Plant and mount a living wall garden panel to an exterior wall, patio railing or a tall fence.
If you place your vertical garden panel in a sunny spot, fill it with succulents, which need less watering.
By Michelle Kaufmann
Not everyone's lucky enough to have a big yard in which to grow a garden. Sometimes all you have to work with is an apartment balcony or a small walled-in yard. If that sounds familiar, then a living wall garden could be just what you need.
Mounted vertically on a wall or deck railing, a living wall garden works well in areas of limited space. A wall garden can even help insulate your home — and help you save energy — if you hang enough panels on an exterior wall of your house.
To make your own, you’ll first need to get one or more living wall panels (available at Gardeners.com). The more panels you use, the better your garden will look. They have gridded, slanted openings that hold the soil and allow water to trickle down when you water it from the top.
We recommend a drought-resistant planter mix that will let you water less often. Before choosing your plants, figure out where the planter is going. In sunnier sites, succulents are perfect since they love sunlight and are drought tolerant. If your garden is going in a shadier spot, then ferns or ivies are a good choice.
1. Fill the planter about half way up with soil, evenly distributing it in all the openings.
2. Now start planting. There are 45 openings in each planter, but you don’t have to put a plant in each, especially if you’re using larger plants. You can use smaller plants to fill the spaces between larger ones.
3. Each panel will come with a mounting strip that you must screw into the wall with at least two heavy duty screws that can support up to 80 pounds. Use a level to mount the strip.
4. Then just slide the panel onto the mounting strip, making sure it’s secure.
5. Water your new wall garden with a water wand or drip hose or even a simple watering can.
Play around with the number and design of the panels you hang until you’re happy with your living wall garden. This is a great way to create privacy or just a more beautiful outdoor setting where you never thought it was possible.
Download instructions for this project from Michelle Kaufmann's blog >>
Provided by Michelle Kaufmann - http://www.michellekaufmann.com
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