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Being tight on outdoor space is not a limiting factor when it comes to gardening. Simply grow up your walls! You can stack plants in pots, in baskets, or on ladders. Vertical gardens are eye-catching and if you grow vegetables, they are also practical.
Aside from being beautiful, wall gardens offer many more advantages. A vertical garden will add an extra layer of insulation, according to The Wildlife Trusts. It can also keep your home cooler in the summer, deflect water from the house, improve air quality, and reduce outdoor noise pollution.
Add a splash of creativity to your green thumb and make your own DIY living wall. They can be placed on patios, verandas, balconies, or even against an existing fence. Here are five vertical wall suggestions, most made from upcycling materials.
Pallet planter
There are so many ways to reuse a pallet in the garden. You can lean it against a surface and hang pots from it, or remove and reassemble the planks to create wooden planters.
If you want to plant vegetables, go for pallets stamped HT for heat treated. If you cannot find these, plant flowers and enjoy! Continue in the upcycle theme by planting in used tin cans that are colorfully painted, as suggested by Gardener’s Oasis.
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Trellis
A trellis can be made in many shapes and sizes and then placed on a wall or in the center of a garden. The Spruce suggests nailing fence pickets or cedar boards to an existing fence. You can use these to grow flowering vines or climbing veggies that need support such as cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, beans, and sweet peas.
Recycling wood makes an ideal material for the slats, or upcycle an old crib rail or hat rack and place them vertically. as seen in Gardener’s Oasis.Chicken wire is another easy alternative.
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Soda bottle vertical garden
Keep those plastic bottles out of the landfill by using them as hanging planters. You can cut the bottom off, plant them, and hang them upside down. Or, hang them sideways, as explained on The Dirt. Placing many bottles filled with flowers, herbs, and vegetables can turn a space into a piece of art!
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PVC living wall
Ideal for growing strawberries and greens, PVC pipes make great planters for walls. Simply cut holes in the pipes, cap them, and mount them securely. Renew offers detailed instructions complete with a water-saving wicking system.
Use your imagination; stack the tubes, hang them, or place them vertically in a large planter, according to Goods Home Design.
Wooden shutter and frame gardens
If you have an old shutter, repurpose it and turn it into a planter! As the slats are small, these are ideal for succulents, sedums, and small plants, as described on the Debra Prinzing blog.
Another similar upcycle idea is to turn an old picture frame into a vertical garden, as seen in The Crafty Gentleman blog. Create a deep shadow box to back the frame, plant it with succulents, and hang on a wall. To water, take down your ‘nature picture,’ soak it, and then rehang.
Paint your shutters a bright color and staple landscaping cloth behind to enclose the soil. Plant to your heart’s content and enjoy your upcycled garden art. Or, hang flower pots on your shutter to create a pleasing vertical garden.
