Living walls add permanence and establish boundaries within a landscape. They offer privacy and screen undesirable views such as your neighbor’s side-yard junk pile. While the term conjures images of the magnificent living tapestries that adorn public walls and buildings, vertical gardens include smaller residential versions, vine-covered trellises, borders of shrubs or closely planted trees, and walls decorated with traditional and repurposed containers.
Climbing in Popularity
There’s no denying that vertical gardens are growing in popularity, for several good reasons. Among them:
They take up less space, especially when the yard, patio, or balcony lacks space. They provide instant privacy and can disguise an ugly wall or block an unsightly view. They allow people to start or continue gardening in small spaces that usually wouldn’t accommodate a regular-sized bed. If well designed and maintained, they can be a garden focal point. They are an environmental choice. Many vertical planters and wall systems are designed from recycled or repurposed materials. Vertical gardens are often grown and thrive via a hydroponic system—basically a soil-free alternative. Provide an opportunity to grow vegetables, fruit, and herbs in a small, urban space. Reinvigorate plain exteriors with greenery. Create more gardening opportunities and accessibility for people with disabilities. Provide instant garden boundaries.
From simple solutions to award-winning designs by top landscape architects and professionals, take a look at these 35 creative ideas for living walls and vertical gardens. But first, a little background information on how the movement originated.
Thrillers are taller, visually striking plants that go in the center or toward the back of a container and can be viewed from all angles.Fillers are more rounded or mounded plants and fill in the middle of the container. They tie things together and make the combination look fuller.Spillers are the plants that spill or trail over the edges. They are usually placed close to the edges of the container so that they can crawl up and over it for that natural spill-appeal.
MPB built large concrete retaining walls and installed a storefront-style folding door system in the den that opens to a rear stone patio. Terraced concrete planters lead to a striking living wall that is planted with bonsais, ivies, mosses, ferns, orchids, fuschias, junipers, succulents, grasses, and Daphnes. The architect for the project was Gast Architects, the interior designer was Martha Angus, and plant design and installation was by Thumbellina Gardens.
