DIY Green Wall Made Easy in 4 Simple Steps

4 Steps to a DIY Green WallFor some people, a small vertical garden is perfect. However, there are some of use who want to completely cover a wall or fence with greenery. This can be to disguise an ugly structure, increase privacy or simply create a work of art in the form of a natural “plant wall”.

Decorating with green walls has become more popular as this art has been incorporated into modern architecture of large eco-focused cities.However, the task of building a DIY green wall can seem overwhelming for the average homeowner.

It doesn’t have to be, though. Here are some key points to keep in mind.

Focus on Planning to Minimize Maintenance and Work

A bigger garden doesn’t necessarily mean more work – but it does require more planning. Specifically, I am talking about the irrigation and drainage of the garden and of course the weight imposed on the attached structure.

Be a Lightweight

First, let’s talk weight. If possible, choose a strong, secure wall to build your garden. Keep in mind that not only do you have the weight of the container(s), but the plants, soil and water also tack on some pounds as well.

Using small-leafed greenery that requires less soil and water can significantly help this situation. You can minimize weight in 3 different aspects by doing this. That is one of the reasons why succulents are such a popular option when it comes to vertical gardening.

Create a High-Tech Watering System… that’s Not Really High Tech

Irrigation is also more important with a larger arrangement because you don’t want to spend all of your time watering. One way to do this is to layer the planting containers in rows so that the upper containers drip into the lower ones and so one. You will only need to manually water to top row yourself.

Another option is to install a drip irrigation system that runs on an automatic timer. This is often preferred for plants that need water more often or tend to dry out faster. Compared to a small planting container, drip lines can easily be hidden behind foliage of the green wall plants, especially once they have had time to grow and develop.

What’s an Easy Way to Handle Drainage?

Some vertical gardens use a receptacle at the base to catch excess water. Water can also be diverted to a nearby garden bed using extra drip line. This plastic garden tubing is an inexpensive and simple way to direct water where you want it, and often you can conceal the hose behind or below items so you don’t even see it.

The video below shows how to build a green wall, including creating some of the irrigation and drainage ideas we discussed above.


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Fence Garden: Hang Flower Pots on a Fence

Fence GardenFence Garden Ideas

Many professional vertical gardens are complicated structures that require special containers, irrigation and drainage. This can be overwhelming to the average homeowner who simply does not have the time to figure it all out.

However, vertical gardening can be super easy.

Creating your own fence garden is one example. You simply hang flower pots on a fence rather than buying special materials that can sometimes be more expensive and harder to find.

Some Benefits:

1. What I like about fence gardens is that you can find all the supplies you need at your local garden center or home improvement store. In fact, I purchased the rectangular plastic planters (actually window boxes) in the photo at Home Depot for about $5 each. They are inexpensive and lightweight, but still very durable.

Hanging Flower Pots on a Fence2. In addition, buy using smaller containers and plants, you don’t have to worry so much about the weight against your attached structure.
This gives homeowners more options as to where they can create a vertical garden. You don’t have to have an indestructible concrete wall to build a vertical planting planter.

3. Something else that is nice is that you don’t have to deal with dirt falling out of the side of the planter, since it is sitting upright. Many plants, like spider plants, can actually grow to cover the entire flower pot, so a regular flower pot can essentially create the same effect as a specially-designed vertical planter.

Hanging Plants on Fence:

You might be wondering, “How did she attach the flower pots to the fence?”

I’ll tell you.

Fence Garden HangerFor each planter, I drilled (2) 1 1/4 wood screws into the fence. Then I drilled 2 holes in the plastic flower planter about 1/2 – 3/4 inch from the top (one of the benefits to using plastic or resin containers). The screw heads fit through the holes in the planter, and the container can essentially hang on the fence.

For additional security, I added an extra piece of plastic behind the screw head so that it would not accidentally slip out of the planter. The plastic piece I used is actually part of a drip hose that I cut in half, punched a hole in the middle with a cut on one side so I could slide the piece behind the screw head.

This method allows me to remove the planters when I want without a lot of work. But maybe more importantly, it’s cheap and quick to do. 😉

Wall Garden DIY Plant Tips:

Spider PlantsYou might be wondering how to keep the fence from getting soaked all the time. Well, I did not drill holes in the bottom of the containers, so therefore there is no drainage. Because I did this, I needed to use plants that did not mind having “wet feet”. My jade or other succulent plants would not like this, but the spider plants are very happy.

I also stained and sealed the fence first to protect it from moisture – but it also looks a lot better visually. Keep mind that lighter colored plants or flowers can really stand out against a dark-colored stain.

There is no complicated irrigation system with fence gardening ideas such as this. Because the flower pots are non-draining, they can retain moisture longer in the soil, and I only need to water them once a week. They are pretty low maintenance.