How to Add a Living Wall: Vertical Garden Guide

A vertical garden is a true living wall—generates oxygen, stunning visual focal point, more affordable than fine art. Requires more maintenance than wall coverings but brings texture, energy, life. Replace/refresh plants, care for system, and you'll have the neighborhood's most talked-about wall.

DIY or hire out? For showstopping (larger than poster), hire a local garden pro. In Santa Barbara, Terra Basche of Terra Malia Designs transformed a Sonos office wall with a large-scale living wall.

Find a pro

Select planting system. Most garden stores sell vertical planters. Basche used Architectural Supplements tray system (eco fiberglass): "Planting/replacing fast and easy. Suffering plant? Remove and replace." Tray durable; pro hanging recommended. Then just tend plants.

DIY-friendly: Woolly Pocket system (soft, quick to hang, any scale, hides ugly walls/spaces).

Choose plants. 6-inch plants for green wall. Consider effect/texture/light needs.

• Succulents: hardiest, little water, high visual interest.
• Sedum: good choice.
• Mix water needs OK—they wick needed amount. Use recommended soil/pebbles.
• Draping plants enhance look, cover more space = more bang for buck.

Janet Paik: Wallpaper fails in moist bathrooms; living walls love water/air/light. SF bathroom: Habitat Horticulture (green roofs/walls for CA homes/companies including Trulia) used neon green mosses & baby's tears (array of green hues).

Debora Carl Landscape Design: Succulent/grass living wall—easy care, trickier to hang.

Pick a wall. You're hanging a garden, not art. Nails, dirt, fertilizer. Renters: check landlord. Many systems need studs. Pro hanging accounts for weight/size, ensures wall accommodates. Choose accessible spot for watering/cleanup.

Find the light. Near window/natural light source. Natural light best; keep accessibility in mind. London flat: green wall connects indoor/outdoor on exposed brick.

Cost. ~$60–80/sq ft with tray system. Small DIY < $1,000; large $10,000+ (landscape/design fees). Fill planters affordably: draping plants/vines turned out at edges cover sides/corners. Minimalist look = high impact. Architect Rudolf Lesňák used golden pothos in hydroponic inserts (clay granules) = no soil, no bugs, "natural opposite to modern materials/technology."

Shades Of Green Landscape Architecture: Watering. Indoor systems can work outside if holes drilled for rain drainage. Use climate sense for plant selection; check nursery for watering frequency. Some need daily checks; succulents go ~week. Avoid standing water. Swap dried plants. Easiest: no pump/electricity, plants lasting weeks between waterings.

Osborne Architects: Rana Creek + Polly Osbourne covered Three Rivers, CA garage with connecting plants via aluminum hanging basket system. Rainwater irrigates most of year.

RHYZOMA - Arquitectura / Diseño: Adorn and tend. Accent with custom natural-edged wood frame or modern metal. Hire local woodworker/metalsmith for one-of-a-kind life.

More: 10 Top Plants to Grow Indoors, Pocket Gardens, Pint-Size Patios, Urban Backyards