Here, at Good-natured Gardening headquarters (actually, it’s just my house), we (actually, it’s just me) are feverishly (but my naps come first) working on discovering (stumbling onto) innovative ways of gardening.
You might already have one in your yard or have seen them in the yards of other gardeners. You may have even seen some fancy plant structures covering the interior and exterior walls of some museums, upscale shopping malls, private homes (preferably when the owners are at home), classy hotels, elegant restaurants and downtown office buildings.
They are called living walls, green walls, plant walls, vertical gardens or family portraits.
While they’re growing in popularity, the concept is not new. Gardeners have long used arbors and trellises to do similar things with climbing plants like beans, berries, kiwis and grapes. They probably appeared in cave dwelling hieroglyphics in between a serpent, some stick figures, a large paperclip-looking thingy and, of course, lots of emojis.
Vertical gardening is the use of an upright structure to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers. They can be indoors or outdoors, freestanding or attached to a wall or fence. They can be built in a variety of sizes and shapes.
This is an opportunity for you DIYers to get creative and artsy. You can design many colorful and geometric patterns, creating a serene masterpiece that’s in line with the harmonic waves of the universe. There will be no better time to showcase your inner Monet (artistic) and Linnaeus (horticultural) skills.
These structures will take time, planning and maintenance. Depending on the size you want, you might need some muscle, a few heavy equipment operators and perhaps have the Navy’s Seventh Fleet on standby. If things go horribly wrong, you might need an intervention.
If you want to go knock-your-socks-off crazy, you can always hire a landscape architect to design an outdoor plant wall for you.
They’re convenient, save space and can hold numerous plants. Plus, it’s easier to find hidden vegetables, makes harvesting easier and maximizes food production.
Vertical gardening is ideal for small space gardening, for apartment dwellers and for disabled gardeners. They’re also easy on a person’s head and shoulders, knees and toes.
Besides having a therapeutic, aesthetic and visual effect, indoor green walls can also reduce the CO2 level, reduce noise through sound absorption and clean pollutants from the air.
The plants in more elaborate systems can receive water and nutrients from within the vertical structure. Some use an automatic irrigation system, and are water-efficient, especially when compared to the irrigation that is used for gardens.
Determine where you want to place the vertical garden. Indoors or outdoors. On a boring fence, a dilapidated shed, an ugly wall. Or on the side of one of those one-room buildings with a crescent moon on the door.
Gardeners have created or adapted a variety of ways to build vertical gardens. Re-purposed gutters with drainage holes, bamboo poles, wire fencing and concrete reinforcing wire (6-inch by 6-inch openings) are some methods gardeners have used. Re-purpose a shoe organizer. Attach planter boxes to a fence or wall. Build a staircase or ladder plant stand. If you don’t have a real ladder, use a step ladder.
Building a vertical gardening from scratch will require tools, assembly and patience. However, there are some pre-made vertical planters you can purchase.
A relatively new concept is a tower garden, an aeroponic system that uses only water and nutrients rather than soil. That means fewer pests, disease — and weeds!!! It’s actually the same technology that NASA uses.
Regular maintenance, the right location and the right plants are needed to sustain a living wall. For a longer lifespan, consider different plants for shade, sun and disease resistance.
When choosing your outdoor plants, consider the humidity, wind and cold. Use a good quality potting soil so roots can stretch and breathe and make the most of their container. Peat moss, perlite and compost work great.
Use plants with the same light needs and rate of growth. Choose either all-sun or all-shade plants.
Some herbs to consider: basil, chamomile, chives, coriander, dill, mint, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme.
Plants for shade: adiantum, begonia, bergenia, euphorbia, heuchera and snowdrop.
Plants for sun: clematis, geranium, ivy, lavender, liriope, pansy, rosemary, sedum and succulents.
Vegetables: cabbage, chard, cucumber, lettuce, onions, peas, pole beans, radishes, spinach and tomatoes.
It’s always darkest before dawn. So, if you need to borrow some of your neighbor’s plants, that’s the time to do it.
Just kidding.
I take back all those times I didn’t want a nap when I was younger. Older and wiser, I now plan my whole day around taking a nap.
Schmidt is a Poway resident with over 40 years of gardening experience.
