BACKYARD ESSENTIALS
The PAPS Vertical Gardens' system is easy to use. You just hang pots on a frame.
MAKE YOUR OWN Would you like to build an edible vertical garden using recyclable materials? You will need chicken wire, a hessian bag, reusable plastic cable ties, some homemade planting mix and a sturdy bamboo stick you can thread through the top of the hessian bag for ease of hanging. The next steps are: Planting mix • Your planting mix needs to hold extra moisture and the magic ingredient is fine-grade coir. Coir is light and both holds and wicks moisture well (that is, it helps water rise up from the bottom of the mix). • Coir is sold in a compressed brick, which needs soaking in water for 15 minutes or so. Afterwards, use fresh water to wash the coir in a clean plastic plant pot. Wash until the water is clear. • Make your planting mix with 30–60 per cent coir, the rest being a good potting mix. Add 10 per cent well-rotted cow manure to feed plants slowly. To buffer residual saltiness in the coir, add a handful of gypsum to every 10L bucket of homemade mix. The pot pouch Fill the hessian bag with the planting mix, leaving room at the top to close the top down with string or zip ties. (If attaching to a timber fence, insert a sheet of builder’s plastic backing before adding the planting mix.) Place the “pouch” onto a piece of chicken wire and fold the chicken wire over and around it like a parcel, securing the chicken wire at the back with wire or cable ties. The planting is done on the “clear” side, away from the ties and black plastic of the back. Using wire cutters, snip some sections of chicken wire and open them up to expose potential planting spaces. Push the sharp ends of the chicken wire back into the pouch to avoid scratches. Use a sharp craft knife to cut a cross in the exposed hessian to access the planting media. Fold the flaps of hessian back around the plants after planting. Planting out Plant out with seedlings or plants in 50–75mm pots. Scoop out some planting mix to make room for the plant roots and top up to ensure no air gaps around roots. Water-holding gel around the roots will help stop plants from drying out. After planting, water well and place in the shade for a day and leave horizontal for a week or two to give the plants a chance to establish their root systems. Your wall garden can then be hung in place. Water gently every day or so, depending on the weather, and water weekly with diluted seaweed or fish emulsion fertiliser to boost your plants. The above instructions were supplied by Karen Sutherland, founder of Edible Eden Design. Karen runs workshops on everything from creating sustainable green walls to growing bush herbs in the city and no-dig gardening. For more information on classes or to read Karen's blog, visit edibleedendesign.com
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“If you like the idea of a kitchen garden, hardy herbs such as thyme, sage, oregano and rosemary are perfect ... as they don’t need as much water as other varieties” For a decorative effect, succulents such as echeveria, sedum and crassula can look stunning. Liriope and small hebe varieties can work well also, depending on your local environment. Plants with water-holding stems and leaves, such as pelargonium, begonia, peperomia and columnea, are a good idea if you’re not big on maintenance or live in a dry climate. Plants with water-holding roots such as mondo grass and philodendron work brilliantly in this way as well.
DIY OR READYMADE Several companies specialise in the installation, planting and maintenance of green walls, such as Deep Green. “Using a specialised lightweight growing media, automated direct irrigation methods and a palette of species specifically selected to be hardy and aesthetically pleasing, we design and install custom-made vertical gardens,” says Deep Green company owner, Steve Winsor. “Because it is more hydroponic than other systems, it requires only very small amounts of organic-fibre growing media, making it a lightweight system,” explains Stewart. “It is also slimline and, for ease of care, we install an inline liquid fertiliser delivery unit.” There are plenty of companies offering DIY systems, such as PAPS Vertical Gardens. This system uses a slimline, powder-coated frame (free-standing or wall-mounted) and hook-on pots. The frame holds 18 pots and can be fitted with a top-down drip irrigation system. If you want something small, there are readyto-hang fabric systems, such as Woolly Pockets and Verti-plant. Of course, these are just a few examples of the diverse array of vertical garden systems available.
EXPERT ADVICE Like a ground-level garden, a vertical garden needs maintenance. In fact, it needs more and it probably needs expert care unless you are a dedicated gardener or a quick and willing learner. A small vertical garden, just a few pots on a wall or a simple fabric system, won’t take much more care than a hanging plant but large green walls can be complex creations in need of a lot of nurturing. It’s not just the “after” you are likely to need expert help with. If the plan is to establish a sizeable green wall on an
A NATURAL INSULATOR “A bare, sun-exposed wall covered in plants will no longer reradiate unpleasant heat into your house or apartment, and the combined effect of plants and moist growing medium will provide valuable insulation. Hard surfaces bounce noise about especially in busy cities, so installing a sound-absorbing vertical garden can add to a more peaceful life,” says Catherine Stewart, editor of award-winning gardening blog GardenDrum. “Plant leaves also trap airborne dust particles, absorb pollutants and increase local humidity, as well as creating habitat for beneficial insects. And surrounding yourself with lush plants is well documented to give you a mood boost. “If you’re clever with your plant choices, your vertical garden can also become a piece of green art — plant sweeping curves or geometric designs of colour, foliage and form contrasts. In a warm, sunny spot, you can use the unusual shapes of a variety of low-maintenance succulents to form dots and stars, so your vertical garden becomes attractive, abstract art.” To learn more about green walls along with myriad other gardening and design topics, visit gardendrum.com.au