ac unit landscaping

I would like to eventually obscure the ac unit with plants, but does it look to cluttered? Do you think maybe stuff should kinda be clustered together, (the stuff in pots of course). Any ideas on this arrangement? As the one doing it, I might not see a perspective. The first photo is my house, the others are The House On The Rock. If anyone has ever been to The House On The Rock in Wisconsin, they had many tremendous arrangements of potted plants. It really is worth a visit just to see the plants if nothing else, but it's a great vacation destination, it's a neat place.
I'll upload some photos of the potted plants there. Don't mind the goofy guy in the photo in the swimming trunks!

I like your plant colors and types. Mixed garden nicer than all same to disguise the a/c unit. That being said, I don't think it will work. In order to work, I think needs to be close enough, tall enough and dense enough to do the camouflage duty. And, if you do that well, I don't think it will be conducive to the health/ function of the a/c unit. May I suggest a bit of art instead? The other photos show that you like color and structure. Why not get a length of wooden fencing - tall enough (? 5 feet?) so you can't see the a/c unit beyond it. Use as a screen - can be straight or trifold to "curve" around the unit. ( install far enough away from unit as is recommended for clearance) Install it like you would a true fence with posts each end cemented in to give it strength for wind, storms, and ability to hold colorful pots. Paint it a bright shiny color. Then hang colorful pots on it and sit some in front of it on gravel. Or you can hang multi size and shapes mirrors with colorful painted frames...or all sizes painted bird houses. All types of welcome signs. Painted hubcaps. You will shield the A/C unit.....still give it enough space, no babysitting flowering pots, and have an interesting and colorful art space. Or if not wanting to hang things - paint - stencil huge colorful flowers on it - in pots!

Containers dry out faster, needing more careful attention to water. If you can deal with that, go for it! I prefer planting in the ground.

AC can blow some really hot air around itself, so if some plants are looking sad, swap them out for something more durable. Keep a good space around the AC for air movement.

I would go with larger containers, perhaps a box like in your 4th pic (the one with Coleus) rather than lots and lots of small pots.
In your 3rd pic, see there is just one row of smaller pots in front of those urns? That can be enough to screen something.

So base your project on those 2 pics: A couple of larger pots or boxes near the AC, then a few mid-sized containers in front to hide the box or the pots. Maybe just a cluster of pots at each corner of the box.

Group the pots near each other in sets of 3 or 5. Odd numbers look best. Is they are all spread out one here, one there... then they look scattered and the area looks cluttered.

I thought about doing art and/or fencing there, it's just that I'm more of a plant person and I hope to do it with plant stuff. Although, I change things pretty regularly and I may end up doing some kind of art/fencing combined with plants. I do have screens in other areas of the yard, they double as a trellis for vines and other plantings.
Here's a view from the other direction. - I planted two small Emerald Green Arborvitae 'Smaragd's by the unit, they just need to grow a bit, (I usually buy small due to money constraints..lol). I doubt if they could be seen much in that other photo.

It's kind of a 2 edged sword because if it's camo'ed too good it would be a good hiding place for thieves and for them to remove the unit. The house next door is vacant and it had it's ac unit stolen, (not just stripped, they stole the whole thing). I'm not big on concealing anything REAL good. A friend of mine had tall, big foliage all around her front porch, (like Elephant Ears) and burglars broke in her front door and relieved her of a bunch of stuff, including her laptop computer. I'd like to "half-conceal" my ac unit if there is such a thing. I'd hate to lose my ac unit in this heat. I can't imagine waking up at 3 am and my house is 90°! A new ac unit is like a $5,000 dollar bill right there.

Thanks, I may kinda model the area after The House On The Rock's arrangements.
In odd numbers eh? Thanks, I've heard that before too. Although, I'm an even number person on some things, I think I'd be alright with odd numbers like that.

This is a Fern, (in the 2nd pic), I believe it's a sport of a Boston Fern. I think it needs a bigger pot! Maybe just having so many items and pots around the unit will disguise it a little. Maybe the sheer number of items will draw the eye away from the gray metal box.

Thanks missingrosie and Diana_K for your inputs, I like other perspectives and constructive criticism.
Will

Just remember how wonderful that cold air feels, ours looks better when I remember that! I know you get really hot there in the summer too.

Does your unit have a little pipe where water comes out? You can direct that to a certain plant, area, save the bonus water in a bucket. That's another benefit of the fugly gray box.

A short hedge-type planting of something, or mixed plants, far enough to service the unit, and for it to breathe properly might be good. Something that can be trimmed so it's not tall enough to hide people stealing your gray box. You could use small shrubs, perennials, since you probably aren't concerned with its' appearance in the winter. That would also help shade the area closest to the box, helping the mulch control weeds.

Is it on a concrete pad?

Thanks Opp, yeah I have a little pvc discharge pipe like that but it discharges indoors, in the garage, it's by the blower part of the ac. That's a good idea though, plenty of water comes out of it, that's for sure, I wish it was out there. Yeah, it's on a concrete pad, you can't see it in the pics, it's barely bigger than the unit and besides it's covered by mulch. I remember years ago, I lived in a mobile home and I had this disgusting green cable tv box in the backyard, it was hideous. - I'm not a chronic mower...lol A line of shrubs, perennials and mixes eh? I may try that, thanks.
Here's a brown screen in the backyard, it has the 'Purple Prince' Lily Trees by it and a Hollyhock. -
I got the 'Smaragd' conceal idea from this McDonalds, (#3 and 4 in the photos). - I think they started out with pretty big plants, mine need to grow for a while to be that size.
Will




This message was edited Jul 11, 2013 4:46 PM

Did you make the brown screen? I like it - it is very 'airy'

To partially hide it, yet keep the area open to discourage thieves figure out the 'worst view'- Which direction needs the most plants?
And just do the best there without creating a cave.

I am not sure a fern is the right plant for next to an AC. Too much air movement, and it is likely to be warm. Perhaps too warm for a fern.

I like the driftwood you have added. Good to have something that is non-plant in the area. Adds interest.

Make sure you leave about 3' space around your unit, keeping in mind the mature size of the plants

I like the pots clustered

Thanks missingrosie, I didn't make that screen, I don't know if I could! lol It was just sitting around and then it hit me one day to do something outside with it.

Good point, Diana. Even though the air blows upward, it probably does get some of that hot air when the wind is blowing, I'll try to remember to move it a little away.

The worst view? That's all over! lol Good plan, I'll try that. No cave! Well, I like bats! I am making a bat-house right now even, I just stained the boards.

Thanks flow, I think I need to re-locate the Arborvitaes a little further away. I'm glad somebody else likes potted plant clusters because I have around 150 of them!

Thanks, my housemate's sister is big on getting driftwood from around Virginia Beach, VA. and sending it here.
Here in my 4' x 7' shade garden is some driftwood with barnacles all over them, (see those white bumps all on them?). That one down at the bottom is the smaller one, there is one twice that size out of view mostly, you can see it a little between the leaves of my Rubber Tree, that big Heuchera hides it.

This message was edited Jul 11, 2013 10:02 PM

We too have a fairly tall AC unit and DH enclosed i it wood. Will try to get a picture soon.

Belle

Saw this thread and wanted to put in my two pennies...

reminder: air conditioners need air circulation around them in order to function, and a good spray rinse once in a while (preferably when it's off, and usually after mowing nearby)...so whatever you plant or install around them (yes they ARE ugly!) make sure to give it a bit of breathing room.

Good luck with your project!

Thanks all. I went out there last nite around 10p to check out the light situation on the ac unit, now I'm paranoid on theft! Some weak light hits it from a streetlight, but enuff to see a silhouette of a person.

Oh, I'm all about clearance for circulation on it too. I hosed all the Cottonwood "cotton" off of it just a few days ago with a hard spray of water. It real good all slides down to the bottom and off of it like that, one of the sides was nearly solid with "cotton".
Thanks, it IS going to be a project that's for sure! : )
Will

Screening without creating a hiding place:
Put a couple of larger pots a bit farther away from each corner of the AC, maybe 5-6'. If the container is large enough you could even consider a very small tree.
Group mid-sized pots around these 2 focal points, don't bother on the side facing the AC. If you have a very large rock (2' diameter) or large driftwood it could go in this band.
Add a decorative band with large stones, driftwood and small pots around that. By the time you get the this layer the two areas will probably merge, but because these are low things you can see through. Unfortunately you see the AC. Fortunately a thief could not hide there.

Get a motion sensitive light. Comes on when something moves in the view area of the sensor.