How To

Living Walls; Garden City

For many, living in the city often means giving up your green thumb entirely, save for a window box of herbs and a pot plant or two.  Now though, we’re seeing a reactionary trend emerge that may see all of this change.  Architects and interior designers alike are rejecting the concrete jungle and are actively combating high rise urban sprawl with a hanging or vertical gardens.

Thinking about trying this on a spare wall at your place?  It’s easy.  Start by erecting a series of pots, trays or pouches in rows – think these recycled breathable felt pouches available at woollypocket.com. When choosing your plants, consider the environment first – is it full sun, shadey, windy, sea exposure etc.  And make sure you get creative, pick a colour scheme with a variety of different textured plants.  Pick plants with long tendrils to cover the edges of the pockets or frame the wall and plant in clusters to create a patterns.

Watering these little eco systems is simple if you can reach them, or my research tells me you can install an automatic gravity irrigation system – effectively a hose with punctures at staggered intervals, set to a drip on a timer.

Read More: The Vertical Garden by Patrick Blanc