Vertical gardens are not only stunning, but space-saving and energy-smart too. They cannot only grow food in tight spaces but they can also generate living works of art in the city and suburbs.
There are so many things to love about vertical gardens: they’re aesthetically stunning, living works of art; they’re environmentally friendly, requiring less water than traditional gardens; and they make perfect sense for urban small space-dwellers.
It’s a concept that Australians are embracing in commercial and residential spaces. There’s one in Melbourne Central shopping centre (created by the infamous Patrick Blanc), and another gracing the walls of Qantas’s first class lounge in Sydney Airport – and now there are wall garden modules available to grow in your backyard.
A vertical garden is essentially a framework of plants placed onto the side of a building or a wall. They can be placed indoors or outdoors, in full sun or shade, depending on what types of plants you want. You can plant all types of flowers and plants on them, including epiphytes, tropical plants, succulents, ferns and even herbs.
Plants with shallow roots are better to use, because they have an easier time staying attached to a vertical wall. The best to use is plant species that grow in soil-less terrain, such as air plants. Air plants attach themselves to objects without need for soil and do not need irrigation, which makes them perfect for such an installation. However if you have a particular plant you wish to use in your vertical gardens plants can be irrigated with a trickle system, which allows the water that falls to the bottom to be pumped back to the top for reuse.
For those of you out there getting tight on space, but who still want beautiful flowers and plants to look at, consider a vertical garden. It’s organic art for your indoor or outdoor wall space and is a beautiful way to help filter air naturally and add humidity to your environment. Check out these beautiful and small vertical gardens for some inspiration.
Tillandsia Wall Garden at the Bardessono Hotel A collaborative effort from three designers – garden designer Flora Grubb; her fiancé, builder Kevin Smith; and architect Seth Boor.
