Create an Eye-Catching Vertical Garden in Your Yard

Inviting gardens contain vertical elements. Draw the eye up by growing plants that twine, vine, and cascade, and you divide the garden into areas, creating outdoor rooms. Growing vertically also provides sun protection and privacy from neighbors. And well-placed vertical plants camouflage areas of the landscape that you prefer not to see.

Vertical gardening is also a highly efficient method for growing veggies and fruits. Encouraging produce to grow up a trellis or from pots attached to a backyard wall makes the best use of space. With such a setup, you’re often able to grow more produce than traditional horizontal methods allow.

Grow a successful vertical garden by following these landscaping tips.

Use all available elevated space. In addition to hanging plants and encouraging vines to cover walls, install trellises, gazebos, arbors and patio covers on which plants can grow. Also encourage non-aggressive vines to climb up into trees.

Fill your hanging baskets. Rather than suspend small 6- or 8-inch baskets containing minimal plants, opt for 20-inch hanging containers bursting with blooms and foliage. Adding a lot of plants creates a full, lush look that will draw the eye up. If you buy a hanging basket and it isn’t full enough, add additional similar plant material.

Go for variety. There are many hanging and climbing plants, so mix things up. Some good viners and climbers include Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia), Boston ivy (Parthenocissus), Bougainvillea (for warm climates), cardinal climber, clematis, climbing rose, cross vine, English Ivy and creeping fig (Ficus repens). Vining vegetables include bean, tomato, cucumber, pea, winter squash, melon, pumpkin and gourd.

Design with contrast in mind. Incorporate a wide variety of vining plants into your landscape. In hanging baskets, mix various colors. For instance, try red and white and purple and yellow plant combinations. Also create interest by opting for plants with varying growth habits.

Water often. Heat rises, which means elevated gardens tend to dry out quickly, especially in warm and windy weather. Hanging baskets may need daily watering in warm weather when there is no rainfall. Even vertical plants with roots in the ground should be monitored closely, because the foliage is closer to the sun and exposed to wind.

Feed regularly. Encourage vining and climbing plants to grow skyward by providing adequate nutrients. Depending on the type of plants you’re growing and the season, feed your vertical garden about once a month with a well-balanced, organic fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 or a 15-15-15. Such foods will promote foliage growth and flowering in most plants.

Ensure stability. Safety is paramount when it comes to vertical gardening. The last thing you want is for a heavy hanging basket to fall and injure someone or something. Check that hooks are firmly anchored in place before suspending a pot or basket. Thin climbing plants on walls regularly, or they can become too heavy and pull away from the wall.

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening,  Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.