Vertical gardens have become a popular trend among gardeners who want to make the most of small spaces or simply to add a bit of green indoors. And plastics can help you create your own.
About Vertical Gardens
Known also as “green walls” or “living walls,” vertical gardens consist of a collection of plants that grow up a wall or other vertical surface, both indoors and outdoors. The idea was pioneered by French botanist and artist naturalist Patrick Blanc who has installed vertical gardens at London’s historic Athenaeum Hotel overlooking Green Park, the Quai Branly Museum in Paris and Herzog and De Meuron’s CaixaForum in Madrid.
Vertical Gardens Have Arrived in the United States
The vertical garden concept has since spread across the pond. At Flora Grubb, a popular San Francisco garden store, the vertical succulents wall is an inspiration for novice and expert gardeners alike. Built using plastic trays with small shelves that angle upwards, the colorful wall is considered living art.
Make Your Own Vertical Garden
Apartment dwellers, schools and others with limited or no garden space today can install do-it-yourself vertical gardens that create an instant lush, living wall—made possible by plastics.
A common approach to the DIY garden wall involves hanging plastic “pockets” on the wall as plant containers. For example, Woolly Pockets are flexible, breathable gardening containers designed for use on just about any wall (as well as floors and tabletops). The pockets consist of a breathable felt made entirely from recycled plastic bottles attached to a moisture barrier made from 60% recycled plastic. Each pocket is stitched together with — what else? — UV-resistant nylon (plastic) thread.
The Benefits of Vertical Gardens
Because vertical gardens are made from plastics, they are lightweight and can be folded flat, which makes them easy to install and move just about anywhere in the home. With the right soil, most container plants can be grown indoors and outdoors on these vertical gardens, simply and dramatically transforming just about any space.
