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Pastimes: Grow Up! Planting Your Vertical Garden
By DeDee Birdsall
If you don’t have much of a green thumb or you’re looking for a new and unique outdoor project, vertical gardening can be a fun alternative to traditional plant work. A simple blank wall or small vertical space on the patio can make the most novice gardener feel like a pro by following easy guidelines for simple planting. From living wreaths to DIY planters, a little time and effort will have you “growing up” and adding a savvy garden look to your outdoor spaces.
Planning Ahead
Before you dive into the soil and start decorating with your creative garden masterpieces, there are a few basic considerations to bear in mind when tackling any type of vertical gardening.
Form Up
Ready-to-plant forms can help give you a basic framework to start with. These forms cover everything from regular gardening to wreaths and topiary animals and will lay the groundwork for a couple of our projects. You can find them on line at sites such as www.verticalgardeningsystems.com or www.topiaryartworks.com, both excellent resources for the vertical gardener that offer a variety of forms, ideas, instructions, tools and attachments.
Proper Care
The first two weeks after planting will be a crucial time when roots will take hold, which can be helped along by keeping plants on a flat surface during that period. This will ensure optimal growth, as will maintaining proper exposure to sunlight. Don’t forget to take your local climate into consideration as well since most purchased plants come with moisture, heat and temperature specs. What grows well in the desert may not thrive at cooler temperatures and vice versa.
Water Works
Water is the most important gift you can give your plants. Choose a watering system that’s conducive to your garden; slow and steady release usually works best to tame soil erosion and runoff. A garden hose is ideal for watering trays, and you can use a wand attachment for higher plantings. For those that are out of reach, install an automatic gravity irrigation system, which can be obtained for as low as $28 and runs drip lines through back channels of pockets or trays.
Up, Up, and Away – Vertical Garden Forms
For a simple project involving succulents, a hardy and low maintenance plant for a variety of climates, we purchased a 20×20 vertical garden form at Vertical Gardening Systems. For a reasonable cost of $59, you can get a tray with 45 planting slots that includes a frame for hanging your finished garden. Watering is a snap! Succulents hold water in their leaves, making them easier to grow. When poured into the top watering chamber, gravity aids in the flow as it travels in a side to side journey to the bottom of the module, watering the roots of every plant. Simply lay your form flat, plant and water. Once the roots have taken hold, hang and water as needed.
Small and Elegant – Living Wreaths and Topiary Art Forms
Living wreaths and topiary art forms make great additions to outside walls or patios. Pre-made forms filled with sphagnum moss are available in different sizes and styles and usually work best when planted with succulents. Once you design your arrangement, poke holes in the damp form with a pencil and plant your succulents. Two weeks later, it should be ready to hang. When dry, the wreath can be taken down and watered, laid flat for a few days, then hung back up.
If you’d like a wreath without the hassle of planting it, you can purchase a pre-planted wreath from a variety of sources, including www.vivaterra.com, and buy succulents in bulk from sites such as www.ecrater.com. For a more cost effective option, go DIY by purchasing succulent cuttings in bulk from sites such as www.simplysucculents.com. If you’re more the hunter-gatherer type, you can always take cuttings from your own succulents and allow them to dry for several days until they form a crust on the cut ends of each cutting before you replant them.
Pallet Planter – Easy as 1-2-3
Pay a visit to any warehouse retail store and you’ll see boxes full of merchandise resting atop large wooden pallets. What you probably didn’t know is that these flat structures make ideal starting points for small space gardening that includes annuals, herbs, sedums, vegetables and more. Pallets can be easily cut down to fit any space and are usually not that difficult to find; we got ours from a local building supply store. Once you’ve found your pallet, you can begin!
Lay the pallet face down and cut two pieces of landscape fabric big enough to cover the sides, back and bottom. Leave fabric longer on the bottom, for wrapping over the front of the pallet. Double two pieces and align over the pallet’s back. Using a staple gun, attach fabric every two inches along the top, bottom, and sides, leaving the top open and pulling the fabric tight.
Turn the pallet over and pack your plants into the top opening as tight as you can, almost to the point of using a shoe horn to place the last plant. Pour potting soil into the pallet; depending on the size of the pallet, you may need more than one bag. Push soil down to fill the bottom cavity and form a trench for planting. Plant your first row and pack the soil against the plants. Repeat the process, moving upward. Water, water, water. After two weeks, it should be ready to stand.
Shutters, Gutters, and Other Found Things
Salvaged finds such as gutters and shutters also serve as excellent and unusual bases for vertical gardens. Attach them to a bare fence, building or outside structure and you’re ready to plant. With gutters, you can simply drill holes for drainage, attach it to your structure, fill with soil and start planting. Shutters work well for succulent plants. All you need to do is cover the back of the shutter with landscape fabric, fill with succulent soil mix and tuck your succulents in the slots. Other planter options include buckets, burlap bags or just about anything else you can think of. Keep in mind, anything that can hold soil and hang can become a vertical garden.
If you’re feeling challenged in the creative area, you can always bring your form to a local greenhouse or nursery and enlist of the help of a horticulture specialist to get you started. Whether pursued on your own or with the help of a mentor, vertical gardening lets you dig into a new hobby and discover fun and unique ways to add some green flair to your home décor.
