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Vertical gardens have been in use all throughout the history of mankind, dating back to ancient civilizations. Today, vertical gardening is a growing trend and more people are looking into starting their own vertical garden at home.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at everything you need to know about vertical gardens. Let’s go ahead and take a look!
What is Vertical Gardening?
Vertical gardening is a method of growing plants vertically, rather than horizontally on the ground. This can be done by using a variety of structures such as trellises, poles, hanging baskets, or modular panels. The plants can be grown in soil, hydroponically, or aeroponically.
Vertical gardening allows for maximized use of limited space and is often used in urban environments where space is limited. It is a popular technique for growing herbs, vegetables, flowers, and succulents. Vertical gardening can be done indoors or outdoors and can be tailored to suit the specific needs and environment of the plants being grown.
Types of Vertical Gardens
If you’re interested in having a vertical garden, there are two types to choose from: indoor and outdoor . Let’s have a look at these two types in a little more detail.
Indoor Vertical Gardens
Whether it’s your home, office or any other type of indoor space, having a vertical garden indoors has a lot of benefits. Indoor vertical gardens make beautiful centerpieces and you can use them to fill up or cover up any ugly spots you need to hide. They’re very space efficient and can be placed practically anywhere you like. Something like this could brighten up your office with different beautiful plants.
Indoor vertical gardens can look very impressive if maintain properly and you’ll find they can make you feel more comfortable than usual in your environment since they work like an air cleaning system, giving you cleaner air to breath.
These gardens can be made up of several different types of plants including ferns, calathea, pilea which are some of the most popular species of plants for these gardens.
Outdoor Vertical Gardens
Also called ‘Exterior vertical gardens’, these are commonly seen around the world. Many buildings have vertical gardens on their exteriors with vines, moss or various other types of plants. Outdoor gardens are easier to maintain and they have the advantage of getting direct sunlight that helps them grow well.
Having an exterior vertical garden can protect and insulate your building from UV radiation, heavy rain and temperature fluctuations. An added bonus is the evapotranspiration process they undergo during the summer months which cools the air around the garden.
Vertical Gardens for Offices
Vertical gardens are an excellent way to alleviate the perks and mask the pitfalls of an office environment. Offices are dynamic, fast-paced places that are typically loud, and sometimes crowded. There are various types of offices, some cubicles, some rooms and others like large common rooms.
Most offices aren’t designed so as to meet the productivity and capacity of the human mind. Instead, they’re geared towards the demands of the organization. This is where vertical gardens would come in useful!
These gardens are a simple, yet effective additions to an office workspace that will improve the health and wellbeing of the employees in the long run. We all know that happier people perform better!
Since vertical gardens can be customized to fit snugly within a given space, they can be set up in almost any kind of office. They’re great at reducing noise levels indoors since plants have a biological ability to absorb sound.
Some plants have many health benefits such as increasing oxygen levels in a room, regulating and improving airflow, and inducing a calming effect on the environment. These gardens are also very attractive and you can easily use them to hide ugly walls.
Pros and Cons of Vertical Gardens
While vertical gardens come with many benefits, they also have their disadvantages. Let’s have a look at both the pros and cons of vertical gardens.
Pros
- They make a beautiful (and sometimes useful) centerpiece for your interior space.
- They improve the natural airflow to the environment.
- They’re space efficient
- They serve as an air-cleaning system that promote
- They’re versatile. You can plant anything, be it vegetables, leafy greens or flowers.
- They reduce noise in buildings and open spaces
- The water pumped to them can be recycled and re-used reducing water usage up to 80%.
Cons
- They collect moisture and can discolor, damage or decay the structure beneath them.
- Pathogens can spread around them easily than conventional gardens, as water will carry the microbes from the top to the bottom
- The plants on top can block sunlight for the plants growing below
- They require a lot more maintenance than traditional gardens
- They require a well engineered structure to hold them in place
- Interior vertical gardens lack sunlight to grow
FAQ’s about Vertical Garden Systems
A vertical garden system is a method of growing plants vertically on a wall or other vertical surface, using a variety of materials such as pots, containers, planters, or modular panels.
Vertical garden systems have several benefits, including:
Maximizing space utilization and reducing the need for horizontal space.
Improving air quality by reducing indoor pollutants.
Adding aesthetic appeal to indoor or outdoor areas.
Providing insulation and reducing energy costs.
A wide variety of plants can be grown in a vertical garden system, including herbs, vegetables, flowers, and succulents. However, it is important to choose plants that are appropriate for the amount of sunlight and moisture in the area where the vertical garden will be installed.
The maintenance of a vertical garden system largely depends on the type of system and plants being grown. However, some general tips include:
Regular watering and fertilizing
Pruning and trimming plants as needed
Monitoring for pests and disease
Replacing plants as needed
Yes, many vertical garden systems are designed for easy installation by homeowners. However, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully and to ensure that the wall or other vertical surface can support the weight of the system and the plants.
Wrapping Up…
Vertical gardens are a superb gardening innovation to beckon within our fast paced, modern indoor environments. They bring forth the best of both worlds, introducing beauty and a healthy environment to personal and office spaces.
If you’re interested in starting your own vertical garden, we’ve got a whole other article on the topic. Check it out!
