cover the drainage holes, fill in a layer of gravel and soil, plant plants and fill with soil. Plant them with small, site-compatible plants.
Prepare the gutter
In order to be able to plant a gutter, it must be prepared accordingly so that rain and irrigation water drains away well and the plants and soil cannot slip out on the sides. Proceed as follows:
- First cut your gutter(s) to the desired length. Depending on the material of the gutter, tin snips (€14.00 on Amazon), a flex or a saw are suitable for this.
- Then drill one to two centimeter holes in the bottom at intervals of about 10cm. This serves as drainage.
- Then close the sides of the gutter, e.g. with construction foam, piles of stones or tape them with plastic film or something similar so that no earth can slide away to the side.
Planting the gutter
Now it's time to fill and plant:
- Cover the drainage holes with potsherds or flat, curved stones to prevent them from becoming clogged.
- Place a layer of gravel a few centimeters high as a drainage layer in the gutter.
- Then fill it up to a good two-thirds full with good garden soil.
- Place your plants in the rain gutter and fill the gutter with soil up to about two centimeters below the edge.
What to plant in the gutter?
When designing your gutter, you should consider two things: the plants should be small and they should like the location you have planned for your planted gutter. Then there are no limits to your imagination.
Rock garden in the gutter
Plant rock garden plants in your gutter, such as blue cushions, sedum, stonecrop or saxifrage and cover the gaps with pebbles. This variant is easy to care for and has a Mediterranean look.
Hanging plants for the gutter
If you would like to create a green, flowering curtain, you can hang several gutters on top of each other and plant them with hanging plants such as hanging petunias, Mühlenbeckia, hanging geraniums or Mandevilla.
Edibles from the gutter
The rain gutter is not only suitable for planting ornamental plants. You can also easily plant small vegetables or fruits. For example, cress, lettuce, spinach or even strawberries are suitable for this!