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A vertical garden? Isn’t that just overgrown ivy or some nifty trellis work?‘Vertical gardening opens up planting possibilities. We can now use vertical spaces to grow the salad for tonight’s dinner! For those living in small spaces, it can really improve their quality of life. It can increase the habitat for birds and wildlife, reduce the heat of built-up areas and provide long-term savings for a building’s heating and cooling costs.’

So they trump your average window box?‘They can improve the way we live. I have watched the joy of an elderly couple experiencing their first vertical garden crop of basil, tomatoes and lettuce after moving into a small balcony flat. Without a

vertical garden, households like this simply do not have enough

space to grow plants.’

someone. They also need to withstand weathering, retain moisture in dry spells and drain adequately so a plant’s roots do not get waterlogged. If a living wall is not maintained, it just looks terrible.’

So getting it right is expensive and difficult?‘Poorly designed cheap vertical garden ‘solutions’ simply do not work. Plants die as there is a) not enough room for a plant’s root system to grow and b) the material, size and shape of the planting areas do not direct water to the plant’s root zone. However, vertical gardening need not be expensive. If you are prepared to buy small plants, (or even better, get cuttings from a neighbour or grow from seed) you can invest in a quality DIY

product and enjoy it for years to come. You can also trade on our community pages

on verticalgardenonline.com and keep a lookout for discounted stock.’

You’ve sold me. What do I need?‘My favourite outdoor product is the Wally Pocket. It is made from a

flexible fabric that’s easy to install – you can even go around corners. It’s strong

enough to endure years of weathering and still look great. It allows a plant’s root system to breathe, which promotes plant health, it’s designed to direct water to the roots and there’s plenty of room for a couple of plants per pocket.’ (From £29.99, www.gardenbeet.com.)

And if I have bigger dreams of turning my home into a modern Hanging Gardens of Babylon?‘Affordable indoor DIY solutions are not so easy to source. Most systems claim they can be used indoors, but they fail to mention the modification required by a plumber or builder to ensure drainage is adequately addressed. The appropriate fixing is determined by the wall type. Basically, the bigger the vertical garden, the greater the need to call in the experts. Sooner or later a great DIY product will come onto the market – keep watching our product reviews.’

Felicity Waters runs verticalgardenonline.com and gardenbeet.com (020 3397 2377). Garden Beet sells a range of vertical gardening products and both websites feature free advice from experts and fellow vertical gardeners.

How does a vertical garden defy gravity? ‘It’s like hanging a picture on a wall. Most systems are attached with a screw or nail and some distribute the weight by stretching from floor to ceiling. The tall superstar vertical gardens found on many corporate buildings and hotels are hydroponic – where the roots sit in nutrient-rich water rather than soil. Most DIY systems are soil-based, simply because they’re more straightforward to set up and operate.’

I’ve heard that some developers in London are now expected to incorporate ideas like this into new buildings. That’s a good thing, right? ‘Not if done badly. Poorly designed products can be costly, as plants will not survive. Products need to withstand the weight of the plant, soil and water, while not tearing away from the wall and injuring

Whether you’re short on outdoor space, or want to bring the outside inside, vertical gardening is the perfect solution. But what the hell is vertical gardening? Felicity Waters of London-based website Garden Beet can explain

The only way is up

Off the wall Rooftop crops; left: indoor vertical gardening

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