Flower Planter & Rain Barrel

This barrel holds rainwater and has a beautiful secondary purpose - it doubles as a flower planter or herb garden. The lid of the rain barrel has a tray that can be filled with soil and live plants.

In the Madison Rain Barrel, the planter is not in-line with the water intake. The planter is a separate piece, positioned to catch any water that spills out of the downspout around the intake. There are two drain holes at the bottom of the planter tray that funnel water into the barrel. This planter is ideal for plants that don't do well in damp soil, because it provides perfect control over soil moisture.

The overflow from this rainbarrel is channeled away from your building by a shunt that goes underneath the barrel. In the pictures above, this shunt is visible as the blue hose running down the middle of the backside. The overflow will prevent your barrel from bursting, while directing water away from your building and preventing erosion underneath the downspout.

The 40 gallons of water in this rain barrel can be used to irrigate the planter for several weeks, or they can be used to water the yard, wash off gardening tools, bathe pets, or raise vegetables in the garden. Even with plant roots to filter the precipitation, rainwater is not safe for human or pet consumption.

Technical Details

Capacity: 40 gallons of water

Height: 35 inches

Depth: 19.5 inches

Width: 22.5 inches

Planter dimensions: 16.5 x 10 x 8 inches

Planter capacity: ~0.6 cubic feet

Weight: 28 lbs empty / ~415 lbs full or water and soil

Made from polyethylene

Includes the following parts

Rain barrel body

Planter on top

3ft overflow hose

4ft garden hose

Small hose clamp

Large hose clamp

Water shut-off valve

Plants provide natural filtration
The roots of plants are Mother Nature's filter. They capture sediment and neutralize pollutants. This eco friendly rain barrel uses plants to filter some overflow water before it gets to your yard while also storing plenty of water to use for low impact landscaping.

Due to the design, a small amount of soil will trickle into the barrel and settle at the bottom. Once a year, the rain barrel should be emptied and cleared of loose soil or debris.

Rain barrels can be damaged by freezing water. As water turns to ice, it expands with considerable pressure. To prevent damage to your rain barrel, please drain it during the cold months of the year. The overflow valve is designed to keep the water level at a safe level (where even if it freezes, the rain barrel will not crack) but this feature is not reliable in all circumstances.

Rain water harvesting is a great way to help the environment while cutting your utility bills and reducing reliance on the grid. Rain water is a free and renewable resource, while tap water is a commodity with many hidden environmental costs. There's no need to irrigate your yard with water that's been treated with harsh chemicals or pumped halfway around the state at a huge electrical cost. Instead, use local water!

For extra capacity, order two rain barrels and link them together! Linkages can also prevent one barrel from running dry while another is overflowing (that's useful if you have an asymmetric roof).