atric Blanc, a world-renowned botanist, is the inventor of the vertical garden. His vertical lush, green landscapes have been putting down roots into iconic structures around the world. From Bangkok, Thailand to Sydney, Australia, Blanc's vertical gardens beautify the urban landscape in dozens of major cities around the globe. Vibrant garden landscapes scaling the walls of high-rises are inspirational in demonstrating what's possible with vertical gardening.
Vertical gardening is what it sounds like, gardening upwards on vertical space, rather than horizontally across the ground. Gardeners have always been using vertical areas for growing vines and the like, but the plants still rely on the earth for moisture and nutrition. A vertical garden is much more versatile and not limited to climbing plants.
Vertical gardens can be simple arrangements like a series of planter boxes hanging on the wall and requiring manual watering and fertilizing, to more advanced engineered systems that automatically deliver water and nutrients to the plants, rather than from the earth. You will often hear the more complex vertical gardens referred to as living or green walls.
The green wall of the Quai Branly museum is considered the work that made Blanc famous for his vertical gardens. The large green facade of the museum is a testament to what's possible with vertical gardening. It features more than 150,000 plants from 150 different species native to North America, South Africa, China, Japan, Chile. It's a north-facing wall, which is unsuitable for tropical species, but it still manages to achieve a staggering level of biodiversity.
Creating a vertical garden means more opportunities to add greenery to urban environments short on ground space for traditional gardening. Not only can vertical gardens create a more attractive urban space, but they also have mental health benefits for the people frequenting the area. The natural human tendency to connect with nature, even at a subconscious level, is referred to as biophilia.
An urban landscape means that many of us are cut-off from the beauty and color of natural environments. Studies have shown that even a few minutes of looking at a picture of a nature scene shows remarkable powers at reducing stress, pain, and anxiety. It's not hard to see that a physical green space could do wonders for city dwellers and suburban residents living in apartments.
Other great benefits of vertical gardening include:
The location where you create your vertical garden will depend on the types of plants you wish to grow. You will need to consider the amount of heat, light, and shade the area receives during the day.
The same considerations for an earthbound garden apply to choose a location for a vertical garden. However, you will be supplying all the nutrients the plants need, so soil quality is not a concern.
The amount of sunlight to the area plays a critical role, especially if you live in an area where the surrounding buildings create shade for a lot of the day. Most plants will require 4 to 5 hours of direct sunlight to thrive.
The good news is that there are very few plants that you can't grow in a vertical garden. Everything from herbs to succulents and flowering plants to vegetables will do well in a vertical space that receives adequate sunshine and airflow.
If your time in the garden is limited, you will be choosing easy-care plants that require minimal watering. In Arizona, succulents are always a popular choice for greening up vertical spaces.
If you plan to supplement your groceries with homegrown produce, you will need to consider the amount of water necessary for your vertical garden.
Leafy vegetables like cabbages, greens, and lettuce can do well in areas of limited sunlight, so they are excellent choices for the shady areas around your property.
Your vertical garden will do better with plants that do well in your local area. For Arizona, here are a few species you could consider:
There are a plethora of possibilities depending on the space available and the height of your garden. Try growing larger plants at the top so they can provide shade to shade-tolerant plants underneath. Larger plants may need to be cut back more often than usual; otherwise, they will droop and smother the smaller plants beneath.
You will need to carefully monitor the plants' watering needs in your vertical garden, as it's critical they don't dry out. For best results, an automated irrigation system is desirable and will free up time if you don't have a lot to spend on gardening.
If you choose to use a growing medium that is not organic, then a hydroponic system that delivers nutrients via the watering system will be required. You shouldn't have so much water in the system that it's visibly running down the walls. However, a trough to catch runoff and put it back into the system is recommended and will help you conserve water.
A vertical garden of cacti will require minimal maintenance and minimal watering, but a vegetable garden on the wall will have significantly higher water demands.
You have an almost unlimited range of options for creating a vertical garden. People around Arizona have successfully used old ladders, pots on racks, stacked crates, and felt pouches to create beautiful gardens on their vertical spaces. If you are not a particularly handy gardener, you can purchase pre-assembled systems that make it easy to get started.
Online companies are now selling various options designed to provide the right amount of moisture and nutrients to your plants. Walled gardens can be created in layers of material, plastic at the back to block moisture from the wall, and a couple of fabric layers to hold the water and plants. The fabric layer can consist of anything that will hold water without rotting.
Of course, if you want your vertical garden to be completely customized, constructing the frame yourself is an option, but many pre-built structures are available for convenience. Consider creating a vertical garden that you can easily detach from the wall and move to a different location. This way, you can take advantage of changing microclimates around your property.
When planting your vertical garden, remove the soil from the roots and insert them into slits (use a razor blade) made in the first layer of fabric. You can stabilize the plants by affixing the first layer of material to the second with staples around the root ball.
Tubes with emitters connected to your water source will then run along the top of the panel. Watering can be set to a timer, with drainage running along the bottom to collect the excess moisture dripping to the bottom.
Use timers you can set to seconds rather than minutes as you want a quick flow of water to trickle down into the fabric without oversaturating it. The weather conditions will determine how often you activate the water system each day.
The addition of a fertilizer injector and a recirculation tank creates what is essentially a self-sufficient hydroponic system, but one that delivers moisture and nutrients via vertically mounted fabric instead of horizontal water trays.
Use the right type of soil for the plants if you are using planters or use a water delivery system tailored to their nutrient requirements if you are growing the plants in fabric or another artificial medium.
Succulents create attractive vertical spaces and have minimal water requirements (water every 7 - 10 days). Other plants, like flowering varieties and vegetables, will need watering every day, or at least every other day.
Attaching a holding tank to your vertical garden will make maintenance a lot easier because you will only need to monitor the tank's level and top up as required. Vertical gardens with automated-watering systems will require some maintenance, including replacing filters and ensuring all the pumps and timers are working correctly.
Automated-watering systems are an optional extra but are by no means necessary. If you decide to care for your garden manually, it's highly recommended you invest in moisture sensors for the soil to ensure your plants always receive enough.
Like any garden you grow in the earth, you will need to check the plants for pests and diseases regularly. Dead foliage will need to be carefully trimmed back to keep your wall of green looking its best. If you build your garden to a height that puts the plants within reach, your manual labor will be a lot easier as you won't have to do so much bending and squatting.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4690962/
[2] https://www.phgmag.com/vertical-gardening/
[3] https://www.choice.com.au/outdoor/gardening/products-and-advice/articles/vertical-gardens
[4] https://www.evergreenturf.com/How-to-Create-Vertical-Garden.php
[5] https://www.good.is/articles/how-to-grow-an-edible-vertical-garden-in-5-steps
[6] https://www.choice.com.au/outdoor/gardening/products-and-advice/articles/vertical-gardens
[7] https://www.proflowers.com/blog/how-to-make-a-succulent-wall-garden
