• If you’re in doubt that vertical gardens are in fashion, this creation by Dior will surely convince you. Dior used this striking vertical design to draw attention to the Spring/Summer 2014 collection at Paris Fashion Week.

• Progressive architects love to incorporate plants into their projects. Milroy Perera Associates have recently designed the world’s tallest vertical garden. The design fantastically sums up the benefits  of including living elements in architectural designs: “pioneering sustainable residences, with the aim of taking urban living forward while still maintaining a balance with nature and the surrounding environment”.

• This is the proof that vertical gardening can be applied in a variety of spaces, including commercial units. Make sure you select the plants able to deal with ambient lighting and minimal care!

• Odd-shaped space? Not a problem! This Tokyo design takes advantage of an entrance wall to make a plain feature of the building it’s eye-catching asset.

• Westin Hotels & Resorts unveiled this public space concept, demonstrating how business can lead in customer care and wellbeing by incorporating living walls into their spaces. One cannot miss how skilful design results in an impressively precise, artful composition of the project.

• What’s underneath a garden… soil? Far from it – these Shanghai ZOO hanging gardens provide visitors with a completely different perspective on public green spaces and can be a real “sight for sore eyes” on a sunny day.

• How about something you could apply to your home? While this live/workspace in Linkebeek is an bursting with greenery, it shows the power of transforming domestic spaces with vertical gardening.  With their health benefits as well as a calming and aesthetically pleasing properties, there are simply no downsides of getting started: do try this at home!

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Improved Air Quality

It has been scientifically proven that foliage can improve air quality. Indeed, the Amazon rainforest is often referred to as ‘the lungs of the world’.
A green wall will help to vastly improve the quality of air in any environment. It acts as a natural air filter, purifying the polluted air whilst releasing clean oxygen. If installed in an office environment, the presence of green walls can lead to greater employee productivity and overall health, since cleaner air leads to better concentration, healthier employees and fewer sick days.

Excellent Aesthetics

No one who has seen a green wall close up can say that they’re not impressive, especially the larger-scale ones such as Patrick Blanc’s Parisian creation. We’re simply not used to seeing gardens grow upwards, so it catches our eye!
Excellent for the home or the office, a green wall can turn any dull and dreary room into an inviting and alluring environment. This can be great for creating a good first impression on your clients when they visit your business. Or, if you want to give your home a nice colourful touch, it will add some green to your own four walls and be a great talking point when you have guests over.

Reduced Energy Costs

In the Western world, and America in particular, we love air conditioning. However, the costs can be astronomical. Did you know however than installing a green wall acts as a natural air conditioner, balancing humidity levels in the process to keep us comfortable.
Through a process known as evapotranspiration, the air surrounding the green wall is naturally cooled. In winter, a green wall on the outside of a building acts as insulation, reducing the need for costly heating too.

Reduced Noise Levels

You might be wondering how can a bunch of plants help to reduce noise levels! It is one of the lesser-known benefits of a green wall, reducing background noise in loud, communal dining areas, or reducing noise pollution from traffic on busy main roads.
The foliage absorbs and reflects the noise that comes its way, so if there’s a room in your home you want to make as peaceful and relaxing as possible, a living green wall can help – and that’s not to mention the general sense of calm and well-being that comes from being around greenery!

So, How Do You Install Your Own?


Green walls are great for those who don’t have much garden space. Although a professional will be needed for larger scale projects, this is still something you can attempt yourself on a smaller scale at home.

Select the space you wish to use for your very own green wall. Get started by building a frame; you will need a good, solid structure which can be hung onto the wall. Plastic is generally considered the most appropriate material to use. A plastic sheet must then be attached to the frame to stop water from leaking.

You are now ready to attach a layer of fabric to the frame, which will act as the foundation your plants will live and grow from. Use a material which has effective water retention properties and lets roots grow through – felt is often the material of choice here.

Set up an irrigation system for the water to be able to reach all parts of the wall. The usual style is to attach a tube across the top of your wall, which will drip water down throughout the whole structure. As this is one of the most important aspects, you will most likely want to consult an expert in the field. At this point you will also need to add a fertilising system.

Finally you will want to choose and insert the plants you want to include in your green wall. This is entirely down to your personal preference. Just take into account the current aesthetics of the room or garden where you are constructing your green wall. For a more in-depth guide to creating your own green wall, take a look at this article.

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Growing a vertical garden indoors is the same as growing plants in containers on the fire escape or indoors. Plants need the same thing, no matter how you arrange them. It’s a fairly straightforward process involving containers, a hanging system, water and soil. Growing a vertical wall garden indoors is the perfect way to get your herb garden without taking up precious kitchen space.

What is A Vertical Wall Garden?

A vertical garden involves a sort of container and system that lets you place the plants vertically. Most often vertical wall gardens are attached to the wall or lean against it. Any garden that meets this criterion is a vertical wall garden.  It’s really that simplistic and it’s just as easy to maintain as a regular garden.

What Can I Plant?

The sky is the limit for vertical wall gardens as they are essentially the same as regular gardens just vertical rather than horizontal. You can grow a selection of herbs in a vertical wall garden and hang the containment system on the wall of your kitchen. You can also make a vertical wall garden of veggies by using the right materials to create a structure able to support larger vegetable plants, like tomatoes. You can also choose to plant a selection of flowering greenery, vines or even cactus.  Anything of a reasonable size can be planted in a vertical garden. Just don’t expect it to hang on the wall with a large vertical garden as the weight of the soil and plants tends to make it difficult.

Indoor Difference
DIY Indoor Wall Gardens

You can make an indoor wall garden in a variety of ways. You can use recycled materials, like old gutters, or materials bought from the home improvement store. When it comes to making your own indoor vertical wall garden, there are many options and styles to create or buy.

Picture Frame

The picture frame is the simplest of the indoor vertical wall garden types. Start with an old picture frame or make your own frame. Then, attach chicken wire to the frame. Hold the wire in place with a second smaller frame—either bought or handmade. Attach the back to the second frame. Fill with soil, plant your favorites and water them.

Recycled Materials

Most materials can be reworked into a vertical wall garden. For example, you could attach three rows of gutters to a solid wall in the interior of your home. Fill the gutters will soil and plant with your favorite flowers, vines or veggies for a permanent feature wall.

Containment System

A container system starts with a series of containers, set of brackets and a strong material, like wood. You can use a piece of plywood or other suitable material as the backing. Attach the containers to the material with nails or staples. Then, add soil and plants. Hang or rest against a wall.

The only difference between an outdoor and indoor vertical wall garden is the size and weight. Because houses do not have unlimited space, so indoor vertical wall gardens tend to be smaller and less heavy. The picture frame style indoor wall garden is entirely possible, but it can get messy. Containment systems are more likely. Indoor vertical wall gardens can be messy, if the wrong materials are used. That’s way the container vertical wall method is more likely to be used then the picture frame style vertical wall style.

Indoor vertical wall gardens are very easy to make and add a living piece of art to your humble abode. The endless options make for individual and fun vertical gardens for your home. What kind of plants do you want to sow into your indoor vertical garden?

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A vertical garden, or a hanging garden made of living plants, is a fantastic way to turn a ho-hum space into a focal point. Succulents are an excellent choice for a vertical garden because they are hearty, they grow slowly and they come in a range of colors, sizes and textures. Blending a variety of these plants together to create a vertical garden will create instant interest to your space.

Are you intrigued by the idea of adding such a garden to your space, but think that it will be too difficult to create and care for? Think again! A vertical succulent wall garden is actually quite easy to create and rather easy to care for.

Creating the Garden

To create your succulent wall garden, you are going to need a frame, potting soil and a collection of succulent clippings. You can purchase a preassembled frame from a home supply store, or you can create one yourself. Creating one yourself will require a picture frame, a wooden shadow box, planting fabric and potting soil.

After you add your potting soil to your planter, make sure that the wire is accessible. The wire is what will secure the plants in place. To plant the succulents, poke the ends through the wire and push them into the soil. After arranging the plants, let the frame lay flat in a sunny location so that they can take root. This will take anywhere from about 4 to 10 weeks. Once the plants take root, the garden is ready to be displayed on a wall. Alternatively, you can go with a ready-made living wall planter from uzplanters.

Making an Attractive Display

It really doesn’t require much to create an attractive succulent wall garden. There are so many different types of succulent plants and all of them are as attractive as the next. Use your eye for what you think looks best on how to arrange them in the planter. Group together plants that you think look the best. A word of advice; creating a cluster of several of the same types of succulents will make for a very eye-catching display.

Light Considerations

When it comes to hanging your succulent wall garden, you are going to want to display it in a space that receives a lot of sun. Succulents require full sunlight in order to thrive. This means that the space you hang the garden should receive a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight. These plants will survive in areas that receive slightly less sunlight, but they will not thrive as well as they would in direct sunlight.

Watering Your Garden

As with all plants, your succulent wall garden will require regular watering. These plants should be watered when they approach dryness, which is about every 7 days or so. In order to determine whether or not your plants are approaching dryness, use your finger to feel the soil. If it feels on the dry side, the plants will need watering.

To water, remove the planter from the wall and lay it flat. Water the planter lightly and allow the water to drain well before replacing it on the wall.

A succulent wall garden will be sure to add instant interest and life to your space. With little maintenance, these gardens are an ideal addition to your outdoor space.

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In today’s world, with limited space in cities, architects and gardeners are turning to a new concept in order to bring some green into the concrete jungle: vertical gardens. Unlike regular gardens, which lie flat on the ground, vertical gardens are designed to climb into the sky. This makes them more difficult to design. First, you have to deal with gravity. Secondly, you have to accommodate for the sunlight each portion of the garden will receive. A plant that thrives in sunlight won’t do well on the north facing side of a building. Likewise, plants that can’t stand the sun need to be placed towards the north, rather than the south. With those things in mind, here are five incredible vertical gardens:

The Bosco Verticale

Back in 2007, the Italian city of Milan was facing a crisis: too much pollution, not enough green space. To deal with this problem, Boeri Studio presented the Bosco Verticale, Italy’s first vertical forest. For the first few years, the project seemed like a pipe dream. In fact, it took over two years for experts to decide what type of plants and trees would best thrive in such a vertical garden. However, as construction began, more and more Milan residents turned into believers. Both towers have been completed, and the Bosco Verticale is scheduled to open in late 2013 under a construction budget of 65 million Euros.

The Westfield Living Wall

Installed in the fall of 2009, the Westfield Living Wall is the largest living wall in Europe. Developed by Scotscape Living Walls, the lush green of the Westfield Living Wall contradicts with two of the other walls on the shopping center, which are both covered with electronic advertising. To keep the wall green, the installation contains a fully automated irrigation system. During Christmas time, thousands of red and white cyclamen were planted to create a flower snowman and Santa Clause to give the wall a more festive feel.

The Point Max Juvénal Overpass

The slate grey of a concrete overpass is one of the least aesthetically pleasing sights in the modern day metropolis. Completed in 2008 by Patrick Blanc, the Point Max Juvénal Overpass is a vertical garden like no other. Rather than driving beneath a boring concrete overpass, drivers and passengers get to pass under a luxurious vertical garden. The Point Max Juvénal Overpass turns what was once an eyesore into a thing of beauty while also improving the environment.

The National Gallery in London

Back in 2011, the National Gallery in London decided to run a special feature: they wanted pieces of living art for their gallery. Scotscape was up to the challenge, creating a living wall that was a replica of a Van Gogh painting, “Wheatfield with Cypressus”. As the wall was a piece of art, weekly visits were scheduled to ensure the vertical garden maintained it’s resemblance to the painting. Surprisingly, the garden only took three days to install, and visitors were able to enjoy it from July to November 2011 when it was taken down again. The irrigation system was reused.

The Green Houses

While not one particular garden, more and more “green houses” are popping up. These aren’t the greenhouses that hold flowers or plants for gardeners – rather, these houses are made up of vertical gardens. Each side of the house features a beautiful vertical garden instead of a plain wall. In order for green houses to survive, designers and architects need to create a water membrane to ensure the plants stay moisturized all year long. For those that live inside the green houses, the extra expense and upkeep is worth it. Rather than coming home to the same suburban beige as others, they’re greeted to a beautiful green treat.

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Foodies this is your chance if you don’t have a large garden – you can create your own vertical garden inside or outside and fill it with organic, home grown vegetables! Yum!  Growing vegetables in a vertical garden is probably one of the most practical usages of a vertical garden and has become increasingly popular especially since Amy Goldman created a wall of lettuce for the Philadelphia International Flower Show which was 9 feet high and 40 feet wide. Her wall included 6 different variety of lettuces with 3,000 leafy heads!

The creator of lettuce vertical vegetable garden was praised because if you want to create an outdoor vegetable garden, this example showed how easy it was to access the vegetables and maintain them. A person doesn’t have to bend to use the garden and was considered perfect for baby boomer retirees who love to garden but have difficultly bending, and having a vertical garden means you give yourself the opportunity to stand up whilst you’re gardening.

The most obvious benefit about a vertical vegetable garden is that you can eat it. Also, you can include different plants to make it look beautiful.  There are an array of edible plants that you can include in a vegetable vertical garden including lettuce, mixed herbs, cherry tomatoes, sage, rosemary, celery leaf and you can also add pansy’s which are lovely colorful inclusion on both a wall and in a salad.

You can organize the plants in such a manner so they look good, and you don’t need to add fertilizer as for a vegetable vertical garden you’re not trying to harvest like crazy, and also too much fertilizer for some vegetables ruins the flavor.

Top tips to growing a vertical vegetable garden:

1. Pick your wall – It is most common for a vegetable garden to have a sunny wall with typically four hours per day as the starting point for a vegetable garden. However, if your wall is shady, make sure you consider what you’re growing because different plant varieties thrive in shade so you are not limited by the sun!
2. Determine the look you want to achieve when you create your edible wall, there are many different types of apparatus on the market. Try woolly pockets which are known to be one of the best vertical garden solutions and are made of recycled plastic materials and often come with a mounting frame: Felt Pocket Vertical Garden
3. Select your vegetables and remember the root depth of your vegetables. Consider what’s typically grown in the regional area which you live. Try foods you love and would want to cook with – remember it’s a wall you can eat. Have fun experimenting with different fruits or vegetables like small melons, broccoli, brussel sprouts, mustard seeds.
4. Irrigate – if you are time poor but love your garden, it’s often wise to include an easy to install drip system which is one of the easiest ways to look after the plants on your living wall. Here’s an irrigator from uzplanters.com

For many people a garden can be a source of nutritious plants and this can be achieved via a vertical garden. Urban Zeal Planters has a fine selection of products which are suitable for creating a vertical vegetable garden.

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When growing any vertical garden indoors or outdoors the biggest consideration is choosing the wall and analysing how much light you will get. The light will impact the herbs you can grow inside.

What should you grow your herbs in?

The best solution when growing herbs inside is to use woolly pockets as they provide the right environment for growing herbs and vegetables. The best kits come with moisture barriers to protect your wall (of course you can use these kits either inside or outdoors).  Woolly Wally’s offer a sustainable solution where the pockets are made by 100% recycled bottles: Woolly Pockets

Top Herbs To Grow Inside on Your Vertical Garden

Walls Which Don’t Get Much Light

If your wall doesn’t get much light there are herbs which will have a better chance of survival indoors. One of the easiest herbs to grow indoors is chives. Your best bet is to get a cutting from an already existing chive plant but go for a cutting from the roots upwards. Another herb which thrives in shade is of course mint, where you have options of both mint and spearmint. They are hearty herbs but since they are invasive keep your minty herbs in their own woolly pocket. If you don’t have space to grow both mints then peppermint is probably the better option as you don’t need as much to create a minty effect.  Another indoor herb which is easy to grow is parsley which is a wonderful addition to any herb garden. It’s very easy to grow but remember to be patient as parsley grows very slowly. But, the positive note is that parsley doesn’t need much maintenance in terms of cuttings.

Sun Loving Herbs

Greek oregano is a very sun loving herb insisting on at least six to eight hours of sun. Another sun loving herb is thyme which is also greedy for sun also needing six to eight hours of sunlight but it might even want more!  If you have space in your woolly pockets you might even be able to grow lemon thyme which is a much rarer herb, but has a lovely citrus flavour. Vietnamese coriander (cilantro) is a very reliable herb but indoors the Vietnamese version is easier to grow. Rosemary is a lovely creeping plant perfect for any vertical garden indoor or out. Tuscan Blue or Blue Spire are upright varieties which are perfect for a living wall.

One of the most delicious flavoursome is herbs basil but it is also one of the most difficult to grow indoors especially in Winter months. However, if you want to give it a go, the best basil varieties include Spicy Globe or African Globe.

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But, even when space saving isn’t the objective, the vertical gardens are about beauty. Europe is covered with plants.  Ivy weaves and crawls up walls creating dazzling textures. Buildings and balconies are covered with fruit vines – shade is created. Plants have been turned into artwork. The garden is the draw card for many boutique restaurants. These European vertical gardens have turned restaurants into secret havens. They’ve become places of wonderment, where tourists sit awed and dream. If you have your own vision of a vertical lush green garden then read on – it’s easy to create.

The creation of your living wall needs a few things:

1. Wall or railing (inside or out) for you hang your living garden
2. Living wall panel cells (planter)
3. Plants
4. Creative Design
5. Soil

The steps to your living wall masterpiece:

Step One:

Identify the space where you want your living wall. Remember, you can have create them inside or outside. It’s becoming quite fashionable (if there is enough light) for an office to have living wall.

Step Two:

Measure how big you want your living wall. It is possible to buy living wall panels or cells. They often come in 10 or 45 cells and depending on the garden size, you can buy multiple panels. GroVert provides several options for you.  

Lets refer to this as planter cells to avoid confusion. The planter cells is a series of individual spaces to place your plants. You can see it here.

The planter cells also come with angled slats which enables the plants you select to grow vertically. Also, the angled slats enable the water to trickle down and go inside of each planter.

Step Three:

It’s important to choose the right plants and remember to look at the area where you are going to hang your living wall. Assess the amount of sun that you are going to get as this will help determine the type of plants suitable for the wall. Remember, when choosing plants don’t select them if they have a large roots system. If there is a lot of sun perhaps choose succulents. However, if your wall is shady then ferns or ivy would be more appropriate..

Step Four:

Once you have chosen the plants, it is best to break them apart and add them to the individual planter cells. This is where your creativity and fun comes in. Design your garden, and create shapes or weaves or simply mix and match the textures that you have selected. The design is completely up to you!

Step Five:

Add the soil and ensure you have filled all the openings. You are almost done.

Step Six:

The planter will come with a mechanism to attach or hang easily to the wall. Remember, you can attach it to a wall or a railing.

Remember, if you’re not going to Europe why not create it and bring it to you! After the six easy steps, remember to sit back and enjoy the piece of paradise that you have created! All these accessories for living walls are available from

Good luck and have fun!

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