You may be wondering what you may plant along electricity lines as a homeowner. Anything with a maximum height of 15 feet is deemed safe. Planting anything taller than that under a power line is a bad idea. Trees are normally prohibited, however shrubs and grasses are acceptable.
Is it possible to plant around a power pole?
Is there a power pole in your backyard? Yes, I do. And I’ve been successfully gardening around mine for the past 19 years. I say successfully because power poles are the property (and responsibility) of the utility company, which in our case is San Diego Gas and Electric, and if you have one on your property, the pole, the space around it, the land beneath it, and access to it all belong to them, not you, thanks to deed specific easements. Other service providers, like as cable and phone companies, rent space on SDG&E’s power poles for communications lines that are well below the high voltage lines atop the poles, but SDG&E has exclusive responsibility for pole maintenance and safety, and phone companies must defer to them. So, if you have a power pole on your property, you can garden around it as well, and SDG&E will not need to trim your trees or remove your landscaping if you follow the laws.
Is there a limit to how close I can plant to a power pole?
Planting too close to sidewalks, streets, and driveways is not a good idea. Planting pad-mounted transformers closer than 8 feet from the front and 2 feet from the back and sides. Allowing vegetation to grow more than 8 feet above the ground and planting within 10 feet of the base of power poles.
Is it possible to grow a vine on a utility pole?
“The worst thing you can do is plant a vine on it,” said Owen Dell, a landscape architect in Santa Barbara. It irritates the utility companies and brings attention to the pole.”
Fisher has employed Eucalyptus nicholii, Nichol’s willow-leafed peppermint, in the gardens of his clients.
“What you want is a graceful 30- to 40-foot eucalyptus with furrowed, reddish-brown bark that will soften the pole and move the eye away from it,” Fisher said, adding that this beautiful 30- to 40-foot eucalyptus with furrowed, reddish-brown bark fits the bill.
Several tiny eucalyptuses would suffice. Another is e. sideroxylon ‘Rosea,’ which has a creosoted utility pole-colored bark with severely furrowed furrows. Though the trees range in height from 20 to 80 feet, the most that I’ve seen are narrow and not particularly tall.
The notion of the bark being a similar hue to the pole appeals to me. If I plant two trees in front of the pole, as suggested by Claremont landscape architect and author Bob Perry, the pole will appear to be the third trunk in this small grove of eucalyptuses, and as all design students know, three of anything is aesthetically superior than one or two.
Fisher has also employed the shoestring acacia (Acacia stenophylla), an elegant 30-footer with a droopy habit and large (to 16 inch!) tiny leaves. The pole would be visible behind it, and it would cast hardly no shadow. It wouldn’t so much conceal as veil.
However, as noted by Bill Evans, a renowned tree specialist and landscape architect for various Disneyland parks, “You don’t have to obliterate the pole, just give the eye something else to rest on,” so these pole hiders don’t have to be dense, and perhaps shouldn’t be.
Italian cypress would hide the pole if you wanted it to be hidden, but it wouldn’t look as good in front of one. They’re a touch obvious, creating such a statement that the eye would immediately see the pole and realize you were attempting to cover it, but failing miserably. Wires appear to be sprouting from the top of the structure.
Evans has brought a group of evergreen trees to the United States that are native to Japan. They were discovered following a lengthy quest for evergreens sturdy enough to live in the colder climates of Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
They form the backbone of Disney’s Tokyo park, and one of them, Elaeocarpus decipens, the Japanese blueberry tree, may grow to be 30 feet tall and fast. Monrovia Nursery Co., a wholesale grower, is already raising it. Evans believes it would be effective at concealing poles.
Another pole hider mentioned by Bob Perry is timber bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii). It reaches a height of 30 feet and forms a cluster. It grows naturally as a grove of canes and is dense and beautiful.
Sweetshade, Hymenosporum flavum, an under-appreciated Australian tree with lustrous, dark green leaves and yellow flowers that smell like orange blossoms, was also recommended. It is erect and grows to a height of 30 feet, but at a slow rate. It’s not too dense and looks good in small groups.
Fisher also mentioned that if the tree is planted too far away from the pole, it will not adequately disguise it. If you put it too close to the power lines, the utility providers will cut it off.
Landscape architect Gordon Kurtis of Los Angeles recommended a group of trees that are “vertical, evergreen, fast, and cheap,” such as the madrone-like Tristania conferta or Brisbane box and the bottle tree, Brachychiton populneus, which can withstand the low desert.
The cajeput tree, Melaleuca quinquenervia (often sold as M. leucadendra), would be his logical choice because it is as upright as a birch and a better choice in Southern California when that look is desired. It reaches a height of 30 feet and may completely obscure a pole. Its most appealing feature is its thick, spongy bark.
The flaxleaf paperbark, M. linarifolia, is a cousin that is not as vertical but a little more attractive. When it blooms, it has spongy bark and resembles a fluffy white cloud.
Podocarpus gracilior, Prunus caroliniana, and Pittosporum undulatum are all quick, classic screening trees that will screen a pole with a little pruning to keep them from spreading too far.
Two of them are “trees with a lower-case ‘t,’ ” or tree-like bushes, as opposed to “trees with a capital ‘T,’ ” which grow to be rather large. He’d add Cerocarpus betuloides, the native mountain ironwood that hides the pole in his yard, to that list. These large plants are not a bad idea.
“You don’t always have to plant the tree precisely next to the pole,” he explained. “All you have to do is plant the tree or shrub between your seat and the pole.” Even if you only get halfway into the garden, the canopy will still hide your view.”
“Make the garden incredibly lovely so the eye doesn’t go to the pole,” he added.
I believe I’ve already accomplished this, yet my gaze remains fixed on the pole. And, since I already have a Melaleuca linarifolia in the back, I believe a eucalyptus is the best option for concealing the pole, given the other options. However, deciding a tree to plant is a big decision with long-term consequences, so I’m going to go look for some of these trees that are already grown and see how they look.
Maybe I’ll plant a morning glory at the foot of the pole while the trees grow. They know where to locate me if they want to file a complaint with the utility company. I’ve had a couple of gripes of my own.
Several gardeners have asked whether there isn’t a faster method to purchase plants of Cerinthe major purpurascens, a very magnificent plant that is currently flowering in my front yard and was recently noted in a column.
It’s a Mediterranean native that grows to be approximately 18 inches tall with a swaying rope of purple-blue flowers at the end of each branch. Even the bracts and blue-gray leaves that surround the flowers are purple-tinged.
Gary Jones of Hortus Nursery in Pasadena tells me that he was also blown away by plants he saw in England last year, so he went out and bought some seed and now sells plants there.
If you want to grow it from seed (which is simple), you’ll have to wait until the fall, but Ginny Hunt can deliver 30 to 40 seeds for $4 right now, which is a much better deal than the costly English seeds, which are the only other option.
A list of slender trees that could be used to conceal a utility pole. Because most of these aren’t common, you’ll have to ask for them at a nursery. Most reach a height of 30 to 40 feet, which is about the same as a conventional pole.
Is it possible to attach something to a utility pole?
- NO. Please do not connect anything to electrical poles for safety concerns. Utility employees are more likely to be injured by nails and staples, especially since line crews climb electricity poles.
- We’ve all seen or posted signs on utility poles advertising missing pets, impending garage sales, and other random announcements. While it may appear to be an innocent gesture, these small bits of paper can cause significant harm to utility personnel and are unlawful.
- Utility personnel are required to climb the same utility poles in order to work around power wires carrying 7,200 volts or more. Foreign objects embedded in the pole, such as staples or nails, might cause the utility worker’s gloves to snag or tear.
- Those gloves are designed to safeguard employees from getting electrocuted by insulating them from high voltage.
- Other items found affixed to power poles include hunting stands and basketball hoops.
- Utility employees, you, and anybody else who utilizes these goods are in grave danger. When conducting any outdoor activity, keep as much distance as possible between yourself and overhead electrical wires. Utility poles have also been discovered with satellite dishes connected.
- This is a hazard not only for utility employees, but also for dish installers, and should never be attached to utility poles. Posting signs and other items on utility poles also poses a threat to public safety.
- The usage of nails, staples, and other materials in wooden utility poles might hasten their deterioration. This can compromise the pole’s structural integrity and stability, increasing the risk of it collapsing when hit by a car.
- “Falling poles imply power interruptions, which are at the very least inconvenient,” says Catherine Cronin, Vera Water and Power’s communications manager. “Utilities must spend important resources to repair or replace utility poles that have been damaged.”
- Avoid placing or hanging anything on utility poles to keep yourself and others in your community safe. Other options for posting in your neighborhood include yard stakes or online community organizations.
What is the best way to conceal an electric pole?
Separate containers could be placed around the pole or just on the side facing your lounge. If you have the ability, you can also make a container/raised bed out of wood. Evergreen climbers and a narrow trellis affixed to the pole?
Is it possible to garden near electricity lines?
Avoid planting new trees immediately beneath power lines or too close to electrical equipment if your property borders a transmission corridor. Growing vegetation near high-voltage cables is dangerous in two ways: safety and reliability.
Is it legal to grow a tree beneath a power line?
Only trees that reach a mature height of 12 feet can be planted within the border zone of the maintained right of way, and they should not be placed under transmission lines.
Is it permissible for me to plant a tree beneath a power line?
Only trees that reach a mature height of 12 feet can be planted within the border zone of the maintained right of way, and no trees should be planted under transmission wires.
Is it possible for clematis to climb a telephone pole?
It’s no surprise that clematis is known as the “Queen of the Vines.” The woody vine comes in over 250 different types, with flowers ranging in color from purple to mauve to cream. You can choose a clematis cultivar with tiny flowers measuring only 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) across or one with large blooms measuring 10-inch (25 cm) in diameter. This adaptable flowering vine may offer quick and attractive ground cover, but it can also climb up trellises, garden walls, pergolas, poles, and trees.
All you have to do now is figure out how to get a clematis to climb. Continue reading to learn how to train clematis vines.
