Vertical gardening ideas to transform compact spaces

Vertical gardens or vertical plant walls are an excellent garden trend to consider if you have a small garden or empty walls that could do with some sprucing up. Although living walls are more of a contemporary trend - considering vertical garden ideas for your space taps into one of the oldest garden designs around. If you have ever grown a vine on a fence or trellis, you are already acquainted with vertical gardening.

Vertical features can draw attention to an area or disguise an unappealing view for very low effort. In this guide, we round up the best products for vertical gardening, from growing bags and pouches to living walls, so you can really go to town with as much plant life and colour as you like.

From flower pouches to tower planting systems, there are many ways to create living walls and cascading displays. So whether you have a small garden with no room to grow plants or a large garden with empty walls, why not start planting upwards?

Add a lush vertical garden to your outside space

Looking to green up your garden and boost your eco credentials? Growing a living wall is the stylish solution. As every avid Insta follower knows, these vertical leafy panels are the backdrop of choice for any chic patio or balcony.

Why plant a living wall?

It’s an easy way to add instant impact, quickly turning a blank wall or fence into a living tapestry of foliage and blooms. These chic contemporary features are loved by designers as a nifty way to blur the boundaries between indoors and out, as the vertical surface is very visible through a window. They maximise planting opportunities without encroaching on the floor area too. Great for growing most plants, these versatile systems can double as a handy herb garden or even a bijou veg or salad patch – pop one next to your back door or outside grill for the freshest ingredients.

Of course, adding any amount of planting into your garden will also be beneficial to wildlife, insects and pollinators. Providing food and shelter, it will help boost the biodiversity of your plot as well attracting some natural pest control and a stronger connection with nature.

What can I grow?

Think about where you want to position your living wall, as the environment will dictate what plants will thrive in it. A hot sunny spot can become home to an impressive array of succulents and cacti as well as a whole host
of fragrant Mediterranean herbs.

Shady wall? Lots of stunning foliage plants such as heuchera, carex, ferns and ivy all cope well with low light levels and will mass together to form a beautiful living carpet.

Many people choose to fill some pockets with lush evergreens, and the remainder with one-season-only bedding plants for an ever-changing vibrant pop of colour. Begonias and busy lizzies offer a vast choice of zesty shades through to light paler tones and will cope well in shady locations. For sunny spots, petunias, ivy-leaved pelargoniums and bacopa all put on a spectacular show, right up until the first frosts.

Fancy an on-trend loose meadow-style wall? Try a mix of airy blooms such as erigeron, annual lobelia, saxifrage plus smaller varieties of euphorbia and verbena. Add in plenty of fine sun-loving grasses such as Lagurus ovatus ‘Bunny’s Tails’ and Stipa tenuissima and enjoy
the delicate display.

And for the ultimate stress-free result, many providers of living wall systems offer pre-selected plant mixes, themed for a particular look or to suit specific light levels or sites.

Tempted to give one a go? Then we’ve got all the info you need in the latest issue of Modern Gardens magazine. There are a few different growing systems available, each with their own subtle differences, but all are quick and easy to install.

Everything you need for vertical gardening

What to consider before vertical gardening

Here are the best vertical gardening options suitable for all budgets, garden sizes and skill levels.

Growing bags and pouch planting

Pouch planters or planting pockets are easy to find in garden centres and often have small side holes marked out, ready for your plants - be sure that the fabric is waterproof. The planting pockets mean the foliage and colour are evenly distributed across the whole surface, from top to bottom and side to side, so you can effectively create a permanent picture with your plants. They take a bit of planning, so this month is an excellent time to start setting one up, ready for spring, when the plants will knit together with a rush of growth. When planting, choose small plug plants, as these will establish better in the wall.

Growing bags make giant flower pouches if you have strong support. You can purchase one big growing bag for crops such as tomatoes, strawberries and flowers.

To get started, fill each pocket or bag with compost, making sure there are holes in the ends of each one. Tuck some plants into side holes in the bags, or for the pouches, plant the whole plant in its pot into each pocket, which means you can chop and change where things go and replant more easily as you wish.

Living walls and freestanding vertical planters

Living walls look not only incredibly trendy but also increase urban space biodiversity. They are perfect for covering unattractive walls or fences or using dead space on the sides of garages, sheds and other garden buildings. You can either opt for a full-fledged living wall with a self-watering system or a minimalist wall planter with pots.

Most living walls will have a self-watering irrigation system unless you choose faux foliage which means less upkeep. Each layer drains into the one below while retaining enough for its own reservoir. The reservoir holds enough to keep plants watered for up to two weeks, depending on climate and species.

You can create a living wall as large or small as your space and budget allow, from a small but impactful picture-frame-size panel to an extended curtain wall of greenery that envelops you with life. Whatever the size, the key to getting the living wall looking right is to pack the plants closer together.

Hanging baskets for vertical gardening

It’s a common practice over in the Mediterranean to have containers on vertical surfaces, you’ve probably seen pots of bright geraniums in terracotta or ceramic planters wire-fastened to old walls, and it’s become more popular in the UK, too. It’s the perfect way to plant upwards.

Remember to water these pots frequently, as in a sunny spot; water will drain out of them all too quickly. Terracotta can get too cold in winter and crack, so for a more weatherproof option. Attach them to your wall, balcony or unappealing fence or panel.

The larger the pot, the better to give each plant sufficient root space, although succulents and sedums need less space. Add a little grit or gravel to the planter for alpines, so they remain in well-draining soil.

So with that in mind, let's take a look at how you can add living walls and transform an empty vertical space into a tapestry of colour and life.

Best vertical garden ideas

Growing bags and pouches

Decorative garden pots and living walls

Self-watering vertical growing system

Best vertical gardening accessories

Where do you put a vertical garden?

Modern Gardens Magazine writer Karen Murphy tells where to choose the right spot when it comes to your vertical garden. "Most of the plants you choose, particularly the edible ones, will appreciate a sunny spot, so make sure the wall you’re covering catches plenty of rays during the day. Alternatively, if you have a bare shady wall, plant it up with shade-loving ferns, mosses and heucheras.

"You should consider how you will water your wall planters because most will need regular irrigation in summer. Everything growing in them will need watering once or twice daily in dry spells.

"If you don’t have much time on your hands, try an automatic irrigation system. Large all-singing, all-dancing systems are expensive, so try small holiday watering devices, which cost a lot less. These can be inserted into compost, topped up with water and left for a few days. The simplest way of all to feed your plants is to mix in controlled-release fertiliser at planting time, but you may have to apply liquid fertiliser too."

Not sure where to start? This video discusses the many different types of plants which can be grown vertically and demonstrate some simple structures you can easily build yourself to provide the support these plants will need.

How often should you water a vertical garden?

Unless you have a self-watering living wall, you should aim to water your vertical garden once every two to three weeks. Everyone's conditions vary, but it's recommended that you don't overwater your plants.

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