NATIONAL SENIORS NETWORK
IF your backyard is shrinking faster than your weekend, it might be time to stop thinking about gardening across the ground and start thinking about gardening up the wall.
Vertical gardening has become one of the smartest ways to grow plants in small spaces, whether you’re working with a tiny courtyard, a townhouse patio, an apartment balcony or simply a corner of the yard that never seems quite big enough.
The beauty of vertical gardening is that it allows you to turn bare walls, fences and unused spaces into living, growing gardens. Better still, it can be done without breaking the bank.
One of the easiest places to start is with a simple trellis. Climbing plants such as beans, peas, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes love having something to scramble up.
Instead of sprawling across garden beds, they grow vertically and often produce healthier crops thanks to better airflow and sunlight.
For flower lovers, hanging baskets and wall-mounted pots can create a colourful display while taking up virtually no ground space. Petunias, geraniums, nasturtiums and trailing lobelia all perform beautifully when allowed to spill over the sides.
Even herbs can join the vertical revolution. Old pallets can be transformed into herb gardens with a little landscaping fabric and some potting mix.
Suddenly you’ve got basil, parsley, thyme and mint growing on what was once destined for the tip.
One of my favourite vertical gardening hacks is using a shoe organiser.
Those pocket-style hanging organisers can be attached to a fence and filled with potting mix. Each pocket becomes a mini garden perfect for herbs, lettuce, strawberries or small flowering plants.
If you’re considering a larger living wall system, remember that watering becomes more important.
