10 Reasons to Love Vertical Gardens
Boring patios and lacklustre views, begone!
When you live in an urban area, bits of greenery can be hard to come by – but vertical gardens offer a wonderful way to refresh your living space, inside and out. From boosting privacy to enhancing small outdoor areas, here are 10 reasons to love this surprisingly versatile garden feature.
2. Vertical gardens add life to urban exteriors
An exterior wall done top to bottom in vertical plantings is delightfully unexpected – just imagine walking home along a row of plain brick and stucco facades and happening upon this living wall of green. Your visitors will certainly never have trouble finding your house!
An exterior wall done top to bottom in vertical plantings is delightfully unexpected – just imagine walking home along a row of plain brick and stucco facades and happening upon this living wall of green. Your visitors will certainly never have trouble finding your house!
3. Vertical gardens can stand in for art
When framed and hung on the wall, a vertical garden can become a one-of-a-kind display that will get guests talking. Succulents with a sculptural shape, or those with delicate, trailing tendrils, are especially well suited to this application.
When framed and hung on the wall, a vertical garden can become a one-of-a-kind display that will get guests talking. Succulents with a sculptural shape, or those with delicate, trailing tendrils, are especially well suited to this application.
4. Vertical gardens can disguise a bland wall
A small patio hemmed in by high walls can feel limiting, especially if the walls surrounding it are less than attractive. Consider adding a vertical garden for a double-duty solution: With row upon row of plants stretching as far as the eye can see, it doesn’t just cover up the offending wall, it creates a focal point.
A small patio hemmed in by high walls can feel limiting, especially if the walls surrounding it are less than attractive. Consider adding a vertical garden for a double-duty solution: With row upon row of plants stretching as far as the eye can see, it doesn’t just cover up the offending wall, it creates a focal point.
5. Vertical gardens let you create your own green view
Lacklustre view? Plant a vertical garden outside your window to make an eye-pleasing one. If too-close neighbours are an issue, consider hiring a pro to construct a support for a vertical garden that ‘floats’ in front of your windows, sheltering your view.
Lacklustre view? Plant a vertical garden outside your window to make an eye-pleasing one. If too-close neighbours are an issue, consider hiring a pro to construct a support for a vertical garden that ‘floats’ in front of your windows, sheltering your view.
6. Vertical gardens make a small outdoor space feel more expansive
Plants blur boundaries along fence lines, creating a more open feeling in this walled city garden. Try adding a mixture of potted plants, greenery in large planters and vertical plantings to create layers of lush green in your own urban yard.
Plants blur boundaries along fence lines, creating a more open feeling in this walled city garden. Try adding a mixture of potted plants, greenery in large planters and vertical plantings to create layers of lush green in your own urban yard.
7. Vertical gardens can form a living privacy screen
Looking for something a bit different from the usual fence or hedge to give your outdoor space a more private feeling? A vertical garden planted on a support (either stationary or even on a gate) can give as much or more privacy, while also extending your garden.
Looking for something a bit different from the usual fence or hedge to give your outdoor space a more private feeling? A vertical garden planted on a support (either stationary or even on a gate) can give as much or more privacy, while also extending your garden.
8. Vertical gardens let you plant without taking up floor space
When even a few pots would trip you up in a narrow yard, let your plantings creep up the wall instead. Vertical gardens can include anything from succulents to edibles, depending on available light and type of wall planter, so let your imagination run wild.
When even a few pots would trip you up in a narrow yard, let your plantings creep up the wall instead. Vertical gardens can include anything from succulents to edibles, depending on available light and type of wall planter, so let your imagination run wild.
9. Vertical gardens bring the outside in
Create your own verdant sanctuary indoors with a lush green wall in the bath. Mossy plants do well in the humid conditions of the bathroom and create a soft, spa-like backdrop for soaking in the tub.
Create your own verdant sanctuary indoors with a lush green wall in the bath. Mossy plants do well in the humid conditions of the bathroom and create a soft, spa-like backdrop for soaking in the tub.
10. Vertical gardens can help cool our cities and refresh spirits
With their endless expanses of concrete and pavement, cities are usually lacking in the fresh greenery department, a deficiency that contributes to hotter temperatures in city centres. But if more buildings put their facades to work with vertical gardens – like the exterior walls of the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, shown here – we could begin to cool and refresh our urban areas, making them more pleasant and comfortable for all.
TELL US
Do you have a vertical garden in (or on) your home? Share a photo in the Comments!
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With their endless expanses of concrete and pavement, cities are usually lacking in the fresh greenery department, a deficiency that contributes to hotter temperatures in city centres. But if more buildings put their facades to work with vertical gardens – like the exterior walls of the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, shown here – we could begin to cool and refresh our urban areas, making them more pleasant and comfortable for all.
TELL US
Do you have a vertical garden in (or on) your home? Share a photo in the Comments!
MORE
17 Decks That Deliver
Expert Tips for Planning a Welcoming Small Front Yard
10 Big Ideas for Small Urban Balconies
Planting a vibrant vertical garden in an outdoor room that’s visible from inside the home is a wonderful way to encourage indoor-outdoor flow. The lush foliage beckons you outside, making even a small routine (like drinking your morning coffee) more likely to happen in the fresh air.