Tutorial: Grow your own vertical garden
Vertical gardens or living walls are a great way to maximize space creating a green oasis where plants might otherwise be non existent. The living wall above lines a long corridor at Longwood Gardens in PA. The sense of enclosure and lush textural foliage makes one feel as though you've found yourself lost in a magical woodland. |
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| Today I'm going to share with you a simple way to plant a vertical garden of your own. It's really not much different from planting any container, but there are a few pieces of kit that will help your vertical garden grow successfully. |
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| 1. For my vertical garden I am using the GroVert Living Wall Planter (available on Amazon). In the photo, the planter is the black slotted container with multiple planting cells. Note: The red barn wood is a decorative frame that was made for the planter after purchase (i.e. doesn't come with the planter). |
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2. The GroVert Irrigator is sold separately. This slots on to the top of the living wall planter and is a reservoir for watering the plants.
There is also an optional water collector (for the bottom) which I have never purchased as my planter is outdoors and I let it drain freely. |
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3. Moisture mat. These are included when purchasing the GroVert planter and are essential in keeping the planter moist and the plants well hydrated.
In this photo I am soaking the mats in water to make sure they are completely hydrated when I plant. |
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| 4. Potting Soil. Make sure you use a soil designed for containers- typically called potting soil. Any brand will do, but a moisture retentive type will be beneficial. Package should say "Moisture Pro" or includes "moisture crystals." |
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| Vertical gardens are well suited to many types of plantings. Herbs and vegetables such as lettuces, radish, tumbling tomatoes, etc work well. Foliage plants like ferns or coleus, or flowering annuals are also well suited to vertical gardening. The plants you choose are dependent on the light conditions you have and what you want growing in your garden. |
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| Plants. I chose ferns because my planter will be hung on the wall of a covered porch that only receives morning light. When using ferns or other foliage plants it can be stunning to use all of the same plant and create a mono design in one color or texture. For my planter I decided to use a variety of ferns and create interest with different textures. |
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Let's get started!
Planting is really easy now that you have the necessary items together. |  |
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After soaking the moisture mats, insert a single hydrated mat
into each planting cell. |  |
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| Fill each planting cell half way with potting soil leaving room for the plants. |  |
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Plant into each planting cell. Depending on the size of root ball, you may want to plant 1 or 2 plants into each cell. This will affect the
fullness of the finished planting. |  |
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| Back fill to cover the root ball. Gently firm soil around plant to secure it in the planting cell. |  |
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| For the first watering, keep the planter laying level. This will help settle the soil around the plant roots and also ensure that you've watered everything. |  |
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| Install hanging bracket. |  |
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| Hang and enjoy. |  |
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For subsequent waterings, water from the top using the reservoir.
The photo shows the planter on the porch- that was only for the photograph. I do not take my planter down once it's been hung. On my covered porch, I typically need to water every 7-10 days. I like to water, let it drain through the planter and then add additional water to the reservoir. **A vertical garden in full sun will need much more frequent watering- up to as often as 1-2 times a day (in the hottest part of the summer). |  |
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