How do I make a planter for a sloped driveway?

September 4, 2007 8:00 PM

How do I make a planter box for a sloped driveway?

My driveway has a slight slope. I want to make a planter box that will run a few yards along the driveway. This planter would be filled with bamboo, to block out the neighbors (lovely people, but I don't need to see them that often). Nothing fancy -- if it weren't for the slope, I would just find some reclaimed railway ties or such and bang it together out of that. I still might do that, if making a level planter turns out to be a big ol' pain. My carpentry skills are minimal, but so are my expectations.

How do I figure out just what the slope is, and plan accordingly? Any suggestions for making the planter?

posted by The corpse in the library to Home & Garden (5 answers total)

Well, as far as figuring the slope goes, take a stick of known length (a yardstick, or just any old stick you've measured), strap a level to it, and let one end rest on the ground while holding the other end further down the slope. Measure the height of this end. The slope is the inverse tangent (tan^-1) of the height divided by the length.

You should probably repeat this a few times in case it's not entirely regular.
posted by alexei at 8:16 PM on September 4, 2007

Just build a frame out of junk lumber, lay it place with a level on the top and tack or tape the joints to hold the shape. Use that as a template.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:39 PM on September 4, 2007

Is it necessary to build a planter? I've heard that bamboo can run rampant if not controlled.

I've seen where a plastic edging is set in the ground deep enough to stop the suckers from running. Maybe this is an option? Here is a link to everything you ever wanted to know about containing bamboo.
posted by JujuB at 8:40 PM on September 4, 2007

Best answer: To me, the obvious answer is make regular planter boxes, and put one end of it on bricks/shims so that it is level. Since you need to go several yards, create a series of "steps" out of the planters.

The usefulness of this technique will depend on how sloped your driveway really is.
posted by IvyMike at 12:44 AM on September 5, 2007

Seconding keeping things level. Just dig out the dirt so that the lowest level, at the bottom, can go horizontal.
posted by notsnot at 1:03 PM on September 5, 2007