DIY Garden/ Outdoor. January 10th, 2024

35 Vertical plant walls and gardens with design instructions

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35 Vertical plant walls and gardens with complete guide and design instructions to help you make vertical green walls that will not fail. Vertical plant walls soften architecture, screens urban noise and supply greenery. You will find how to make and install different vertical planters and green walls?

Add DIY outdoor lights simple and easy ideas for homes to choose from that goes well with your unique taste and style.

Table of contents:

Why are green walls popular?
The importance of vertical plant walls
What is vertical gardening?
Hydroponic garden
Types of Vertical gardens
How do you build a vertical plant wall
Setup a vertical garden
Vertical plant wall with PVC pipes?
How to hang pots on a vertical plant wall?
Advantages of vertical gardening
Disadvantages of vertical gardens
Vertical plant wall maintenance
Introduce kids to vertical plant walls
Indoor and vertical farming
Ideas to DIY Vertical Plant Walls

Why are green walls popular?

Vertical plant walls add value and beauty to the interiors around the world. Landscape architects are using green wall in architecture since 1970s. Stanley Hart White, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois should be awarded the title of inventor of the modern living wall.

Jim Mumford, President of Good Earth Plant Company in San Diego explains, “One of the reasons living walls are starting to be so popular is because, increasingly, horizontal space is at a premium”. Therefore, if you don’t have enough space on the floor to put plants, then the natural place for plants to go is the wall.

The importance of vertical plant walls

Vertical plant walls are an intelligent representation of excellent design, plant selection, engineering and horizontal plant care. They are important for the environment as they improve air quality both indoor and outdoor.

Green walls (also known as living walls or vertical gardens) are known to remove harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from the air that we breathe and absorb pollutants. The plants in green walls photosynthesize like all plants. They use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and sugars for energy.

Vertical plant walls act as extra insulation by trapping air between the plants and the wall. Thus, they save electricity by keeping the building warm in winter and cool in summer. Living green walls also reflect, refract and absorb acoustic energy resulting in reduced noise.

What is vertical gardening?

A vertical garden is a vertically suspended panel on which plants are grown using hydroponics or soil. These unique structures can either be freestanding or attached to a wall.

Hydroponic garden

Hydroponic gardening uses the method of growing plants without soil. You can nurture a huge variety of edible plants indoors all year round. Regardless of the weather outdoor you can grow herbs, vegetables, and even fruits. However, the same method can be used to make well-designed trellis or wall for beautiful and stunning home interiors.

Types of vertical gardens

Living walls are a perfect accent for outdoor spaces and indoor living. Three types of vertical gardening systems that are popular:

Green walls: Living walls made with container plants or modular green panels in front of a wall.

Green facade: A wall that is completely or partially covered with greenery using trellis system.

Freestanding vertical gardening systems

How do you build a vertical plant wall?

Living wall or vertical green garden wall systems are built using pre-vegetated panels, modules, planted blankets or bags. These are affixed to a structural wall or free-standing frame.

There are four critical areas in understanding how vertical wall gardens works:

1. Physical layout, 2. Lighting, 3. Growing medium and 4. Sustainability features.

Setup a vertical garden?

You can make vertical plant wall anywhere in your garden or inside home, but the trick is to choose the right plants for that space. Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a living wall:

Select a wall
Prepare the surfaces
Build the frame
Attach plastic sheeting or landscaping plastic
Attach two layers of landscaping fabric
Install the irrigation system
Add fertilizer and connect the irrigation system to water source
Fix your vertical planters in place
Choose your plants
Pot your plants in hanging planters
Put the planted pots in the pockets
Irrigation and maintenance

There are a variety of vertical plant walls you can make for interiors. Many different types of houseplants, annuals, perennials and shrubs work well together in a vertical space. Consider the following options:

Common Vertical Plant Gardens

MAKE A VERTICAL AROID WALL

Aroids are from the family Araceae. They include many common houseplants like aglaonemas, monsteras, philodendrons, pothos and ZZ plants. These plants are easy maintenance.

MAKE A VERTICAL SUCCULENT GARDEN

Succulent plants are often found growing on cliffs in the crevices of rocks or on the cliff edges. They tend to cling to any soil they can find. This ability to remain alive in little soil makes them an ideal choice for vertical gardening.

MAKE A VERTICAL MOSS WALL

Moss walls or moss wall art is a type of green wall or living wall. It is made of preserved natural materials. Several different types, colors and textures of moss, driftwood, dried pods and mushrooms, bark, faux stone and preserved plants complete the moss wall.

Build a vertical plant wall with PVC pipes?

Make a vertical plant wall using PVC pipes.

Measure and cut PVC pipes.
Cut Holes for Plants.
Smooth Out Holes.
Add Drainage Holes.
Join the pipes together to make your structure.
Add Weed Block.
Put Irrigation Line in Place.
Add Plants.

How to hang pots on a vertical plant wall?

There are many different ways you can hang planters on vertical plant wall. These are ideal for indoor garden DIY in style:

Build an indoor wood trellis.
Attach vertical planters to the wall.
Hook them to the curtain rod.
Hang them from the ceiling.
Hang them upside down.
Attach them to the wall with magnets.
Use suction to stick to the window.

Moss walls have a natural acoustical benefit and do not attract bugs. The only maintenance moss walls need is a little water mist if the humidity drops or to clean it every few months.

Advantages of vertical gardening

There are many advantages of vertical plant wall. A few I have shared below:

Save space.
Allow extra mobility.
Offer many planting options.
Grow more in less space.
Improve home environment.
Removes air pollutants.
Prevent from diseases.
Provide better airflow.
Prevent from pests.
Add beauty and privacy.

Benefits of Living Walls

Just like advantages, there are quiet a few benefits of living walls as well:

Increased yields.
Heartier harvest by maximizing space.
Reduces urban temperatures.
Grow in non-traditional spaces.
Improve biodiversity.
Thermal benefits to building.
Saves electricity.
Reduces noise.
Increase productivity.
Provides room for creativity.
Attenuates rainwater.
Improve sense of well-being.

Disadvantages of vertical gardens

Irrigating vertical plant walls can be challenging. The possible disadvantages of vertical plant wall may include:

Additional maintenance and time.
Potential expense.
Expert needed to set up a vertical farming project.
Carelessness could lead to a spread of pests.
Can hold moisture against the affected walls
Promote rot if planters are not installed properly
Water dripping from planters can stain or dirty things below
Home damage due to wrong choice of plants
Pollination problems.
High energy consumption.
High upfront costs.
Significant operational costs.
High labor costs.

Vertical plant wall maintenance and key to success

Green wall requires maintenance. Some say they are easy to maintain. They lead to less physical strain by taking out the need to bend and save time on fighting against pests and disease since the plants are potted in containers. While others argue that they require a lot of time, effort, money and resources to maintain.

In short, all gardens require maintenance. Similarly, a vertical plant wall or gardening system also requires care and maintenance. This includes, pruning, weeding, rubbish removal, checking plant health, apply fertilizer and more. Some key points for maintaining vertical plant wall include:

The irrigation system is the heart of a vertical garden.
Soil care and fertilizing the vertical garden is critical in the long-term.
Having sufficient light levels.
Plant selection for vertical growing locations.
Using plant design to minimize maintenance.
Pruning and replacing plants.
Time to trim.
Pest control.

A living wall can last up to 4-6 years based on the conditions, proper maintenance and care of the plants.

Plant wall winter maintenance: Set the irrigation system to frost-protection mode before winter starts. Trim and clean the plants. Monitor the moisture level on monthly basis and manually activate the irrigation system if required.

Plant wall summer maintenance: Trim and clean the plants at least once a month. Monitor moisture level of the growing medium and ensure plants are not dry.

Do Vertical plant walls need sunlight?

Plants need water and sunshine to grow. Lighting has remanded an issue for many indoor plant installations and lack of lighting leads to vertical plant wall systems failures. You can make living wall in a well received sunlight spot or use grow lights to keep them nourished.

How frequent vertical plant walls need water?

Conditions vary based on weather and types of plants. A good rule of thumb is to check the soil if the first 1-2 inches is dry, it is time to water the plants. However, it is recommended that you water your wall garden once every 2-3 weeks. Slowly water the plants from the top and give them time to absorb water to the bottom of each planter. Make sure your planters have drainage holes.

Many vertical plant walls use drip irrigation system. Most green walls are watered using automatic irrigation that sets a watering time to reduce water waste. It is believed that generally vertical farming uses 95% less water than traditional farming.

Introduce kids to vertical plant wall

Vertical plant walls can teach science to kids. Make a small vertical plant wall by a sunny window indoor or outdoor and explore the whole new way of gardening with kids. Pick your favorite plants, wrap them in fabric and put them in vertical garden pockets. You can also add the coolest plants in containers and hang them on the vertical plant wall.

Indoor and vertical farming

A vertical garden can be less work and offer greater yields in vegetable growing than traditional gardening, even if you have lots of space. Indoor and vertical farming saves space for organic and regenerative practices, thus relieving pressure on our farmlands.

This practice is crucial to the future of our environment and habitats. It will also aid in introducing more biodiverse projects on the farms. Vertical farms are generally and significantly safer than conventional agriculture.

WHAT FOODS GROW IN VERTICAL GARDEN?

You can grow a variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs in the vertical garden. Some popular options are beans, carrots, mini cucumbers, mini eggplant, garlic, mini onions, peppers, cascading or patio tomatoes. You can also foods like greens, fruits, strawberries, herbs (sunny wall), medical and aroma-therapeutic varieties in a vertical plant wall.

Ideas to DIY Vertical Plant Walls

You will find 35 ideas with material and step-by-step instructions to make vertical plant walls at home in your garden or indoor spaces.

I have compiled different styles of wall gardens, mostly with succulents. Vertical plant displays make a space feel organic and lush, sometimes without much effort at all.

You can make vertical plant walls with planter boxes, pots, or felt pockets. A forward-facing succulent wall garden or a moss wall art. There are so many options for displaying plants on the wall.

Popular ideas include building a brick or cinder block wall, stacked stone wall, insulated wall or cement block wall but they all require professional assistance. These are rather more easy to do Vertical plant walls.

1. Vertical plant pocket wall garden

via youtube.

Bring life to a space by utilizing blank wall and installing a vertical plant wall with felt pockets.

5. How to make a wood lattice plant hanger?

via bhg.

This easy plant hanger bottle wall project transformed simple plastic pots into wall art. Add classic garden charm to any empty wall with wood lattice. This project is perfect, just hang pots with zip ties and customize with any stain, paint, and plastic pots in a few hours.

6. Beautiful DIY vertical hanging garden

Grow Portulaca (Mossrose) for small spaces via youtube.

7. DIY small vertical plant wall for indoor garden

via sunny circle studio.

8. DIY plant wall

via happy sprout.

9. How To Make a Vertical Succulent Garden?

via jenwood house.

Landscape fabric and cactus potting mix are two of the secret ingredients in this easy DIY succulent garden. It would look lovely on a mantel, in a bedroom, or on the wall of a dining room.

10. DIY fake succulent wall decor

via making manzanita.

Make a zero maintenance vertical plant wall with fake plants for aesthetically pleasing interiors.

11. DIY wood slate plant wall

via casa watkins living.

12. Pothos plant wall

Create a living wall of leaves via wally grow.

13. Modern DIY Vertical plant wall

via the garden glove.

Make this easy and amazing modern DIY living plant wall (aka wood fence wall).

14. How to build an indoor vertical plant wall?

via IG.

15. Build a vertical moss wall

via IG.

16. Shoe organizer plant wall

via instructables.

Turn a hanging shoe organizer into vertical plant garden. It’s pockets are the ideal size to grow individual herbs.

17. DIY outdoor plant wall

via love and renovations.

Make this beautiful living wall with wooden fence and terra cotta pots on exterior walls.

18. How to Make a Plant Wall?

via the spruce.

This budget-friendly plant wall can be made with regular household items.

19. Use climbers to conceal a wall

Hide a wall by choosing hardy climbers like ivy, passionflower, and jasmine for quick growth up and over unsightly wall. Growing vertically is one of the most natural garden screening Vertical plant walls double as garden screening such that the entrée wall is covered with plants and hidden away.

You can also use big evergreens to maximize drama and make a practical and beautiful outdoor living space. The silver foliage of labium lifts the green hues from ferns in this soil-based system living wall. Bamboo wall and Fir tree wall are also great for climbing plants and vines.

Image credit: Leigh Clapp

20. Rain gutters vertical garden

Drill holes in the bottom of salvaged finds like rain gutters for drainage and make fun containers for vertical gardens. Idea from country living.

21. Vertical planter from stacked crates

via little green dot.

Create a vertical planter pyramid! Reinforce the stacked crates with wooden planks to ensure the structure is secure.

22. Hanging Terra Cotta Planter

via survival life.

A simple and easy to do magical vertical plant wall. This hanging planter is made up of five wooden planks with openings that let pots dangle. The planks are spaced evenly between two pieces of rope and are secured with zip ties for a uniform look.

23. Hanging wall planters

Dress up any bright window in your kitchen with this simple but elegant looking hanging planter idea. Enjoy snipping off fresh herbs while you are cooking.

24. DIY Vertical Hanging Planter Garden

Make this gorgeous vertical plant wall for $5 hanging planters. Complete the project with flat-finish paint, sturdy rope, and washi tape.

25. Upcycled vertical garden

Use empty plastic containers as base for these chic planters. If the size doesn’t fit right, invest in inexpensive plastic pots. You can turn them into hanging planters.

26. Ladder Shelving

via craftionary.

Add height to your space by leaning an old ladder against the wall. Use it as tiered shelving for plants. This wouldn’t be hard to DIY with landscape timbers.