Living walls are fast becoming one of the most stylish and contemporary ways to fill gaps and cover unsightly spaces in small gardens. This year at the Chelsea flower show many designers presented vertical gardens showing how a small garden can become a fabulous haven of bright colours and natural beauty.
It is true that vertical gardening has always been around, with plants climbing on trellis or ivy trailing up and over your shed however the term ‘living wall’ is used to describe a completely different type of plant.
Living walls use herbaceous plants that are grown on the ground in order to coat a wall. Miraculously the same principles that are used with hydroponics are used to cultivate the plant without using soil. The wall is created from a metal frame with a PVC layer and a layer of felt. You simply embed either seeds, cuttings or plants into the felt and use an irrigation system to both water and feed the plants from the top to the bottom.
If you are interested in growing your own living wall try using sedums, ferns, succulents or heuchera.
For more interesting gardening ideas visit my blog at Jacks Garden Store, here you will also find a wide range of gardening products at fantastically low prices.
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The felt for living walls – what kind is suitable, and where on earth to buy it? I have searched and searched but cannot find a supplier.