If you live in an apartment or have a small backyard, the struggle is real when it comes to finding enough space to exercise your gardening chops. But savvy gardeners know that if you run out of horizontal gardening space, you just have to go vertical! Garden walls offer a creative and unique alternative to traditional gardening and help you utilize the space you didn't even know you had. Beyond providing you with more space for flora, they're a versatile, aesthetically pleasing addition to any outdoor or indoor space. Here are a few things to consider before building your own garden wall!
Pick Your Style
When it comes to vertical gardens or garden walls, you have several options for style and design. One of the most popular choices and easiest to DIY is the pallet wall. Like the name suggests, they're often made out of wood pallets or can be built out of wood slats. Plants are usually planted right in the pallets themselves, like shelves. Next, there's the container version, which uses a similar pallet design, but planters are hung on each level. And finally, there's the pocket garden wall, which uses garden fabric to create pockets, giving it a more natural, flower bed look.
Decide Inside or Outside
Next, you'll want to decide whether your garden wall will live outside or inside. They make excellent additions to patios and small gardens but are equally stunning inside. You'll want to consider things like the climate where you live, the amount of space you have, and the amount of light your garden wall will be getting.
Determine South or North Facing
If your garden wall is going outside on a patio or in a backyard, you'll want to consider whether to place it so that it's north or south facing. This choice will have a big impact on the success of your garden wall and will determine the type of plants you can grow. Because greenery is great for absorbing heat, garden walls are ideal for south-facing locations. For south-facing garden walls, look for plants that are heat resistant and grow well in full, direct sunlight. North-facing garden walls, on the other hand, may be better for plants like hydrangeas, ferns, grasses, and other shade-loving plants.
Choose the Right Plants
Any kind of container gardening, vertical gardens and garden walls included, will require a higher level of maintenance than typical gardening. Containers tend to dry out far quicker than flower beds, so keep this in mind when choosing your plants for your garden wall. Consider drought-resistant plants [1] like succulents if you want to avoid the hassle of having to water them every day. You should also consider plants that drape well, and avoid any with stiff stems.
Use the Right Soil
The right soil is essential for keeping the plants in your garden wall happy. As with most containers, it's important to choose a soil that retains moisture. Since containers dry out quickly, you can take all the help you can get! The soil you choose will also depend on the plants you want to grow, but generally a good, lightweight topsoil will be a good option.
Keep It Well Watered
As with all gardening, it's important to keep your garden wall well watered to keep your plants healthy. If you're choosing the pocket garden wall, you may want to have access to a water hose. For lower maintenance, consider rigging up your own irrigation system. You can set up a sprinkler on the top of the garden wall and set it on a timer to ensure your garden wall always has the right amount of water. Just make sure you're not putting the wall in any danger of mold issues!