I think is may be to long to fit, butI will try anyway. I just got this emailed to me for I'm doing a rain barrel for the City of Lafayettte Indiana. Over the years they have done Frogs,dogs & pigs. Here are the instructions they sent me. I will keep you posted on my project. Recommended steps to follow: 1. All rain barrels are shipped with a few layers of UV protection. Thoroughly clean the exterior surface of the barrel by wiping away excess dirt and grime with a clean rag soaked in a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water. Some individuals claim that generic window surface cleaner works also. 2. Use a fine- to medium-grade sandpaper (220 grit or finer) to lightly âÂÂrough upâ the surface which will help the paint adhere to the plastic barrel. Be sure to use sand paper that does not leave scratches. 3. Wipe the barrel again with a dry cloth to get rid of any fine plastic shavings. Cover the spigot and overflow valve with masking tape and complete all of your painting in a well-ventilated area. 4. The barrel must be primed so that the paint adheres properly to the surface. Krylon Fusion spray paint or RustOleum Spray Paint for Plastic both make a spray primer that are great for a base coat (primer). Allow the primer to dry according to the directions on the container. Flat or semi-gloss acrylic paint, Krylon Fusion and RustOleam products can usually be found in local hardware and craft stores. 5. The barrel can be painted any way you like with ordinary flat or semi-gloss acrylic paint (spray or liquid). The design is completely up to you. Some people use stencils, a pattern, or freehand with a brush. You can also finger paint the barrel. a. For those of you only interested in painting the barrel a solid color, spray paint is perfect. You probably will be able to cover a rain barrel with one can of paint. These plastic barrels by nature need to be painted at a slower rate than most âÂÂstandardâ surfaces because of the surface tension characteristics of the polymer, as well as the waxy surface features. Allow the primer to dry according to the directions on the container. b. If you are using spray paint, but you need to paint small details, spray some paint into a small cup, making a liquid puddle, then use a brush to apply the paint. Allow all the paint to dry completely. 6. Apply at least two coats of flat or satin polyurethane spray to help protect the painted barrel. Krylon Triple Thick Crystal Glaze or other polyurethane sprays or brush-on products can be used as long as they are plasticappropriate. Be sure to allow the polyurethane to dry between coats.

Wow, I saw the finished ones 1st! They came out fantastic! Wondered how cheap plastic was holding up BB's that is great recycling!! You mentioned doing a couple more! That will be nice also could be used to keep people off area you don't want them on. If you get extreme winds there you might drill holes deeper into balls & stick rebar in that will go into ground a little but would keep balls on their pedestals assuming pipes are hollow! Jan

thanks,ya.ll! it;s much brighter in person,the colors don't show up well in the photo...the powder blue doesn't even show up at all...lol..ah,well,ya'll know how pretty those marbles really are...:D kudzu

Clearly the tight balls on the Lake County web site are the result of close shearing and not how the plant grows on its own. Those I have seen here were fluffy pyramidal juvenile foliage forms; I am not surprised to hear about this falling over or splaying open, in the manner of similar forms of other species. That's too bad as it is rather appealing looking otherwise - in garden center sizes anyway. It isn't a matter of 'Bobazam' being a "correct" name and Mr. Bowling Ball then being therefore incorrect. The two names are instead two different things, Mr. Bowling Ball being a registered trademark used to sell the 'Bobazam' cultivar. During these days of large production nurseries in particular using trademarks and patents to assure profits being made on their plant introductions this combination of a memorable selling name (as these are called in Britain) and a jawbreaker cultivar name is common. Often the cultivar names in these instances are combinations of syllables that actually convey information, in this case the cultivar name surely stands for 'Bowling ball zam'pini - the last being the name of the principal of Lake County nursery. Here is a link that might be useful: [Mr. Bowling Ball] = 'Bobazam' Fact Sheet from Lake County nursery This post was edited by bboy on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 22:34