Save space with vertical gardens

When the available growing space is smaller than a postage stamp, gardeners can quickly become desperate. But there's no reason to despair. Plants only need a little soil, a few rays of sun, and the occasional sip of water to grow. No one says they have to stand side by side on the ground. Just like us humans, they can be stacked in tiers. This allows you to make the most of the size of your garden, balcony, or patio.

Green walls

Green walls are unusual, striking eye-catchers that can be as small or large, high-tech or low-tech as you like, depending on your budget. The basic idea is to create a narrow compartment in the wall that contains just enough topsoil. Plant your flowers or herbs inside and figure out a way for the water to trickle down from the top. Some enthusiasts have taken vertical gardens to the extreme, and there are huge walls completely covered in plants . You don't have to overdo it, but at least a small vertical garden will definitely look good on your wall.

Another option is plant bags. These are any type of container that you can attach to the wall and plant in. The possible containers range from cut-open milk cartons to homemade jute bags with waterproof inserts. Whatever you choose, a few patches of green look great on any wall.

A third option is gutters. Simply anchor a few of them to your wall, stacked on top of each other, or hang them from chains, fill the gutters with soil, and you've created valuable space for your plants.

Hanging plants

If your wall is already full, look up. All you need is a nail and a piece of rope to transform a regular plant pot into a hanging garden. Wicker baskets lined with foil also make great swinging plant containers . A quick tip: choose a slightly larger container . Since hanging containers are exposed to wind and sun from all sides, the soil will otherwise dry out quickly. If you want to grow something edible, herbs, hanging tomatoes , or strawberries are the ideal inhabitants of your hanging gardens. If you're purely interested in beauty, you can choose from a wide variety of colorful outdoor flowers.

The traditional hanging garden consists of the following ingredients: A large, bushy, and colorful VIP plant, such as a geranium, begonia, or fuchsia; a few complementary B-list plants such as busy Lizzies, marigolds, and pansies; and a few stand-in plants such as petunias or lobelias. Of course, any other approach is also open. Ideally, all plants should have slightly drooping shoulders.

stirrup

If you have room for a pot, you also have room for a climbing aid. A climbing plant requires minimal floor space but creates a maximum spectacle on a wall . You can either attach a trellis to your wall and place a potted Reinhold Messner plant underneath, or you can build a climbing frame and allow your plants to free-climb on your patio. Suitable candidates for this include clematis and passion flowers, as well as edible plants like cucumbers and melons .

For the second option, take the largest pot that still fits on the selected area and push three stakes into the ground to form a tripod. Tie the stakes together at the top and loop a round of ribbon around the stakes about every 30 cm. This creates a ladder for the plants.

Care

Whatever you choose to stack your greenery, your success (or failure) depends on the care you give your hanging or climbing roommates. Since containers often don't offer much space for soil, the plants will need you to fertilize and water them more often . But if you give them what they need, you'll be richly rewarded. What was once just stone and concrete is now a colorful, fragrant, and sometimes edible variety!

Many thanks to fix.com , where the article originally appeared and for allowing us to translate it and use the images. Many thanks, you guys!