Having a small yard and a husband who loves fruit trees, we decided about 10 years ago if we added any more trees they would have to be espaliered. Although we both had seen this technique in books and had observed a friend who lined his front stucco wall with espaliered trees we were apprehensive about undertaking such a project. 

Well we jumped in and purchased not one but two apple trees (a Gala and a Fuji) and espaliered them against our backyard fence. This project turned out very successful and beyond our wildest dreams. The trees are beautifully leafed out in the summer, supporting clusters of apples that ripen early since the sunshine kisses each apple. In the winter, after the leaves have fallen, the branches flat against the fence are lovely to see and very architectural.

My husband took an old picture frame, lined it with cement board and covered the front with plastic lath.  The frame, cement board and lath were recycled items from our junk pile. Soil was added between the cement board and lath. Between the spaces in the lath, I placed snippets of small succulents.  It has been hanging in our backyard for 5 years and it comes down every 6-8 weeks to be watered and thrives even on the hottest summer days. When originally planting this vertical wall, the newly planted frame sat flat for about 2 weeks to allow the plants to set roots and anchor into the soil. Over time I've had to replace succulents that have overgrown the lath.

I've seen pallets used for vertical gardens at the Solano Fair in Vallejo. They were simply made and held herbs, succulents and vegetable plants. Any plant will succeed if shallow rooted. (Do not use climbing plants). Vertical gardens require morning sun and afternoon shade. Potting soil works well and should be packed into the vertical spaces.  Make sure your wood frame has not been treated with chemicals.

Vertical gardens can be portable, require less water and the best part-they do not need to be weeded.  They add beauty to large blank walls and interest to any garden.

Vertical gardens are wonderful additions to residences that do not have space for plants. I've seen manufactured boxes in catalogs and online that are easy to fill with soil, plant and add to blank walls.  These are fun, easy summertime projects.

A recent magazine article pictured a vertical garden in a living room. It had an assortment of plants placed into plastic pockets and sewn onto a burlap wall hanging. The article did not indicate how those plants were watered.

We will be seeing more creative ideas on vertical gardening as public interest increases and new gardens diminish in size.