If you’re short on space outdoors, that doesn’t mean that you have to give up on the idea of being able to grow your own plants at home!  You can grow yourself a beautiful and practical vertical garden.  However, if you have no idea what plants would suit a vertical garden, we’ve put together this overview to get you started. Read on for more info.

What is a Vertical Garden?

A vertical garden is simply a garden that grows vertically, rather than in the traditional way in garden beds or pots.  There are different types of vertical gardens, from as simple as a few hanging baskets or a vine growing up a wall through to as complicated as a wall installation that is made up of a frame, a backing, and a special layer in which the plants are embedded.  The beauty of a vertical garden is that it only needs a wall or fence in order to work, as well as sunlight and water (provided in most cases through a drip irrigation system).

How to Choose Plants for Vertical Gardens

There are some tips and tricks that you can follow to ensure that you are choosing plants that will thrive in your vertical garden.  Firstly, you should choose plants that have a suitable root system.  That is, you don’t want something that grows very vigorously or that develops a large, complicated root system as the vertical garden will have trouble supporting it.  Another thing that you want to take into account is the aspect of your vertical garden, or what direction it faces in.  This determines how much sun it will get and you’ll need to choose plants that thrive in the amount of sun the area gets.  After all, there is no point choosing shade loving plants for a full sun aspect or vice versa!  Finally, try and group plants with similar watering and fertilising requirements together in your vertical garden as this will make getting the water/nutrient mix in the irrigation system much easier to get right.

Ideas for Plants for Vertical Gardens

There are many different plants that will thrive in a vertical garden but some that have been known to do well include

• Korean Box


• Nandina Domestica


• Chinese Star Jasmine


• Mandevilla


• Golden Diosmas


• Cerastium


• Cuphea


• Mondo Grass


• Strawberries


• Tomatoes


• Capsicums


• Chillies


• Lettuces


• Climbing Roses


• Miniature Roses


• Petunias


• Nasturtiums


• Wisteria


• Daisies


• Ferns


• Bromeliads