Garden Trend of the Summer:
The Vertical Garden

The biggest gardening trend of the summer is the vertical garden and there's no wonder why. It adds green in places you didn't know were possible and takes the thought out of putting art on a wall. It doesn't have to be a lot of work to create your own vertical garden; you just have to start small. Here are 4 ideas to get you inspired.

Trellises
It's fascinating to watch a vine climb as the temperatures rise in the spring and summer. Trellises provide the structure plants need to reach the tops of walls and sides of buildings. It gives facades a soft, green layer to make homes look cozy from the outside. Pre-made trellises are popular, but DIY trellises are simple projects that require little more than bamboo stakes and chicken wire.

Wall Planters
The wall planter takes on many different shapes, containers and designs. The wall planter can be as simple as creating geometric shapes on a wooden plaque with string and nails to hold air plants (which don't require soil or maintenance). Or it can be as elaborate as a living wall with moss and ferns. Used indoors, it gives your eyes a break from toddler toys in the living room.

Pallets
Using repurposed wooden pallets as vertical gardens makes you feel green all over. Not only are you rescuing wood planks from the dump; you're also creating an environment to clean the air and make the outside of your home beautiful. The wooden pallet makes building a vertical garden easy because the foundation is already built for you. What you bring to the pallet is the soil, the burlap and plastic to keep the soil in place, and the seeds or seedlings. Not only is the garden vertical, it's also portable. Change the position each spring the way you change furniture around in the living room.

Plant Pockets
Plant pockets are a brilliant way to build a garden upward. Doing it yourself is easy, inexpensive and simple. A canvas shoetree holds potting soil well to create a breathable growing environment for small plants; herbs or tiny flowers work well. Wool sweaters repurposed as pockets are a more versatile idea for a vertical container. How they're decorated and hung around your patio or yard is up to you, and they can be changed at your whim or with the season. Hung inside, they can distract the eye from bathroom storage, or dress up a pantry.
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