The vertical garden is an excellent option for shaping and utilizing space in the context of various non-standard exterior and interior solutions. There are many different ways to design and build a green wall or a vertical garden. Depending on the goals and the desired end result, a number of approaches can be used. From a hanging structure, through a „living wall“ to a classical vertical garden.
Advantages of vertical gardens
It is known that in vertical planting, the root system receives good aeration, which is extremely beneficial to the growth and development of the plants. They are planted in a vertical soil layer, most often with the help of a specialized geotextile sail. In many „do-it-yourself“ variants, various handy tools such as tarpaulins, recycled bags, and more are used.
Vertical gardens are a great aesthetic element, but they also have irreplaceable qualities such as cleaning the indoor air, improving the vision of the walls, helping to prevent overheating, dust insulation, harmful particles, reduce environmental noise and many other useful applications.
Vertical gardens and green walls enjoy wide popularity in the design of innovative buildings, public, office and commercial spaces, but we can increasingly find them in private homes, yards, gardens.
Do it yourself: a vertical garden
Making your own vertical garden is an achievable task for those who are not afraid to experiment and want to diversify and utilize the surrounding space. Such installation can be done both indoors and outdoors (according to the location and light in the room). In this way, you can compensate for a lack of greenery or to refine and decorate a facade or wall.
For one of the most common and relatively simple methods of vertical landscaping, ordinary wooden europallets can be used.
To do this you will need:
• pallets
• durable garden foil
• toss, thick nylon or similar material
• a tacer
• scalpel, dummy blade or sharp knife
- Cover the inside of the pallet with a tat or nylon by covering the openings between the boards.
- Attach a stapler with the tack.
- Wrap the back of the pallet with foil.
- Fill the space between the two layers with a fertilizer mixture.
- Drill holes in the shape of a cross in the pocket / nylon.
- Put the desired plants into the holes.
Vertical garden for herbs
The species that can be grown successfully in a vertical garden are many and different – for example:
• succulents
• mosses
• ferns
• flowers
• low coniferous shrubs
• low broad-leaved shrubs
• low-growing flowers
• some berries
• different herbs
The herbs are an excellent choice of vegetation to plant in a vertical garden. They are fragrant, can be used in the household, and also protect against some insects (flies, mosquitoes, etc.). The cultivation of herbs depends on the location, the local flora and the individual conditions and location of the garden. For this purpose, some types of annual herbs and spices can be used. They require sowing every year.
Some of the most common annual species used for this purpose are:
• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
• Anthriscus cerefolium
• Garden Salad (Satureja hortensis)
Among the perennial seasonings that can be grown in pots or a vertical garden are:
• Siberian (Cheese, Rice) onions (Allium schoenoprasum)
• Origanum vulgare
• Thymus serpillum – a winter-like species
• Common thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
• Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodora)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
