If you have a free wall that you need to decorate or if you do not have much space in your patio, go ahead and make your own vertical garden. These are vertical structures on which you can place any type of plants, whether they are floral or edible.
Before putting these ideas into practice, you should take into account some factors:
1. Permanence
This is an important factor to consider if you rent your home. You should also evaluate it if your garden receives a limited amount of sunlight. In either case, it will be better to opt for lightweight materials that can be easily moved.
2. The Shadow
Design your garden keeping in mind that since plants will grow upwards, they can block the sun from those below. Thus, you should place those plants that grow best in the shade at the bottom of the vertical structure.
3. Choose your plants well
Choose the species that you will plant taking into account the care that they will require. For example, if you choose a variety that needs to be pruned, make sure it is easy to access. It is best to choose plants that reach a height that you like and that do not require excessive work on your part.
4. The location, height and strength of the structure
Make sure to mount your vertical garden in a place that does not hinder the passage. It is also important that you consider the resistance of the materials with which you will assemble the structure. These should be strong enough to support the weight of the pots. Height is also a factor to consider: if you place your plants too high, it will be difficult for you to water and care for them. In case you have no other alternative, you can opt for a pulley system.
5. Watch out for invasive plants
There are some species that grow on almost any surface. If you place any of them near the walls, they can damage the paint, beams, and other materials in your home.
6. Irrigation
Depending on the location of your vertical garden, being exposed to more sunlight and wind, the plants may need to be watered more frequently.
7. Assemble the structure before planting
Make sure to set up your vertical garden before planting. This will prevent you from damaging the roots.
Click here to learn more about vertical gardens.
Ideas for setting up vertical gardens
1. The pocket system
These vertical gardens are assembled with a porous material similar to felt. To create something similar, you can reuse shoe organizers.
2. Pots mounted on a pallet structure
To assemble this structure, you will only need to hang a pallet from the wall. On it you can hang the pots with hooks in the form of “S” or similar.
3. Cans mounted on a wooden structure
Clean cans well before reuse. Be especially careful with those that may contain chemical residues, as these could damage your plants. Nail them on a wooden structure and plant inside them the species that you like the most.
You can also fix the cans directly on the wall.
4. Hanging plastic bottles
Save your plastic bottles, wash them well, cut off one of their sides and use them as flower pots. To hang them, you can use rope, cable or wire.
5. Stacked plastic bottles
This is another option to reuse plastic bottles in your vertical garden. Follow the scheme to assemble a structure like the one seen in the image.
6. A potted tree
With a little creativity, you can mount a structure on the wall that holds the pots and forms a figure that you like.
7. Reuse windows
Join two windows and mount your garden on them. To support the plants, you can use a mesh with large holes. This is an excellent option to implement if you need to move your vertical garden.
8. Tiered Garden
If you do the carpentry tomorrow, you can build a stepped structure to place the pots.
9. A garden on a staircase
If you are looking for a simpler option, you can also reuse an old ladder. Separate its two parts and lean or hang them on the wall, or place wooden slats between the steps to support the pots.
10. Pot Tower
Pass the drainage holes of the pots through a rod. Thus, you will be able to form this beautiful tower of pots.
11. Use glass jars
Create a hanging structure with glass jars and wooden slats. In addition to obtaining a space to plant your favorite species, you will create a decorative element.
12. Hanging Baskets
Follow the directions in the image to create this beautiful hanging basket structure.