Vertical gardens or living walls are ideal for those with a balcony, small garden, or courtyard. Check out our easy step by step beginners guide to plant your vertical wall garden at home.
As our cities become more urban and the dream of having a big backyard is decreasing, courtyards and balconies are quickly becoming the new version of a backyard for many Aussie families. As garden space at home becomes limited with little space to go out, people are looking upwards and choosing vertical wall gardens to create a lush, green, outdoor wall of plants in their backyards. Creating an environment with lots of greenery is made easy with wall planters, adding a DIY vertical garden to your small home or courtyard starts here.
How to get the most out of your vertical wall garden
1. Pick the optimal outdoor wall for plants
Choosing the right space for your living wall garden is ideal if you want to get the most out of your hanging greenery. If you have the option, choosing a plain wall in your garden will help lift the overall look and feel of your backyard and create an extra dimension that catches the eye. If you’re strapped for space, choosing an area with optimal sunlight for your living wall garden will allow your plants to flourish by getting the sunlight they need during the day and be exposed to rain during the wet season. Take note of where the sun hits your small garden and how much rain exposure it gets during the seasons.
2. Find the right plants for your hanging wall garden
Having a variety of plants for your vertical wall garden is a great way to add texture, depth and vibrancy to your courtyard or balcony. Finding a mixture of plants that cascade down the wall garden has a dimensional effect while having some edible plants such as herbs, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries can add a pop of colour and fragrance to the outdoor wall.
Another ideal wall planter is using a range of succulents; they come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes to suit your wall garden and can be used in blocks for tapestry effect. Their different spikes and features add interest too – succulents are also a fairly affordable way to get your vertical wall garden started that allows room to grow and add to in future. Choose plants that will work well in your climate year-round!
3. Get DIY with your vertical garden
A vertical wall garden is great because you can tailor it to your specific backyard needs and be as creative as you like. Having a strong framework is important if you want to have a structure added to the wall, otherwise, you can add a rustic ladder leaning on the wall with pots secured on each rung. With a framework structure, you can easily add pots in plastic troughs or vessels clipped onto the frame or board.
For an easy, economical wall you can add a lattice wall to a planter trough and add your plants from there – having climbing plants can also make a lovely display in a short amount of time. Your local retail outlet may offer a selection of materials for instant vertical gardens, like adding painted food tins to your fence! Still short on ideas? There’s plenty of inspiration online, at hotels, cafes, restaurants and apartment blocks!
4. Best way to water your wall garden
Watering your vertical garden is optimal if you want to have a luscious, healthy wall garden all year round. Remember these pots are smaller than normal and will dry out faster than most, plus being elevated can add extra heat stress. Your best way to combat dehydration in your plants is to turn on drips or micro spray jets for a short time each day during warm weather and always keep the soil moist.
Using chopped straw, coconut fibre or fine pebbles as mulch on your planters can help keep moisture locked in. Heat waves are your wall garden’s worst enemy as humidity is low and temperatures are high; using a spray mist can increase humidity and reduce air temperature for your plants.
Pope’s DIY tip
Start your vertical wall garden with something small and easy to manage; setting up a watering system will help you immensely and keep your planters hydrated daily, especially if they aren’t exposed to rain or you’re in a dry season.
Visit your local nursery or garden supplier to find out what plants will thrive in your location.
1. Pick the optimal outdoor wall for plants
Choosing the right space for your living wall garden is ideal if you want to get the most out of your hanging greenery. If you have the option, choosing a plain wall in your garden will help lift the overall look and feel of your backyard and create an extra dimension that catches the eye. If you’re strapped for space, choosing an area with optimal sunlight for your living wall garden will allow your plants to flourish by getting the sunlight they need during the day and be exposed to rain during the wet season. Take note of where the sun hits your small garden and how much rain exposure it gets during the seasons.
2. Find the right plants for your hanging wall garden
Having a variety of plants for your vertical wall garden is a great way to add texture, depth and vibrancy to your courtyard or balcony. Finding a mixture of plants that cascade down the wall garden has a dimensional effect while having some edible plants such as herbs, cherry tomatoes, and strawberries can add a pop of colour and fragrance to the outdoor wall.
Another ideal wall planter is using a range of succulents; they come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes to suit your wall garden and can be used in blocks for tapestry effect. Their different spikes and features add interest too – succulents are also a fairly affordable way to get your vertical wall garden started that allows room to grow and add to in future. Choose plants that will work well in your climate year-round!
3. Get DIY with your vertical garden
A vertical wall garden is great because you can tailor it to your specific backyard needs and be as creative as you like. Having a strong framework is important if you want to have a structure added to the wall, otherwise, you can add a rustic ladder leaning on the wall with pots secured on each rung. With a framework structure, you can easily add pots in plastic troughs or vessels clipped onto the frame or board.
For an easy, economical wall you can add a lattice wall to a planter trough and add your plants from there – having climbing plants can also make a lovely display in a short amount of time. Your local retail outlet may offer a selection of materials for instant vertical gardens, like adding painted food tins to your fence! Still short on ideas? There’s plenty of inspiration online, at hotels, cafes, restaurants and apartment blocks!
4. Best way to water your wall garden
Watering your vertical garden is optimal if you want to have a luscious, healthy wall garden all year round. Remember these pots are smaller than normal and will dry out faster than most, plus being elevated can add extra heat stress. Your best way to combat dehydration in your plants is to turn on drips or micro spray jets for a short time each day during warm weather and always keep the soil moist.
Using chopped straw, coconut fibre or fine pebbles as mulch on your planters can help keep moisture locked in. Heat waves are your wall garden’s worst enemy as humidity is low and temperatures are high; using a spray mist can increase humidity and reduce air temperature for your plants.
Pope’s DIY tip
Start your vertical wall garden with something small and easy to manage; setting up a watering system will help you immensely and keep your planters hydrated daily, especially if they aren’t exposed to rain or you’re in a dry season.
Visit your local nursery or garden supplier to find out what plants will thrive in your location.
