Ever wanted to green your balcony or rooftop garden and make a real style statement at the same time?  Vertical gardens are the urban gardening revolution that anyone with an aversion to brickwork and steel has been waiting for, promising some leafy relief from the concrete jungle. And while there are already buildings and corporate foyers adorned with walls of green there have been few solutions for the domestic setting. Thankfully this is changing as George Tomo from Atlantis Water Management explains.

What is the theory behind a vertical garden?

“Vertical gardens work on the principle of gravity fed watering, either through an automated drip fed system or manually. Our version is a modular unit that be expanded vertically or horizontally to suit, with individual boxes for each plant. The units are permeable so the water simply filters down the construction.”

Why should I install a vertical garden?

“Vertical gardens can add some greenery to spaces which might not be suitable for a traditional garden. Some examples include balconies and indoor sites.”

What are the environmental benefits?

“Besides having a small carbon footprint a vertical garden can help to regulate the temperature of your building while purifying the air and using minimal irrigation. In terms of the bigger picture it will also reduce the effects of global warming and help reduce harmful Co2 emissions.”

What sort of soil would I use?

“Any standard potting mix should be suitable for your vertical garden.”

What plants could I put into my vertical garden?

“A whole range of species could be suitable, with creepers, grasses, ferns and vegetables some of the more common options – it all depends how much light your site receives.”

How do you water a vertical garden?

“The easiest way is to install a number of drip heads at the top of the unit, which slowly permeate each successive layer until the plants at the bottom are watered. Otherwise you could simply water manually.”

How much water will my vertical garden use?

“This depends on a number of factors including ambient temperature and the amount of sunlight your garden is exposed to. Otherwise its as simple as letting the irrigation system do its thing.  Liquid fertiliser and nutrients can also be fed through the drip irrigation system. 

What is your product made of?

“Our vertical garden is manufactured from a durable recycled plastic, so it has a very small carbon footprint.”

Are there different styles in your range?

“There are three options in the modular Gro-Wall™ system, including a façade kit which works like a lattice system, as well as the regular Gro-Wall™ and Gro-Wall™ PRO systems.”