This month Joyce Russell shows how, with a little imagination, guttering and downpipes can be used for both growing and storage

Joyce Russell

Pictures: Ben Russell

Most of us don’t look up to study what sort of guttering runs beneath the roof of the house, or to analyse what delivers water into the butts that are next to the garden shed. We may clear the gutters in autumn and enjoy the benefits of water collection in a dry summer, but few explore the garden potential of some cheap and readily available gutter materials.

It’s not just the open guttering that can be used; look at downpipes too!There’s lots of ways that these can be used, so set the brain thinking and see what ideas come to mind. And in the meantime… here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Guttering comes in a variety of widths, depths and cross-section shapes.There is a range of materials too from the lighter and more flexible plastics and aluminium, to rigid and heavy cast iron. Look for reclaimed sections in salvage yards if you want something more ornate and aged. Or buy new if you want clean, crisp and modern lines.