Don’t overlook the gateway and your garden entrance - With a little creativity the entrance can be made into a beautiful creative vertical garden. An attractive gate or entrance adds character, and is very welcoming for visitors and can become a real showpiece.
photo: toddhaimanlandscapedesign2015
How Permanent Should your Vertical Structure be? This depends on whether or not you own the property and your future plans for it. This is also depends upon whether there are local ordinances, restrictions, codes. Generally you should choose lightweight materials that are easily removed.
photo:buildapedia
Check for shade and the availability of direct sun – Understand the direction the wall faces. Based upon that you will have a better understanding of the amount of light the site offers. Remember a south-facing wall receives full sun, while a north facing wall mostly shade. Vertical gardens are less vulnerable to frost, but may be more vulnerable to wind. Grow shade tolerant plants long periods of shade throughout the day.
Choose your plant wisely - The best plants are those that are suitable for growing in dense clusters, that tolerate shade well and periodic drying. Many plants need to have airflow around them to mitigate fungal diseases, so keep that in mind when the vertical wall becomes a lush verdant wall. It may be time to do a bit of thinning. Vines and creepers work well but avoid species that become unmanageable and difficult to prune and control.
Make best use of vertical structures for attachment - The best way to set up a wall garden or vertical garden is to fix the pots or frames to a wall or fence. If you can’t, or don't want to drill into a wall or fence, the pots can be attached to chains dangling down the walls. You can also hang the planters from hooks or install frames to support the garden. Then design the plant. Plants are phototropic. They grow directly to the sun, which means your vine wants to grow to the open sky. If you want the entire wall covered, try to take the first leaders and affix them horizontally. The vine will then make a 90-degree turn and direct itself to the sun.
photo:inhabitat
Think carefully about the height and strength of the structure - Make sure that the wall and fence and the attachment points are strong and solid. They have to support the garden at all stages of its development. Remember that the vegetation will get heavier and heavier as the garden develops. Planters can get very heavy when filled with wet soil after heavy rain showers. Don't make the garden too high for easy care and maintenance.
photo:inhabitat
Be well aware of the maximum height the plants are likely to grow to when mature - This will affect the kind of structure you choose and will also affect accessibility for pruning, watering, fertilizing and various maintenance tasks. Consider how high you can comfortably reach! Also consider how you are going to trim, prune and maintain the plants as they grow.
