Tag Archives: Sustainable

Wall Garden

I made this wall garden for a client as a feature to distract from an imposing wall. I recycled some left over and damaged guttering (the square type).

How to construct the wall garden:

I cut the guttering into equal lengths and fitted each length with end pieces so each length becomes a container

Be sure to drill drainage holes before affixing them to the wall

Drill holes for drainage

The gutters are the spaced equally on the wall, marked off and attached by their own brackets.

Fix the gutters to the wall equidistant

The wall was north facing in a hot climate, so I built a screen to shade the wall garden in summer but allow the winter sun to reach the plants. To do this I positioned the gutters vertically but this is not necessary. They could also be arranged in a stepped pattern, for instance.

Screen made from fencing poles

Screen attached to wall

I then cut chicken wire to fit the bottom of each gutter over the drainage holes to hold the soil and prevent the drainage holes from becoming blocked.

Each gutter is filled with soil

I then filled the gutters with first gravel, then finer river sand, then composted ground to assure good drainage.

Water the soil in well and begin planting.

Planting

Water in well

Group plants in each container

Recommended plants:

I  recommended smaller hardier plants at the top and plants with more foliage at the bottom to avoid a top-heavy look

Gutters 1-2

Glottiphyllum longum

Echevaria (Desert Rose)

Stapelia sp.

Hawarthia sp.

Sedum sp.

Aptenia cordifolia

Crassula sp.

Gutters 3-5

Senecio sp.

Geranium

Epiphytes (Air plants)

Bulbinella

Nustertium

Gazanias

Strawberries

Lobelia