Unlocking the Benefits of Vertical Gardens: Health, Beauty, and Sustainability

Vertical gardening expands your available space and adds greenery to walls and other structures. In recent years, vertical gardens have gained a lot of popularity. They have health, physiological, and environmental benefits. Vertical garden components may bring attention to a particular spot or hide an undesirable viewpoint. Any garden, whether it is inside or outside, can benefit greatly from this form of gardening.

A vertical garden is a panel that is hanging vertically and uses hydroponics to grow plants. You can attach these unique structures to a wall or leave them freestanding.

Vertical gardens have existed since 1938 when University of Illinois professor Stanley Hart White developed the concept and make a patent for it. 40 years later, Patrick Blanc, a French botanist, gave life to the idea of the modern green wall, using a hydroponic irrigation method.

In the architectural environment, vertical gardens are an excellent alternative for potted plants. Many names exist for vertical gardens such as living green walls, moss walls, and live walls. The size of a vertical garden can range from a picture frame to a painting that is 70 feet wide. They may be placed in hotel lobbies, private backyards, or even offices.

There are three main types of vertical gardens:

Living walls: These gardens are made up of different plants that are installed on a wall to form a live work of art.

Green walls: A green wall resembles a live wall but makes use of artificial plants rather than actual ones.

Pocket gardens: These gardens may be quickly attached to walls or other vertical surfaces and employ separate pockets to keep plants.

When gardening vertically outside, keep the following things in mind:

To avoid disturbing the roots or stems of plants, secure your vertical gardening structure in place before planting. Combine heavier or more demanding plants with stronger structures.

Tall plants or structures produce shadows on the vertical garden, which will change the way the neighboring plants grow.

In a vertical garden, plants grow in a different way. Others, like morning glories, are twining and will coil themselves around trellis holes, while some, like climbing roses, require to be manually tied to structures.

Because they need more light and wind, plants in a vertical garden may require more frequent watering and feeding.

A vertical plant wall or garden uses a wide range of vertical garden plants, with plant selection based on the available light. Take a look at the below options for traditional vertical planting:

Columnar Plants

Columnar plants add interest to vertical gardening. Many can grow successfully without a frame. Think about growing Lombardy poplars, arborvitae, columnar apple trees, or junipers.

Edible Plants

Fresh produce can also be obtained from vertical gardens. Fruiting vines like kiwi and Siberian gooseberries, edible flowers like vining nasturtiums, and vertical vegetables like pole beans, squash, and tomatoes are examples of edibles that adapt well to vertical planting.

Climbing Plants

Ivy and jasmine vines provide any vertical garden with tremendous coverage and a touch of elegance.

Ferns

Ferns are a common choice for vertical gardens due to their delicate fronds and propensity to grow in low light.

Succulents

Because of their shallow root systems and minimal water requirements, these hardy plants do well in vertical gardens.

Improves Air Quality

Homes with continuously bad indoor air quality have been shown to get better air by installing a vertical garden. The vertical garden's plants improve the air quality. After absorbing the air's carbon dioxide, they release the required amount of oxygen.

Vertical gardens act as natural air filters, which contribute to the creation of a clean, healthy environment that improves human health and productivity. Human health is negatively impacted by a number of airborne pollutants, including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and benzene. Vertical gardens absorb these damaging chemicals from the air while also releasing oxygen.

Enhancing Beauty and Attractiveness

Vertical gardening offers a unique and eye-catching element to any area in addition to maximizing available space. Vertical gardens can act as beautiful focal points, generating a visual display that attracts both locals and guests. Vertical gardens may convert dull walls and buildings into bright, living pieces of art by combining a variety of plants, flowers, and herbs.

Reduced Energy Consumption

In addition to helping to control inside temperatures, vertical plants can also help buildings use less energy for heating and cooling. This advantage is particularly apparent in green walls since they act as a natural insulation layer.

Urban Agriculture and Food Production

Urban agriculture and small-scale food production can both benefit from vertical gardening. Many urban residents and homeowners are turning to vertical gardens to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs as demand for locally produced, organic goods rise.

Even in small spaces, people can grow a lot of food by using vertical space, encouraging sustainable living and minimizing dependency on conventional agricultural techniques.

Reduces Noise Levels

The ability to lower noise levels in a building is another unknown advantage of having a vertical garden. A soundproofing device for the building is the vertical garden. Noise levels are lowered by up to eight decibels (8dB) since it absorbs around 40% more sound than a usual façade.

By containing a layer of air between the wall and the plants, vertical gardens act as extra insulation. Through the absorption, reflection, and refraction of sound energy, they also lower noise levels.

Increases Biodiversity

A vertical garden not only adds plants to an urban setting to boost biodiversity, but it also provides insects and birds with a safe haven. We are increasingly eliminating nature as a result of the development of numerous structures. Numerous creatures are being impacted by this. Creating a vertical garden is one approach to give these endangered birds and insect species a safe haven.

Easier to Maintain

Compared to a real garden or potted plants, a vertical garden is significantly simpler to maintain. You are not required to take precautions against soil-dwelling pests, weeds, diseases, or fungi. Additionally, a vertical garden shields the plants from harm.

In comparison to a plant pot or a real garden, a plant is safer in a vertical garden. The plants cannot be harmed by human or animal everyday activities or risk having their leaves picked off by either.

Helps Recycle Trash

You need not be concerned about proper waste removal if you possess a vertical garden. You can use some of your garbage to make a DIY vertical garden. Old shoes, a broken ladder, plastic bottles, an old basket, and a lot more things you never would have thought of might be used to make a vertical garden. A vertical garden not only benefits humans greatly but also safeguard the environment.

Cleaner Crops

Food that is grown vertically is cleaner than food that is grown on the ground. Food grown in a vertical garden cannot be contaminated or made unclean by the soil. You don't have to spend as much time scrubbing the dirt from your just collected food when you have cleaner foods.

Final Word

More advantages than we may imagine come from vertical gardens. They benefit not only ourselves but also animals, the environment, and even the invisible beneficial bacteria. Green places are being eliminated in an effort to accommodate everyone.

As a result of the ecology being unbalanced due to fewer green places, we are also negatively impacted. One way we can improve green spaces is with vertical gardens, which we should all support.