Get one of those wishing wells with built in spaces for flower pots. Raise it off the ground though, so, water can still drain into the storm sewer drain.

I wouldn't plant anything too close. If the county has to dig up that area for any reason, goodbye roses. I like the wishing well idea.

Also, a strong metal support stand above that storm drain, which only needs to be 1 -2 inches off the ground to allow water to flow into the drain, you could sit a large container rose, bird-bath, or whatever your heart desired on there.

We had to put a lift station right in the middle of our bkyd. It is a concrete circle that stands up about 6 inches. And it must be accessible in case something needs to be repaired in there.

We put an arched wooden mini-bridge over it. They sell them in garden centers. Looks really nice, it is small enough we can lift it off if necessary. You could put a couple pots next to that if you wish.

I think the bridge idea sounds it has the least problems, imho.

Coming from a drier state but also with cousins about 60mi south of Chicago, I don't understand why every home needs one. Is this in place or in addition to street drains???

Inquiring minds want to know! ;-)

I'd make it the center of a small round brick or "rubble" patio and put my little round cast iron table right over it. A few roses in a semi-circle around one edge for scent and to make it feel cozy.
Renee

lago, It's for drainage. We have one partly in our backyard and partly in my neighbors yard. All the yards are sloped to drain down to this spot and before they put it in, the area was very flooded each time it rained. So they put in the raised concrete type drain. The street drains run underneath the property and this drain connects to them. I don't have a drain, but an access manhole cover, just like this one, in my front yard. I have roses around it, but not close. The main thing I hate about it is that it has raised handles and I'm always tripping over them. I'm thinking of putting a little garden bench on mine so when the roses (teas) get larger, I can sit on the bench among them. Of course it's right in my front yard neat the street, so it would look a bit strange to sit there if people went by.

When it says "dump no waste" its talking about not pumping your septic tank contents or used motor oil or left over paint into it--stuff that can pollute the waterways it eventually drains into. A few rose petals won't hurt.

I have drains in my little grass patches. I let the grass grow a little longer--voila, drains don't show.

Wow! Great solutions everyone. I particularly like the wishing well one and even found one that might be perfect.

But I asked the DH (he doesn't garden at all) and he said he would love a circular bed with roses (he is crazy about the 'Golden Celebration' roses I grew in the past). So I am thinking of maybe putting bricks right along the edges of the drain and then planting next to the bricks. Although if I feel it's too much I'll just go with the wishing well.

lagomorphmom, what buford said. All homes in my neighborhood have one that looks exactly like mine and all yards slope down towards it. And also there are street drains everywhere. We live pretty close to the Lake, and even at the Lake they have these posters about 'storm water drainage' and preventing the lake from getting polluted etc.

hoov, thank you. I must have spent an hour wondering what constitutes as waste. I have seen oak leaves falling down it in the Fall so it's kinda unthinkable that no plant matter would ever fall down there. But that makes perfect sense. Wow, it never occurred to me that someone would pour chemicals down the drain like that!!

Thanks, you guys :-D

I don't know what happened to my post from yesterday.... >8^(

Check with whatever dept has authority over these drains before you do anything.

In most situations those depts will demand a 3' circle of access from the edge of the drain cover. If you don't provide that, they will claim to have every right to remove anything that is in their way, should they ever need access.

I wouldn't do anything that is going to disturb the turf around the drain, ie., no permanent plantings or beds. Only something removable.

Maybe something like one of those heavy duty shepherds hooks that have hooks on all four sides with hanging pots, bird feeders or wind chimes would distract the eye away from the cover to the hanging items above. This would be easily removed if need be. :)

Rob

lovemysheltie, as others said, that storm drain exists for a reason, and you'll only appreciate the reason if you have one of those 10 years rainstorms that inundates people's yards or if the drain is blocked and water stands near your house. Don't obstruct the drain with brick, don't build a raised bed around it, and don't change the grade around it. Lack of drainage can change the usable life of your house and cause you tens of thousands of dollars of damage.

I personally like the bridge idea. Water flows right under large river rock, which wouldn't obstruct the drain. We call the local rounded river rock dinosaur eggs, and it can be used artfully in the landscape.

You really don't want to put any kind of wall around this. You want it to drain. I like the shepherd's crook as a support. Maybe take a fast growing sweet potato vine, some Mandevillas, hang a hummingbird feeder or two, make it a tree like space taker than isn't a tree.

Drainage is good.

Wow, it never occurred to me that someone would pour chemicals down the drain like that!!

*** Well, it's not just chemicals POURED down drains.
It's things that WASH into drains, and eventually flow to streams and lakes (and, out here, the sea).

We live in an agricultural area very near the ocean.
Our local farmers are using fewer sprayed chemicals. Even so, things sprayed, misted, or otherwise applied to plants wash into our creeks and flow to the sea.

Lawn fertilizers, with, or without pesticides, create HUGE damage to fish and other aquatic life.

Frogs with both male and female sexual organs and extra legs or heads. Areas of the ocean where there's no available oxygen to support marine life. Stuff like that. Very ugly.

Jeri

It looks like a perfect spot for a great big flower pot. Something right in the center would disguise the drain and still let water flow in around the edges. If you ever need access or have the mother of all rainstorms, you can just pick up the pot and move it.

Ok got it. No flowerbeds along the sides. Will stick to wishing well or bridge or birdbath or shepherd's hook. Thank you :)

Jeri: That's so yuck. I remember reading an article about some town in Cali (I think it was Cali) where girls as young as 10 were getting their period and it turns out there were 3-4 fertility clinics close by so many fertility drugs were being flushed into the water sources. ARRGGGGH!!!!

If you have any kind of bed around the drain and use mulch, keep in mind that when a big gully washer comes along, your mulch will float into the drain and either get washed away or clog up the drain. A hard rain will also create little paths through your beds on the way to the drain.

Unfortunately I've learned these lessons first-hand.
-t

Get some astroturf, or green outdoor carpet, cut it into strips and epoxy them onto the top of the cover, leaving the holes uncovered. It will still drain just as well, but won't be as noticeable from a distance.

Or just stop mowing the grass around it. : >)

"Jeri: That's so yuck."

*** I know.
I feel the same.
Really green lawns just CANNOT be worth that.

Jeri

Paint it green?

Here's a funny story. My neighbors have one of those covers in their yard. To help disguise it, they put a statue on it. One day we had one of those 'gully washers' a strong downpour that gave us 5 inches of rain in one hour. My husband and I were standing on our deck, under an over hang observing the heavy rain. I guess the amount of water in the underground drainage was too much and the force pushed the manhole cover off and the statue went flying. It was like a cartoon. Of course we stopped laughing when the drainage pipes in our yard burst and we had a fountain coming up in the middle of our back lawn :(

Sorry, but putting a small decoration on/around/near the drain will do exactly what you didn't want to: bring attention to the area. Grow your grass a little higher and be happy you have a drain. If you impede the drainage in any way, the roses around it will suffer tremendously from the saturated soil.

I have a HUGE one in my backyard. It sticked out with about 3' of circular concrete when we bought the house. Ugh!

I planted jasmine around it. It now looks like a beautiful garden feature...

Maybe buying a conical trellis, and growing a rose, or any climber, on it may help? You may cover it with a sunshade, or something that lets the air in and out, but blocks the petals, leaves etc.