RAIN BARRELS AND PLANTERS

Bought two 50 gallon 'castilla' rain barrels from Home Depot a few months ago. After the $150 rebate they cost just $7.50 each. Finally got around to installing them around the house -- just in time to capture the runoff from the rainy season! Had to cut off and re-configure the downspouts on the house to channel the water into the barrels. The front section of each had a space for a planter, so I filled it with some succulent cuttings:

Re-worked and cleaned up the side planter area a bit:

Made use of some extra concrete that was pre-mixed but not needed on another project by dumping it into a cylindrical mold with small central pipe for drainage. Used a plaster pot to form the top concavity, gave the exterior a quick paint job and filled it with succulent cuttings for this funky new planter: