Plants best for Vertical garden

Vertical Garden are becoming the at least trend in gardening, whether its indoor or outdoor. These nine plants are the best that can be used in vertical garden.

1. Geranium spp. and hybrids

The dainty leaves and flowers of cranesbill geraniums add both colour and texture to a vertical planting scheme.

Ferns

2. Ferns

Choose any number of clumping, trailing or epiphytic ferns for shaded spaces. The hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) is a robust, clump-forming fern.

Bromelaids

3. Bromeliads

There are many different bromeliads, including guzmania, billbergia and aechmea. Most need little soil to grow in, making them ideal for vertical walls. Colourful leaves and long-lasting flowers add to their appeal.

Begonia

4. Begonia

From trailing hybrids for shade, to the bold, long-flowering ‘Thousand Wonders’ style that grows in sun, begonias have both flowers and interesting foliage.

Hosta

5. Hosta

Grown for their lush, colourful leaves and white summer flowers, hostas suit a shaded garden in a cool climate. Plants die down over winter.

Baby Teared

6. Baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)

Also known as helxine, this dainty groundcover with tiny round green leaves enjoys moist shade.

Benefits of Vertical Gardening

Vertically gardening is  gaining lot of interest by urban gardening fans. The popularity is due to the fact that they allow home owners and renters to grow plants in small area. A vertical garden will work just fine on a small strip of soil in front of your house or even  on a balcony. Vertical garden bring lots of benefits with itself. 

• Vertical  Garden works very hard for you by becoming a shield to your home, they protect your home from harsh whether and UV rays. During rains green wall can help from paint damage. 

• These vertical plantings also act as a insulation, increasing the energy efficiency. It reduce the house temperature to 10 degree compared to the outside temperature. 

• If you place them on the outer side of window, they will act as a shade from harsh sun and passerby. Plus it creates a lovely view in your crowded cemented urban neighborhood.

• Vertical garden can be trained to grow up on an existing fence or supported on purpose built frames. these frames will not only offer you privacy, appeal but also reduce noise pollution.

• You can use green hanging to hide the unwanted and damage areas of your property

• Indoors vertical garden can act as an attractive room divider. 

• Adding indoor vertical garden will serve your home to improve the air quality. 

• Living frames can add a soothing effect at your working space, giving natural beauty and mental peace.

• Vertical gardens are good for pets, where you can have you personal organic garden without pesticides.

Tutorial - Vertical Pocket garden

You you will need:
1. Felt
2.Plastic Sheet
3. Industrial thread (water resistant)
4. Plant
5. Potting Soil
6. Scissors

Procedure:

1. Fold felt over, leaving about a half an inch of available space at the top. Pin the Plastic Sheet inside and using an industrial-style thread, sew along the two sides.

2. After sewing, place the grommet base and tool on the right side of felt where you wish to create the holes. Pound down in one fell swoop (be careful!) and puncture felt with tools. Repeat on left side. 

3. Place grommets in the newly made holes. 

4. Take the hammer, grommet base, and grommet back and place felt in between — hammer together so that the grommet is now securely in the felt. 

5.  Place potting soil in the pocket. 

6.Remove plants from pots and secure in the pocket, making sure the plants are turned forward. 

Indoor Vertical Gardening - Succulent Living Picture Art

Indoor Garden - Plant a Living Picture

Indoor Gardening has entered from corporate house to the favorite wall in your house. Planting a living picture through plants not only add attraction but also provides a soothing charm to your eyes.

If you are looking for a nice picture for your living room... try some indoor gardening in form of a vertical garden. Entire wall can be transformed through vertical gardening or it can be a form of small picture frame with some plants turning it into a live picture. Follow the following step and make your own picture.

Step 1: Assembling of Frame: Buy a pre assembled frame, if you do not get near by. You can make one for yourself by using old plastic trays or wooden box.

Step 2: Gather Cutting: Gather small buds from the succulent plant. Stem of the plants should be at least 1/4 inch long. Set the cutting in a cool place for few days say about 2 days. This allow the stem dry and callus over. You would be needing about 60 buds for 6 by 12 inch frame. 

 

Step 3: Add Soil : Fill the tray first with gravel, sand and then with soil along with the fertilizer. Fix the iron net.

Step 4: Plant the cuttings: Plant the cuttings into the soil. Leave the frame lying flat on a cool place for a week after planting, this would help the plant to take roots in the soil.  Once the plant get well rooted place the frame in the morning sunlight for another a month. Water the soil as when it start drying in every 5-7 days depending upon the moisture condition in soil. 

Step 5: Watering the Picture Frame: Once the Living Succulent picture is ready, to water it remove the frame from the wall, water lightly and wait till water is well absorbed in the soil. 

S

Vertical Gardening - Planter Ideas

Last post has briefed you about the benefit and reason for vertical gardening, here I would be discussing on how to make vertical garden in different containers.

1.Plastic bottles:

This is my favorite way, we have lots of plastic bottles at home, do not throw them from next time, you can use them a planters and with the help of wire or clamp you can hang them on walls. This method is both cost effective and innovative. I also love to paint the bottle, giving them new look.

Plants: You can plant any thing of your choice and make nice patterns on the walls. Your balcony could be an ideal place for this. 

Watering: Watering the plants in plastic bottle is of no worry, as water is inside the bottle and with the help of wick the soil is always moisturized

2. Pockets:

Composed of a breathable, recycled material these pouches are sold individually and in rows of three or five, the best part is they can last for 20 years. They can easily be attached to walls with screws. I found a site name wollypocket.com which provide these pockets.

If you are not interest in buying these pocket online, you can make them at home using old clothes. I would be sharing How to make Pocket planters at home in my other post.

Plants: The standard size of the pocket is 15"*24", which can hold approx of 9 Kg of soil. and this amount of soil can easily accommodate most of the annuals, small edibles, and perennials plants. 

Watering: If the plants are within your reach, you could use watering can. But if pockets are high on walls, you have to install an automatic watering system.

3. Trays:

Similar to nursery, these rectangular plastic trays are divided into planting cells. Cells are slanted at 30 degree angle with bottom holes that promote drainage.

Again I would be giving a detail on how to make trays for vertical gardening at home. 

Plants: Plants like succulents are the best for these, as they have shallow root system. 

Watering: You can use Watering can or install the automatic watering system. Since the tray already has the drainage hole, the moisture will be retain.

 4. Pot Hangers:

The pot are clamped into the walls through screw. Its more like a container plants hanged on the walls. 

Plants: Any plants can be used, which can easily grow in pots. You can have a wall of kitchen garden, where you can plants herbs like basil, mint, tomatoes, spinach, chillies.

Watering: Do not put pots high on wall, it would be difficult for you to water the plants and also watch on the growth and health.

S

Vertical Gardening

Plants are climbing walls and so are the gardeners, Gardening has pushed itself into new heights of vertical gardening. The vertical gardens are very beneficial in terms of rising temperature, they reduce urban heat and improve indoor air quality.

In past vertical places like portico, decks, balconies, were not given more importance, but the time has transformed these spaces into new dimensions. Is not a difficult task to transform a wall into a art piece.

To start, first we need to choose a container system to hold the soil and plant wisely. Container could be a tray system, pocket system, or a solution of your own......

To have success in a vertical garden, you need to monitor moisture levels. Since plants are growing in small portion of soil than compare to a ground. Another choose same type of plants, the plants who need same water level. For example both herbs and succulent works well for vertical gardening but herbs need more water and succulents need little, thus it make them less compatible. 

Growing pattern of the plants are also a concern for the vertical gardening. If you placing the trailing plants place them near bottoms, so that they do not make other die. To have a attractive look do not pot the plants those are showing lot of stem. Add more interest in your design by choose wisely on the textures, color, and aroma. Its give a smoothy feeling when you touch and feel your garden. 

Whether you live in an apartment, town house, mansion, or studio apartment, there is always a vertical spaces waiting for you to exploit.

S

Plants for Bedroom........

The modern architecture does not allow to have large spaces for bedroom. But you can always decorate your bedroom with plants, by using tables, corners, windowsills. My bedroom is very small, it has only space for a fitted cupboard, bed and a bedside table. In such a scenario, I prefer hanging  plants at the side of the window.

Ideas for Bedroom:

Place the hanging plant as close to your window, this would help them in growing and nourishing. If you do not have a window or cannot arrange a space for hanging. you can use a narrow table on your bedside to do the double work for by making space for plants.

Choose you Plant:

Whatever is the size or shape of your bedroom, there is a plant for you. below is the list of plants based in the positioning of you bedroom. Follow the list and you would surely have happier and a bright life ahead.

East Facing Bedroom:

• Arrowhead Plant
• Creeping Fig
• English Ivy
• Spider Plant
• Zebra Plant
• Velvet Vine
• Grape Ivy

North Facing Bedroom:

• African voilet
• Aspidistra
• Cyclamen
• Ivy
• Japenese Aralia
• Prayer Plant
• Sweetheart Plant
• Yucca

South Facing Bedroom:

• Jade Plant
• Geraniums
• Passion Flower

West Facing Bedroom:

• Canary ivy
• Devil's Ivy
• Goldern trumpt
• Mother of Thousand  
  
  Myth About Placing Plants in your Bedroom:

Plants produce oxygen during day, which is a part of photosynthesis. During night the photosynthesis does not happen and they also comsume oxygen along with the human beings. If the calculation in made in the consumption of oxygen by plants at night is minimal to the consumption of human beings.  

S

Plants for Kitchen..

People love to decorate their house with various indoor plants but at times they neglect their kitchen. Since kitchen is the place where most of the activity happens at home....... try to make it beautiful and cozier by adding few houseplants. 

No matter how large, small, light or dark is your kitchen, there is always a plant for your space.  Large and airy new style kitchens are ideal for variety of plants; windows, shelves and corners are ideal to display plants.

Whereas in smaller and less natural light kitchen, you can always have a hanging plant on your refrigerator

Atmospheric Condition for Plant Growth:

90% of the time kitchen do not have the ideal condition to grow plants. Temperature tend to fluctuate a lot during cooking and non cooking hours. If your plant is not flourishing in kitchen make sure to do few steps for them:

1. Sponge the leaves with water and remove the dirt deposits from them.

2. Humidity is high in kitchen always choose plants which can sustain them self.

3. Since kitchen is a primarily a working area, place your plants away from stove, oven. Heat can destroy your plant.

Finding Space:

Window pane is the favorite place for indoor plant, where they can have the natural light to flourish.  A group of hanging basket at various height adds decor. You can also add shelves to add row of small plants. display a miniature plant on the table centerpiece.

Plants for Kitchen window:

Choose a flowering plant to add the color, or a bunch of green plants to make a perfect effect of contracts.

Flowering Plants for your Kitchen: In Spring, place the container with Narcissus, Daffodils, Iris, Squill.

Squill

Iris

Narcissus

Dafodills

In north facing kitchen window use African Violet. For a south facing use Blue morning glory. 

Blue Morning Glory

 Green Plants: Artillery Plant, Carex

Carex

Artillery Plant