Covering an oil tank

 

Our oil tank could be seen from space when it was first installed. The tank glowed bright red and used to be a bit of landmark when the house was first built in the 1980’s, you were never lost when you had the tank as a pointer. Over the years the colour has faded slightly and also certain measures have been taken to tone the glowing barrel down a bit.
Around the tank there is a leylandii hedge, which is allowed to grow to about three feet high,. There’s room between the tank and the hedge to walk around for maintenance and if you are anything like me storing old coal bags and moving things out of sight.
Over the tank we have a large honeysuckle climber growing and providing year round cover, even when most of the leaves have died off in the winter. The branches are now so thick and prolific you can hardly see the tank. All that is needed is a bit of snipping with the shears and we manage to keep the plant from covering the hole and lid where the soil tanker driver fills up once a year. The tank is practically invisible in the garden and people in the area have to find other methods of finding their way home.

Covering your oil tank

Most of us wouldn’t put leylandii around our tanks as they can grow too quickly and become unsightly but there are plenty of other shrubs and climbers that could be used. Just remember to keep the shrubs at least three feet away from the tank to give them a chance to grow and still give you access to the tank. Climbers can be planted a bit closer to the tank, but try not to get the roots under the tank as a fuel leak could kill off the roots, even a very infrequent dripping could have disastrous results.
Bamboo might look very pleasing also but check that the type you buy isn’t a big spreader. I have heard stories where the bamboo totally engulfs the tank and also heads out towards the neighbours gardens. Digging down to over one metre didn’t get all of the roots out either.
Trellis
You could get some attractive wooden trellis to put around the tank. If you do buy the trellis from diy shop, try to get treated wood that is at least one inch thick and got a lot of strength to it. There’s no point in setting up the trellis and it rotting and collapsing before the climbers have had a chance to grow over the tank. There might even be synthetic screens you could get to put around the tank. You can get them for wheelie bins made from plastic grass so I can’t see why not.

Water Storage

As I am on the subject of outdoor tanks, has anyone considered installing rainwater storage into their gardens to help irrigate the garden and supply the house with water for washing, heating and even drinking? Convert what you get for free running off the roof into money saving method to be used for household services and watering the garden. You don’t even have to spend extra money buying plants to cover it.
The bigger tanks are best put in when the house is being built as it can be quite disruptive but there are smaller types that can be fitted that would be no more inconvenient than installing a small pond. 3500 litre tanks can supply enough water for a household of four people. They will also offer one of the fastest payback rates (when the water charges are brought in) of any other green energy saving method for the house. You could build a system that gave you toilet flushing, car washing, clothes and cooling systems for less than €1000. You would also be totally independent of the water companies if restrictions or price increases were brought in.

Cotoneaster

Q. I didn’t mention cotoneaster when it came to covering your oil tank. One of the reasons is that I find these plants very invasive. Not because of them growing too fast or having large root systems though. It’s mainly because they self set from the seeds that the birds drop. They don’t just self set in easy to reach places either; the roots get a hold in the most awkward places too, especially in concrete and asphalt. I have had a question asked about how to get rid of these shrubs when they self set in the gap between your driveway and the house wall. The shrub is cut back every year to ground level but just keeps coming back, stronger than ever. It has cracked their concrete and can also do the same to asphalt.

A. The shrubs could be dug out. This would mean the area would have to be re-concreted or asphalted. This could be very messy, depending on the size of the shrub and root system. If the shrub can't be dug out safely, one suggestion would be to use a systemic weedkiller such as a brushwood killer. This would kill the roots too. Don’t chop back the foliage beforehand because that’s how the poison is taken down to the roots. I don’t  use chemicals at all and would always try to find an alternative. But in this case, the house foundations might be at risk if something wasn’t done.