Easy DIY Vertical Garden with Metal Ducts

West Elm Hanging PlantersVertical gardens don’t have to be attached to a wall or a fence. They can also be hung from a roof overhang or trellis structure as well.

Hanging planters can sometimes be a better option if you don’t want greenery growing on the side of your home or up against a wood fence. Plus, multiple containers hung one above the other with vining plants like english ivy can create a beautiful and useful privacy screen that you can make yourself.

These hanging vertical gardens also provide a perfect solution for rooms with windows that have a not-so-nice view. If you can hang these vertical gardens from the outside roof overhang, they can make the view much more relaxing or interesting – and maybe even block an unsightly wall or old fence.

This video below shows how you can some cool hanging duct planters similar to the ones sold at West Elm for $49 (but by making them yourself, you can save a lot of money).


Rain gutters can also be used to create these vertical planter “walls”. Gutters don’t necessarily need to be attached to a wall or other vertical structure. As the DIY video demonstrate below, the only supplies you will need can be easily found at your local home improvement store:

  • Rain Gutters
  • Gutter End Caps
  • Eye Hooks with Washers and Nuts
  • Chain for hanging
  • S-Hooks for Attaching Chain to Gutter
  • Drill for Drilling Holes in the Gutter

You can the rain gutter in plastic or metal usually in 10 foot or 12 foot lengths. Usually store staff can cut them to the sizes you want for free – so you can get about 4-6 planters for a single gutter which may only cost you $12-15 (plus the cost of end caps).

Plants and Drainage for Your Metal Duct Garden:

Depending on the plants you decide to use and where you want to position your hanging plants, you can either drill holes in the bottoms of the ducts for easy drainage or not.

For plants that require regular water with good drainage, I recommend adding drainage. However, my spider plants thrive in all my containers – with or without drainage holes. Succulents like jade plants can do fine without drainage as long as you are careful to not over-water them.

Other Vertical Planter Ideas:

If you have old containers that could be recycled into planters, baskets or long flower boxes, these items can also be used to create your green wall. Just make sure that they are designed for outdoor use.

The long flower box on the right is made of lightweight durable plastic resin that is ideal for hanging. They only cost about $10 for a 2-foot long container. You can get them in the gray (as shown) or in a dark green, terra cotta or lighter pepperstone color.

You might also find some interesting an unique containers for planting by checking out local thrift stores, Dollar stores or home improvement stores. These are also great places for finding bargains as well.

Keep in mind that a fresh coat of paint can completely change the look of virtually any item. Whether you want brightly-colored containers or prefer planters to match the walls of your home, paint can easily (and cheaply) do the job.

For example, check out this hanging plant holder using 3 wicker baskets:

Hanging Wicker Basket Planter
courtesy of https://www.goodshomedesign.com