Vertical gardening has been known for centuries. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the epitome of Heaven – lush green waterfalls, rooftop gardens, terraces of divine vegetation, a spectacular view of abundance.
Our guide to vertical gardening will help you figure out the best plants for your living wall, by taking various factors into consideration. As with any new gardening endeavour, an essential part plays the selection of plants. In this article, we have prepared a list of smart choices of plants for your beautiful green wall, as well as some additional aspects you might want to consider before you approach your living wall project.
Think of all the components any project manager needs to consider for their team to achieve the best results. Gardening - vertical or not, is no different than good project managing. Plants play a crucial role in gardening, but you will need to consider more elements and other factors to achieve perfection.
Consider the growing conditions – most importantly, take into account the positioning of the wall. Observe if it is going to be mostly in the shade or it will get plenty of sunlight throughout the day. For instance, if you choose a north-facing area, you will need a different set of plants to a south-facing wall with hours of direct sunlight. For example, sun-loving plants should be grown in a north-south direction, so one side gets sun from the East and the other – from the West. In general, the rule of thumb is to figure out the right orientation for your plants.
You’ll also need to ensure good drainage for your vertical green wall and give your trailing plants the right nutrition, so they can thrive.
Creativity is a must to get the most out of your living wall by using well the available resources. One excellent habit of any aspiring or seasoned gardener would be to always carry a container when walking in nature. Hilly landscapes offer great biodiversity and inspiration, so you can always add to your wall some pretty wild species.
Taste is a personal matter, but it's essential to implement some sort of symmetry when it comes to vertical gardening. You can experiment with growing various flowering plants, combine different-sized leafy plants, or even add lights that will enhance your garden’s magical appearance.
By introducing vertical gardening in your green space, you will naturally promote the so needed biodiversity in our overbuilt urban environment, that’s for sure. After all, it is our mission to play the part in preserving nature at large. As we’ve mentioned above, your outdoor vertical garden will look even more complete if you add wildflowers that will offer natural habitat to bees, insects and butterflies.
Beginner or not - vertical gardening is a fun way to be more creative with your green space, especially if it’s on the small side. This way, you will not only deepen your botanical knowledge and enjoy experimenting with design and aesthetics but also be able to have more plant varieties, as they won’t take up ground space. Last but not least, the vertical gardening approach can be applied inside your property, as well. So, you can easily green up your conservatory by creating an amazing display out of a well-designed indoor living wall.
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