Vertical garden gone candy mad …… living walls are such a fad, NOT.

..ho hum ……….yet another garden designer stated that vertical gardens were a fad…AGAIN……….

Well my plants are so happy with their wall planters that they are exploding with the most ridiculous colours – I never intended for yellow/pink/purple flowers to all come together – this garden was only ever temporary……(no not a fad, but a trial garden).

I never thought I would see it go to flower …but here I am learning that  perhaps red and pink candy coloured geraniums are really quiet fun when placed on a wall with other plants that flower with a yellow…..do not recommend the red brick backdrop though…..next time I will do it differently…more yellow.

Like all gardens the success depends on the maintenance. My indoor living wall has suffered over the last two weeks. I was super busy and it did not get watered ….my ferns needed to be kept moist ….our living room can get very hot and many of mine have shrivelled….but there are young fronds emerging so I should be able to revive them – I have moved them outdoors to my shady vertical garden – – much cooler out there

Such as shame that people are able to dismiss and turn away from possibilities.

Am very keen to experiment with blue hydrangeas.

Living walls ain’t bling to me. Woolly Pocket offer a real vertical garden opportunity

Did I ever mention Woolly Pockets? Sorry to bang on with the same old drum. I have been experimenting on an even bigger scale with vertical gardens and wall planters today.  I read all these living wall sceptics in the news and blogs etc – sometimes referring to the whole concept as garden bling.

Well- it aint bling to me.  Usually I grow to hate products – not this one – the more I use the Woolly Pocket the more I appreciate its worth. It can increase your gardening space, allows you to experiment with plants and the plants are pretty happy. I am having noddles of fun.

By the way my architectural backdrop does not reflect my abode. I live in the eyesore darling – but I don’t look at it – my neighbours do….

Experimenting with vertical gardens …which wall planter system allows living walls to thrive

I gave the Westfield green wall planting a hard time a couple of months ago – it seemed bland and not varied enough for the size of the wall. I need to slightly amend my criticism. I returned to the Westfield living wall today and the planting design looked more varied now the plants have grown and some species are in flower. Even so Anthropologie’s vertical garden is still the fairest vertical garden of all  – refer to this green wall article for further details.

Like the living wall at the O2 arena (photos here )  Westfield’s vertical garden has had some plant  failures. My husband insists that most people would not notice so I suppose overall the plants are doing OK. Providing a maintenance contract is set up between the supplier and the customer plant failure should not be overly feared. Vertical gardens are a new trend and the industry will continue to learn through trial and error. However if I was engaging one of these complicated  green wall systems I would want a tight maintenance contract to ensure I was not left with a brown green wall. This could be a costly exercise for the installation company.

Meanwhile my vertical garden made from Woolly Pockets are performing beautifully. I know I sell this system so it may seem I have a bias but I can honestly state that my plants are thriving. And I have treated these plants with cruelty. I have been  experimenting with various planting arrangements and in the process I have uprooted plants numerous times (and accidentally left them in the sun with the root system exposed for a couple of days) . The plants are growing, flowering and look very perky indeed. And they are easy to install.

Plants for your wall planters – guidance for DIY green walls

A frequent question from Garden Beet’s customers are: what plants can I use in my Woolly Pocket Wall Planter? Whilst the wall planter is suitable for many container plants I find that  sometime people just want a bit more guidance on what plant species to use in their vertical garden.

I have therefore started presenting my various planting experiments on this blog and at Planting Ideas (located at the Garden Beet website).

If you have any planting suggestions or comments on my planting arrangements please let me know. I am always open to critique and ways of improving planting combinations.

Plants for a Woolly Pocket garden wall planter

Am playing around with Woolly Pocket  Wall Planters at the moment and found a fabulous trailing plant that will work well in the planter to provide quick coverage.

In this Woolly Pocket I have planted

2 x  (trailing) Ajuga reptans ‘Atropurpurea’ (it is in flower but I wanted the plant to quickly fill out so I have removed the flower to encourage leaf growth – the flower is now looking fab in my kitchen)

1 x (the silver leaf ) Geranium ‘Lady Plymouth’

1 x Salvia officinalis

1 x Geranium xxx

Green the Office by Julio Radesca de Carvalho. A new indoor planter that creates walls.

I needed this photo 24 hours ago. Had an indoor planter enquiry yesterday that went like this –

‘Help we are in an office – we want a green wall to provide some division between our desks but we are not allowed to suspend anything from the roof – basically we need a wall planter but we have no wall’.

Julio Radesca de Carvalho this concept is GREAT. Well done for addressing the horrible condition of partitions, fresh air and inspiring workspaces with your multi functional indoor planter.

I would love to peak my head through those mother-in-law tongues and talk to a neighbouring worker.This image was lifted from Contemporist

Wall planters are green walls at Ecobuild. Various technologies minus Woolly Pockets

The photos above are of the green wall display at Ecobuild in London (held this week ). Wall planters are changing and it is possible to wrap entire buildings with plants.

Ecobuild is a London based expo that show cases latests advancements in green building technologies. The centre piece of the expo was a city building measuring 8 metres tall each side clad with four techniques to grow plants vertically. These planters are known in the industry as green wall systems (also referred to as living wall and vertical gardens).

The green wall system shown at the 2010 Ecobuild expo were as follows:

1. A Hydroponic system whereby nutrients are fed to the plants via a watering system controlled by computer.  (BioTecture)

2. A Soil and compost system which is held vertical via a plastic tray or module. (Aldingbourne’s ANSystem)

3. A Coconut fibre base mat supplied with 16 mature, well established plants. (Mobilane’s Helix Mat)

4.  A Stainless Steel Cable system to provide a trellis for climbers. (Jakob system supplied in the UK by MMA).

Unfortunately the Woolly Pocket wall planter system was busy and unable to make its debut  at Eco Build in the UK this year.

Never mind but if you are looking for an easy to install wall planter (without the need to employ a green wall specialist and a computer system) do check out the Woolly Pockets.

Its a type of wall planter made of a felt type fabric woven from recycled plastics.  Simply hang on the wall, insert soil and install plants and off you go.

Oh and just in case you are wondering these wall planters can be used on commercial projects. But like all the other green wall systems you may need some help. Garden Beet will be happy to direct .

Felted recycled plastic bottles create vertical gardens and green walls: Woolly Pockets Wall Planter

Woolly pockets are made from a felted type fabric that is woven from recycled plastic bottles. The Woolly Pockets enable vertical gardens (also referred to as green walls or living walls) to be created indoors and outdoors.

The fabric allows a plant’s root system to breathe which in turn allows the root system to be air-pruned rather than becoming pot bound. They are a pretty clever wall planter.

Plus they allow people to grow plants on any indoor wall. The indoor model is lined thereby preventing water from gushing onto the shag pile carpet.

But how does that work?

Well, the weave of the lining allows air and water to pass but it slows the movement of the water. If water does start to move through the felted fabric you just simply dab with a towel. You are unlikely to over water again.

Garden Beet is based in London UK and ships to most places that require an easy to build green wall.

Check out our vertical garden pages for more detail and  BUY at Garden Beet.

Eat and grow your greens – just grab a wall. Grow your own indoor garden accessories

Higrow have developed some kitchen accessories that help people garden indoors. A neat little indoor window or wall planter that allows bio-dynamic enthusiasts to hang their greens from a suction cup friendly vertical surface. Here are the instructions:

1. Purchase a ‘sproutapouch’ wall planter

1. Place compost disc inside the pouch

2. Pour water into pocket and watch the disk expand to 8 x its size

3. Sprinkle on seeds provided

4. Stick lid down, open gusset and seal lid to pouch

5. Stick to a window or other suction cup friendly green wall and have a micro-salad in days.

The pockets come in 5 varieties: rocket, red radish, broccoli, spring onion and white mustard

This is self induced product placement – I just happen to like the concept. For further details contact the family operated business Higrow – http://www.hi-grow.co.uk/details.php?p=60

A roof garden suspended in a basket. Clever Hanging Planter Solution Collects Water From Leaking Roof.

Look at these hanging baskets. Its a new version of a roof garden. Always on the hunt for clever wall planters I was surprised to see these plants hanging from the roof of Tide Tables cafe  under Richmond Bridge in London.

And what a great idea. The owner of the cafe was interested in a green wall but opted for this clever design solution. The baskets are the wire shopping baskets that can be found at most supermarkets. The plants are then suspended from the basket facing downwards.

But how do you water the plants? Well the baskets are actually holding containers to collect water from the leaking roof. The baskets are really designed to collect water rather than just being an aesthetic consideration. Ah very clever. A new planter pot idea.

But doesn’t the soil drop out? Nope, there is no soil. And they are not air plants. The plants are fake.

Indoor Planters are Growing. Large and Small Contemporary Woolly Pocket Gardening Possibilities.

The Woolly Pocket Gardening Company is changing the shape of indoor planters and interior gardening. The designers of the indoor outdoor wall planter Woolly Wally Pocket have just released  a range of new shapes and sizes to compliment their existing range of soft sided planter bags made from recycled plastic bottles.

Wall Planters from a traditional village in Spain to an almost green living wall in urban spaces

The Spanish village of Mojacar has a range of shops with an array of wall planters.  These are the more traditional ceramic variety and do look spectacular when arranged in groups against the white walls of the traditional Mediterranean buildings.

Wall Mounted Planters have been evolving and it is now possible to purchase a more contemporary orb style – as seen in this tinny weeny photo. Very cute with its space age pod design.

Then we move onto these magnetic wall planters as reviewed by Yardz. I am keen to test these planters as they have a  great modernist look. I love the rearranging potential and the strong red colours. The designers are Metallicus in the UK.

And of course the woolly pocket wall planter made by the Woolly Pocket Gardening Company in the US  and sold in the UK via Garden Beet.

Indoor Hanging Baskets: for shabby chic dead-pan cool ladies who like to lunch with retro accessories

Indoor hanging baskets have definately morphed into another realm. The accessory for the uber swish market is now a Vagabond Handbag cum hanging basket . Perfectly behaved this hanging basket will not drip as it is constructed from the Woolly Pocket Garden Company’s trademark waterproof fabric that also allows the root system to aerate whilst protecting surfaces from dampness . Its handle is created from reclaimed leather and the soft walled container is recycled plastic.

Its all very eco, very enviornmentally friendly and oooh super retro dead-pan chic. Watch this hanging basket coffee morning  for serious networking style.

Garden Beet stocks the Woolly Wally Pocket  indoor hanging baskets that can be located on any indoor or outside wall. However, being able to enjoy your very own living green wall is not enough. Garden Beet Keep Up. Accessorise your handbag with a plant .

Herb Garden | Indoor Gardening – Now Possible with the Right Green Wall or Wall Planter System

Woolly Pocket Wall Planter perfect for Indoor Gardens

Wall Planters for any room in the house

An indoor garden

The Woolly Wally Pocket green wall system is perfect for an  indoor garden and the indoor gardening lover, especially if you want a herb garden in the kitchen and you are running out of bench space.

The Pockets are essentially wall planters that can either be used on their own, in groups or as a complete wall cover to create a super dooper fully living green wall. Perfect for covering that giant wall or creating a small pocket indoor herb garden next to the cook’s bench top.

The wall planters come in a lined and unlined version.

The lined wall planters are for indoor gardening and prevent the wall planters from dripping. For further information on watering please refer to our green wall information page.

Remarkably they also allow the plant’s root system to breathe, thereby promoting healthy plants and preventing plants from becoming pot bound. For further details on the breathability aspects of the wall planter take another look at our detailed green wall information page.

The Woolly Pocket wall planter may appear more expensive than your traditional wire basket wall planter however the Woolly Pockets are a much superior wall planter.

For a start the wall planters allow you to plant indoors; they promote good plant growth, they look great even before the plants have grown, they come in three colours and sizes, are tough and are made from recycled  plastic bottles.

It is also a modular system that you can add to over time. This is not a throw away product but an investment in your home.

A herb garden needs to be accessible – an indoor wall planter, located in the kitchen is about as accessible as it gets.

For further details on Woolly Wally Pockets green wall system please refer to out Vertical Garden section of the Garden Beet website. We are located in London and ship worldwide.