It’s a cover up!
Camouflage eyesores with natural screening
Wheelie bins and compost bins might be essential, but they’re bulky and unattractive, especially when you don’t have a separate place to store them. However, there are both DIY and off-the-shelf solutions for concealing your containers. Living screen Plant a living willow screen in front of bins, leaving access to one side. Musgrove Willows sells willow rods and kits from £9 for 5kg, (01278 691105; www.musgrovewillows.co.uk). Log wall Place them behind a wildlifefriendly log wall, created by driving stakes into the ground at intervals and stacking logs between them. Trellis screen Erect a wooden trellis screen and train evergreen climbers, such as clematis ‘Winter Beauty’ or C. cartmanii ‘Joe’, up it to provide a year-round covering. Alternatively, wrap a folding trellis screen around your bins that can be opened out for access. Attach a strong post to a wall, then hinge one narrow trellis section to the post and a second trellis section to that hinged panel. Bolt it to fixings in the ground. Garden Street offers an adjustable garden screen, from £114.99 for 1.8m x 90cm (6 x 3ft), (0333 577 1926; www.gardenstreet.co.uk). Bin stores Chairworks wheelie bin screen, £69.95, and hazel compost box, £79.95, are made from handwoven hazel, from Not on the High Street (www. notonthehighstreet.com); Sue Ryder shop, wooden wheelie bin double store in sage green, £149.99, (0800 917 8123; shop.sueryder.org).