How to create a vertical garden

PROPERTY NEWS - Tired of strolling through your garden to gather your thoughts? Well, with a vertical garden you no longer have to.

Spruce up your least favourite wall by turning it into a vertical garden.

• Create a basic three-layer structure consisting of a frame, plastic sheeting and fabric before hanging it. Try using a 3/4-inch PVC pipe, elbows, and four-way joints for the frame - as opposed to metal or wood.

• Plastic sheeting is next. It acts as a backing for the fabric layer and keeps the water off the wall. Try PVC sheets. (If you want to try this on a wood wall, you'll need to ventilate behind.)

• Now attach at least two layers of fabric to the frame. This will retain water for your plants. Use felt carpet padding or anything that will retain water without rotting. Attach fabric layers directly to the frame with galvanised screws and stainless-steel staples so it is secure and taut, with no buckling or wrinkles.

• Make an irrigation system for moisture throughout the fabric layer from poly-tubing across the top of your panel, with drippers and a timer set for seconds. Attach an emitter every 5 to 8 centimetres along the top irrigation tube and find a balance between moisture retention and overwatering plants.

• Attach the frame to the wall using stainless steel. Use hooks if you want to be able to remove the frame; otherwise, brackets screwed into the wall and the frame will also work.

• Now add a liquid-fertiliser injector with an irrigation valve that sends fertiliser into the irrigation system. Add an irrigation water filter. Plant a flower bed underneath your vertical garden to make the most of the run-off.

• Take into account sun, shade, humidity, wind and cold conditions when you choose plants. Native plants do better. Use a razor blade to insert plants into horizontal cuts in the outer layer of fabric. Clean the plants' root balls (to avoid root rot), and insert them into the cuts. Shoot three to five stainless-steel staples to attach the cloth to the plastic backing in a semicircle around the root ball, creating a secure envelope.

• Place plants on top that grow up to 1m out from the wall and plant shade-tolerant species (ferns etc.) underneath. Planting in vertical strips, with green shade plants in one strip and sun-loving flowers in another, also works for some people.

Photo: www.ispydiy.com